Goodnight, moon

(Photo from http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html)

I watched the lunar eclipse last night. In 10-minute increments. I dashed out of the house onto the walkway crossing the front yard and stood in the -16 degree night, shuffling my feet and staring up as the Earth's shadow took an increasingly larger bite out of the bright white moon, listening to my neighbour's dog barking, and a slight breeze rattling the dry brown leaves still stubbornly clinging to the branches of my oak tree. Then I vaulted the stairs and went back to the welcoming warmth of the living room for a 10-minute warm-up, before doing it again. From 8:30 til just past 10:00.

When the eclipse was almost total, I tried to wake Leah up to watch it with me, but she was sleeping so deeply -- at one point I had her semiconscious and sitting up, but as I turned to get her some clothes, she had flopped back over and was sleeping again. I let her be.

The moon turned an eerie orangy red colour. I can only imagine how an eclipse might have scared and amazed people living long ago.

I didn't set up Leah's telescope, so I didn't get to check out the rings of Saturn, it was too cold to set it up outside. (I really wish they had scheduled this for a warmer time of year :-).) But I did see Saturn, it was the bright star underneath and to the left of the moon. The skies were clear and the view was amazing.

The temperature dropped overnight, and it was -20 when I left my car for the 5-minute walk from the church parking lot (where I leave my car) to my office. My upper body was all snug in my down jacket. My feet were nice and warm in my Columbia boots. But what was in between, man oh man, was it ever cold. I think I can see a growth industry for Ottawa. Down pants. No, really, who wouldn't want to slide their goosefleshed legs into a warm cushy pair of down pants? Or, if the pants seem a bit over the top, how about down undies? Yeah, that's the ticket, but they'd have to be down granny panties. More coverage means more warmth. A down thong would be kinda pointless. You'd want as much coverage as possible. Which brings me to the ideal brand name: Total Eclipse Panties. (Get it? Covering up the moon? Sometimes I just crack myself up.)