Moons and Skulls

Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase “Once in a Blue Moon.” We know that refers to something that happens infrequently, but how many people actually know the history of the statement? Well, if you are one who knows, pat yourself on the back and indulge yourself with a favorite libation. Go ahead.. it’s on me. If you do not know, then please allow me to enlighten you!

This year – August of 2012 – we will have two full moons occurring in the same month. August 1st was the first one, and August 31 will be the second one – The Blue Moon, or maybe it’s the other way around. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there.  But, the “Blue Moon” is a celestial event that occurs once every 2 or 3 years or so. It is an EXTRA full moon. See, most seasons have 3 full moons, but since the solar calendar is slightly longer than the lunar calendar the extras accumulate and we wind up with a 4th full moon in a season. This is known as a “Blue Moon.” Kind of like Leap Year, I suppose. Now, understand the moon doesn’t actually turn blue. So why is it called Blue? I have no idea. I bet Wikipedia will tell me though… hold please.

“Farmer’s Almanac blue moons – In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Maine Farmers’ Almanac listed blue moon dates for farmers. These correspond to the third full moon in a quarter of the year when there were four full moons (normally a quarter year has three full moons). Full moon names are given to each moon in a season: For example, the first moon of summer is called the early summer moon, the second is called the midsummer moon, and the last is called the late summer moon. When a season has four moons the third is called the blue moon so that the last can continue to be called the late moon.”

I retrieved that little nugget of information from HERE. Please notice that is was not cited or referenced, so that may or may not be true.  There is also an explanation of why sometimes the moon really does look blue. You can go check it out if you would like. HERE is another article. The information is slightly different, but you get the idea.

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Wednesday evening, Evan and I decided to take out the boat for bit of sailing and dinner. We sailed for a couple of hours and then anchored out near the island. I started up the Supertooth, as always, and we rocked out to some Dubstep while I served some cheese and crackers, and Evan fired up the grill. Our menu for the evening?

Appetizer:
Water crackers
White Cheddar cheese slices

Main Course:
Grilled Salmon
– marinated in olive oil and seasoned to perfection with  salt, pepper and dill.

Sides:
Stir fry broccoli
– tossed in coconut oil and Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning with caramelized onion, and mushrooms
Mashed potatoes

Dessert:
Giant Chocolate Cupcake
– chocolate cake with white frosting and green sprinkles

Evan grilled our salmon on the boat, but I made the sides at home and kept it all warm until dinner by transferring everything into pouches fashioned out of tin foil and then placing the pouches into plastic containers with lids. The giant cupcake was a Kroger bakery purchase.   We lounged in the cockpit enjoying our dinner and beautiful scenery. To our port, the sun was setting peacefully and to our starboard, the moon was rising. It was hard to decide which way to look, so I’m sure we looked like swivel headed automatrons. It was definitely a night to remember.

We didn’t want to go back to our dock. Until…. (cue the sudden and piercing shock of horror movie music) the mosquitoes.

I swear they crept up on us in the cockpit with synchronized stealth. They waited patiently until each and every member of the swarm was in place and then they attacked. Our bliss crashed down around us, and I don’t think either of knew how fast we could pull up anchor and move. They seemed to stay with us forever, too. I had that little 2HP diesel at full speed, and yet I was swatting those little suckers all the way back to our dock!

The next day we went to Walmart and purchased THIS. We have no idea if the Coleman Mosquito Coil works. After we try it out, I will write a review and post to let you all know! Meanwhile, if any of you know of any other effective measures of dealing with these terroristic creatures feel free to enlighten us! Thanks!

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Now to end on something fun. My good friend at work, Jen, presented me with the COOLEST gift! Skully sunglasses! These things rock! They are comfy. They look good on me. They are UV protectant. And, hello! They have skulls!! I have a thing for skulls. It’s not a pirate thing as some might guess (us being boat folk ‘n all). No, for me it’s different. Skulls and bones are like basic building blocks. They are your foundation – what you’re made of. Show me your bones, and I will show you mine. No shame. No fear. Nothing to hide. It’s just real. And, fine, I will also admit they represent a bit of rebellion for me, too. But here! Check these out!