Snow Moon - February

photo credit

My calendar says this is the Full Bear Moon.

I admit to never hearing the February moon called by that name.   Farmers Almanac says, "Full Snow Moon".   There's also:  Trappers, Budding, Bony, and Little Famine.  This one is descriptive:  "Moon when the trees pop" (Dakotah Sioux).

Speaking of descriptive... this week, on Valentine's Day, I pulled out Leonard Cohen's "Book of Longing".  I was so excited when it was first being released, I pre-ordered a signed copy.  And when the book arrived in the mail, his signature was the first thing I looked for inside its pages.  This was 2006, so not so long ago.  I read it, but I didn't really 'get' it, and I stuck it back on the shelf.

It's been awhile since I re-opened the covers, and it wasn't quite what I remembered or expected.  Much of it chronicles his spiritual quest into Buddhism and time spent with Roshi on Mt. Baldi.  There is some really funny stuff in there, and great sketches done by LC (lots of naked women appear in this particular quest).  Irreverent to say the least.

here is one:

The Moon
The moon is outside.
I saw the great uncomplicated thing
when I went to take a leak just now.
I should have looked at it longer.
I am a poor lover of the moon.
I see it all at once and that's it
for me and the moon.

and another....

Early Morning at Mt. Baldy
Alarm awakened me at 2:30 a.m.
got into my robes
kimono and hakama
modelled after the 12th-century
acher's costume:
on top of this the koroma
a heavy outer garment
with impossibly large sleeves:
on top of this the ruksu
a kind of patchwork bib
which incorporates an ivory disc:
and finally the four-foot
serpentine belt
that twists into a huge handsome knot
resembling a braided challah
and covers the bottom of the ruksu:
all in all
about 20 pounds of clothing
which I put on quickly
at 2:30 a.m.
over my enormous hard-on


Now..... for your musical entertainment on the eve of this lovely full moon (which officially starts February 18th at 9:35:45 a.m.)..... a little CCR... "Bad Moon Rising".

Great song, but really bad presentation.  The lips are out of sync and the band members look terribly, terribly uptight. I wonder if I am even being musically responsible sharing it here?

... on the Johnny Cash Show, playing Bad Moon Rising...

enjoy :-)