When I first heard the term "Blue Moon" I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant.  I looked it up somewhere and found out it was when there was a 2nd full moon in the same calendar month.  Now I hear there is a different definition of a Blue Moon.

"Once upon two blue moons" before 2009 ends

2009-12-30 13:20:00 From SyFi News website

Before the year ends, sky gazers would have already witnessed the rare phenomenon of two full moons in just one month, which is also termed as "blue moon".

After watching the full moon on December 2nd this year, avid sky watchers would witness the celestial phenomenon, also referred as "blue moon", for the second time on December 31, that is, on New Year’s Eve.

Many people use the expression "once in a blue Moon" to mean something that occurs rarely and many people might be tempted to call December 31st’s full Moon a "Blue Moon" too.

"In modern usage, the second full Moon in a month has come to be called a ‘Blue Moon’, but it’s not!" said Kelly Beatty, Senior Contributing Editor for SKY and TELESCOPE magazine.

"This colorful term is actually a calendrical goof that worked its way into the pages of SKY and TELESCOPE back in March 1946, and it spread to the world from there," she added.

Canadian folklorist Philip Hiscock and Texas astronomer Donald W. Olson had helped the magazine’s editors figure out how the mistake was made, and how the two-full-Moons-in-a-month meaning spread into the English language.

In 1946, writer, amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett made an incorrect assumption about how the term had been used in the Maine Farmers’ Almanac - which consistently used "Blue Moon" to mean to the third full Moon in a season that contained four of them, rather than the usual three.

By this definition, there is no Blue Moon in December 2009; instead, the last one was in May 2008, and the next happens in November 2010.

But now, the concept of a Blue Moon as the second full Moon in a month, as well as it being the third full Moon in a season with four, are both listed now as definitions in the American Heritage Dictionary

By either definition, Blue Moons happen about once every 2.7 years on average.

The last occurrence of two full Moons in one month was in May 2007 and the next one will be in August 2012.

Due to the wrong definition, people would believe that they have seen the "blue moon" on December 31.

The newer, "wrong" definition is simpler and handier for most people to grasp and use.

"That’s how the English language shifts. You can’t beat back the tide," said SKY and TELESCOPE Senior Editor Alan MacRobert. "Not when the Moon is pulling the tide," he added. (ANI)

     There’s a full moon this Thursday but last night the sky was clear and the moon was bright.  I had forgotten just how bright a winter night sky can be with a full moon reflecting it’s light off of the white snowy landscape.  A person can ski the trails, snowshoe across lakes and even drive a vehicle down the Gunflint Trail without lights on and still be able to see where they are going.  What I find difficult to do when there is a bright moon shining in my window is to sleep.

     Maybe I shouldn’t blame the moon for last night’s wakefulness.  Maybe I should look at the fact my body is still in the Pacific Time Zone and I’m living in the Central Time Zone.  You wouldn’t think 2 hours would make that big of a difference but I find myself wide awake at midnight and unable to get out of bed before 8AM.  Lucky the kids are still on Christmas Vacation or I would have a rude awakening with my alarm sounding at 5:30AM. 

     I could blame the cat for my sleeplessness.  Since we’ve been home she has barely left my side.  Lanie the cat has never particularly liked me and has never been affectionate but now I find myself tripping over her more than I do Rugby.  While Rugby doesn’t come up the spiral stairs into our bedroom Lanie does.  If you close the door to keep her out then she scratches and meows to get in so we leave the door open.  The past few nights she’s been sleeping on my pillow right next to my head and sometimes on top of my arm.  She purrs constantly, so much so that I think her purr box is stuck in the "On" position.  It wouldn’t be too bad if she just laid there but she also likes to knead my head with her claws and drool on me every once in awhile.  If I put my head under the covers then she pokes her paws at me underneath the blankets until I give up and come out so she can rub against my head some more.

     When I finally fell into a sound sleep around 3AM I was startled awake by Mike.  I must have been in a deep sleep because I practically jumped out of my skin and my heart was racing.  He woke me to ask if the dog was inside because he thought he heard the fox outside.  We always keep the dog inside except when he goes out to the bathroom and I couldn’t imagine why he would be outside.  I should have just gotten up and made sure immediately but I laid there trying to hear the fox and wondering where Rugby was when finally I heard a strange squeaking noise.  

     I jumped out of bed and made my way down the stairs and quickly discovered the critter making the noise.  It was my son Josh sleeping on the couch trying to snore with a stuffed up nose.  Rugby was laying right on top of him so no need to worry any further.  By the time I made it back upstairs to bed it was close to 4AM.   

     With the shot of adrenaline in my body I laid in bed while the cat purred and Mike slept soundly. I could hear the critter downstairs every once in awhile and I couldn’t stop thinking about the work I needed to get done.  About 4:30 AM I decided I had enough and got up out of bed.  The house was lit up by the moon so I made my way down to the office by the light of the moon.    

