Once In A Blue Moon–Beth Trissel

 

From Blue Moons: myths, facts, history, and dates at Info Please:

“What is a Blue Moon?

There are in fact two definitions for a blue moon. According to the more recent definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. For a blue moon to occur, the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month (the average span between two moons is 29.5 days). The full Moon on Aug. 31, 2012, will be this type of blue moon; it will be the second full moon in one month.

The Other Kind of Blue Moon

The older definition, which is recorded in early issues of the Maine Farmer’s Almanac, states that the blue moon is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Why would one want to identify the third full moon in a season of four full moons? The answer is complex, and has to do with the Christian ecclesiastical calendar.

Some years have an extra full moon—13 instead of 12. Since the identity of the moons was important in the ecclesiastical calendar (the Paschal Moon, for example, used to be crucial for determining the date of Easter), a year with a 13th moon skewed the calendar, since there were names for only 12 moons. By identifying the extra, 13th moon as a blue moon, the ecclesiastical calendar was able to stay on track.”

For more on this intriguing subject visit the above link~

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”
Les Brown

If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they’d immediately go out..~William Blake

“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”~ George Carlin

 If you strive for the moon, maybe you’ll get over the fence. ~James Wood

 The moon looks upon many night flowers; the night flowers see but one moon. ~Jean Ingelow

 The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.~Carl Sandburg

 Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. ~Mark Twain

Oh, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We’ve already got the stars. ~Bette Davis