“Don’t be afraid of the shadows that hide the light. They can only eclipse it for a short time.” ~Roxana Jones
If you have read this blog long enough, or read my co-authored book, A Journey of Seasonal Wisdom, (thanks to my co-author Beth Stetenfeld), you know nature is my vibe. It is where I find my inspiration and peace. I find my bliss being out in nature communing with the plants and animals. Or following the path of the sun and moon.
So it would not be a surprise that any natural occurrence would draw me in. When I heard we were in the path of a partial solar eclipse, I knew I would be in attendance. It was a perfect day; a warm 80 degrees, sunny, slight breeze. With my eclipse glasses and cameras, I was ready. Now don’t get too excited as the peak eclipse for my area was only 20%. Like a tiny bite out of a wheel of cheese. So the pictures with my camera were a bust.
But oh the experience was still amazing. So quiet. Birds were silent, the cicadas merrily buzzing. And such peace. Of course I had to make a vase in its honor.
There were a few miniature sunflowers left which were perfect for a solar event.
Then I found a few lavender sprigs, a lone sweet pea, some nigella seed pods and a few cosmos.
I wasn’t too excited about the effect. It was ok, but it felt like it wasn’t quite finished. So the next day, I found a couple of very small mini sunflowers hiding to fill it out.
Now that looks perfect. Next up is a deep partial lunar eclipse (roughly 96% of the moon enters Earth’s dark shadow) late on August 27 through to early August 28. I am hopeful we will have a clear night. It is quite an experience. If you ever get a chance to see a solar or lunar eclipse don’t pass it by.
With this vase, I am linking in with the wonderful meme, In A Vase On Monday, from Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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A lovely tribute to the phenomenon!
Thanks. Nature is full of incredible phenomena.
I love those cosmos…even the name is redolent of celestial goings-on.
Glad you liked it.
We experienced a total eclipse a couple of years ago. They are amazing. Lovely arrangement. Yellow always adds a lift.
Yes we did too. It was spiritual!
Having just a few things in your vase means we get to see the individual elements more clearly, like the crinkly cosmos and the hairy nigella seed pods – so sweet. The solar eclipse in the UK was a bit of a let-down for many as, despite the clear skies for weeks on end, there were oddments of cloud cover on the day which partially obscured the sun anyway!
That was our solar eclipse 2 years ago. Sunny day until the eclipse started. Then clouds kept rolling through.
I guess SoCal must have been outside the scope of that eclipse as I usually track them and I saw no sign of this one, nor heard any local chatter about it. In any case, your sweet posy was a fitting tribute.
Glad you liked it. Yes the track of this eclipse was tight and just in NE, Great Lakes and part of northern US.
Your vase is full of beauty. I love the cosmos and need to remember to plant some next year.
And if you leave up the seed heads they will come back. Fingers crossed!
Your sunflowers and cosmos are very pretty Donna, and so appropriate for a week of looking at the skies.
Thanks so much Cathy!