SUPER (DELICIOUS) STRAWBERRY MOON, JUNE 2021

The full June supermoon arrived as scheduled on the evening of Thursday, June 24, 2021.

 

I sighted it around 11:45 p.m. and then waited a full hour for the moon to rise above our neighbor’s trees before I got the right photograph.

 

It was a pleasant summer evening with temperature around 75 deg. F.

 

While it was partly cloudy -- fortunately, there were very not too many clouds to hide the full moon.

 

The June moon is commonly known as the strawberry moon – because this was the time the Native Americans gathered the ripe strawberries.

 

While I did not sight any strawberries in the Jefferson Park neighborhood – the thought of ripe strawberries being gathered in the region – did evoke feelings in me as enjoying their delicious taste.

 

According to the Internet: “June's full moon has also been called the Rose Moon because it occurs around the time roses bloom. However, this month's full moon has also gone by several other names, including Mead Moon, Honey Moon, Flower Moon, and Hot Moon. The nicknames Mead Moon or Honey Moon represent the time in June when honey is ready for harvesting. Mead, or honey wine, is a drink created by fermenting honey mixed with water and sometimes with fruits, spices, grains or hops. Rising around the time honey is harvested, the June full moon is often considered the "sweetest" moon of the year. Subsequently, the term "honeymoon" can be traced back to the tradition of marrying in June and the joyfulness of the first month of marriage.” (My late wife and I were married in New York City on June 15.)

 

(Also, according to the Internet: “To celebrate tonight's full moon, Krispy Kreme released a new strawberry themed doughnut on June 24. The doughnut is filled with strawberry Kreme, dipped in strawberries and Kreme icing, and topped with graham crackers representing “moon dust.")

 

The first photograph shows the supermoon as seen from the south side of Jefferson Park, as a burst of light between our neighbor’s trees in the back around 12:45 a.m. on June 25. Our miniature maples (growing in pots) are in the front.

 

Supermoons are closer to earth than the average full moon and thus appear about 14% bigger and about 30% brighter. Even though a supermoon is 30% brighter than a regular moon – it is really very close in brightness to a 25 watt bulb which is really not all that much – but more than enough to get us all moon-struck.

 

The second photograph shows Smokey (right) and Gingy (left) -- mother and son – our two outdoor cats and my constant companions – in our driveway – keeping me company while I was busy photographing the super strawberry moon. They followed me as I was moving around. They were very excited. And, you can bet, their dear friend Galena, our golden retriever with a curly tail, now at the Rainbow Bridge, was also up and about in her heavenly setting. (June 24th was Galena’s seventh anniversary with us – she was rescued from the City kennel – on this date in 2014.)

 (Here is a link to the story of our Galena:

“THE PEACABLE KINGDOM ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF JEFFERSON PARK WITH GALENA -- A BIG BUNDLE OF IRISH LOVE"

http://realneo.us/content/peaceable-kingdom-south-side-jefferson-park-galena-bundle-irish-love [1] )

 

 

The moons for April, May, and June were all supermoons. However, the next full moon – a regular moon is scheduled for July 23 and all the remaining moons in 2021 will be regular moons.

 

Enjoy the lunar month!