This is going to happen (I think).
This is the new version of Nixon's creation of the "hispanic" voting block.
Yesterday we went to visit the kids and the granddaughters. My husband told us all about a comet that would be visible to the naked eye that evening, right near sunset. The kids figured out a nearby park at a high spot we could go.
On the way to picking up pizza, my husband was telling us that the comet seemed to only come around every 80,000 years. We all talked about how long that is in time and had a great discussion about what the earth was probably like 80,000 years ago and what it might be like 80,000 years in the future when the comet might be visible to is again. That was fun talking about that with the granddaughters. Oldest granddaughter had a dollar and she said she was going to keep it to show her grandkids one day and tell them about money (because we all figured we’d be using different currency and have whatever is beyond neuralink).
And then we realized that we were the first humans to see this comet. The first humans! In 2024! And that blew my mind!
After dinner we all went to the park to look for the comet. First we had to find Venus. We have an app called SkyView. It was still light out, as sunset was 6:03. We kept looking at the sky. Plane contrails going by and the granddaughters asked if that was the comet. Oldest pointed something out and we looked. My husband had binoculars and said, that’s it! And we could see it and it’s tail! Much better clarity with the binoculars so we passed them around. We took pictures. It all lasted about 4 minutes until we couldn’t see it behind the skyline.
We were so excited. The youngest had brought a solar system poster so after we also looked at that. Then we all shared the pictures of the northern lights from before and the girls played tag until it was getting dark. I told oldest that she would someday tell her grandchildren about this day, too.
It was such a cool thing to do! I love that my husband loves this stuff because I never look it up.
Here’s an article about the comet if anyone is interested.
https://earthsky.org/space/comet-c-2023-a3-sep-oct-2024-tsuchinshan-atlas/
By first humans, of course the article I referenced talks about how it was discovered, of course by a couple of people, but most people aren’t looking for astronomical things. This comet is something that any regular person can go look at if they live someplace where they can see it and read about where to look for it. It’s a regular person event and that’s so cool.
@allie120 This sounds like a perfect family evening. What a beautiful memory that you, your husband and your grandkids now share! 🥰
@jana I read somewhere, "no one knows how to make anything real, anymore." It's largely true. I can't build anything. Being able to grow food is something, as is cooking, but build? I guess I could do something (because of Henry), but it would 'bout kill me to do it.
I actually feel better, now that I typed this. I could build an adobe house, come to think of it.
Thanks, Henry!
Man not making predictions says there is a flock of black swans flying over this country - one of them will take a giant crap between now and the election.
This sounds likely to me.
We took a ride out to the eastern corner of the state this morning to go to one of my husband’s favorite antique places. We had coffee in a coffee shop that used to be the train station. This town was a mill tow on the Quenebaug River. It has a little waterfall. It was a beautiful, warm fall day, the trees were a little past peak out that way but still so colorful.
We found a flute in its case and got it down to $30. Our oldest granddaughter just started flute at school and they’re renting it but 🤷🏻♀️ why not. Maybe she will like this one, or the younger one will try it some day.
There were groups of people riding their motorcycles all over that way. It was the perfect day for it. It’s supposed to get cooler this week, seasonal, but that’s still nice weather.
'Bullets, Gators, Snakes & Taters"
This is the title of the song my husband is going to write, to take to Nashville.
Not really, but it's funny. It's what he got in the Army. He says, he thought he was going to meet the Von Trapp family.
"No Van Trapps?"
"No Van Trapps. Just bullets, gators, Snakes and taters. But mostly, bullets."