April Fools :: What’s Up Wrap Up

Another month gone–and now it’s April! About time to get some tomatoes going and growing–and hopefully not exploding like in this high speed photo by my friend Alan Sailer!

So here’s a quick March Wrap Up and April What’s Up with links to March’s MOST POPULAR POSTS, April’s  astronomical highlights and astrological outlook, and more.

I closed March out with skiing at Bear Valley, just an hour into the mountains an hour or so from the Calaveras County wine growing region (where I tasted some fine wines at Twisted Oak, Lavender Ridge, Frogs Tooth and Hatcher–and even bought a few! more on that later…), and about three hours away from Yosemite Valley where we camped three nights and rode the snow at Badger Pass for two days.

And I closed March out with almost 11,000 page views and 43 posts–a record in both departments–with nearly 70,000 total views since I started this blog November 2008! (Unfortunately those numbers also means ads put on the blog by WordPress, not me!)

In March, over 25 posts had 50 or more page views. The Top 12 Posts were:

And here are the Top 21 Art Predator Posts of All Time (Nov. 08-March 09):

After an active day on the slopes at Bear Valley, and a busy week in Yosemite Valley, I’m too tired to take more advantage of the free wifi here at the Bear Valley Lodge where we’re spending the night (in a room with hot water and everything! Great deal, too–for just about $10 more than the cost of the lift for tomorrow’s skiing we get this room! Beats the heck out of another night in the VW van!)

So now a quick what’s up–with more to be added with regards to APRIL EARTH MONTH and Poetry Month events including local Ventucky events like Friday Fun Rides every Friday in the month of April, with the Bunny Hop this Friday, April 3, with an almost full moon! and lots of poetry including the Guantanamo reading Monday April 13.

April also means Bruce Springsteen is on tour again and back in California, starting out in San Jose April 1, and in LA April 15 & 16! More updates on that too!

My Tidelog reminds me that Venus is out again in the morning, the moon is full April 9, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks under a waning moon pre-dawn Weds April 22, and my son now knows and looks for Orion’s Belt!.

Here’s some astrological info for the month from Astrology.com:

This month is almost too hot to handle on the relationship front! Venus squares Pluto on April 3 challenging you to confront relationship issues. Then Pluto turns retrograde the following day on April 4, prompting you to transform your life in order to make achievements.

Pluto, the planet of transformation, takes a whopping 248 years to complete a single cycle of rotation around the Sun. On average, it spends 21 years in each sign and 5 months of each year in retrograde.

Pluto turns retrograde in Capricorn on April 4, signaling in a time of destruction and rebuilding, rejuvenation and regeneration. It is a time for fresh starts and dead ends. The things that we hang onto the tightest can suddenly be taken away. We may be forced to reevaluate the things we cherish most.

During a Pluto retrograde period, we will feel pressured to eliminate and release the old, outworn, outdated and obsolete in our lives. We will be urged to let go of attitudes, thinking or communication patterns, security drives, and rigid emotions that no longer serve us. This is an excellent time to undergo an internal form of house cleaning, and look into ourselves to determine exactly what we do and do not need.

Pluto retrograde imparts an intense power for investigation, so we should use this time to assess what reoccurring patterns in our lives make us feel out of control, where and why do we continually give our power away, and under what circumstances do we react so defensively that we elicit attacks from others. Pluto retrograde marks a time wherein we should seek to gain greater control over our lives.

Mars opposes rule-maker Saturn also on April 4, asking you to stop and assess what you’re doing before you take another step. Seize this dynamic energy — the month is just starting!

Then Mercury’s entrance into stable Taurus on April 9 slows down your thought process to help you come up with a workable plan. The full Moon in Libra, also on April 9, tunes you into your relationships and highlights themes of justice and fairness. As retrograde Venus slips back into Pisces on the 11, your need for reflection is emphasized.

You’ll need something to do with all the energy of the Mars-Uranus conjunction on April 15. Luckily Venus turns direct on April 17, which gets your relationships back on track. Then the Sun enters earthy Taurus on April 19 when your attention turns to fortifying your security and getting your financial house in order.

There is nothing lukewarm about the last week of April either! First, Mars enters its own sign on April 22, when your energy level will go way up. Then Venus joins Mars in Aries on the 24th, and it’s time for bold declarations. A new Moon in Taurus on April 24 urges you to pay attention to maintaining stability in your material life. Finally, April 26 brings an intense Mars-Pluto square urging you to figure out what’s worth fighting for and what you need to let be. You will have plenty of ideas that spark your imagination as the pace of life quickens when Mercury enters Gemini on April 30. This is the premiere communication planet, so expect to hatch plans, gather information and chat with others to sound out your ideas.