Today’s Birthdays…’appy Birthday Harry! (and JK Rowling too!)

I do not know which grandchild first created this very special drawing-or for that matter, when. I only recently discovered it when looking something up in the ‘Sorcerer’s Stone' book. A fellow Potter fan had recently pointed out that Sirius Black is mentioned in the very beginning of the first book. When Dumbledore asks Hagrid where he got the motorcycle, Hagrid says that…Black lent it to him. (Yup, you gotta go look it up now too right?) When I got out my copy, there was this drawing stuffed inside the cover. Whoosh, it was just like a trip in Dumbledore’s pensieve; suddenly I was back to when I first fell under JK Rowling’s spell. I was so very very skeptical. Nothing could honestly live up to all the hype now could it? What did matter however is that my grandchild was reading this book, and had been enchanted into a level of drawing not previously within the usual capabilities. It really was magic!
Now I am as enchanted as I was then. Having seen the movie, it became imperative to re-read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Why else have I not posted my thoughts on SpongeBob Squarepants as cultural icon, or how iridescence has become as adventure in quantum physics? Obviously I am under a spell of some kind. I do hide it well however. I did keep my appointment in town, I did get laundry done. I did feed the cat. In addition, and in honor of both Harry Potter and JK Rowling, I did cast a spell of my own (BIG thanks to Roy Tanck) on some moonflowers. ~~wingardium moonflowerosa~~The result was the moonflower nebula at right. So, in closing, thanks and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to JK Rowling and Harry today. And thanks to Roy Tanck for the 'spell'.

Night Lights

You'd think that a blog associated with moonflowers would have more to say when celebrating 40 year anniversaries of landing on the moon. Especially when the same week contains a solar eclipse by the aforementioned moon. I must admit to a bit of a block; then again there's a lot to sort through whilst contemplating such significant events. I knew there was stuff in my head-I just couldn't find my keys. I needed that ol' EUREKA moment, which finally occurred when I found me a muse. The cow jumps over the moon. If that's likely to happen any time soon, I'll bet it'd be in Wisconsin. I began pondering an image I'd seen somewhere, and discovered it to be the work of an artist named Lowell Herrero (added a link over there in the artist column) Now I know that I am going to have to create my own version. I've got moons, moonflowers, stars, but no cows at night.
I remember the night of the moon landing. I know it was a defining moment in history, but at the time I was a little reluctant to celebrate it. I was waiting until they got back in the landing unit. I was waiting until that unit got launched back into space and was on its way home. I guess that makes me a bit of ‘Doubting Thomas’, but all of this space adventure stuff was still uncharted territory. It was comforting to hear the words from Genesis being read; the words were a good anchor when boldly going where no man had gone before.
Now we’ve got an International space station; I love the global collaboration. Imagine thinking ‘outside the globe’ and the possibilities it opens. I guess that is why I would like to see space travel continue-as long as we can be reasonably sure of the safety of all concerned. And I also glad they are fixing up the Hubble telescope. Those images are breathtaking and beautiful. Now there’s an Artist at work. It is no stretch for me at all to hear “Let there be Light” when someone defines the Big Bang theory. Thank God.