wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.

Tag Archives: moon


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The Man in the Moon

When we see the shadows on the moon, we are probably looking at craters, or so we’ve been told.

Sometimes when we look, we see eyes and a mouth that looks like a big O! Last night I couldn’t see the big O but I thought I saw eyes and a nose. Maybe he was wearing a Covid mask. Moments later the man in the moon was gone. But who was that masked man?

Well, we know he arrived in the spaceship Apollo 11.

I tried to make the face a likeness of Neil Armstrong, but I’m not much of an artist.

But sometimes, when I look at the moon, I see “el conejo en la luna,” the rabbit in the moon. Aztec legends tell several versions of the story of their god, Quetzalcoatl, who was responsible for the rabbit ending up in the moon.

In one version Quetzalcoatl is still a man on Earth. He is tired and hungry from wandering and a rabbit offers himself up as food for him. Quetzalcoatl lifts him up to the moon and then brings him down again, thanking the rabbit for his noble offer and saying that for this generosity his shadow will be displayed on the moon forever to remind people of the rabbit’s goodness.

(We don’t know if he ate the rabbit.)

 


My apologies to all the bunnies out there for the lumpy, bumpy image I’ve posted. I’m sure the earthly rabbits look much better than el conejo en la luna.

 

 


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Moon Walk

Why? The moon is WAY behind the branches of the tree in this photo, so why don’t the branches show up as being in front of the moon?

I moved over a few steps to get a clear picture.

 

The sun has lent its warming glow

And moon reflects a brilliant show.

A golden globe that floats on high

Suspended in a magic sky.

 

Why don’t we go there for a while

And take our moon boots, go in style?

A bouncy moonwalk, we will do

Upon the moon rock, me and you.

 

And if we see the man in the moon

You’ll catch me if I start to swoon,

Then back to Earth it’s time to scuttle

Snuggled in our cozy shuttle.

 

Once again from Earth we’ll sigh

To see this marvel in the sky.

Golden warmth has filled our soul

I hold your hand and I feel whole.

 

 


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Waxing Gibbous?

“Waxing gibbous”…. This expression made me think of a group of gibbons depilating themselves. After all, the hairless chest is the look these days (in some people’s opinion).

But no, waxing gibbous refers to when the moon is waxing (growing) towards becoming fully illuminated by the sun.

I learned a new word today when I finally looked up “gibbous” instead of just using the word ignorantly. It means “convex or protuberant” – sticking out, like bulgy eyes. I think they used that choice of words because the gibbous phase of the moon is when it is more than half but not quite full.

I grew up with the phrase “the man in the moon” and I still see two eyes and a mouth when I look at the moon.

However, while visiting in Baja,  I met a friend there who told me they call it the rabbit in the moon, “el conejo en la luna.”  Sure enough, when I looked for a rabbit, I saw it. There he is in the photo below. He’s facing to the left with his long floppy ears streaming over his back. Do you see him? They even have a legend about how he got there.

Quetzalcoatl was tired and hungry. He had traveled far, so he sat down by the side of the road to rest. A little rabbit came along and chatted with him. When the rabbit learned that Quetzalcoatl was hungry, he offered him vegetables to eat, but Quetzelcoatl said he didn’t care much for veggies. He needed something more substantial.

“But I’m only a small insignificant rabbit, and this is the only food I have to offer,” the rabbit said.

Quetzalcoatl was moved by the humility and generosity of the rabbit and he rose up to the moon with the rabbit. He said, “Now you will no longer be insignificant, but be seen and admired by everyone forevermore.”

My own opinion about this legend is, that’s all very nice, but no one asked the rabbit if he wanted to spend the rest of his life up there on the cold lonely moon. It reminded me of people who help blind people cross the road when all they wanted to do was stand on the street corner.

So what do you see? The man or the rabbit? Or both?

Whichever you see, as of this morning’s full moon, it is no longer waxing, but will start waning. Sigh, now I should do a post about Wayne….


