Thursday, August 23, 2012

Dream Dog

Two days ago I lay down on a blanket on a grassy hill and stretched out at a perfect incline. The day was mild--warm, sunny, and eerily NOT damp.  This has been a Sweat Breath summer.  Think of a summer that's super sweaty. Not just your sweat but a general sweatiness all around you. Now add breath to that. Your breath and breath around you. People's breath, the trees' breath. Grass's breath and hot asphalt's stinky breath. Everyone and everything around you is sweating and breathing all over you. Also imagine your sweat breathing and your breath sweating. And that's this summer.  So imagine my surprise shock almost physical discomfort because my skin is unaccustomed to dry pleasant conditions perplexity when the temperature was high 70's-low 80's and dry.  I had fallen into a dream of summer and that i was lying on a grass knoll made it all the more realistic and happy.

(NOTE: When selecting/making up a noun for "perplex," be sure to consult Urban Dictionary first because "perplexion" is ill-advised. FAIL.)

In my happy dreamful state, I reached behind me and looked as far into the back sky as i could when I saw a curious phenomenon.  I saw a rainbow. But not just any rainbow but an almost circular rainbow on a non-rainy day. Nowhere near a rainy day. And it circumferenced the sun, as far as i could tell, which was hidden from view behind some leafy trees. It was pretty glorious and i wasn't sure at all what i was looking at. My view was upside down but I got my phone and took an awkward photo at--i hoped-- the thing in the sky, but it was too bright to see on my phone.




I sent the photo to Scientist Sean who told me it was a "Sun dog!" (he was excited about it).  I thought, that's the worst name ever for something so celestial and didn't think much else. It wasn't until later when he showed me google images for sun dogs that i gasped.  Go ahead and do it. Are you KIDDING ME?  What is going on here?? I felt like I had made First Contact, catching a glimpse of alien happenings that normally go unseen, events too beautiful for mere earthlings.  Who else has seen this?? I demand you tell me.  Why have i never heard of it? And will it ever happen again?  Weather like that is already suspect, but now I'm beginning to think it really was a dream all along. 

2 comments:

Pedersen Posse said...

Wow! How cool! Never heard of it though.

lindsey v said...

I've seen one before but just this year was the first time I'd heard the name.

I loved your sweat and breath visual. It was so moist.