The “worm moon”...almost...this image of our neighbor in the cosmos was captured Friday night, shining brightly in a clear sky over Union County. That would have been a couple of days before the “worm moon” reached “peak illumination.”Yes. This is a photograph of a frog. Not the 2021 Cadbury frog. A cousin of that celebrity amphibian, perhaps.

'Worm moon' in night sky...and the Easter frog...

Please read this...

Happy April Fool’s Day.

April’s Fool’s Day was yesterday. Or, maybe it’s tomorrow. Just foolin’. It’s today. Saw it online, so it has to be true.

As you may have noticed (well, I hope you noticed), page one of this week’s paper looked a little bit different. Just having a little bit of fun. Hope you enjoy it. No foolin’...

Meanwhile...

Up until a few years ago, I didn’t know there were super moons...and I also did not know there are so many names for the full moons which we see in the night sky over  the course of a year...the wolf moon...the snow moon...the strawberry moon...the sturgeon moon...the hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon moon...and so on.

The end of March brought the Full Worm Moon. Really. The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s website explained that March’s full Worm Moon reached its peak illumination at 1:50 p.m. our time on Sunday, March 28. “Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon that evening!” the website advised.

(I did. And it was.)

 The website shared all kinds of fascinating information about the Worm Moon: 

“March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon, which was originally thought to refer to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed – a true sign of spring!

“An alternative explanation for this name comes from Captain Jonathan Carver, an 18th-century explorer, who wrote that this Moon name refers to a different sort of ‘worm’ – beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.

“Alternative March Moon Names

“There are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), while others refer to signs of the season:

“The Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.

“The Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) refers to the strong windy days that come at this time of year. 

“The Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine) highlights the blinding rays of sunlight that reflect off the melting snow of late winter. 

“March’s full Moon often plays a role in religion, too. Specifically, in Christianity, this Moon is known as the Lenten Moon if it is the last full Moon of the winter season (i.e., if it occurs before the spring equinox) or as the Paschal Full Moon if it is the first full Moon of spring (i.e., if it occurs after the spring equinox).

“In 2021, March’s full Moon occurs after the date of the spring equinox (March 20), so it is also the Paschal Full Moon.”

Just in case you are wondering, or still care, here’s a list of the names for the rest of the full moons for 2021, and the dates for their apperance, from the space.com website:

Full Wolf Moon, January 28. Full Snow Moon, February 27. Full Pink Moon, April 26. Full Flower Moon, May 26. Full Strawberry Moon, June 24. Full Buck Moon, July 23. Full Sturgeon Moon, August 22. Full Harvest Moon, September 20. Full Hunter’s Moon, Oct. 20. Full Beaver Moon, November 19. Full Cold Moon, December 18. Now, you know...

One more thing for this week: Happy Easter...enjoy those Peeps, chocolate bunnies and Cadbury eggs...

...speaking of Cadbury eggs...

...an “official” news release from The Hershey Company, which “sells Cadbury products under license from Cadbury UK Ltd.,” reported that the “2021 Cadbury Bunny is Betty the Australian White’s Treefrog from Stuart, FL. Betty is the winner of the much-loved Easter brand’s third-annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts and will be the new star of the iconic Cadbury Clucking Bunny Commercial, set to air on TV nationwide this spring.”

The news release noted that “this is Betty’s first Easter, and she’s very excited to represent her amphibian friends. Betty sleeps during the day, but when the lights go out, the real fun begins. She enjoys snacking, bathing in her favorite bowl, jumping around and hanging out with her fellow frog friends. Aside from being the contest’s smallest winner to-date and a natural at the bunny hop, Betty is also making history as the first amphibian and first female winner.”

After reading that Betty sleeps during the day, that when the lights go out, “the real fun begins”... and that “she enjoys snacking,” I figured she and our cat Bob have a lot of common. Maybe next year, Bob can  be the Cadbury cat...

That’s all folks... 

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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