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The Eclipse Lesson

Last night, when I took the dogs out, I was surprised that it was so dark. The moon should have been lighting up the yard as brightly as a cool sun.

I didn’t know until that moment that I was seeing a lunar eclipse. The moon was partly blocked and yet the sky was completely clear of clouds. The shape that darkened out the moon resembled the rounded top of the earth blocking out the sun that had just set behind me a few hours earlier.

I hurried back into the house to get the camera and clumsily took a few photos.

Much later in the evening, the moon was back to normal, shining reflected sunlight from its full, beaming face.

“Hey Sunshine!” called the moon one day,

“It’s time for you to leave.

Romantic lovers always say,

In moonlight they believe.

They do not need your heat, Old Man,

They’re hot enough alone.

My light is better, and it can

Inspire a kiss and moan.”

“Ah, you know nothing, Loony One,

My rays bring winter thaws,

The people crave my  warmth and fun,

They love me without pause.

I bring them light the whole day long,

It’s easier to see,

I brighten spirits into song,

And I know they love ME.”

“That’s nonsense, my dear Sunnyboy,

What garbage you can spew,

I light the night, I won’t be coy,

I’m simply better than you.”

“But, Loony, don’t you understand,

You’re nothing, can’t you see?

By day or night, it’s my command,

The light all comes from me.”

“So prove it,” Loony smugly cried,

“You’ll never shine at night.”

“That’s fine,” the sun said, “I’ll abide,

I have no need to fight.”

The sun then hid behind the earth,

And waited out of sight.

The moon, eclipsed, had lost his worth,

When he was without light.

The moon no longer talks so big,

He wanly glides afar,

The sun just smiles and does a jig,

He’s, after all, a star.


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Lunacy

The moon was full just a couple of days ago, on November 22.

Somehow, by brightening the night sky, the moon helps take away the gloom of the dull, cloudy days we’ve been having.

I took this picture from my back door, quick, quick, before the moon disappeared behind a cloud.

The moon is associated with magical and mythical things: omens, spells, fictitious creatures (vampires) and of course, with love.

Some moon expressions I have found:

Mooning around — to pine or grieve about something.

Moon someone — to show someone one’s nude posterior.

Moonshine — high-proof distilled spirits, usually produced illicitly.

Moonlight — work at two jobs.

Reach for the moon — aim for a high goal.

Over the moon — to be extremely happy.

The man in the moon — the shadowy shape on the moonscape that looks like a man’s face.

Promise the moon — make a promise that is impossible to keep.

Go between the moon and the milkman — take flight between dark and dawn.

Moonraker — a light square sail set above the sky sail.

Once in a blue moon — seldom (as when a full moon occurs twice in one month).

Shoot the moon — to take a great risk for great rewards.

Bay at the moon —  make appeals in vain.

The moon is made of green cheese – not really the colour green, but referring to the pale yellow colour of “green” (unripe) cheese.

Moon over —  waste time pining or grieving.

Moon-blindness (mooneye) – recurrent inflammation of a horse’s eye, often resulting in eventual blindness.

Lunatic – unstable person.

Loony – crazy.

Honeymoon – holiday immediately after getting married.

Moonface — a round face.

Moonstruck — very much in love.

Moondog (Mock moon) — a relatively rare bright circular spot on a lunar halo, caused by the refraction of light from ice crystals in cirrus clouds.

The Moonies — a religious cult that had a strong hold on (usually) young people they recruited. Named for its Korean founder Sun Myung Moon.

Blood moon — the reddish colour of the moon when it is in eclipse between the earth and the sun.

And then there is our Canadian dollar – the loonie. I suppose it was meant to be named after that beautiful bird, the loon, but to me is seemed like lunacy to downgrade our currency by making our dollar into a piece a small change.

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Do you know of some moon expressions?  How about moon boots? The list seems to be endless.