A (near) total eclipse of the heart
This was my second eclipse, and though I got to see 91% versus the 81% in DC Aug. 21, 2017, it was not quite as thrilling as before. Perhaps there is nothing like the first time when it comes to love and eclipses, or maybe I bemoaned my laziness for not getting up to Buffalo or Niagara Falls for totality. Or perhaps I just missed my mom, who died suddenly in 2018 and had been a part of my first eclipse experience, if only from a distance ("thank you for sending the eclipse glasses," she had said; "you are a terrific person and I admire you.") What I did see was a shrinking sun behind the moon, not obscured by clouds, and quite lovely. A quick, dramatic cool-down accompanied by wind gusts was thrilling , though. I was grateful that the kind folks at Blackstone library in Branford had distributed one pair of ISO-certified eclipse glasses "per family", which meant 100% of my "family" getting one since I was flying solo. Five year-old Ramona lov...