Well…I had intended to post about the 1959/1960 Payola Scandal that involved Dick Clark but, apparently, The History Channel can’t make up its mind which day it happened on. *sigh*
So, instead, Photo of the Day. ~Vic Gassing up my truck, saw this and started to giggle.
11-03-2016
We continue to have stormy, rainy weather and the temperature has dropped, considerably. We traded floods for tornadoes, yesterday. I learned, today, that two small farms south of town were damaged. I have a healthy respect for Mother Nature. ~Vic
Swollen drainage ditch to the river.
This helped flood my neighbor's backyard.
04-13-2019The tiny creek at Turnip Patch Park took out one of the benches.The Riverwalk is to the far right.
The town closed it for a couple of days.
I saw a juvenile garter snake making its way back across the walk when I was out on the third day.Train trestle in the background.The wooden fence is a barrier between Gold Park & the Eno.That is the bridge I was standing on to photograph the Riverwalk & the trestle.
Ok. So. No full moon pix for today. *sigh* We have been inundated with storms…again. We were bombarded with tornado warnings for five hours. An area just south of town close to I-40 was damaged. I am so glad it’s over.
That being said, I do have some shots of the waxing gibbous moon from April 28, 2018. I suspect I had the same problem during that full moon on April 29 (8:58pm EDT)…bad weather. I also have some waxing gibbous shots from April 16.
Howl for me! ~Vic
Pink Moon 2019 was at 100% illumination at 7:12am EDT.
April’s full moon is widely known as the Full Pink Moon, even though it doesn’t actually turn pastel pink as the name suggests. The Full Pink Moon’s name comes from the abundance of moss phlox, a common little pink flower that typically begins to spread across the ground in early spring. With that said, this creeping phlox is not the only thing that begins blooming during the Full Pink Moon.
In many Native American tribes, April’s full moon is associated with the bustling life and vibrant growth of spring. In Sioux culture, it’s named after the sprouting of red grass. The Comanche tribe called it the New Spring Moon and, both the Tlingit and Sioux tribes referred to it as the Budding Moon, after the new plants that begin to bud and sprout during spring. The Cherokee tribe even called it the Flower Moon (though that name is also sometimes used to refer to May’s full moon) and celebrated it for the growth of useful medicinal plants and magical herbs.
Walking back home.
At the same time, April is a time when rivers and streams begin to fully thaw. Accordingly, the Shoshone tribe named April’s full moon the Full Melting Moon and the Arapaho tribe called it the Moon Where Ice Breaks in the River. It was also known as the Fish Moon because of the fish that would begin to swim upstream during this time. The Cherokees believed that flowing water was under the control of a spirit called the Long Man and would perform rituals to honor him during the Full Pink Moon. An example of a ritual like this was the Knee Deep Dance, based off the movements of the Water Frog. The Assiniboine tribe also called April’s full moon the Frog Moon.
Water is not the only thing that starts to flow during the Full Pink Moon. This is also the time where maple sap begins to flow in earnest, marking the true beginning of the incredibly important sugar-making season. The Abenaki tribes called April’s full moon the Sugar Maker Moon, and the Ojibwe called it the Sugarbush Moon. The Ojibwe tribe would journey north to their spring camps to tap maple syrup and engage in spear fishing. Maple syrup was integral to Ojibwe culture. Not only was it a crucial method of seasoning all their foods (they did not have access to salt at that time) but, it also symbolized harmony within the community and with the forces of nature around them.
Gold Park
Waxing Gibbous
04-16-2019
The Full Pink Moon also holds religious significance in other cultures. For example, in Islāmic communities around the world, April’s full moon is celebrated as Bara’at Night, also known as the Night of Innocence. Muslims offer up prayers, asking God to absolve dead ancestors of their sins. They also prepare sweet desserts such as halwa or zarda and give it out to children, the needy and other members of their community. Meanwhile, Christians call it the Paschal Moon and celebrate the first Sunday after April’s full moon as Easter Sunday. It’s possible that the reason why the Easter Bunny brings eggs is because April’s full moon is also known as the Egg Moon, given that animals such as geese begin mating and laying eggs in spring.
