Well, Mike... if you ever buy a home in the Florida Keys, you can count on me as a frequent visitor! In fact, I may have to rent a room! :-) Xuan, your photos are always so gorgeous... you do live in a little slice of heaven on earth! I suppose it's natural to long for some of the opposite of what we have... I long for continual warm weather and cooling rains, instead of bone chilling winters with ice and snow! I'd so much rather sweat than be forced to layer on clothing to keep warm! And I really want to be able to garden all year 'round, instead of having to be cooped up indoors for so many months. February marks the beginning of noticeable growth within the confines of my indoor jungle... and it occasionally brings blooms from a few of my early Hippeastrum bulbs. My oldest, a "Minerva", is a reliable February bloomer. I do have a few unusual bulbs that rest during summer and put out growth in winter... but the majority of my plants perk up as the days get longer. I'd love to say that this is my favorite time of year... but the Holiday Season is for children... and has become way too commercialized in my eyes. If it weren't for the grandchildren, we wouldn't even celebrate. We don't put up a tree, decorate the house, or exchange gifts... not here. We save all that for one day, Christmas Day, and our greatest enjoyment is watching the grandchildren and their delight! But for those who do celebrate, Happy Holidays to you! May you experience the joy and wonder of the season... with the love of family and friends as the greatest of gifts!

Trudi, I'm so jealous! I set my alarm so I could get up to watch with my 13 year-old daughter. Clouds. We can't even tell what part of the sky the moon might be in. Well, back to bed. Maybe I'll get some wintersowing in later today. My mom is driving over to spend a day or two with my kids while they're on holiday break and I'm still working. I'll plant some stuff for her to take home for her garden. I I love this time of year! And I promised myself I'd set a personal record. I've been doing this for about 7 years and I think I'll need to do 400+. Yeah! Martha

I watched this for the majority of my evening, off and on - kept running to the window to look out! I love eclipses, and I love the moon. One of the few advantages to getting up at 4AM to bring the kids to hockey practice is to be able to admire the moonlight. The last few nights/mornings in particular have been spectacular.

We were so lucky in Orlando! Sky was clear and the cold weather has reduced the humidity so the stars were sharp and bright. We set the alarm for 2:30am and went out on the golf course where it was really dark, with quilts to wrap ourselves in of course. Sarah the 14 year old Sheltie wasn't thrilled to be woken up at that hour but once we got to the golf course she decided it was a party and dashed around like a puppy. We even saw two shooting stars. If I'm still around in 372 years I'll do it again! Kate