The Solar Eclipse is coming

[Debbie]

So much hype! They've been talking about this for two years now. Our area isn't totality, but our friends are in the zone for it. We'll get 97% which is good enough for us, especially as we were told the special glasses we'd ordered weren't safe to use after all we were deeply disappointed as we ordered them months ago. Amazon refunded our money. Apparently the manufacturer stamped it with the numbers, but they are bogus. So if we end up having the ability to see anything, we'll be doing old school with the hole punched in a paper and held over another piece of paper. Our area is supposed to be cloudy, not sure how much we'll end up seeing.

I fully plan to bring in the ponies by Sunday night. All of them are on the fields at the moment. So long as traffic behaves, we're good. I'll be putting them up in stalls by Monday morning. Our eclipse starts 9:04 PDT and totality will happen at 10:17. I'm taking no chances with anyone's eyes. I reckon the stalls will be the safest place for them.

It's a little hard to believe, but in Lincoln City where we used to live, and where our friends are (about an hour's to two hour's drive south), they say they will be gridlocked with a million people on the road. Police and emergency services have already warned there's no way they can get through, so I'm hoping everyone will stay safe.

I've seen a solar eclipse when I was in grade school. We used the same method, with a shoe box and holes punched in to see the sun safely. I'm glad others will get the chance to see it. It was very memorable for me

[harveydales]

I'm sure you will enjoy it - such a strange and memorable experience. Let us know how your horses react - during the one we had over here some years ago now none of my ponies reacted at all.

[Debbie]

Everyone says I'm being silly, but I'm taking NO chances. All of my ponies are tucked into their stalls with hay to munch. Even if they don't look at the sun (and I wouldn't put it past Dundee) I'm not sure how they'll act as we go dark. Plus people were driving very oddly, and behaving oddly last night. So, better safe.

It began at 9:04am PDT for us and we're already seeing the light dimming. The birds are calling softer now. They know something is up. Earlier the sunlight was excessively bright, which surprised us, but we're also used to clouds, so any sunlight is like OUCH

9:29 well underway. The typical daylight is much brighter than usual, but the moon is dimming it already. Our birds were acting nervous and beginning to call to one another. They weren't the only ones. I could feel it too. It flat out feels weird. It's like a grounding sensation.

10:32 am we're past the totality now and I admit, this feels really weird! The birds are quiet and roosting in the trees and barn. My horses are affected too. So pleased they're safely put into their stalls. Our seawall has moved in, so this will probably be the most we'll see of this event. It's lived up to the hype.

The moon is sliding past, although our seawall was brought in when the totality happened, so I can't really see anything. I gave the horses their 2nd breakfast hays, by the time they finish with that, we should be back to normal this afternoon and they can go back outside pretty cool all in all.

Oh the ponies! Blossom and Rita (my yang ponies) could have cared less. They both went FOOD! And promptly stuffed their faces, barely registering anything was out of the ordinary. Reigny I knew would be affected as she can sense the weather about 5 minutes before rain starts. And yes, she was pretty big eyed, wondering what was going on, but the one that surprised me the most was Dundee. He was sincerely big eyed, didn't want his hay, but kept looking around with huge eyes, wanting reassurances that the world would go back to normal. He was very subdued, though, no chucking himself around, but with the temperature drops and sunlight changes, I'm really pleased I did put everyone inside and safely in their own stalls for the event.

[harveydales]

Must have been quite an emotional experience. Interesting how the horses reacted. I watched it on TV - not quite the same!

[Debbie]

It really was quite the event for us here I talked with others on the Oregon coast, and they had mixed reactions. I was probably the one who noticed the most.

When I went to turn the ponies out later, Reigny and Dundee did the oddest things. I turned Reigny out first in her paddock. She paused before going out and then felt the ground before she'd step on it. She looked at everything like it was completely new (I guess in a way it was). Then she went over and found a place to carefully roll. Reigny's a cautious alpha, so rolling was out of the norm. She must've felt safe with me standing guard for her. Once she got up, she shook off, and it was like she was shaking off the experience.

Dundee did the same thing, not the rolling, but as we walked out of the barn, he kept staring at everything and he did the same odd testing the ground with his foot before he'd stand fully on it. It was as though they were checking to see the world was real before putting their weight on it. Blossom was interested as she walked to the field, but she was convinced the ground was okay. She did lookie loos, but wasn't overly bothered.

Our birds remained subdued for the rest of the day, but reset themselves the next morning. It was fascinating all in all