The Moon, Mars, and Monkey Grass

Most of the time, I’m up and about during the wee hours. Jack says that my midnight is about the equivalent of 3:00 in the afternoon for most people. So obviously, I have to find some way to occupy my time besides watching reruns on television. (Not that I don’t do that too.) Sometimes I read. Sometimes I set up my recorder to tape strange sounds in the woods. Sometimes I go outside with my handy night-vision binoculars, but I can’t find them right now. Where are those things?!!

During the summer, the dogs and I have a ritual of running out to the pool and looking for the big bullfrog that takes a late dip around 1 a. m. All I have to ask is, “Want to look at the frog?” and they knock me down on the way out the doggy door. Of course, I use the real door, except for once last week when I locked myself out of the house by first locking myself in the garage, then once I found my way out because there were no lights and groped my way to the back door, I had to crawl through the doggy door.

Anyway, about a week ago, I scooped Mr. Frog out of the pool with the whatever you call that pool dipper thing, as is my habit, and put him in the monkey grass. Suddenly, Bear jumped into the monkey grass trying to catch the frog, and since Bear weighs about 90 lbs. I was very much afraid that he’d squashed our amphibious amie. I was even more worried when the big squishy guy didn’t show up for the next week or so. Bear was pretty inconsolable. He walked around and around the pool every night looking for the frog that he may possibly have flattened. Much to my relief, Mr. Frog reappeared last night, fit as an unflat frog can be. I know that I’m going to have to sit Bear and London down and talk to them about hibernation, but at least I don’t have a death on my shoulders. Not that one at least, yah ah hah!!

Now I noticed that not one news station mentioned the fact that during the last week of August, Mars was going to be closer to the moon that it had been or would be for another 5,000 years. Of course, that entire week was the cloudiest of the summer. However, I took my little camera, aimed it at the moon (I don’t have a tripod and I’m no professional) and snapped a few shots. Above is a photo of Mars to the left of the moon (like many current politicians). I sent this photo to Jack with the tag line, “A picture of your home planet. With love from Earth Woman.” Just in case any of you wanted to come back and see this phenomenon in another 5,000, I just saved you the trip! [Editor’s note: The person writing this blog is obviously under the delusion that not only more than one, but even one person is reading it.]

So what was the point of this whole message? The many benefits of staying up and howling at the moon, of course. How dense can you be?

[Editor’s note: The person writing the editor’s note is also the writer of this blog. How crazy is that?]