Sunday May 20 2007

Venus and Luna

This photo I lifted from Spaceweather.com,

where there are more interesting pictures,

and where I read that on the 22nd

Saturn will be next to the moon.

Last night there was a beautiful sight in the Western sky. A crescent moon with Venus just below it. I've seen it a few other times in my life. My grandmother showed me the same thing once when I was about six, but the star was close to the tip of the moon. I've never forgotten that and think it was she who instilled my love of these beautiful things in the universe. It is a special memory standing together in her back yard watching that same moon and star. Now that memory seems as if it could be a sharing and continuity of awesome things passed down from our earliest ancestors. Perhaps when she was little she also stood on a summer night like that with her grandmother. She would be amazed and thrilled at all we can see today in the photos from huge telescopes and that man has walked on that moon.

My Photo of the Moon and Venus in Wyoming

I took photos of the moon and venus, and quite a few other things during the last several days, and then downloaded them off the card and thought I put them where I usually file them, but couldn't find them anywhere. So that is why I lifted the photo of spaceweather.com's photo of the moon and venus. (Days later I did find the file with the photos.)

Yesterday we had some thunder and hard wind again, with another 10 drops of rain. It got up over 70 but still felt cool. Sparky was terrorized by the thunder, but we are working on ignoring all that instead of consoling him. It seems he is a little better than he used to be, but while I try to ignore him, Joe holds him on his lap. So much for that theory. Today the morning was gorgeous, but by afternoon clouding up again and very windy.

Joe has nearly everything out of the shed where the cats live, so I've raked the ground in there while I could get to it and cleaned the place up. Also am watering the yard - it needs water badly. I can't believe how dry it is for the middle of May. I have lost three of my nice plants, all dead, and I'm sure it was because of that very long cold spell we had with 40 below for so long. They had done well for three summers. BUT!!! .....It looks like my 30 year old knee high lilac bush is going to bloom for the first time!!! (I would not be one bit surprised if it froze and killed the blossoms now.) I put three of them in when we bought the ranch from Joe's dad and this is the only one left.

Since I had several new paintings to hang I worked on reorganizing the Art Show in the Barn this afternoon. It is ready now if people want to come and see the artwork. I will have quite a few more new pieces to be framed too. Presently I'm working on a pastel painting of a tipi, which is not going well, but I intend to persevere.

Today I changed the sheets and did two loads of laundry. We had rib steak and onion roasted potatoes for dinner. We share one steak, so there is only one bone any more and I have to keep track of whose turn it is to get the bone, not an easy task. Raven got it tonight and it was really big and juicy. Her eyes were huge when she saw it. Sparky knows the routine and expects special scraps in his bowl if he doesn't get the bone - they are so funny.

Sorry I didn't feel up to going in to the dance recital last night so I hope I will have another chance to see Connie and Bernie soon. Maybe we can have lunch some day when they are in Pinedale again.