Lunar Halo

First of all, thank you to all of you who gave hearts and stars to my post yesterday about Pearl Harbor. Those of you who have read the same story every year are kind and tolerant souls I appreciate all of you who commented and understood that telling the story every year is my way of remembering my parents as well as all those who lost their lives that day. 

To this day the Navy honors its commitment to 'leave no one behind'  The remains that could not be identified  in 1941 were buried in a mass grave at the Punchbowl national cemetery in Honolulu. With modern DNA methods, these remains are being identified and descendants notified. They are given the choice of having them reburied in Hawaii or repatriated to their home states and buried with full military honors. Even after 80 years, most descendants want to bring them home.

The moon last night was beautiful. Despite the freezing temperatures I watched it for several minutes as it rose above the trees. According to a Caltech website called Cool Cosmos, "rings around the moon are caused when moonlight passes through thin clouds of ice crystals high in Earth's atmosphere. As moonlight passes through the ice crystals, it is bent in a way similar to light passing through a lens. The shape of the ice crystals causes the moonlight  to be focused into a ring. This is similar to the way water droplets in the lower atmosphere can bend sunlight to create a rainbow."

We waited until the temperature rose to 35F this morning  but then put on many layers of clothing so we could take Spike on his walk before it started raining again. In the search for gloves and my Fair Isle beanie from Lady Findhorn, I found a couple of items I have been looking for for years. Bonus.

I have almost finished decorating the tree, though there are still a couple of boxes to go through before I declare it finished. I have a large collection of real birds' nests which I had just about decided not to use, this year, but when I unwrapped them, they are so amazing that I put them on. I was a bit ruthless in throwing away some of the messier nests which have a tendency to deconstruct themselves onto the living room rug. they really are marvels of workmanship and the materials used include horsehair, long pine needles, bits of ribbon and string and dried flower petals. I even have two hummingbird nests with cavities the size of a thimble.

It has now started raining again. A moderate, level 2 atmospsheric river is predicted, whatever that means. To me, it just feels like winters used to feel, and is most welcome.