The WildLife of Humanity

As we slide by in the night, silent on our strip of cement, I like to look into people's windows and lives.  I see the oddest things as I look down into backyards and on to porches.  It is almost as if the people in the houses forget that the interstate is there.  I know that autos make good blinds for watching birds and wildlife, I guess it would follow that Big Rigs make good blinds for watching the WildLife of Humanity.  

I really feel lucky when I see a door opening.   Then, I get to see the inside and the outside at the same time.  When it is dark, open doors and windows are like tiny cubes of intimacy.  Nothing is every clear, especially as I whiz by at 65, but the sense of the people is clear. 

 You can get the feeling of lives lived with juiciness by how much stuff is piled into and around some houses.  You know those folks would all come out onto the porch to wave goodbye if you were visiting them.  Additionally, these are often the yards with the riot of Christmas lights and decorations.   

Very pristine, structured lawns and grounds don't feel as if the people who live there are very "juicy"  Usually their lights are only white and very formal in their presentation.  I bet they wouldn't all come out to wave goodbye either.

I am enchanted by the lights springing up on the landscape.  The trees are bare and I am seeing the most wonderful displays, both private and commercial.  I really really love the neighborhoods that are all in on the project.  Sometimes an entire hillside will be lit up.  And then there is the isolated house that has more Christmas decorations than you can believe.  Where do they store that stuff?

Having spent the bulk of the last 20 Christmas seasons in Terlingua, I am almost overwhelmed by the displays sometimes.  I catch myself driving with my mouth open in wonderment and have to remind myself to focus on the road instead.  It is also surprising to me that the lights are left on all night.  A waste of electricity, but a great bonus for me!