Izzy was the first to notice the growing darkness. She came out from under the bushes where she had been investigating some shenanigans. She looked up and asked to be held.
The Wrens started singing their evening song.
And then with only moments to go, the clouds grew thick, and we could no longer see the eclipsed sun. The glimmering light turned dark. The Wrens stopped singing. KUTX streamed, of course, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon/Eclipse with the lyrics perfectly timed for Austin.
everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon
Trudy was on her back in the grass, wearing eclipse glasses, hoping for the clouds to thin. I was sitting in a bouncy chair with my head back, balancing welding glass on my glasses, holding Izzy in my lap, with tears running down my face. We didn’t get to see totality, but the music that filled the backyard and the day turning to night was enough. Daylight began to return. KUTX played Deodato’s Also Spruce Zarathustra. And then, of course, Here Comes the Sun.
The Wrens started singing their morning song.
Trudy and I danced in the growing light as Izzy sniffed at the breeze. Then Trudy turned to go back to work. Izzy followed her inside. And I added a couple more bags of oak leaves to the compost pile.