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October's Bright Blue Weather

by Helen Hunt Jackson

O sun and skies and clouds of June
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather;

When loud the bumblebee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And goldenrod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When gentians roll their fringes tight,
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burs
Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks
In idle, golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunt
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers hour by hour
October's bright blue weather.

O sun and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather.

Here Comes Autumn and the

Harvest Moon

The September Moon hangs lower in the sky and shines longer than other moons of the year, and so the "Shine on, Shine on, Harvest Moon! " as sung in the famous song is telling the truth. And, as the name states, helps the farmer with the need to work by moonlight to bring in the Harvest. In Asia and other parts of the world, it is celebrated as a special festival, with parades and feasts.

But did you know that ALL the Full Moons have special names? Here is the list of them from the famous source for such things, the Farmers Almanac:

Full Moon Names and Their Meanings"

Full Moon names (in America) date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year. Here is the Farmers Almanac's list of the full Moon names.

Full Snow Moon - February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.

Full Worm Moon - March As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.

Full Pink Moon - April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

Full Flower Moon - May In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon. ( or the Hare or Rabbit Moon - elle note )

Full Strawberry Moon - June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry! ( This one is also called the Honey Moon, for the special color it seems to share - and so the name for the special time for June Brides & Grooms! - elle note)

The Full Buck Moon - July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month's Moon was the Full Hay Moon.

Full Sturgeon Moon - August The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

Full Corn Moon - September This full moon's name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. Most often, the September full moon is actually the Harvest Moon.

Full Harvest Moon - October This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.

Full Beaver Moon - November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.

The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.

Elle note: interesting, no? But go online and you will find even more wonderful names for the Full moons, from other respected sources, all around the world. Long before we landed there, Man connected specially with the Moon !

A Summer Book for All Seasons!

- Glenn Maynard's " Strapped Into An American Dream"

"...Captures America, whirling readers along a 35,000-mile trek through the 48 contiguous states in a rebuilt RV." - flyer from Publisher AEG/Strategic Book Publishing. The "strapped" in the title refers, of course, to good seatbelts, occasionally necessary, along the way.

I was back-tracking my morning walk, looking for a silver charm I dropped and found, also, the Author at a book-signing, at local book store, with son Andrew at his side and coffee and donuts for visitors to the Connecti-breezy summer event.

I enjoyed a browse and chat with Mr. Maynard ( and some coffee and one good donut ), and though my budget won't let me buy the book till the first, I did take the flyer along, from his talk and the browse......

I am artist and like many artists, work at fulfilling my dream of popping the Art Supplies into the RV and painting America! The Author and his Bride are young, so when it's "roughing it" they love it. As for me, I'd have to do my part of it with the Evian and spritzes of my favorite perfume and make enough stops along the way at the salon and the Hyatt, to keep me sailing, for that long a journey, but delighted to do it in a minute! Today there is so much in media, meant to help us, but the overall effect can be a bit negative, till we miss the stunning, glistening, life-giving powers and beauty of our Amazing Land!

This book can help fix the issue.

Travel with the Author and his bride "...through 23 National parks, Las Vegas, Mardi Gras, and dusty ghost towns. Feel the rushing wind of tornadoes and the rocking of an earthquake." - book flyer.

Also:
In spite of the popular "easy breezy summertime" weather in these Connecticut Hills, we have our share of rainy afternoons, and this book can rescue you, and on a day when you cannot enjoy the scenes actually, you can roll away, virtually, in this book, and meet America, as a the author's imaginary travel buddy, liberated in a new way by the fine stories in this book.

If you are planning such a "treat of trip" of your own, "Strapped Into An American Dream" can be a true help.

"This land was made for you and me", said Woody Guthrie in 1940, and this book was made for us, in 2009.

~ elle fagan ~ 7-25-2009

Interview with Spring Art Contest Winner

Recently, Elle Fagan hosted "Celebrate Spring!" Fine Art Contest at Fine Art America.

The prize for First Place was a link to the artist's site and a Personal Interview posted here as follows: South American Artist, Natalia Tejera won, with her lovely portrait of "Gardenia" and the little interview follows here:

I emailed a list of my questions for Natalie and she graciously replied.
Natalie apologized for her English - she's Uruguaian - but I had no problem understanding her fine responses, and I hope you enjoy them, too!

Elle: when did you begin study and art work?

Natalia: I never study art but my dad was a great Uruguaian painter and he always had his atelier at home , so I spent much time with him, watching him paint.

I draw since I was a little girl, and I start painting with acrylics when I was 14 more or less. Then when I was 17 I started laws in the university and put aside brushes, until 5 years ago that I decided that working as a lawyer didn't fill me, so I begin with my paints again but this time with oils.

Elle: how and where the study?

Natalia: My dad encouraged me to paint and people liked my works, so my dad put some of them in his gallery , and I start selling them and I realize that being an artist was what really made me feel good. So I left my lawyer life aside and I became a full time painter :) and what in one time was my law studio became in my gallery...

Elle: South American artists are VERY popular right now - who inspires you among your fellow countrymen?

Natalia: As I said before my dad, Angel Tejera.

Elle: do you have a mission to your art? One guiding motive or power?

Natalia: I have an inner need of painting, as we all need air to breathe so to keep our body alive, I need to paint to keep soul breathing ... I really love painting, and working at what we love to do is one of the most important things in people's lives, and I am so grateful for this. So the top mission of my art is to make me feel plenty...and in these times its also my way of living. But there is something else that I wasn't sure to expose and it is something very personal, and its that my dad passed away a few months ago, and whenever I start painting I can feel he is with me guiding me, holding me...

Elle: what are your goals in your work?

Natalia: I really don't have many goals, I just want to keep on painting and maintaining myself with my gallery. Elle: if you feel like adding a personal note , people like to know if an artist is "marriage-and-family" or single, etc....or wanting either.

Natalia: Personal notes? ....mmm.... I was born in Buenos Aires Argentina, I grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay, and since 1998 I'm living in Punta Del Este, a beautiful place. I am divorced, actually - I have a boyfriend but I don't think I would like to get married ever again,I enjoy my freedom too much (but in a "healthy " way), I'm a spiritual person, love to meditate, lighting incense, lighting candles , animals around me (I have four dogs and 3 cats) , I am an"eco-friendly" person, love writing and I like my spaces and my times for being alone.... maybe I'm getting old :)

Elle: what makes you happy?

Natalia: Life makes me happy, animals, art (any kind of it), creating, nature, family, freedom, .... Being useful to anyone that could need me...
A simple life...
Truth....
faith.

my regards,
nat

Elle: I want to thank Natalie Tejera for her participation in my Contest, for Sharing the beautiful "Gardenia" and for her perfectly fine interview, posted here. Best Wishes!

And this great thought prayer, at this time of Rebirth! From Dublin Ireland's Jesuit Communications Center and "Sacred Space" its world-renowned website for prayer, meditation, inspiration and more!

"On the first Easter morning, the apostles and the holy women did not see a ghost of Jesus. They saw him in the flesh, but in a different flesh, as the oak tree is different from the acorn that was its origin. We touch on the mystery of a body, not just Jesus' body but our own, which will express us at our best, will not blunt our spirit with weariness and rebellion, but express it with ease and joy."

Page credits: This site

... and Angelfire Web Pages - since 1999... and ellefagan.com is hosted by Angelfire's "big sis'" Aplus.net
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