Super Perigee Moon

Tonight's full moon is special. It's been 18 years since we had a full moon like this one. The moon is actually closer to earth, making it appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. I went out as it was rising...

...and a couple hours later...

Beautiful.

For more information about the Super Perigee Moon, see NASA's website.

'Coon Up a Tree!

Yesterday, Romie was looking out the back door and exclaimed, "We've got a 'coon up in the big oak tree!" Now with the peacock a few years back and the pig just a few weeks ago, nothing surprises me here anymore.

Raccoons are plentiful, and we don't really like to see them, since our vet says they are one of the largest carriers of rabies in our area. They're also mostly nocturnal, so seeing one in the middle of the day this close to the house, in a tree that is a favorite climbing haunt of our cats is alarming.

I grabbed my camera (as usual) and went to the window to see. There it was, ringed tail hanging down. I needed to get a closer look and wanted to scare it away and out of our yard.

When I went outside, I noticed the neighbor had their dog Lucy on a leash, conducting a training session with her and the new invisible fence they'd installed. That kind of explained the raccoon up the tree.

But when I went around to the other side of the tree to get a look at the front side, it wasn't a 'coon at all. It was dear, sweet Lily. Lily isn't a fan of Lucy's, and will go up a tree anytime she gets close.

It was a simple case of mistaken identity, and a reminder that sometimes things are not as they seem.

Stroll the Streets of Paris With Me at The Philadelphia Flower Show

I've been to France twice, but I've never been to Paris. My experience was in the French countryside, the first time in Chamonix, on Bastille Day, no less. I'll never forget emerging from the Mont Blanc tunnel to find mountains so close and so tall that it felt like they would fall in on me.

The second visit was merely a means to an end, traveling by train from Luxembourg to Basel, Switzerland and back again 10 days later. So my visit to The Philadelphia Flower Show, with its theme, "Springtime in Paris", was not reminiscent to me, as it may have been for others who've been to the real Paris.

Regardless, I found the displays to be delightful, quirky at times, and downright stunning, in one case. There was so  much to take in that I couldn't possibly share it all in one post, so I'll break it down into bits, with this one focusing on the Paris street scenes. These posts will be mostly photographic, but that's what you wanted anyway, wasn't it?

Paris Street Scenes

Lastly, my very favorite "street scene":

More to come!