"In his domestic administration my father had this system . . . to keep a journal and insert in it all occurrences of any note . . . A record very pleasant to look at when time begins to efface the memory of events, and very well suited to get us out of perplexity: When was such and such a thing begun? When completed? What retinues came? How long did they stay? Our trips, our absences; marriages; deaths; the receipt of happy or unhappy news . . . An ancient custom, which I think it would be good to revive, each man in each man's home. And I think I am a fool to have neglected it." (Montaigne, Book I, Essay 35 (publ. 1580))

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Moon

OK, it would be hard to have a worse photo.  But the full moon the last couple nights has been wondrous as we see it hanging out in the east in the early evening - there's something about a winter moon, even here in the desert southwest.

Then PJ leaves early for work this morning, and calls back to report on an eclipse.  So I stepped out, looked W/SW, and there it was - well over half eclipsed (notwithstanding what the photo looks like); and vivid enough to make me want to remember it.

(That's a street light below, not the morning star.  I decided not to crop it out because (even in this lame photo) it gives a fair idea of relative size and brightness.)
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