It's the First Day of Spring!

It’s the first day of spring. For me, I woke up to heavy fog. But fog or not, spring was here. To tell the truth, it had been here for a couple of weeks as flowers bloomed and plants popped out of the ground. The temperature been warm too.

While most of us think of it in terms of flowers, grass needing mowing, birds chirping in the early morning, and warmer temperature, there’s more to it than that. It’s also about the equinox.

The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” There are two equinoxes every year – in March and September – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator, so the equinox in March is also known as the "spring equinox" in the northern hemisphere. However, in the southern hemisphere, it's known as the "autumnal (fall) equinox". The Southern Hemisphere: (Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southern Africa). The Northern Hemisphere: (USA, Central America, Canada, Europe, Asia, northern Africa).

The spring and fall equinoxes are the only dates with equal daylight and dark as the Sun crosses the celestial equator—12 hours – all over the world. At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun.

But, though accepted, it isn't entirely true. In reality equinoxes don't have exactly 12 hours of daylight. On these two days, the geometric center of the sun is above the horizon for 12 hours, and one might think this would indicate that the length of the daylight would be the same. Sunrise is defined as the instant when the upper edge of the sun's disk becomes visible above the horizon – not when the center of the sun is visible. In the same sense, sunset refers to the moment the upper edge disappears below the horizon. At both instances, the center of the sun is below the horizon, and therefore the equinox day lasts a little longer than 12 hours. The Sun is visible longer than 12 hours on an equinox because the Earth's atmosphere refracts sunlight. Refraction causes the Sun’s upper edge to be visible from Earth several minutes before the edge actually reaches the horizon. In the evening, we can see the sun for several minutes after it has actually dipped under the horizon. This causes every day on Earth, and not just the equinoxes, to appear at least 6 minutes longer than it actually is.

The March equinox occurs the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator. It’s an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north. This happens either on March 19, 20, or 21 every year. On any other day of the year, the Earth's axis tilts a little away from or towards the sun. But on the two equinoxes, the Earth's axis neither tilts away from nor towards the sun.

Equinoxes – along with solstices – have been celebrated in cultures all over the world for as long as we have written history. One of the most famous ancient Spring equinox celebrations was the Mayan sacrificial ritual by the main pyramid in Chichen Itza, Mexico.

In the northern hemisphere, the March equinox marks the start of spring and has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth. Many cultures and religions celebrate or observe holidays and festivals around the March equinox, like the Easter and Passover.

What does spring mean to you. And how do you celebrate it?

HAPPY SPRING!

Ravecon Having a Book Drive and a Children's Writing Workshop This Year

Ravencon is a science fiction, fantasy and horror convention in Richmond, Virginia,  in addition to their Charity Auction this year Saturday, April 14th of their convention, is also going to be hosting a book drive. If you have any gently used books that you would like to donate, you can send them to me. Just email me for my address. And if any author who has a children's book or YA, you can donate that too. After all, it will reach your readers. If you are attending the convention, you can bring the books there to give.

All books that collected will be passed along to BOOKS ON WHEELS, a local charitable organization in Richmond. In concentrating in working with youth, Books on Wheels strives to encourage young people to read and to learn skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.

RavenCon hopes to use this book drive as a means to continue encouraging young people to develop a love for the written word. They are also planning a special Children's Writing Workshop this year.

Review of Mistress of the Topaz, a Fantasy by Betty Cross

Mistress of the Topaz is a fantasy novel by Betty Cross. At the beginning of the novel, Promono-Dei is crowned World-Queen.  She decides she wants to avenge her father by going to war and defeat Nobalos’ allies, one by one. But she confronts a more dangerous coalition that includes Nobalos’ powerful but wavering ally, Âryoso-Rûn, King of Roude-Kî. But even before Âryoso-Rûn’s army can arrive, her soldiers have already been back by Nobalos’ other forces. While  Kordo-Strî’, a council member of Nobalos works to get others with the power of her mind to do what she feels is good for her in the long run, her husband has invented Malga’s first steam-powered warship for the Nobalon Navy. Will Promono-Dei and her forces (that includes her lover) be able to topple Nobalos before the first steam-powered ship sails, or will she have trouble of betrayal from one of her allies?

Amidst medieval warring, religions and myths, Ms. Cross brings to life a high fantasy novel. Though fairies and dwarves don’t inhabit this like a Tolkien work, it is closer to something that George RR Martin mixed with Dune might end up when a dash of the Arabian Nights are thrown in.

Not too bad, I didn’t rate it five dragons, but four, due a few details. I do look forward to the sequel by Ms. Cross.

You can get Mistress of the Topaz on KINDLE , NOOKBOOK, and at her publisher, Double-Dragon.

Supernatural Friday: Legends and Myths of St Patrick's Day

Once upon a time, blue was the color to wear. That's right, not green, but blue! Because blue was the color of Ireland's flag. It was changed to green most likely due to the shamrock.

St. Patrick chased the snakes out of Ireland. Except that would be hard, as there never been snakes in Ireland. Separated from England and the Continent thousands of years ago, Ireland emerged from the Ice Age snake-free.

And forget that cute little guy on the Lucky Charms cereal box. Leprechauns are not cute or nice. Like many fairies, they were brutish and nasty, besides being short too. They were the grumpy, insufferable, alcoholic elves in employ of other fairies. They made shows for the fairies (why they're called cobblers) and guarded their treasure vigorously. Unfortunately to their eternal frustration, their treasure was revealed by rainbows. Next time you watch that horror film, Leprechaun, the actor plays the true fey being.

But no matter if myth or truth, enjoy the day and dance a little jig. Just don't overdo the green beer and Irish food.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY.
ERIN Go BRAGH!

