By Linda Elissalde
The stars at night are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap). DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS celebrates stars in prairie skies. Don Swander and wife June Hershy created the song in 1941, and it stayed at the top of charts for several years. Over 20 famous artists recorded this popular ditty. There are probably some who think it is the Texas state song. Of course there is a group that believe it is THE EYES OF TEXAS. (Our state song is TEXAS OUR TEXAS.) I have never been a true stargazer. I knew “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” I made many a wish on one, but none of those boys I wished for ever asked me out.
We have a special alarm clock at our house. Her name is Emma Grace Elissalde. She sleeps next to our bed in her crate named Housie. 
Emma begins talking around 6:00 AM every morning. She wants me to know that it is time for all to arise, and I am to take her outside for morning absolutions. Emma tells Marcel when she is ready to go out in the evenings around 9:00 PM. Our Labradoodle is a pretty accurate time piece.
The heavens have certainly declared their glory with stars on September and October mornings. Even the added lights from more houses have not dimmed their shine. I keep thinking I should bring out a blanket to lie on the ground and enjoy the view. (Oh yes, there are those pesky mosquitoes.) I only recognize The Big Dipper and Orion, but there are myriad others sparkling away. Bishop Reginald Heber in 1811 wrote a poem concerning stars called, “Brightest and Best”. Set to music, the hymn commemorates Epiphany in many Christian religions.
This is a beautiful song. When I gaze upward and view all those stars, I do rejoice. A new day is beginning. The positioning of the stars changes as the seasons change. Even though I so wish our alarm clock could wait a little longer to go off, I do not want to miss those stars.
The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, but for me, brightest and best are the stars of the morning in Crystal Beach, Texas.
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid;
Star of the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
[Oct-26-2020]
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Great article! There is a wonderful app for your phone called “Sky Map”. It will tell you everything you see in the sky, even those you can’t!!!
We still have wonderful skies here on Bolivar, but light pollution is really getting out of hand. I sympathize with my neighbors who want to protect their property with lights at night. Just wish we didn’t point those lights up into the sky! Or into their neighbors bedroom windows. There are better ways to light at night. Take a look at these lighting DOs and DON’Ts: https://www.softlighthouston.com/gallery