August's full moon

Is it August  already?? 

I guess it is, and the wheel of the year turns slowly, deliberately and relentlessly into the next season.  Here at the very beginning of the harvest season, the first tomatoes, bell peppers, and new potatoes from our gardens, the rewards of our work, knowing that we have provided for ourselves,  not  unlike the gratitude that our ancestors might, probably did feel for a good harvest.  The reassurances that with a bit extra in the larder it would be easier to make it thru the winter and joyfully greet the Spring. 

This brings me back to the turning of the seasons, because I have lived most of my 7 decades where there were 4 distinct seasons.  Not to say I didn't like year round summer, when I experienced that, but it only took  a few months for it to become, well dare I say uneventful, better than boring.  My favorite being Winter into Spring.  The Full Sturgeon moon is a reminder of the ever changing landscape of each season.  

The moon will be full at 9:28Pm  August 11th, and  this will be the last "supermoon" of 2022.  Personally I am hopeful the weather will allow me to be out under the sky to enjoy this wonder. 

 

And so here I sit, realizing that it has been a very long time since I wrote about each full moon in turn, and I hope to resume doing that.  

A relearning is needed, and after reading a few old posts, I must have spent alot of time researching them, and even longer writing them, note to self, "start earlier next month!"  

 

As the late Jack Horkhiemer would often say

"get ye out under the stars", he also said "keep Looking up" which I don't recommend when you are out on a darkish night, so bring your flashlight

Enjoy the Sturgeon Moon!!!!

The word “sturgeon” means “the stirrer,” which is what this giant fish does when it is looking for food; it stirs up the mud and silt on river and lake bottoms. Notice the pointed snout and whisker-like tactile organs near the mouth. Credit: Tennessee Aquarium. 

These prehistoric-looking fish have been traced back to around 136 million years ago and many people call them “living fossils.”

• Females require around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can only reproduce every 4 years. However, they can live up to 150 years!
• Today, there are about 29 species worldwide, including the lake sturgeon found in the Great Lakes. They have evolved in size from the size of a bass to monster sturgeon as big as a Volkswagen.
• The lake sturgeon is quite rare today, due to intense overfishing in the 19th century, pollution, and damage to their habitat

Alternative August Moon Names

Flying Up Moon is a Cree term describing the time when young birds are finally ready to take the leap and learn to fly. 

Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe) signify that this is the time to gather maturing crops. Along the same vein, the Assiniboine people named this period Black Cherries Moon, referring to when chokecherries become ripe.

The Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest traditionally called this time of the season the Mountain Shadows Moon.

 

thanks to "The farmers Almanac"