Autumn Moon, Saluda, NC
I have always loved full moons. Much lore, legend and speculation has been circulated about them since probably the dawn of time. In days of yore, people believed a full moon could turn a normal man into a savage, bloodthirsty werewolf. The full moon has made thousands of guest appearances in books, poetry, art and movies. I’ve heard that emergency rooms are busier when the moon is full, because it makes people “crazy”.
Whatever the attraction, the full moon tends to command our full attention. The American Indians used to name the moons according to the seasons, with cool names like “Wolf Moon”, “Snow Moon”, and “Strawberry Moon”.
In 2009, we will have a couple of rare moon occurrences. The “Harvest Moon” will appear in the month of October. This will not happen again until the year 2017. Then in December, we will get a “Blue Moon”. Generally, only one moon appears during each month. When a month has a second full moon, that moon is referred to as “Blue”. Hence the term “once in a blue moon”, regarding something that happens only occasionally, or rarely. A “Blue Moon” appears every two years and eight or nine months.
