Thursday, July 14, 2011

THUNDER MOON AND OTHER NAMES...

Shortly after 2 a.m. tomorrow morning, the "Thunder Moon" of July will wax into completion of its fullness.

I like the thunder name, given to the full moon of July milleniums ago, by Native Americans. Thunder, after all, is common in this month of storms.

The full moon of July had other names among the American Indians, depending on the tribe. The Heat Moon... The Buck Moon... The Moon of Red Lilies... The Moon When Birds Cast Their Feathers... The Moon When Cherries Turn Ripe... The Blueberry Moon...

The Native Americans bequeathed these names in direct tribute to something in nature that was important to their existence. The life they lived, after all, was natural.

In this complex world of today, what would we "civilized people" name the full moon of July?

Would we call it The Water-The-Garden Moon?... The Complain-About-The-Heat-and-Humidity Moon?... The Hot Nights Moon?... The Lazy Days Moon?... The Expensive Light and Water Bill Moon?... The Go-To-The-Beach Moon?... The Sweat-and Steam Moon?...

Rose About Town will think about this if, by some miracle, she is able to stay awake til 2 a.m. to contemplate the fullness of the moon.

But there's been a sleepy, sultry feeling in this day, and chances are your blogger Rose will fall asleep before the moon appears. And so my nomination for its name might be: The Sleepy Rose Moon.

Send to me your own choice of a name for the full moon of July. Anything received at randrmoore@gmail.com will be shared with readers of this blog.