August 30th ~ Wednesday (hot afternoon, semi-wilted/baked/fried)
Today I had an early morning dog-drop. 6:30 am to be exact. Early morning to some, normal morning time for others, pretty much “middle of the night” for me! Having finally fallen asleep around 4am – thanks to the dogs that either wanted to go out (B) or who barked (my daughter’s dog) on two occasions, and with such ferocity/jolting me awake – making me think that Freddy Krugger and his buds were advancing on the house and not just that she caught a whiff of a roaming raccoon or hunting housecat. There is some comfort in her “on guard” nighttime patterns but I am exhausted! Let’s just say it was a fitful night of semi-slumber.
So, there I was, at 6:15 this morning, up and at ’em, bewildered at how NICE it was out at that time of the morning. Birds were chirping, the dogs were playing, the breezes were practically singing. It was like being in a Disney movie sans animated bluebirds! Albeit one in which I was in my pajamas … but okay, a Disney movie nonetheless!
My being up and (almost) completely awake at that time, I assure you, happens once in a Blue Moon. And, how apropos that TONIGHT is said BLUE MOON!
So, what does that mean and what is a Blue Moon? Glad you asked – even if you didn’t!
The phrase “once in a Blue Moon” means that something is a fairly unusual (infrequent) event, one which doesn’t happen often enough to pinpoint when it might happen again.
Tonight is a Blue Moon – which is a second full moon during one month. We had a full moon on August 1st (also a supermoon), and tonight it will be a full supermoon again – but also called a Super Blue Moon because not only is it a supermoon but it’s the second one in a calendar month. There needs to be at least 29.5 days between full moons – so, February, even in a leap year, will never have a second, or Blue Moon.
A supermoon (so first called by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979) is when the full moon is at the closest point of its orbit around the Earth. Tonight’s moon will be the closest full moon at roughly 222,043 from us on this planet. About 100 miles closer to us than the full supermoon earlier this month – so, it will seem impressively large and bright. There are typically three or four supermoons each year and they always happen in consecutive months. There will be another supermoon next month, in September.
But, still – go outside tonight and take a look – as the next time there will be a Super Blue Moon will be in 2037.
Some say that Blue Moons bring good luck. As for me – I think I agree as I might be up late into the night just gazing at that glowing orb … knowing I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for anything. That sounds like good luck to me! Maybe I’ll get up again that early, in 2037, as they say … once in a (Super) Blue Moon.