A Stellar Encounter

I had to run out to my car for something last night and on my way back up the driveway I was greeted by an old friend - he was standing on my garage.  Fortunately this was more of a celestial visitation than a terrestrial one.  No, none of the heavenly host had been dispatched to assure me I was greatly favored (which was perfectly fine with me).  It was my sentimental favorite winter constellation, Orion, making his early evening debut in the low east.

I'd seen Orion a couple of times late last year when I would get up particularly early and go into work in the dark.  But then he'd always been slumped over the western horizon like he'd been on an all-night bender.  But now he was crisp and alert and very personable.  We spent a moment or two getting reacquainted, but it was chilly and it seemed to affect me more than him, so I left him to pirouette on my garage roof and went inside.  I'm sure well be getting many more opportunities to hang out in the months to come.

'You know Orion always comes up sideways.
'Throwing a leg up over our fence of mountains,
And rising on his hands, he looks in on me
Busy outdoors by lantern-light with something
I should have done by daylight, and indeed,
After the ground is frozen, I should have done
Before it froze, and a gust flings a handful
of waste leaves at my smoky lantern chimney
To make fun of my way of doing things,
Or else fun of Orion's having caught me...

Excerpt from "The Star-Splitter" by Robert Frost