By Korie Marshall
Did you catch the lunar eclipse on April 14?
I tried to, and I think I got some pretty eerie shots of the full moon in the light cloud cover before the eclipse started… yep, cloud cover. I tried getting some shots when the eclipse was in progress, but they are blurry blobs of light, just like any other partial moon behind a bit of clouds. And right when it was supposed to be full eclipse, just after midnight, I could see some stars, but no sign of any blood moon. Darn clouds.
There are some good shots of it online, at CBC and the Weather Network, but they are never as good as real life. Except maybe some of the NASA photos, which are really high definition. I am a tiny bit nearsighted, so even in real-life, the moon looks a tiny bit blurred to me, so it’s nice to see clear, big photos sometimes. At least those of us in the western provinces will get another chance in October to see the eclipse. I’ll look forward to that.
It seems to me that anticipation is a big part of this time of year. We’re hoping for warmer weather and the sun shining, waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to warm up to start planting, waiting for the rivers to open up, anticipating that first camping weekend. Of course, many of these things probably require some planning as well, but planning is always more difficult than waiting, isn’t it? I can’t wait to go camping, but I just remembered my air mattress has a hole in it. It might have been good to look after that this winter, but I didn’t. At least I am remembering to take my studded tires off the car.
Actually, though I enjoy thinking about what is coming up this summer, I really enjoy this time of year. I know many people hate the muck and the dusty roads (seems like it is always one or the other) and you need to plan your layers if you are going to be out all day, but I find spring very refreshing and exhilarating. It makes me think about the things I could do – which often leads me to start some projects I don’t have time to finish, but that is OK. I always figure I’ll get to them eventually. Life is a work in progress, not a completed piece, and I always try to take the time to enjoy all the steps along the way. I think that is where you find the really great memories.
I admit, I still get stressed out sometimes, especially this time of year, thinking of all the things I should have done over the winter, and all the things I still need to do to be ready for the summer. It seems the list is never-ending, and I just make it longer when I decide to try something new, but life might be pretty boring if I just did the same things all the time. Luckily for me, there is always something new to try here in the valley, some upcoming event, something to help out with, or some new project to take on. I don’t expect I’ll ever get it all done, but a barbeque and a campfire is always a good enough reason for me to take a rest.
