Beautiful Eclipse

Like many of you, our family took time to view the recent solar eclipse together. I set up comfortable chairs in the front yard, brought out a few pairs of the eclipse glasses I like to keep stashed away to view signs and wonders in the heavens both the expected, and the unexpected. Dearest Love prepared tasty food for us to enjoy together while we watched the heavens in motion. Specifically, she made eclipse tostadas and sliced yummy Cara Cara oranges. For those of you who may be wondering what exactly makes a tostada an eclipse tostada, it is simply tostadas, prepared specifically to be eaten while also enjoying an eclipse!

Did I mention the Cara Cara oranges? They are such a treat. I had no idea, that is until one of my BFF’s, traveling in Florida and thinking of us, sent a box of them or something very similar in the mail. Have you ever received a box of delicious fruit in the mail? It is a wonderfully delicious surprise! We ate it up right quick and started looking carefully for replacements anytime we are at Piggly Wiggly.

We enjoyed a fine afternoon that, while not entirely clear, was clear enough to enable to see what we hoped to. We ate our food, drank cold drinks, shared stories, and generally enjoyed each other’s company. At one point, our neighbors pulled into their driveway after having been out and about. We waved them over, brought out another couple pair of eclipse glasses and were delighted when they joined us for totality…

Well, eighty seven percent totality, which ain’t too shabby!

When totality was past and the neighbors took their leave, my family and I continued to sit a while, until the eclipse really was finished. I couldn’t help but think back to a solar eclipse from my childhood and shared that story with them as we wound down our family’s 2024 solar eclipse event.

The Eclipse Over Beautiful

It was always exciting to go visit Granddad Bob and Granny Alice at their dairy in Beautiful, East Texas. It wasn’t always fun, though it often was. It was, however, always exciting.

The dairy was situated on a large piece of property that supported the dairy barn, a large hay barn where the calves were also housed, a large shop where Granddad welded and did other work, a very large pool of water that folks in Minnesota might well classify as a lake, a storm house, the Yankees listening might better recognize that as a tornado shelter, and my grandparent’s home. A creek ran along the eastern edge of the property and at least one homestead from days gone by was known to me to be hidden in the woods. It was a place where my siblings, cousins, and I could run and play at length. It was also a place where we learned important lessons about hard work, family dynamics for better or worse, and so much more.

In the episode, Granny’s Butter and Jalapeno Sandwiches and Granddad’s Country Fiddle, I talked about the fact that while Granddad and Granny really did love each other, they didn’t necessarily like each other very much. Despite this, they figured out a way to make it work and God bless them both for it! One never knew when things might go south as a result of some abrupt or long simmering disagreement between them. On the other hand, you it was also hard to predict when a memory making fishing excursion make spontaneously occur.

Granddad and Granny both loved horses and riding. They kept, rode, and showed, Missouri Fox-trotters. As I grew, I was included in this in a way that I’ll never forget and always appreciate…

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Much Love,HankYou’ve Been Hanked!

Photo, “Solar Eclipse 2024” by and used with permission from, Fallon Harris.

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