yesterday at noon we enjoyed a partial solar eclipse. it was slightly cloudy, but clear enough to see the sun wane into a crescent and to notice the light changing. this made me happy, since usually whenever something exciting is happening in the skies, they tend to be heavily overcast. i taped together a makeshift filter from several layers of some kind of exposed film i happen to have acquired over my years of hoarding possibly useful stuff, and it worked perfectly, i didn't go blind. the clouds actually helped with taking photos. it was very clear when the sun was at its slimmest, like a boat in a cave painting, and i couldn't get a picture of it then. somehow the cloudiness created a better photo by filtering the light even more.
birds got very restless even before my bare eyes noticed any chance in luminance, and then got quiet when it was the dimmest. lots of crows flew away from the sun, to the north, making upset noises. one lone raven went the other way and later returned, calling to alarm me as it flew past. bullfinches whistled on treetops to each other. it was a powerful experience, a reminder of how awesome those orbs of light in the sky are, in reality.
a lot has been going on up above lately. i missed the aurora borealis of the decade because i didn't read the news the day before. the one day i don't, so typical... i did however see two shooting stars the next night, and looked at jupiter with my telescope. its four moons were aligned in a curved line like they were hanging by a thread.
a few days ago i went to hang my duvet to air out, and four sea eagles were circling above the yard. i ran to fetch my camera but they had already soared farther away so i didn't get very clear shots, but it was a good opportunity to test the zoom this time. better than before, not amazing but usable.
the dumptruck came while i was ogling the birds and i pointed them out to the guy and we chatted a bit about them. the eagles have become more common than, say, ten years ago, when i probably saw my first, but it's still always a sight to behold. i'd never seen four at once before. i think they looked like young ones, so they must have been in search of territory and partner.
there is supposed to be snow again tomorrow morning. it was cold enough today. i hope my tulips won't get frostbite, there are red budding tips peeking from the flowerbed already. i planted the bulbs last fall, and i can't wait to see how they turn out. hopefully they will bloom before the peonies swamp them. fingers crossed for mellow spring weather...
