Blue Moon? Well, yes and no...

It all started with a simple error. In March of 1946, author James Hugh Pruett wrote an article for ‘Sky and Telescope’ using the Maine Farmer’s Almanac as a reference…trouble is, he misinterpreted the source. The Farmer’s Almanac was widely utilized since the early 19th century for help with gardening via celestial movement and weather predictions. Ordinarily, according to the almanac, there were 3 full moons within each season , or within a quarter of the year. What’s more, each of these full moons had its own special name within each respective season. Rarely, there would be a 4th full moon within a season because of lunation cycles and that was defined as a blue moon.  In his misguided attempt at an interpretation of this, Pruett declared that a ‘Blue Moon’ was the second of 2 full moons occurring within the same month. What? He must have stayed up much too late watching the moon to come to that mathematical conclusion from what the Almanac originally stated…or perhaps he had indulged in too much moonshine the night before?



At any rate, this misinterpretation continued on down through the years and this new ‘Blue Moon’ definition was first popularized by the radio show ‘Star Date’ in 1980. The next year, the makers of the game Trivial Pursuit found Pruett’s article and further propagated the misinformation throughout the entire world. The rest is history. So, going by the ORIGINAL Farmer’s Almanac seasonal definition, the next Blue Moon isn’t scheduled to occur until August 21, 2013. However, even the Farmer’s Almanac has since succumbed to Pruett’s ‘lunatic’ calculations and they show the next Blue Moon as August 31, 2012. So enjoy this rare event, whichever date you should choose, made less rare throughout perpetuity by one teeny, weeny, itsy, bitsy mistake.

You can watch this year’s celestial show at:

http://events.slooh.com/

©2012 Debbie Ballard

Camping in July

Day One…a nice, sunny day and not too busy on the freeway. ..went to pick up the rental car and found out that they wanted a $200 deposit, so we decided we didn’t need a car that bad after all…but, found the perfect woodsy campsite a short distance from the pool/lodge/store within the Chehalis Thousand Trails park…had a problem with the camp electricity vs. our house batteries…the two batteries need to be replaced like our main one did on the last camping trip we had a few months ago…we just disconnected them for now and everything worked fine…the medieval weekend that was planned  in this park was also cancelled, so that was somewhat disappointing, but we found our own source of entertainment…typical Mercury retrograde…cell phones only worked on roaming,  our rooftop satellite TV didn’t work, nor could I receive the radio stations I usually listen to…but  chirping birds, the rustle of leaves in the trees and the crackling of a toasty campfire work very well as substitutes...thus, I  think I slept better than I have in years within this quiet.   

Day Two…the stubborn clouds did not part to let the determined  sun come through until late afternoon….no matter, while walking the dog I found teeny tiny pinecones  and enjoyed identifying plants and delicate flowers along the way…we roasted Twinkies over the evening’s campfire…first tried them last summer and now they have become a tradition…nevertheless,  I could detect that there was a slight change in the air and,  sure enough,  it rained during the night.

Day Three…very cloudy and cool all day…we even turned the heater on and wore long pants (at the end of July, no less)…it was the kind of day that we indulged in the park ice cream social to lift our spirits and made  paprika beef/potato/gravy slow cook in the crockpot all day (which we later ate before the night’s campfire, accompanied by some great wine)…the 2012 Olympics in London started today but we were busy going through items within the storage cabinets in the motorhome that desperately needed to be ‘weeded out’…probably will  be returning  home quite a few pounds lighter… it was entertaining to watch all the new arrivals on Friday night after about 6 pm that were anxious for a weekend of camping with their respective families…I like to watch how people set up their camps or walk their dogs, and sometimes, cats!

Day Four…again, cloudier and even cooler, the sun only peeking through merely a minute or two…but that didn’t stop the flow of youthful humanity heading towards the pool, store or hayrides…it just meant the ritual campfires started earlier in the afternoon…however, some families need to learn a bit of “camp etiquette”  when it comes to making noise…i.e. it’s not necessary to scream at the top of your lungs in order to speak with your mother who is walking right next to you…nor is it necessary to roll up your squeaky awning at 6 am on Saturday morning waking up all those trying to get some relaxation within nature…most of all those who have the audacity to use a bullhorn at their campsite and think it’s funny should be shot at sunset…nevertheless I tended my mesmerizing campfire until late and still didn’t use up all the wood we brought…and yes I had to have  that delectable concoction of old…s’mores.