     Whether or not I blame the cat, Mike or Josh the full moon always seems to disrupt my sleep.  I know when I took the kids to Early Childhood Classes we parents would discover all of our children acting a little squirrely when there was a full moon.  Bummer for parents and for me since this full moon is the second full moon of the month but luckily it’s the last full moon of the year.

     We were talking about wolves with Mike’s family the other day.  While I look forward to my encounters with wolves there are others who are not so comfortable with theirs.  I know there are times when wolves chase dogs and corner them into the front porch of their own house but those instances are the exception rather than the rule.  For the most part wolves are content to keep to themselves.

     Wolves are often misunderstood animals and I blame that on Little Red Riding Hood.  What child can’t tell the difference between a wolf and their grandmother?  While curiosity killed the cat I think it also has alot to do with a wolf’s behavior.  That and the fact wolves are constantly in search of their next meal.  Many animals fall victim to the mighty wolf predator and sometimes this may include a farmer’s livestock or popular game such as deer.  People are not prey to a wolf and human attacks are for the most part unheard of. 

     So who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?  That’s a question authorities in Minnesota are offering a $1000 reward to find out.  If you have any information regarding the killing of two wolves then please help out.  A T.I.P. phone number is 1-800-652-9093.   Besides, who can blame a wolf for blowing down the only thing between it and a meal of ham or bacon?

Reward Offered For Information On Wolf Killings

DULUTH, Minn. (WCCO) ―

     I woke up to a beautiful sight this morning.  My very own bedroom at the end of the Gunflint Trail.  It’s been a little over a month since I’ve slept in my own bed and in spite of the cat drooling on my head it was terrific.  Better than the sleep was the sight outside of the bedroom window. 

     Puffy white clouds dotted the vibrant blue sky and the pine trees are covered with a thick coating of snow.  There’s plenty of snow on the ground and it looks like a winter wonderland.  I would love to play in the snow today but there are some other things that may take priority.

      After being away for so long there are a few things that need attention.  One is the stacks of unopened mail including Christmas Cards, bills and my favorite catalogs.  Mike has plenty of plowing and snow removal to take care of and there’s enough unpacking to do to keep me busy for a long time. 

     Then there are the new games to play with the kids while they are on break..  Wii Sport, Wii Resort, Wii Fishing, Checkers, Legos and many more.  Even with the endless lists of things to be done I’m very happy to be back home in my very own winter postcard.

     It’s like the last portage on a long wilderness canoe trip when you’re mind has decided it’s time to be done.  Game over, end of journey, put the vehicle in park and breathe a sigh of relief.  That’s what I hope to do sometime later today when we make it home to the end of the Gunflint Trail.

     Yesterday’s forecast combined with existing road conditions convinced us to stay in St. Cloud one more night.  We were hoping the extra night would provide better road conditions for the RV but an additional 2-3 inches of snow fell in the St. Cloud area and Highway 23 is a slushy mess.  We’ll see what the rest of the roads look like and hope they are in good condition to allow us a safe passage home.

     The extra day in St. Cloud was not lost.  We were able to use some of our Christmas Gift Cards at the busy shopping mall.  I purchased an additional piece of clothing that will most likely hang in my closet while I wear the same sweatshirt and sweatpants for five days in a row in the privacy of my Northwood’s retreat.  The kids had to buy the latest Harry Potter movie on DVD and Mike needed yet another cookbook. 

     The highlight of the day was to spend some family time with Mike’s extended family.  We had pizza at Sheri’s parent’s house (Mike’s Aunt and Uncle’s) and were joined by another Aunt and Mike’s first cousin who is just 2 years older than Abby.  It was nice to have some quality family time not to mention some delicious homemade Christmas treats.  A major bonus of visiting Mark and Elaine’s house was what I left their house with.  Not only did I receive a beautiful photo of a whale Sheri had taken and framed for me but also a jar of pickled beets from her parents.  Sorry everyone who gave me gifts this year but the beets probably win for best present of this Christmas Season.

     We’ve had a wonderful journey this past month and we’ve created some incredible memories.  But now we’re ready to be home.  I can hear the wind rustling in the leaves which tells me the lake must be close.  At the crest of the portage I catch a glimpse of the water through the trees.  As I make my way down the hill and around the rocks I see the final lake I must paddle across.  Just a few more strokes of my paddle and I’ll unload the canoe for the last time on this journey.  I can almost feel the warm shower, smell the campfire in my hair and taste a TrailCenter malt, a highlight to the end of any canoe trip on the Gunflint Trail.  I won’t smell like a campfire and I can’t have a malt at TrailCenter but ready or not, home I come.

New winter lake trout season dates for 2010

(Released December 21, 2009)