The Barley Moon

I have never heard this term before so I listened carefully yesterday evening when our local weather man on TV said that yesterday evening would be a barley moon. Also he added it is sometimes called a corn moon or even a harvest moon and actually if you want to see it at the best time you should look to the western sky at approx 6.30 am Thursday morning.Not my favorite time of day.

I happened to mentioned this fact to Mike in passing.So I really should not have been surprised this morning when I was in a blissful sleep and I felt a nudge and a voice asking me “If I had seen the moon yet.” In a dreamlike trance I muttered something , fell out of bed, open the shutter on the window and there it was shining brightly in the sky framed by the branches of the dark trees.

Pretty yes! Bright yes!

Made me want to sleep some more so I crawled back to bed and went straight off back to dreamland.

When Mike brought me a cup of coffee he asked “Did you see the moon?”

“Yes” I said,” it was just like any other bright moon, big round and yellow”

I thought it was him that had nudged me up out of a dream to see it but then maybe not.

I did look up today to find out why it is called a barley moon and it seems it was so called because it comes in September and is the time when the barley is being harvested. A corn moon is also bright and full but usually comes in August. The "Harvest Moon" is the full moon closest to the beginning of Autumn .