I SURVIVED THE ECLIPSE

The good news:
It was a glorious day and it didn't rain! Blue sky, fluffy white clouds, about 90 degrees (Fahrenheit for those of you in North Korea).

The almost bad news:
I almost slept through the eclipse.

As usual, I didn't sleep last night. I felt really crappy this morning so I crashed on my bed, for what I hoped would only be an hour. I wound up sleeping until about 1:15 in the afternoon. The eclipse was supposed to begin around 1:30 (I'm not sure exactly).

I quickly pulled on my boots, grabbed my El Cheapo camera, and ran outside (I was only wearing underwear - - boots and Fruit of the Looms).

I was very groggy and didn't know what the hell I was doing (my usual self...). So I just stood there, watching the light disappear, and snapping a few haphazard photos.

What I noticed the most was how eerie everything was. Almost spooky. Complete silence at first - no birds or animals. The temperature dropped noticeably.

As it got darker, the neighboring roosters started to crow - just like they do every morning before dawn.
Also, all of the nocturnal insects began chirping and buzzing in the woods.

There are loads of insect noises here at night - not only crickets but also lots of other mystery bugs.

The darkness didn't last long, only a few minutes - - but the eerie feeling lingered a long time.

My photos are uninteresting, really, but I'll post them anyway.

This is my back yard today before the eclipse - bright and sunny.

Just as the eclipse was starting. It was difficult taking pictures, because I never looked directly at the sun. I merely pointed the camera in the direction of the sun.

 Strangely enough, my photos don't seem to reveal any blockage of the sun, even though it was dark when I took them.

This is how it looked at the darkest moment. I took these photos facing away from the sun.

....and when the eclipse was ending...

My cat Scratch (Kitzee) was unconcerned

 

ECLIPSE

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.