Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Well, I've already missed two of them



I can remember one time when I was much younger I was driving home from Des Moines late one night (after being God only knows where) and looking up to my right and seeing a comet. I mean it was wonderful.

I think I went home and woke my mother and sister up and took them out to the country so they could see it also.  We used to do that with the Northern Lights.  We didn't see them often here in central Iowa but occasionally we did.  There was an astronomy group here in Ames that would ring your phone and play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on your phone to let you know that they were out.  We would then call my great aunts Ethyl and Kate Mike who would throw their coats on over their night gowns and get in the car and drive out to see the lights.

We could see them better when we were on our annual Vacation trip to Leech Lake Minnesota.  One night I was at the local Drive In Movie Theater to see a movie and I looked out and saw the most beautiful Northern Lights I had ever seen.  They were a snaky curtain of greens and reds and they sparkled.  I drove the car to the ticket office and asked them if I could get back in after I had driven up to the gas station at the "Y" to use the phone to call back to the resort so that the folks back there could see it.  Then I went back and watched the rest of the movie.

It is easy for me to understand why early man was obsessed with and wrote myths about the constellations.  When I was a kid and before my eyes needed glasses I used to lay out on the hill at our place just North of Ames and look at the stars.  I even saw Sputnik go across the sky one time.  I wonder what they (primitive man)  would have thought about that.

Speaking of Stars.  The Annual Oscarfest was last night.  I started watching it and soon got the computer out to work on one of my blogs that I keep up.  Specialis Procer had a wonderful Festive Board and I wanted to get the speech put up on The Papers Blog.  I could work on it and still watch the Oscars.  The only comment I have to make on the "Stars" there was this -



Quvenzane' was the most beautiful female on the Red Carpet, certainly the most poised and least posed.

I would recommend you read this article about her.

They need to bring back Neil Patrick Harris as host.


I guess I have babbled on long enough.  I guess I should quit or I will be accused of being as boring as the Academy Award Show.

Oh,  and I woke up at 4:00 AM this morning and then went back to sleep after about an hour of thinking and woke up the second time a little before 11:00 AM. I am writing a talk for the April Festive Board and am in the rumination phase so I have all these ideas bouncing around in my head and they wake me up. Such fun..

1 comment:

Ur-spo said...

I love astronomy events - I have an app to keep me abreast of any night time goodies.