A total solar eclipse will occur on Monday!
Question:
How will the people in Tennessee be able to tell?
It rains here every day (very slight exaggeration). The sun is in perpetual eclipse mode. An appearance of the sun in Tennessee is so rare that when it happens a state holiday is declared.
I'm jesting. Sort of.
The weather forecast for Monday is "partly cloudy", which usually means we'll get ten inches of rain.
I didn't buy any special Eclipse Viewing Glasses from Walmart - but I will be scanning the sky. And searching between clouds.
I experienced a partial solar eclipse when I lived in the Missouri Ozarks. I can't remember what year it was, but I do recall that there wasn't much to see. It didn't get pitch black like in the plagues of Egypt. The sky got kinda smokey and hazy for a few minutes....and that was it.
I'm expecting more this time around. If it doesn't rain.
The subject of solar eclipses always reminds me of one of my ultra favorite movies, Dolores Claiborne (a 1995 flick starring Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh, based on the Steven King novel).
Dolores Claiborne is a powerful film and Kathy Bates is superb. In a nutshell, the story is about Dolores - a hard-working New England woman who has a drunken, abusive husband. He not only manages to clean out her bank account, he also molests their daughter.
A vicious confrontation occurs between Dolores and her husband during a solar eclipse. He chases her through a field and accidentally falls in a well. She, of course, does nothing to save him.....
As for Monday -
I hope you'll be able to see the eclipse, no matter what part of the country you live in.
Beware of open wells...
and angry wives.
Here's a clip from the film.
Warning: this clip contains some offensive language.
I remember watching a total eclipse in grade school ... with cardboard boxes over our heads. Wasn't overly impressed at the time; and to tell the truth, I'll wait to see what the Evening News' shows tomorrow. Or not, heh-heh. (Does this make me a bad American?)
ReplyDeleteBy the time the evening news covers the solar eclipse, they will find a way to blame it on Trump. You mark my words.
DeleteI doubt if the eclipse will be half as spectacular as predicted, but I'll be looking for it anyway (with no box over my head...)
I was just thinking about watching Delores Claiborne again. Loved the acting ... goes to show that a good movie doesn't require a ton of special effects to captivate an audience. I highly doubt we'll see even a partial eclipse - which is fine by me. We'll gladly take your rain though. We certainly need some.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to watch Dolores Claiborne again, too. I think I have it on a DVD somewhere (it might take me years to find it).
DeleteI wish I could send you our rain. The only reason I appreciate the Tennessee rain is because it does diminish the prospect of wildfires. I am much too close to the forest for comfort - it's in my back yard...
One of Stephen's good stories. Kathy Bates is a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what we would see so far north and I don't want to burn my eyeballs--so I will pass, regardless. ;)
I was never a Steven King fan, but ironically I love his two "non-horror" novels - Dolores Claiborne and The Shawshank Redemption.
DeleteI don't want to risk burning my eyeballs, either.
I'm going to scan net flex to see if they have this movie I would love to watch it. I'm not too impressed about the eclipse, I remember one years ago not sure what year, but it didn't turn dark. I don't think Alabama is in line for the total eclipse. We're getting plenty of rain here a shower most every other day sometimes every day. Take care, Jean
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that Netflix would have Dolores Claiborne. It's a movie that should be watched several times to be fully appreciated. I never fully absorb things the first time.
DeleteWe always get a lot of rain here in TN. I really don't mind it - except that it makes all the weeds grow overnight.
Take care!
i remember the movie well. the last eclipse i saw was in 1970. i hope we have good viewing weather for this one, you and i.
ReplyDeleteI always thought Kathy Bates deserved an Oscar for Dolores Claiborne (it is her personal favorite film, too, from what I heard). Her Oscar for Misery was well-deserved, but Claiborne is better.
DeleteLet's hope the clouds will part for the eclipse!
i have it on vhs
ReplyDeletei think they made something
to view eclipse in movie
instead of glasses
my John made me something
out of an old box
& piece of tin foil
Yes, they had some kind of eclipse "boxes" which the people were using in the movie. Probably something similar to what your John has made.
Deletep.s.
ReplyDeletei like your
kitty koo koo icon
I always hate profile photos of myself. I tried using King Ludwig of Bavaria, but thought that some people might think it was really me. SO, I'm using the cute kitty for awhile.
DeleteWow, Jon, that was a riveting clip! Happily, Norma and I have never had an argument as energetic as the one shown --and our well-shaft is only 8 inches in diameter, capped with steel instead of 6 feet wide and covered with rotten boards like the one in the movie. Building codes have largely changed for the better, I think. Tomorrow morning, I hope to see a 78% solar eclipse here, will use a pinhole projector to view it. View safely and enjoy the interplanetary dance!
ReplyDeleteThose violent confrontations between Dolores and her husband in the movie always upset me, because they remind me of what went on with my parents....but my father's rage was FAR FAR worse than anything Hollywood could come up with. And I'm not exaggerating.
DeleteIt's no wonder I'm so screwed up as an adult...
It's supposed to be partly cloudy here, but perhaps I'll be able to get a glimpse of the eclipse. No old wells around here, thank goodness. I'm glad your well is safely capped.
We're in a great location to see the eclipse, and according to the weather prognosticators, there shouldn't be much in the way of clouds to ruin it for us. We're ready! We have our NASA-sanctioned glasses and a terrific pinhole projection set-up ready to go. Some folks are saying it's "safe" to remove the glasses and look at the sun directly during the moments of totality, but Smarticus and I aren't believing that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you're all prepared with the PROPER equipment. I wouldn't dare risk looking at the sun directly. Sure hope it doesn't rain here!
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