The Daylight Savings Time switchover has not often been so noticeable …for me anyway. Probably because of the looooong autumn (bordering on summer, really), the early evenings have seemed quite abrupt. Mornings, of course, are lighter–I do not have to use my flashlights as much–though I still do–and I trust that folks can see me coming better than had been the case when we were just about to go onto the “new normal.” I try to maintain high visibility at all times; sometimes it is not as good as it should be, but I am still making the effort–red light in back, white light in front. I am the ultimate in slow-moving vehicles.
And more about the dark…. Has anybody else been watching out for the “Super Moons”? These are not the same as “Blue Moons”, which are, in effect, “bonus” full moons in a single month. Super moons are ones which appear to be larger…and brighter…than your standard full moon, which appears once a month, and often, according to the OFA has a nickname debatably of Native American origin–Full Beaver, Full Corn, Full Harvest, etc. Your Super Moon comes about when the moon is closer to the Earth than its standard orbit; it’s closer, so it appears bigger and brighter. We’ve recently had at least two and I believe that we’re about to get another one in December. Watch for it
Another thing that was worth watching for has been the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis–literally “lights of the north”) which have come to us–or at least those who got out to see the display–courtesy of some unusual activity of the sun’s atmosphere(electrons shooting out in all directions, apparently), causing disruptions in electronic communications all over the place. Was your GPS interrupted? Did your phone talk gibberish to you? Blame it on the beauty that was radiating from the north Pole and environs. I did not get to see much of this phenomenon because it was overcast while I was still awake and I was not about to get up in the middle of the night to catch the sight, amazing as it might have been. I did get to see quite a few of the pix that were posted online by the more alert and determined among us. Amazing color display. Some of the best viewing hereabout was probably up in Geauga County where there is an actual designated Dark Sky Observatory Park, one of the vanishing locations in the country…and the world…where there is minimal light pollution to obscure such heavenly displays. Thank you, Amish community, for this assistance. But don’t anybody try to find your way around there at night looking for street signs.
According to the ABJ, Aldi’s has claimed that one could–with the help of standard pantry back-up (salt, flour, etc.) one could cook up a meal for ten for forty dollars($40), using specials from Aldi’s (where else?). The ABJ columnists said that they tried it and actually were able to do so, but suggested that a few additions–butter, particularly–coming to another five dollars or so to make another pumpkin pie and butter the rolls, would make a perfectly adequate Thanksgiving meal. Sounds good to me.
OFA finish to the month : “Annual feasts now are fixed, amidst a bone-chilling wintry mix.” You have been warned.
