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“To a Mouse” (standard English translation)
by Robert Burns- 1785

… little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

Still you are blessed, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!
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My personal story https://pbase.com/britestar/image/172138376

concerning photographing the Lunar Eclipse 3 days ago
brings to mind the line from this poem:
“The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men”.

I’m now looking backward with the idea that I should have had another DSLR with another telephoto lens and tripod ready (and used it) if something unforeseen happened with my 600mm lens… Instead, for some reason when something did happen, I only thought of taking a Cell Phone Cam snap of the 600mm lens' inability to line up perfectly with the moon. 3AM and staying out in 27 degree F cold for so long obviously didn't seem to help with clear thinking. I was also "afraid" that if I left the scene - and took the time to grab a different camera and lens - I might miss the climax of the eclipse. Moot point, however. I didn't have batteries charged for any of my cameras; beyond the Canon 1Dx and the Nikon Bridge Camera.

The 1Dx body with the 600mm lens was my "Best Laid Scheme"... On the day of the Eclipse, I really didn't think beyond that. Once I knew there would be a clear sky, I believed my plan to be "fool proof" with the equipment I had set up. I was wrong.

And now...