Photo by NASASaturday night, the moon was full and at perigee, an event that occurs every nineteen years, or so I read at the PBS website earlier in the day. Since I have no guarantee that I'll be here for the next occasion, it seemed important to make the effort to view what some call the supermoon this time.
Supposedly, the full moon at perigee appears larger and brighter than usual, being about 5,000 miles closer to earth at this time. Perhaps if I had been outside when it rose above the horizon, I'd have seen something like the moon in the photo above. However, I was busy cleaning the kitchen and forgot about the moon until I took the trash out, around midnight. What I saw was pretty spectacular, but I couldn't tell that it was brighter than most other full moons I've witnessed.
Still, it deserved to be acknowledged and appreciated, so I sat outside for about half an hour, basking (if that's what one does) in bright moonlight, until the night chill reached my bones through my winter coat and sweatshirt jacket, and through my many layers of fat, which are supposed to insulate me from the cold. (HA! Fat chance, that!)
There is something magical and soul-stirring about sitting under a full moon, doing nothing more than watching it grow slightly smaller as my spot on earth turned eastward, away from its divine face.
That is, unless you've set the neighborhood dogs to barking because you dropped the dining room chair on your way out to the sidewalk, where you planned to set up your moon-watching station. Or when, a few minutes after you've settled down in the dark to watch the celestial show, you realize that you have become the show for your neighbors from Pittsburgh. Their kitchen lights come on as one of them lets their dog out, who was, no doubt, excited by all the chatter he heard from the other dogs and just had to go out to add his two-cents-worth, under the pretext of having to mark his territory again.
The Dog-from-Pittsburgh notices the full moon and begins to howl, which stirs up all the other dogs again. The Wife-from-Pittsburgh hisses at the dog to shut up and get his sorry butt back inside, all of which Dog-from-Pittsburgh understands completely, I am sure. Kitchen lights go off, then one of them goes on again, and I notice W-f-P's face at the window, aimed in my direction. Then Husband-from-Pittsburgh appears at the window, and both stare in my direction, until I wave at them, whereupon both bodies disappear and the lights go out.
I can only imagine what W-f-P said to H-f-P about that crazy old woman next door, sitting out on a chair in her backyard, after midnight, in 40 degree chill, just staring at the moon. That's okay. . .the dog understands the importance of a full moon in perigee, even if his owners do not.
I'm beginning to like that dog. Next time we're out together under a full moon, I believe I'll join him in howling our appreciation.
21 comments:
The DfP is barking because it recalls the golden days: Willie Stargell (lf), José Pagan (cf), Roberto Clemente (rf), Fred ??? (3b), Gene Alley (ss), Bill Mazeroski (2B), Don Pagliaroni (1b), ??? (Catcher). He's not dreaming about pitchers because The Pirates never had a decent pitcher, ever. I don't think he's dreaming of Forbes Field either. All those massive rusty columns that blocked out your view of the plate. So, you have the moon and I have lots of mental rewinds of successful double-plays (The Pirates always led the league because their lousy pitchers gave up so many hits.) But who was the catcher? - to be true to the Pirates I have to let the name come to me, not Google it. You'd understand that, wouldn't you? Pure romantics, the both of us.
Heavy clouds all day, all night, here. I'm glad you got to enjoy a howling moon.
I thought about putting Creedence Clearwater's "Bad Moon Rising" on really loud and going outside...alas I fell asleep at 10pm.
I remember walking by a river once with a friend - we must have been in our twenties - and seeing the moon over the flat fen landscape, low over the wide horizon. It seemed so large that although we knew that it must indeed by the moon, we couldn't believe it. I'm still not quite sure that it was.
That writing could only have come from what I call "a proper person".
We were Cardinals fans when I was a teenager, because that was the team my mother followed. The only player's name I can recall is Steve Carleton (I think). I would have to Google that to be certain, though.
Yes, I understand.
Z, we were fortunate to have clear skies last night. Dog didn't get to howl as much as he might have, but we'll make up for it next time.
Hello, SFM.
That's known around here as the Bathroom song, one of my favorites.
Nice of you to drop by; hope you do again.
Plutarch:
Daughter and I were talking about last night's moon this afternoon, remembering times when the moon took our breath away. She likes blood moons, while I remember several harvest moons of such unbelievable size and color over the years, that, like you, I had to wonder if what I saw was really the same old moon.
Sir Hugh, I'm not sure what you mean by 'proper person,' but I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you.
March 20, 2011 9:46 PM
I'm glad you waved at them. They needed to know you were looking right back at them, But I'm sorry to think of you taking the garbage out at midnight.
I tried to get Jerry to come out with me to look at it (the moon) at about 1 AM, but he said he couldn't go out naked.
That's great. I can just see you sitting out their while the neighbors carry on.
I went out on my deck in Hawaii (can't remember how late it was) and saw the moon a little to the west already but very high up. It was so bright I could hardly look at it.
Thank you! You inspired me to write my own Moooning post.
Anne, my daughter said they might have been looking out for me, wondering who was in my back yard.
The dog and I know better.
Hattie, we had a wonderfully clear night to view the moon, and I'm sorry I didn't go out earlier, when it was just rising. A friend who did watch it rise said it shimmered, it was so bright.
If I'm still around in nineteen years, and able to get around, I'll watch it rise next time.
Duchess, I so enjoyed your post! I'm chuckling, still.
Regarding your comment on my blog; you're exactly right. 4 inches of the wretched stuff fell last night, I'm sick of shoveling the walk. At least we're (probably)done with the sub-zero temps until Oct. It's some solace that fishing will be going strong soon.
Cheers,
Mike
I always seem to stay blissfully unaware of these cosmological phenomena; I just thought Tom had forgotten to pull the blind down, not knowing that he'd left it up on purpose because as he said afterwards, it was a 'supermoon'. I had observed the night before it was very bright, and also seen it looking enormous like a cloud in the afternoon sky a day or two before.
I just love it that dogs really do howl at the moon.
OH! I only noticed on my way to somewhere else that the March full moon is, in places, called the Crow Moon.
So speaketh the Farmer's Almanac.
the moon is amazing!
the dog is smarter than its owners.
your description brings me into the experience.
thanks!
Hey Martha! Wasn't that moon beautiful? I enjoyed it too. I hope you are around gracing this planet for many years to come...the world needs more women like you.
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