Day Five…alas we had to go home…no more peace and quiet and serenity during the night..and of course, the sun comes out in all it’s glory when we could have used it earlier in the week…back to the hustle & bustle and the daily grind…(sigh)...but, we stopped at Lucky Eagle Casino on the way back in Grand Mound, WA. What a nice place THAT is...and you can actually win some money on slots there, imagine that! I wanted some Indian fry bread, but alas there was none...the staff is great, though, and we got a free camping site from them, good for a year...I'll definitely be back for a weekend!

 ©2012 Debbie Ballard (Text & Photo)

It

I was born with it.

At age 10, I didn't know what it even was.

At age 20, I was on a quest to search for it.

At age 30, I had it but didn't know it.

At age 40, I was too busy to be worried about it.

At age 50, I began to wonder if I still had it.

At age 60, I realized there was more to life besides it.

At age 70, I started to reminisce about it.

At age 80, I could care less about it.

At age 90, I completely lost it.

At age 100, I forgot what it even was.

At death, I couldn't take it with me.

What is it?

©2012 Debbie Ballard

(Picture credit: The Life and Age of Woman, Currier & Ives, 1850)

Leave a comment about what you think it is...

Container Gardening

This is my tiny outdoor container garden. Believe it or not,  it is comprised of hens & chicks succulents, 3 kinds of mint, parsley, nasturtiums, basil, lilac, cilantro, Kenilworth Ivy, shallots, variegated oregano, Creeping Jenny, Bleeding Heart, chives, lavender, rosemary, red geranium and a green mantle sedum. Away from this shot I also have a tomato plant that will produce a golden orange variety of the patio type. When I am pinching back the herbs or tomato plant, I never wear garden gloves, as I enjoy the distinctively unique fragrances that are produced from their essential oils. Even watering them in the early morning produces these heavenly 'earthy' smells. So even if you have a very small space, you can still create a personal Shangri-La with a mixture of edible and non-edible plants and flowers in containers.

Obsession with Gai Tom Ka (or is it Tom Kha Gai?)

Ok, I'm back from a vacation out in the woods at Chehalis Thousand Trails. This campground is where the Thousand Trail camp membership all began 40 years ago. This is also where my phone didn't work, radio didn't work and in order to watch TV or have a WiFi internet connection you had to walk to one of the two lodges.But most of all it was the quiet I coveted. No airplanes flying over...just stillness...REALLY nice.  Even though the weather wasn't perfect (it was only sunny the day we arrived and the day we left), we still had a lovely campfire every night, thanks to the dry alder and cedar wood I bought a couple of months ago. That, alone,  provided a pleasant ambience for conversation while roasting hot dogs, twinkies or marshmellows for s'mores each night.  Also, we watched DVDs we had forgotten we even had, I got a lot of crocheting done and we cleaned out some cabinets in the motorhome that had been forgotten about for the last 7 years! All in all, it was a very nice, relaxing time...especially when the highlight of the day was looking for teeny weeny pine cones and identifying wildflowers.

But now that I"m back in civilization doing the normal routine,  I also feel the desire to get back on track with a lot of things to get things accomplished...one being writing (must be the Full Moon)! And...having been gone for so many days I stopped after work to get some of my most favorite soup EVER at the deli of a QFC grocery store:  Chicken Curry Coconut Soup.  QFC (Quality Food Center) is known as Kroger in other states and Ralph's in still others. Anyway, this soup is SO scrumptious that if I'm not careful I could almost indulge in it every single day. It is so chock full of Thai flavor & spices, as well as, nutritional goodness that it's rather difficult to describe without putting it directly on your tongue to taste for yourself. The QFC version contains at least all of these ingredients: curry, lemongrass, ginger, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, red bell pepper, tomato, carrot, onion, spinach, celery, chicken, chicken stock and basil. Trust me, this concoction blended together is absolute pure magical alchemy.

Here is a link to a recipe that comes about as close as I've been able to find on the internet to the delicious QFC version, adding cilantro and a few other goodies:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-hot-and-sour-coconut-chicken-soup

If your palate has a love for flavor, I highly recommend this soup.

Bon appetit!

©2012 Debbie Ballard (text only, not the link or photograph)