Sunday, March 20, 2011

THE STORY OF THE "SUPER SIZED" PERIGEE MOON

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – While tonight’s Perigee Moon for March 19, 2011 is called a “Supermoon”, NASA tells news that the “super” in the word Supermoon refers to the rare beauty and illusion that the Moon will create this evening. At first glance, tonight’s full Moon may not have a proportional difference than any other night. But as NASA explains to news, when tonight’s full Moon is observed behind foreground objects like trees and foliage, it will appear “supersized” and brighter.
How big will tonight’s Moon appear? NASA predicts that this evening the full Moon may appear as much as fourteen percent larger than on average. And while the Moon may appear substantial supersized tonight, NASA explains it’s all an illusion. Tonight’s illusion is the result of the Moon’s orbit passing closer to the Earth.
But here rests the irony.
As NASA explains to news, tonight’s full Moon may appear fourteen percent larger but it is not that much closer to the Earth than on average. As NASA adds, “the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times.”
There is more to be excited about tonight’s Moon besides it enlarged appearance. It will appear also thirty percent brighter that a normal full Moon. The last time this happened was March 1993. And yet, tonight’s Moon tonight is only fifty thousand kilometers closer to the Earth to create this spectacle.
But you should be alarmed about the Moon’s closer proximity to the Earth tonight? No, says NASA. They explain the Earth already has enough “internal energy.” “The Earth has stored a tremendous amount of internal energy within its thin outer shell or crust” explains NASA to news, adding “the small differences in the tidal forces exerted by the moon (and sun) are not enough to fundamentally overcome the much larger forces within the planet due to convection (and other aspects of the internal energy balance that drives plate tectonics).”
If full Moons are not to your liking, meteor showers are just around the corner. Lyrids arrives on the evening of April 21, peaking after midnight. Eta Aquarids will light up the sky with an impressive meteor show on May 5 in the early evening. Perseids drops in a full moon the evening of August 13. A partial lunar eclipse lit up the sky on June 26. Another partial can be seen in just days from now on June 4, 2011.
So while tonight’s “perigee moon” may appear as the biggest and brightest full moon in almost 20 years, there is always something exciting to capture in the sky.

(photo is mine however the article is from Lalate)

BLOG WINNER

Hubby drew the names for the blog contest a few minutes ago, Marlene was the winner!!! Marlene can choose if she would like the cards or the mascot change purse and let me know and I will get her prize out to her this week. Thanks to everyone who left a comment and read my blog post! Jeannie came in second so which ever prize is not chosen I will send on to Jeannie.

Monday, March 14, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAIME...200th post, first ever blog prize for comments!







It is so hard to believe Jaime is turning four...it seems like just yesterday he was born!! Happy Birthday Jaime!


I JUST DISCOVERED THIS IS MY 200TH POST AS WELL AS JAIME'S BIRTHDAY SO I WILL HAVE MY FIRST EVER BLOG GIVE-A-WAY, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT  AND I WILL DRAW A NAME ON SATURDAY FOR EITHER A DECK OF CARDS FROM THE VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPICS OR A DARLING MASCOT CHANGE PURSE FROM THE 2010 OLYMPIC GAMES IN VANCOUVER, WINNERS CHOICE OF WHICH THEY WANT!





Sunday, March 13, 2011

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

On Friday March 13th, 1981 we were married in Honolulu, Hawaii. My brother and my best friend Sally signed our wedding certificate as the witness's. A reception followed at my Mom's home in Wailupe Circle. The time has sure sped by. Friday the 13th was my favorite Gramma's favorite day and 13 was her lucky number. When she died, I took over her favorite day and number. The table where the wedding cake is in the first picture was decorated with a huge plumeria lei which we strung by hand ourselves from the flowers from the trees in my Mom's back yard. I miss the heavenly smell of the plumeria's. We wore leis of Vanda Orchids and Pikake flowers in traditional Hawaiian style.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

FINALLY A THRIFT STORE SCORE!!!

Since becoming a rabid avid doll collector in about 2002, I have been scouring thrift stores, swap meets, yard sales and anywhere else that I might find vintage treasure. As the years have wound down, I have pretty much given up on yard sales, swap meets etc as I never find anything there. And mornings and I are not terribly compatible nor is tramping out in the rain and coming back empty handed.  I still have a trap line of thrift stores I haunt from time to time. I am a Chatty Cathy addict collector who really should form a 12 step program for fellow addicts....and myself... however I still enjoy it so I still collect it. Lately I have been downsizing. I have a long, long ways to go with that project. Anyways, to get back to the subject, I went out to the bank and library today and with gas being 131.5 cents a liter here in my area, I like to try and combine a lot of trips into one to save gas. So I did my errands and then did my thrift store rounds. At one I found a bunch of vintage dolls in a bin. Most of them I recognized as I owned a few like them when I was young. After carefully looking at them and deciding I do not need any more vintage addictions, I decided to check out the doll clothes they usually have in another section. I spotted a bag of clothes....be still my heart, there was a blue dress in the bag and it looked an awful lot like one I have been trying to obtain for years for Chatty Cathy. I quickly grabbed the bag and started turning it over and over (they are sealed) oh my, I saw a yellow dress and a familiar rosebud pattern...no doubt about it, this bag is coming home with me. I looked over my shoulder and noted a couple of other women in about my age group eyeing up me and my bag which made me cling even tighter to it....I wandered around the store and waited awhile longer to see if they brought out any more toys or dolls but alas, no success there. And now...drum roll please, I will reveal the contents of my treasure bag that I paid for and hurried out to my car and locked the doors and opened....it was even better than I thought....and my very first find of Chatty Cathy stuff in a thrift store.
I couldn't help but wonder who the little girl was who played with this stuff so many years ago is, I have never had quite this same feeling for anything I bought on Ebay but finding stuff by myself that was not in anyone's collection had me wondering what happened to the little girl, why is all her stuff now in a thrift store after so many years ............................one of those things I will never have an answer for I guess. Thanks for viewing my blog, the dolls at the top of the blog are Chatty Cathy dolls and the ones on each side are wearing dresses I made for them and the one in the middle is wearing a lovely ensemble from Build a Bear that I altered a bit so it would fit her!