While April is known for its showers and ever-warming temperatures, it is also known as a month when spring flowers begin to show up. The name came from the herb moss pink or wild ground phlox which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. As the name infers, the flowers are pink in color, thus the name for April’s full Moon. But no, the Moon itself won’t be turning pink.
Tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Full Moon names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the full Moon names but, in general, the same ones were consistent among regional tribes. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names.
Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and, among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
If the power is on where you are reading this article, you likely have a lineman to thank. From the power plant, the grid crisscrossing the country, both above and underground, and right up to the meters on our homes, these men, and women, build and maintain the system that keeps our nation running. Regardless of the source, the electricity has to be transported by employing transformers and other equipment. Due to the dangerous conditions power poses, safety is of utmost importance for both the lineman and the consumer.
When mother nature destroys what our linemen have built up, they are on call to build it back up again as quickly as possible. These men and women work tirelessly to get emergency systems back in working order and, urgently, return service to remaining areas. Even when there is no crisis, they work under dangerous conditions on a daily basis. Whether they are working in trenches, near water or on high towers, the risks are extreme.
This day was first recognized on April 10, 2013, by the U.S. Senate [via] Resolution S Res 95.
Out on one of my walks, several of these happy things were poking out through the wrought iron fence. I haven’t the first clue what this is but, it’s flower-ish, I suppose. It is quite striking. If anyone knows what this is, SPEAK. ~Vic
Update:
Thanks to another blogger, this strange flower is a Euphorbia, or Spurge, which is the same family that Poinsettias come from. This particular variety is either an amygdaloides variant called ‘Robbiae’ or, a Redwing Charam, which is a hybrid of amygdaloides and martinii. I can’t tell. Thank you!
Or, Toad Strangler or, Gully Washer… My dad was fond of the frog saying and my maternal grandfather always used the latter. All three are good descriptions of the storm that just swept through here, today. I haven’t seen this much water since Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Have mercy… ~Vic
I thought my chairs might float away.
The backdoor neighbor had his own mini-river.Patio at the side door looks like a mini-swimming pool.
Water from the next door neighbor’s poor drainage…The gold pick-up in the first photo…this is his backyard.
The Eno hasn’t crested, yet and, the water is at his backdoor right now.Bench at Turnip Patch Park didn’t fare well.Entrance to Gold Park underwater.
One sewer access is over-flowing.Underwater graffiti.
See my previous post on this. Picture #2
Nature’s wonderful creatures with many legs or, none at all. All photos are my personal collection. ~Vic
Juvenile Texas Brown Tarantula
Found the little guy in our shed in the backyard (mating season).
I had trouble snapping his picture as he kept moving and I kept jumping.
09-10-2008Gentle spiders.
We turned him over to a friend who had Tarantulas as pets.Butterfly enjoying a Red Verbena.
Nature Preserve in Round Rock, TX.
10-25-2008Red Dragonfly
Nature Preserve.Beautiful moth on a Salvia in the Butterfly Garden at Gold Park.
06-20-2013Big, fast-moving worm…of some sort.
He had places to go.
08-30-2013He looks like a carrot.Moth in the dirty window of a friend’s house. 08-01-2014
The untimely deaths of famous musicians at age 27 may be coincidence but, it is [a] tragic coincidence. The mythology of the 27 Club gained prominence with the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994 since he died at the same age as iconic rock musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, when they died in the 1970s. The premature death of Amy Winehouse at age 27 in 2011, again, renewed interest in the age’s apparent curse. This is a list of some of the artists and musicians who died at the far too young age of 27.
Robert Johnson…Blues singer-songwriter-musician (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) Brian Jones…The Rolling Stones founder (February 28, 1942 – July 3, 1969) Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson…Canned Heat co-founder (July 4, 1943 – September 3, 1970) Jimi Hendrix…Rock singer-songwriter-guitarist (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) Janis Joplin…Rock-soul-blues singer-songwriter (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) Jim Morrison…The Doors co-founder (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) Ron “Pigpen” McKernan…Grateful Dead founding member (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973) Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) Amy Winehouse…Singer-songwriter (September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011)
Cosmic-Observation 