Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Twilight* in the Garden

                                         Twilight* in the Garden  

Living with Nature Center
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

"Twilight is the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere."

Dr Abe V Rotor


Twilight is the time when the color green begins to be perceived as black in a gradual transition until darkness engulfs all colors and ultimately all the light over the place as the sky loses its glow, ultimately becoming dark, as the stars slowly emerge. 

Twilight is the emergence of crepuscular creatures, active during this narrow time frame - the ephemeral transition of day and night - exemplified by the skipper, relative of the butterfly and  moth which are  respectively diurnal and nocturnal.

Twilight is a time leguminous plants, commonly known as beans but which include trees like the acacia and tamarind "sleep", so to speak, their leaves automatically folding and drooping as dictated by nature's built-in mechanism called pulvinus. 

Twilight is a time the garden is most fragrant - ilang-ilang, source of one of the most fragrant perfumes here and abroad; sampaquita, the Philippine national flower; dama de noche, enchanted plant rich in fairy tales, bedtime and folk stories. 

Twilight is a time  nocturnal creatures like bats, owls, moths, and many others 'wake up" from  their abode and hiding places  in search for food, mate, company, and other needs, keeping sentry and creating a unique world of their own in the night.    - AV Rotor

Twilight is a time white is purest, standout of all colors, emerging from some dark corners in the garden, from the flowers of pandakaki, rosal, native santan, sampaguita, kangkong - reflecting the glow of the sky in subdued radiance, immaculate and naïve.

“Sunsets and the twilight often inspire us. As nature changes through periods like dusk to dawn, we can refresh our minds. This is why you’ll see many photos on social media displaying individual views of that period between day and night. You’re in the right place for calming and inspiring dusk quotes.” 

 
Twilight is a time the icons  in the garden - Rizal, Aguinaldo, Mama Mary, Apo Baket (likeness of a grandmother),  and the Unknown Yaya (Nanny) - "glow" in a kind of reverence and glory for their being models for their deeds and unique achievements. to man and society, 

“I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.” – Stephenie Meyer

 
Twilight is a time to pray the Angelus, prayer of thanksgiving for the day, and prayer in preparation for the night in sweet surrender to all cares and worries, a time of reflection and meditation, and a time to gather the family together. 

“The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain singing to it. You and you alone make me feel that I am alive. Other men it is said have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough.” - George Edward Moore


Twilight is a time to be at home particularly in the countryside; old folks would warn of the kibbaan (bad spirit) lurking, reminding children to be home before dark, to join the family in supper and prayer, and for the whole family to have a peaceful night. 

Twilight is a time to examine our ways of treating Mother Nature as we reflect on one hand the biblical Lost Paradise, and on the other, how that Garden may be "regained" in some small corner by own own hands, by being true to "Man's Treaty with Nature."  - AVRotor

“Twilight - a time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not.” – Howard Thurman
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*Twilight is the period between sunset and dusk. During twilight there is still light in the sky. There are three types of twilight: civil, nautical and astronomical. Dusk is the point when the sun is at 18 degrees below the horizon and there is no longer any sunlight in the sky.

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