Kakahead

Very big thanks go out to our daughter for calling us this past Monday night.  My lovely girlfriend (wife) and I were watching the idiot box in the bedroom.  It was about 9:30 PM when the phone rang. 

“Dad!?!?!” she blurted when I answered the phone.  “THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ARE OUT!!”  

“Oh wow!!” I said and, to my wife’s bewilderment, I zoomed from the bedroom to the back door.  “HOLY  WAZOOKA!!”  I said as I gazed at the beautifully lit sky.  “OK,” she said, “I gotta call Andrea now.”   I quickly dialed our son… but alas it went to voicemail. 

Last time I remember a similar spectacle was during the summer of 1972, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.  My beautiful girlfriend and I were watching the submarine races one lovely summer night at Hodag Park in metropolitan Rhinelander, Wisconsin.  And yes, I still am completely smitten by my beautiful girlfriend.  Same lovely girl I was smooching in those days… but the added bonus is that we’re married now.

Anyway, the northern lights were all aglow that night, at first dazzling us with all different colors:  red, blue, purple, green, and various morphing of all combined.  The show “settled down” after a bit.  However, I distinctly remember luminous feathery green waves of light wafting way up above us throughout the night sky into the wee hours.

The show from this past Monday was much more brief, at least in these parts.  Lasted maybe 20 to 30 minutes after our daughter called.  According to my brief search on Google, though, this particular display was seen over 20 states, and as far south as Alabama!!  Very unusual.   It’s even a bit rare to see them here in lower Michigan, but we do see them from time to time.

The following day I was at our local McDonalds picking up an order for a friend (yes, really for a friend).  Tuesday night is “Women’s Group” night, with my lovely bride hosting for October.  Split pea soup was on the menu at our house.   When I told our dear friend what was on the menu her reaction was “BLECHH!!”   Last time I checked, I am not a woman, and therefore not welcome at the Women’s Group meeting.  So, my mission was to get our dear friend a burger so she could forego the pea soup; then skedaddle.  After I paid I asked the young lady, “did you see the Northern Lights last night??  They were awesome!”  “No,” she answered, “I don’t know what that is.” 

Sheesh!!  I thought to myself, “OK lady… do you even know where NORTH is??”

After I delivered the McDonalds, Musky Da Husky and I had a “boys’ night out” at Mr. Quick; a local hamburger joint.  I ate inside, and reserved a cheeseburger for Da Husky.  As I finished up, I thought I’d try my “northern lights” question again. 

“Any of you see the northern lights last night?” 

One of the young ladies piped up, “No!!  Were they out??”

“Yeah… it was awesome.  You know what they are?”

“Ummm yeah… Aurora Borealis, right?” 

I breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.  “Yes!!  I asked this young lady at McDonalds and she had no clue.”  I was commiserating about this with a friend at work and we both lamented the lacking education of our young people.  “However,” he said, “when asked ‘who lives in a pineapple under the sea?’  the immediate response is, ‘SPONGE BOB!!’ “

Oh well… take a gander at some the pictures captured from the display on Monday night.  Just click —-> here.   But come back for the video! 

No northern lights, but these guys are definitely from outer space…