Science Waiting for the Hour

This may well be the busiest spring I can remember, in terms of getting some things done but not others. It's been a couple of months since I last posted anything here on the Farm, in part because I've been healthy enough to be attacking the many garden jobs that I've been AWOL from during the last year (at least), and with all the rain we've had, the half-acre has greened up nicely and is now verging on jungle-hood. Days have been cool enough to enjoy a good deal of time out with the animals, sorting through felled logs, creating barriers between the wild and the tame, and creating new spaces for purposeful planting. I spend a great deal of time weeding, and some of said "weeds" have become pesto, tea, salad components and (ultimately) a good lot of compost.

We had also been awaiting the recent eclipse (like Wordsworth's personification of Science), obtaining the proper glasses, and hoping that for once (just this once) the weather would cooperate and keep the clouds away for a couple of hours on Monday. We got our wish, sort of, and the game of peek-a-boo made the whole experience rather entertaining. Our venue was our back yard, a couple of lawn chairs, and a side table to hold a couple of glasses of wine for celebratory purposes. I had my Merlin app on to catch the (very early) evening chorus of birds as the moon began to obscure the sun, and we were in contact with my daughter in Dallas and my son in Redmond, Washington (where it was cloudy and raining, and they couldn't even enjoy the 30% of the eclipse available to them, because it made little difference in the available light). The area was remarkably quiet, as it can be in the early afternoon before school lets out and rush hour begins, the stillness probably enhanced by the fact that so many were off the highways at appropriate viewing sites. 

We found a spot on the back lawn that provided a fairly good view of the sky, which was a bit of a challenge because the trees have nearly leafed out fully and there are only a few small vacant areas in the canopy. Hence the following photos of the event, which (as is so often the case with photos I post on Skywatch Friday) are bordered with leafy edges.

Nearing totality (via The Beloved Spouse using the Canon Eos):

My iPhone images of totality:

And one from my daughter's iPhone in Dallas (no trees!):

And for anyone curious about which birds might have joined the Ecliptical Chorus, here's a screenshot of the Merlin list:

Science was, I think, well served on this occasion. All manner of data will emerge from the myriad instruments deployed, and vast numbers of children will remember the occasion because so many wise teachers had embraced this momentous teaching opportunity.

In all, it was a terrific experience, and perhaps my last such. I'd only be 97 when the next chance arises, so there is still hope--especially if I've moved back to the Owens River Valley in California by then. Much better chance of really clear skies.

Hope everyone got a chance to see at least a bit of this cosmic spectacle. Happy Skywatch Friday!

The Wordsworth poem can be found in its entirety at Poetry Nook: The Eclipse of the Sun, 1820