Eclipse awe and the Rapture blues

 

While everyone else was rushing outside to stare at the sun (with protective glasses, we hope), I was sitting at my desk with the patio door open to a quiet and calm backyard. I wasn’t so interested in seeing the aura around the sun—heaven knows there’ve been enough pictures online and in the news media. I was more interested in watching the world go from light to dark and back again. The darkening was a slow thing, and the air took on a funny color, like it sometimes does before a Texas storm. Out my door and over the neighbor’s roof I could watch a patch of high clouds to the southwest without danger of looking at the sun. The dappling on the clouds changed slowly and was fun to watch. I didn’t see the crescent-shaped shadows that many others reported. I was surprised at how slowly the darkness moved in.

Then in Fort Worth we had two minutes and twenty-four seconds of darkness. While others have reported the wind kicked up, I didn’t notice that. I did notice the quiet—no birds, no squirrels. It seemed forever, and in the midst of it I wondered what would happen if the lights forgot to come back on. But then the light came back, I thought more rapidly than it had left. Totality was at 1:40 and well before two o’clock we were back in full sunshine with those high clouds that let some people see the sun and made others along the path miss it. Later, I would see people describe that silent dark time as everything from holy to creepy. I was sort of in between—it made me think how everything in our world works together, and most of it for our benefit. We knew the light would come back. I read somewhere this week that those science deniers on the extreme right see themselves as forced to choose between their faith and God or science, and they choose faith. What’s sad is that they cannot reconcile the two in their minds. That’s what the dark moment was to me—a convergence of science and faith.

The mood across the country was much less solemn and more celebratory, with news programs showing people whooping and hollering, and it struck me as significant that when nature went silent, mankinwas at its noisiest. I’m not sure yet why the joy in the eclipse—was it science? Faith? Survival?

Then, of course, there was the whole Rapture business that got wrapped into the eclipse. A friend, who bemoaned that it had missed him again, helpfully advised that if you missed your rapture today, you can catch another in 18 months. But if you miss that, it’s something like 350 years. In truth there are several total eclipses throughout the world each year, so I suppose rapture followers could just get the schedule and follow them-good excuse for travel. Some posts about the Rapture were hysterical—I saw someone who offered Rapture protection. Don’t want to be snatched up? Just call him, though I don’t know if his work was guaranteed or not. Another entrepreneur was offering pet care—if you are swept up in the Rapture, he will care for your pets (what? They can’t go with you?). Of course, his work was prepaid, no refunds. And there were several posts about leaving random clothes scattered around so it would look like you’d been raptured (does it required nudity? I’m shocked!)  My mystery mind can see several great plots around the Rapture—someone who wants to disappear can leave that clothing trail, or perhaps if you are into paranormal, someone is presumed to be raptured, until his or her body is found, the victim of murder.

A couple of serious notes: I hope we’ll hear about observatory studies of animals during the eclipse. A reporter in Fort Worth was assigned to zoo duty, studying the reaction of animals. That becomes a bit personal to me, because I’d been thinking about how I’d protect Sophie during the eclipse, though I had no idea if It would bother her or not. The thunderstorms predicted for later tonight would probably have bothered her more. Just one more thing to remind me of the hole in my heart.

Another serious note: if you want to recycle your eclipse glasses, there will be an eclipse in South America in August, and schoolchildren need glasses to be able to watch it. There’s a link on my Facebook page about how you can contribute your used glasses.

The excitement is over, and I for one am ready to move on. I was beginning to tire of the eclipse hype. So here’s to the rest of the week—may it be whatever you want it to be. In full sunshine!

This, that, and the other

A hodgepodge on my mind tonight, but I have to begin with the delicious dinner we just had.  I bought some really good salmon yesterday but, after cooking all week, I was relieved when Christian said he would cook. I gave him the recipe I wanted to try—a molasses/soy marinade. I volunteered to sauté some asparagus and sugar snap peas.

Christian: I’m not much on sugar snap peas.

Me: Have you ever eaten them?

Christian: Yes. And how will you cook the asparagus? I like mine crisp.

Tactfully said, but I told him he should have more faith in me than to think I would overcook the asparagus. As it was, I sautéed asparagus pieces and snap peas in olive oil with a generous splash of soy. Cooked them just enough to get warm, and he liked them. But the salmon was the pièce de résistance—grilled just right so that it was still soft and moist and topped with toasted sesame seeds. Christian was rightly proud of having done the sesame seeds. I always have to do two batches, because I burn the first batch. The molasses marinade gave it an extraordinarily rich flavor.

I was editing our neighborhood newsletter tonight and came across a sentence where the writer said we would utilize something. Struck a nerve. My red pen came out, and I changed utilize to use. It reminded me of a passage I read recently in an online newsletter, stressing the use of the most straightforward words. Using fancier words simply makes you look pretentious. So here are a few suggestions, beyond use for utilize:

For commence, simply say begin;

For launch, say open;

For myriad, say many;

For prior to, say before.

You get the idea—write as you would talk.

