Friday Unwind #11 Autumnal Equinox; Hallelujah; Crime Solvers Unite: Heart of Stone; A Nod to Yogi Berra; Garden Game
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🌔🌕🌛AUTUMNAL EQUINOX
In the northern hemisphere, the first day of fall this year, or the Autumnal Equinox, is Saturday, September 23rd. Well, that’s if you’re on EDT. It happens at 2:50am. If you’re on Pacific Daylight Time, it’s actually at 11:50pm on September 22nd. If you‘re in the Southern Hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox is March 20th. Get ready to celebrate.🥳You’ll just have to figure out when. Aren’t you glad I do my research…🤣
Before you put your party hat on, I just know you’re not dying to know the history behind this equinox astronomical season thing. See, I can use big words…
‘Equinox’ comes from the Latin words ‘aequi’, which means ‘equal’ and ‘nox’, which means ‘night’. For us mere earthlings, an equinox is a time when the earth’s axis isn’t tilted toward or away from the sun. This results in a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness. At noon the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
Harvest Moon
There’s a full moon that occurs near the Autumnal Equinox. It’s called the Harvest Moon. “Shine on, shine on Harvest Moon up in the sky”…
Blame the farmers for the name. Around the time of the autumnal equinox the angle of the moon’s orbit and the tilt of the Earth line up just right, causing the moon to rise shortly after sunset. This gives the farmers extra time to bring in their harvests before the killing frosts.
I love Laurel & Hardy. Oh, and in case you wonder what the heck they have to do with the Autumnal Equinox, here’s their take on Shine On Harvest Moon.
🎬GROOVIE MOVIE: HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG
Based on the book The Holy or the Broken, by Alan Light, the film was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Best Music Documentary in 2022.
Leonard Cohen was a Canadian… a poet, a singer and a songwriter. I had never heard of him. So as the movie opened I thought, “I hope this is good.” When the final credits rolled I was disappointed. It was so good. I didn’t want it to end.
I love the way this film was crafted… a mix of interviews, actual film footage, and an abundance of music all shaped by his most famous work, Hallelujah.
It took Cohen seven years to write Hallelujah. When he first released the song, it flopped. Today the song is internationally known and performed, with more than 300 versions as of 2008. A few of them are showcased in the film.
Although the documentary follows the birth, death, and rebirth of Hallelujah, it includes 22 other songs written and performed by Cohen, including his first stage appearance and duet, which was with Judy Collins in 1976.
I don’t know if you’ll like this film or not. But if you like music and creativity…and maybe a touch of weirdness, you might just give it a shot. I will say that, before watching the film, the only Hallelujah that I would occasionally sing was the chorus from Handel’s Messiah. My repertoire has definitely expanded. Hallelujah!
🦜🦜🦜 CRIME SOLVERS UNITE
News Flash: A man wearing three parrots and a cowboy hat has robbed a McDonald’s in Fairfax County, Virginia. He also appears to be sporting a zebra camouflage shirt.
Although likely to simply disappear into a crowd, possibly you After 21 Club sleuths can parrot ferret him out.
Authorities believe he may be headed to feed the animals at the zoo or perhaps a local pet shop. If you spot the birdbrain, please do not approach as the parrots are known to cuss.
Good luck, crime stoppers. And may the farce be with you.
🎬 MOVIE REVIEW: HEART OF STONE
Rachel Stone is out to save the world in this action thriller filled with motorcycle chases, gondola fights, Bat-like Wingsuit flying, parachuting, plane crashes… phew. No one is who they seem. And a computerized ‘heart’ that can control the earth is up for grabs.
Rotten Tomatoes hated it. The audience loved it. Guess you’ll have to watch to decide. Popcorn needed.
⚾ YOGI BERRA
As a little kid, I grew up in New Jersey, about 25 miles outside of New York. Like any self respecting kid from New Jersey, I was a Yankees fan. One of my heroes was Yogi Berra. Yogi Berra won 10 world series as a catcher with the New York Yankees. He died 8 years ago today… September 22, 2015.
Although he was an 18-time All Star and he appeared in 14 world series (the most of any MLB player in history), I remember him best for his ‘Berra-isms’.
Here are five of my favorites:
When you come to a fork in the road, take it
You can observe at lot by just watching
The future ain’t what it used to be
You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there
Never answer an anonymous letter
➡ Here’s a fun little quiz to test your baseball knowledge.
🌿GARDEN GAME
Let’s play a game. Yay! Remember that game where you had to find which picture wasn’t like the others? That’s it! These are from my garden.
Virtual hugs for anyone who gets it right in the comments… Good luck.🍀
💬 COMMENTS
Where will you be when the Autumnal Equinox strikes? 🌕🌞
Which Hallelujah song is running through your head? 🎵
Which one of you is hiding 🦜🦜🦜?
Hi peeps. Is it morning, midday or night?
Anyone else a Yankee’s fan? Now don’t you go telling me you were a Brooklyn Dodgers fan…⚾ Got a ‘Berra-ism’ to share?
Garden Game…..and the winners of the virtual hugs are….
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Wherever you are, I hope life is sunny. 🌞❤Heather
PS: My other publication, Kindness Magnet, is out getting a makeover. But you can still subscribe (Oh, please do. She may have a different name when you click this link). She’s a little wonky right now, but she’ll be back in a few weeks. You’ll want to be there for the before and after pics of her makeover. I promise not to show the surgery… 💚🤕
Laurel and Hardy were wonderful, weren't they? :).
Great post, Heather. Yogi: “it’s like dèjá vu all over again” ✨