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Take a look at this building. Like a bowling ball had slammed into it. 

Supernatural Friday: Gracie, The Ghost Dog—Guest Blogger Sofie Couch

Welcome my guest blogger for today’s Supernatural Friday as she blogs about “Gracie the Ghost Dog.”

True story. When one of my kids asked for a dog, I naively made the bargain whereby if she saved enough money to fence in our entire one acre yard, I would buy the dog. A year later, the eleven year old came back to cash in on the bargain. Of course, I thought the dog-shopping process would be protracted. (I hoped it would be.) Her list of dog qualities were pretty steep. She wanted a large breed, a female, but the runt of the litter. It was a karmic joke when the first Great Pyrenees breeder I called had only one puppy left – a female, but the runt of the litter.

I had my own list of demands too. Puppy training was a must! So with our new puppy, we headed off to the local PetSmart puppy bootcamp. Gracie, as the wee-one had been dubbed, was miss mellow from the get-go. Truly, we could not have found a better dog for our family. She was easy to train, quiet, rode well in the car – everything you could ask for in a dog. On the way to puppy training every week, she was content to ride in the back of the car, only standing to look about when we stopped at intersections… with the exception of one intersection. The first time I stopped at the light at PetSmart, she stood, looked to the left, her little question-mark tail at attention, and barked her little head off. (Not literally. That would be a whole different sort of “ghost dog” story.) How odd?

The light changed to a green arrow, we moved off, and she stopped barking. The next week on our trek to puppy bootcamp, Gracie rode in the back of the car, standing to look around at all of the intersections, and at the one light next to PetSmart, she focused on the left side of the road and started barking her head off again. I’m a slow study. It took the full six-weeks of puppy boot camp for me to finally try to figure out what she might be barking at. On the left side of the highway at that particular intersection is Holly Memorial cemetery. Still a slow study, I looked for the fluttery flag, or family of squirrels that could be drawing her attention. We drew-up alongside family cars with squealing children. We pulled up beside other pets in cars. We tried to draw her out with pedestrians and bicyclists – nothing. Only the Holly Memorial Cemetery, and only when we were stopped long enough for her to glance to the left.

So we decided to put the fun theory to the test. (I was still resistant to the notion that the dog could be barking at anything other than a wreathe or a tombstone shadow, despite the fact that Holly Memorial has no tombstones and flowers are all mounted in small, matching bronze vases on each grave.) It was on a lark that I indulged the kids and pulled into the local churchyard. We sat in the car, motor running, with the graveyard off to the side. The puppy stood up in the back when we stopped, casually looked around, focused on something in the church cemetery, and started barking her head off!

Nope. Can’t be. We drove a few miles further, (the dog settled down as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot,) and we headed for the next church, and I instructed the kids, no one was to look around in any direction. Everyone eyes forward. Don’t speak, don’t react. At the next church, we had to pull onto the gravel drive that circled the graveyard. Sure enough, the dog stood, focused on the graveyard and started barking her head off.

Since that time, we entice the dog to perform her “parlor trick” for anyone in the car with us when we have to stop near a graveyard. We draw the dog into her routine on purpose with an accuracy rating of about 8 out of 10 times. The wee puppy is now nearly a hundred pounds. She is still considered small for her breed. And sure, we might be, unconsciously, giving her some sort of cue to “perform”, but maybe, just maybe, she’s trying to teach us a thing or two about what she sees that we don’t.

Book Blurbs:

MOONSHINE: The Prequel

Rivanna Rivers wants to find the father who left her saddled with the same name as a local tributary.

Matt Maddox wants to avoid going to jail, but that's hard to do when your family invites scandal, your brother drops dead in the arms of a minor, and you produce moonshine to support your family.

Annabelle Freeman just wants to get through "back-to-school" night without anyone discovering that she buried her grandfather in the garden.

With a little help from those in the next realm, they learn they all have three things in common: family, moonshine, and murder.

Excerpt from MOONSHINE:

A voice pounded in my head, wanting to have his story revealed… through me!

And then I felt it again.
The man’s spirit drifted up from his body and hovered from some spot overhead. He came down, brushed past Mama, then settled inside my body. I could sense him stretching his fingers, like he was trying to fit himself into a tight glove, his chest pressing behind my chest, his neck stretching inside of mine before moving out again.
And he whispered.
“Tell him. Theresa is alive. Acknowledge the child.”
Then repeated the words, then repeated them again, then again, and again…

Find Moonshine on KINDLE

ANGELS UNAWARES: Fall for Grace

Grace Breeden sees dead people. But why then can't she see her late mother? "Blue guys" as Grace refers to them, roam the earth searching for their opportunity to transcend, but one particularly persistent blue guy is shadowing Grace, involving her in near misses that lead her to surmise that there's something a bit "grim" about this specter. Keeping her friends close and the angel of death closer, she tries to save her living family from the reaper, but someone, or something is threatened by her gifts... and wants her dead, because she knows, sometimes, “dead men do tell tales.”

Find Angels Unawares on Kindle and in paperback at AMAZON


About Sofie Couch:

Sofie Couch is raising a “para normal” young adults… and writes in the same genre. Her latest release, MOONSHINE: The Prequel, is part of a three book series, preceded by ANGELS UNAWARES: Fall for Grace. She is also published in sweet, contemporary romance as Annette Couch-Jareb. When not following the mystic muse, she can most often be found at www.sofiecouch.blogspot.com, being distracted by little sparkly things.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Check out this chicken. I could say photo shopped, except I have seen a snake with two heads years ago in a zoo and seen other animals born with extra somethings.  At least the bird can run away faster from the fox!