I’ve written before about how kind people are when you have a walker, but I found a passage in a short story collection that states it perfectly. The collected short stories, An Elderly Woman Up to No Good by Swedish author Helen Tursten, feature octogenarian Maud whose sins range from kleptomania to murder, mostly the latter which she meticulously plans when people annoy her. It’s a darkly humorous adventure in reading, and I almost read it in one sitting. One feature is that Maud hides her strong body and active mind behind the façade of a frail, slightly dotty old woman. One of her tricks is to use a walker—which she also employs as a murder weapon when the occasion arises.

But here’s the narrator’s description of Maud’s use of the walker: it provided useful support, she could sit on it and have a rest, she was suddenly offered a seat on the bus, people held the door open for her when she went into the stores, and middle-aged female shop assistants started treating her politely and . . . well, they really were quite sweet to her. The walker was a brilliant acquisition.

I think I shall practice the frail old lady part on occasion—just not the murder part.

But excuse me now, Jacob wants to watch the eclipse, and I’ll join him.

Was the eclipse a jinx?

Eclipse be darned. The important thing around here is that it was Jacob’s first day at middle school. Looks ready to take on the world to me.

The consensus in the Alter/Burton household is that, in Texas, the eclipse as pretty much a bust. Jacob and his classmates were issued glasses and ushered outside, appropriately during science class, but he said it was one of the most boring things he’s ever done—ah, young exaggeration. Jordan and friends went to a restaurant with a patio, and she said she should have stayed home and worked, but she’d have felt she missed something if she didn’t go look. A friend came for lunch with me, and we kept looking outside but really didn’t see much darkening. Apparently, Texas only had 70% whatever that means.

I’ve seen places in the central path where it got dark, and from reports of people who were in Oregon, Wyoming, Carbondale (IL), it was an awesome experience. All it meant here, far as I could tell, was a jinx. I had a lot of work on my desk, but everything I touched turned to mush. I was trying to put together the neighborhood newsletter, but files acted funny, others were formatted in ways that made them so difficult to deal with I threw my hands in the air.

I had to straighten out an insurance matter and none of the options on the automated menu covered it. The robot on the other end didn’t understand what I was saying. So I went online and tried the ”chat” option but when I tried to respond it froze. Finally, with help from the broker who arranged the insurance (through TCU) I got a real person at the insurance company. Of course, it turned out that I really did owe that overdue payment I was challenging.

Then I tackled the problem of an eye exam. My insurance doesn’t pay my doctor of 30 years because he’s an ophthalmologist—that comes under medical, so I have to go to an optometrist. It took literally a half hour on the phone to get the name of the area optometrist my doctor recommends.

Anybody want to calculate the amount of time I spent on the phone, mostly on hold? I don’t even want to think about it.

One bright spot: Teddy came and walked with me. I determined to be confident and to take it slow. Thought I did really well. Pleased with myself, and he, eternal cheerleader, was complimentary.

Tonight the world looks a bit better. I finished all of the newsletter I can do with what I have on hand—waiting for late submissions. I got the medical insurance straightened out, and a mammogram appointment made, with a note on the calendar to schedule an optometrist appointment (got to space those appointments out). I finished the mystery I was reading. No work on my own novel today, but that was pretty much a given.

Whoosh. I deserve wine and supper.

Watch the eclipse--safely

Thanks to friend and meteorologist Bill Proenza for hints on watch the eclipse safely and where to go to understand it better, find out more about eclipses and this particular one in August. Bill sent this out as an email and was kind enough to say share it with others. One thing I've heard from him and others: if you plan to look directly at the eclipse, get your safety glasses now--they're selling out quickly. Here's his message:

In the next paragraph, please find the link to NASA's video map animation depicting the temporal and spatial movement for our nation's upcoming, August 21, 2017, solar eclipse.  It also shows the percentage of the sun that will be moon blocked for anywhere in the USA.  For example, the DFW area will experience about a 75% to 80% solar eclipse! 

Remember, this event will be a total solar eclipse for a path across the US and not just an annular (or partial).  It is the first solar eclipse to cross the entire contiguous USA since 1918.  Watch this video to determine what your area will experience and if necessary, how far you need to travel for the full 100% effect: 
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4314

For more background information, here is NASA's home page on the solar eclipse:
https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

And more from a dedicated astronomical ".org" site:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/

Safety!  Here is a link on how to view the eclipse safely.  Believe me you can cause permanent eyesight damage without following these precautions in viewing this solar eclipse! So, please take the following advice from NASA:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

Very Important!   So, you need to buy the special solar filter eyeglasses following the above NASA safety precautions!  Here is a non-profit ".org" site with eclipse safety eyeglasses at a reasonable cost (from less than $2 to $4 each) fully meeting the "2012 Transmission Requirements of EN 1836:2005 & AS/NZS 1338.1:1992 for Eclipse filters":
http://www.eclipse2017.org/glasses_order.htm

Weather?...oh yes!  I wouldn't forget to share the following with you about the weather, especially the cloud factor!  So here is the climatology of clouds across the USA for this solar eclipse time:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/weather/2017_clouds.htm

And last, here is a brief summary of humankind's accumulated eclipse history:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-history