Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Author

Dearest Readers:

This morning, I awoke early since I could not sleep — AGAIN! Turning on the TV, I listened to the early morning news – at 5:00am. Gee, I thought. There must not be any shootings in Charleston, or North Charleston. There must not be any drug busts. Robberies, and did I mention shootings?

The only news reported was a discussion about the total eclipse scheduled to happen today, in Charleston, SC and the USA.

The total eclipse in Charleston is BIG NEWS. Reportedly, we are supposed to have more than two million stargazing, moon struck tourists in the State of South Carolina. Woooh! So glad it isn’t just in Charleston. This “small city” as it is referred to is growing like unwanted weeds. Just look at the traffic jams we fight every day. I can remember when we moved to Charleston, we rarely had traffic congestion. Now, a 15-mile trip to West Ashley from Mt. Pleasant may take one hour, or longer, depending on the flow of traffic. Now, with the eclipse happening this afternoon, I can only imagine the traffic nightmares.

Well, let’s see. I predict:

Drivers pulling over to take pictures, or drivers taking pictures while driving. Hopefully, these scenarios will not create accidents, but people in this city tend to tailgate and not pay attention to the roads while driving.

Downtown will be congested, due to tourists and folks wanting to ‘see the eclipse.’ Let’s hope they wear those gorgeous, oh, so flattering eclipse glasses.

The beaches? I would not even attempt to go to the beach today. Today is my cleaning day, so while the USA goes berserk over the eclipse, I shall stay inside. Occasionally, I’ll look out my windows and/or listen to the eclipse broadcast on the TV. After all, there are no murders, crimes, or newsworthy events during an eclipse.

If you, the readers of my blog, believe that, maybe you should consider moving here. On second thought, maybe not. We have so many people moving into Charleston now that they are building new homes in areas that once were covered with trees. Trees are disappearing now, awaiting more developments. In the area where we live, old homes are being knocked down, or jacked up and moved to another location. On the empty lots, a gigantic home is built. All of this growth is really destroying what we, the long-term residents once enjoyed.

Oh well. That is what happens when a beautiful destination is overgrown.

If you plan to watch the eclipse today, please make certain you wear those gorgeous glasses so you will not burn your retina. It would be a shame to discover you are losing your eyesight simply because you glanced at the sun, using your naked eyes. Please be careful.

As for me, I’ve got cleaning to do. Laundry awaits, and my precious pups are resting. Are they in anticipation of the eclipse? Not. They simply want to play ball. Do their silly back scratch I named the Shakespeare back rub. And, they want me to give them attention. At 4:00pm today, Shadow will remind me that 4:00 in the afternoon is the feeding time for him and his dinner!

It is an overcast day today. The sun is shining just a bit, only to have thick, gray clouds covering it and slight rains. I imagine the tourists who came to Charleston to “see the eclipse” might be a bit disappointed, but that is what happens in Charleston. We have dreadful heat that makes you feel like you are stepping in a sauna when stepping outside during the summertime. With that heat, we get powerful, frightening storms and torrential rains. Yep. Stay a while tourists. Maybe the sun will shine brightly, or maybe it will be overcast. Only Mother Nature knows. At the moment, the sun has disappeared. Maybe the sun is running away from the eclipse after all the hoop-lah!

I hope the eclipse is successful, for all of us.

Oops. Just received a news alert on my phone: “A sinkhole is opening on Bull Street, downtown Charleston.” Not today???

Let’s hope the eclipse is successful, although I have my doubts. The sun has disappeared again. Maybe Ms. Sun is flirting with Mr. Moon… Isn’t that interesting and newsworthy!

Details later!