You may consider it “Lunacy.” I consider it an out of this world experience. I was an Apollo age boy and yes we drank Tang, lots of it. First introduced in 1957 a couple years before I was born it was popularized by an American hero John Glenn who allegedly drank it on a NASA Mercury mission. We were from the Apollo age where Tang was the choice of astronauts and if it was good enough for them it was good enough for us. If our astronaut heroes drank Tang we drank it while gazing at the moon anticipating someday we would walk on the moon. Today it’s more than a phase. People are connecting with the phases of the moon. And as a gardener I recognize that it is an age old belief that phases of the moon affect plant growth. People are designing landscapes and patios to enjoy by the moon with white bright flowers and looking for fragrance. They are also lunar gardening paying attention to planting by the waxing or waning moon. More on that in 2019. For now our first big opportunity in 2019 is the total lunar eclipse on January 20–21, 2019. The last one was September 27–28, 2015. It will occur on the Sunday night of a 3-day holiday weekend in the U.S. Let’s hope for a clear night!
For those of us here in Michigan I plan to be outside with snacks and drinks by 9:45 PM and to stay up late checking the sky frequently from 9:45 PM and on. On the lake shore here in West Michigan (I am on Pere Marquette beach) we are near the Central time zone but still considered EST. The anticipated Eastern Standard Time Zone start of the total eclipse is 11:41 PM. Middle of totality 12:12 AM and end of the total eclipse at 12:44 AM.
