Can't Be Tamed

After 17 years in the same spot, my elephant ears got too big for their britches.  The lovely fronds were hanging over the driveway so our tires had been making a mess of them.
I gave the plants a haircut, and chose some of the prettiest leaves to bring indoors for a while.

This morning, only several hours after giving these dramatic specimens a drink of water and a place of honor, the grand stems' response was clear.  Arya's statement to her direwolf came to mind:  "That isn't you~"

After the Moon

The sun's face, no longer shaded by the moon, presents in the round once again.  

Moon Shadow, Moon Shadow

Half an hour earlier than expected, a darkness outside was perceptible.  I was surprised to see through the glasses that the moon had already begun to occlude the sun.  I didn't use the glasses much, only to check the progress of the eclipse.  The atmospheric changes of my little spot in the world were much more interesting. Very quickly, reality seemed to slip off kilter in a way that is difficult to explain.  The light was just . . . wrong.  The strangeness and darkness of our space aren't adequately conveyed in my photos.  There was always a slight sliver of sun for us, so we were never able to see stars, but crickets and light-sensing landscape lighting noticed the change.  The hot sun became cool and comfortable, without a breath of breeze.

I almost forgot to look for these crescent-shaped shadows. I'm glad I stumbled upon them.

It defies logic that beams of light peeking through a leafy shroud would present in these perfect eclipse-shaped patterns, but these unfiltered photos are proof.

And then it was over.

Gearing Up

I've got my lovely specs in preparation for today's eclipse.  Honestly, I can see nothing at all through them at this point -- 85 degrees F at 11:00 a.m., and, luckily, not a cloud in the sky.

If we wanted to see totality (100 percent occlusion of the sun) we'd need to drive about an hour and a half north.  We'll see only a partial eclipse, but still about 97 percent.

Legends abound during memorable moments such as these, but I've heard our temperature will drop 20 degrees today and Bill Nye the Science Guy says our mid-day darkness will allow us lovely views of a sky full of stars.  I've also heard dire warnings about vision loss and ruined cell phone cameras, so this midlife lady is planning to view responsibly.

Things should start to change here in about an hour or so.  I'll share any content I deem worthy.

Dappled

The warm, golden midday light animates the forest floor.

Treasure

The water brings a steady stream of surprises.