Parlez-vous français?

Ma petite-fille voyage en France cette semaine. Elle a vingt-quatre ans et voyage avec une amie d'école. Je ne sais pas si l'aime parle français mais ma petite-fille ne le fait pas.

How am I doing?

I took one year (two semesters) of French during my second year at university way back in 1959-60 when I was 18 and 19 (in other words, a long time ago).

So it was with a bit of fear and trembling that I took pen in hand put fingers to keyboard and wrote typed the first paragraph above, which says:

My granddaughter is traveling in France this week. She is 24 years old and traveling with a friend (female) from school. I don't know if the friend can speak French but my granddaughter does not.

Thanks to a rich and varied life I can tell my granddaughter how to say "Thank you" in Portuguese (Obrigado) or "Where could I find the men's toilet?" in Swedish (Var finnst der herrtoaletten?), but if she needs much more besides "How far is it to the train station?" in French (à quelle distance se trouve la gare?) I wouldn't be very much help.

The two friends' European trip is a gift to thenselves for having recently obtained their Master's Degrees. It will include side trips to Suisse (Switzerland) and Pays Bas (The Netherlands, literally The Low Country) before it ends in early July. I hope they have a wonderful time. I pray daily for their protection, safe travels, and safe return.

My granddaughter is 24, not 9, and she has a head on her shoulders. She may not be a little girl any more, but she will always be my petite-fille.

I see the moon, the moon sees me

Do you know how many phases of the moon there are?

Before you say "I don't know and I don't care" or embarrass yourself by guessing some wildly inaccurate number, let me tell you the answer.

There are eight.

Some of you may be thinking "No way. Impossible. Cannot be true," to which I respond, "Way. Possible. Can be and is."

I will now tell you the eight phases of the moon while you silently marvel, "Is there no end to his knowledge?":

1. New Moon (Illumination: 0%)
2. Waxing Crescent Moon (Illumination: 0.1% to 49.9%)
3. First Quarter Moon (Illumination: 50%)
4. Waxing Gibbous Moon (Illumination: 50.1 to 99.9%)
5. Full Moon (Illumination: 100%)
6. Waning Gibbous Moon (Illumination: 99.9% to 50.1%)
7. Third Quarter Moon (Illumination: 50%)
8. Waning Crescent Moon (Illumination: 49.9% to 0.1%)

You know, of course, that wherever each human being stands on the surface of Ye Olde Planet Earth, his or her feet are pointing down, perpendicularly as it were, toward the center of our planet. Only gravity keeps us all from flying off into space. Depending on where we happen to be standing causes a curious effect on how the moon looks to us. This phenomenon is known as the moon's orientation. I said all that to say this:

In the Northern Hemisphere, the moon's orientation is from right to left, but in the Southern Hemisphere the moon's orientation is from left to right. Stated another way, in the Northern Hemisphere the First Quarter Moon resembles a capital D. In the Southern Hemisphere it is the Third Quarter Moon that resembles a capital D.

It is absolutely true, though you may find it hard to believe. Coincidentally, I have never seen an illustration of the moon's phases from the Southern Hemisphere's point of view.

In a previous life I think I may have been a middle school science teacher.

Last gasp?

I have the terrible feeling that my blogging career may be about to come to an end. I don't want it to. I hope I am wrong. But I haven't posted anything here since May 30th. After nearly 17 years, perhaps I have run out of things to say. It hasn't been for lack of trying; I started several posts and discarded them all.

In the meantime, the world keeps turning and June keeps busting out all over. Our friend Donna D. came over the other day and planted a blue hydrangea under our dining room window. The gardenia bush next to our patio has outdone itself this year, exploding with dozens and dozens of blooms that flood the patio with their unmistakeable fragrance.

Today is Flag Day in the United States. On June 14, 1777, eleven months after the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men meeting in Philadelphia, upholsterer Betsy Ross of that city presented the first American flag to General George Washington. Because the new nation had been formed by 13 British colonies uniting, the flag had 13 stripes of red and white and 13 white stars arranged in a circle on a field of Navy blue.

Sunday is Father's Day in the United States and it is also our dog Abby's eighth birthday. It is growing late and the arms of Morpheus are calling. I don't have time to tell you more right now, so I'll save it for later.

Perhaps this is not a last gasp after all. Here's hoping it is a second wind.