Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
As you might have noticed, I have not had time to do anything but work and then garden. The weather finally warmed enough to get the planting done... So... I moved all the indoor plants outside. The weeds are pulled and the grass is reined in. Tomatoes and chiles are outside, still in their flats,… Continue reading The Daily: 8 June 2026
In the last few years I’ve seen a wide variety of people arrive at the conclusion that what we need as a society to avert self-destruction — self and everything else, that is — is a new religion. I’ve encountered novelists and sociologists (who might be predisposed), economists (who probably are not), celebrity chefs and… Continue reading The Daily: 7 June 2026
The heat promised for last week failed to materialize. It never got much above 60°F, and it was rainy and windy most every day. I still have tomatoes in the guest bedroom, chiles in the dubious bathtub, and lots of tender herbs and flowers in the basement under grow lights. I have not planted the… Continue reading The Daily: 31 May 2026
The Flower Moon is full at 4:45am tomorrow morning, so tonight is the closest moonrise to full. I suspect in lunisolar calendars like that of the Irish and Cymri, this full moon after the hawthorn bloomed would have marked Beltaine. Or perhaps Beltaine, the beginning of summer, was set to the seventh full moon after… Continue reading The Daily: 30 May 2026
There are still tomatoes in the guest bedroom... We had a frost Friday morning, coincidentally the first 15-hour day of the growing season. Friday's high temperature was 45°F, which is technically warm enough for the nightshades, but they get cranky. Official wisdom says that "irreversible" damage can happen at temperatures below 50° and frost will… Continue reading The Daily: 26 May 26
The Venerable Bede, detail from a 12th-century codex (Wikipedia) I wrote in my garden calendar that today is the day to plant out the nightshades and sow the summer cucurbits and beans. If the weather holds, then as you read this I will be out in the veg garden covered in dirt — and indescribably… Continue reading The Daily: 25 May 2026
When I chose this week's word prompt, I thought that the spring planting would be nearing completion. Silly me... I have nearly everything yet to do. And we have one more potential frost to dodge on Thursday, so the work is paused. Mostly in the upstairs guest bedroom where the tomatoes are thinking about flowering… Continue reading The Daily: 20 May 2026
Today is St Dunstan's Day. Dunstan was a beloved bishop of Glastonbury in the early 10th century. He used his skills at casting bells and crafting music to bring beauty into his church. He believed music both glorified god and brought more people into the fold. Today, he is the patron of bell ringers, and… Continue reading The Daily: 19 May 2026
What a difference a day makes. I wrote Sunday's post mostly on Friday evening, in the middle of the long, cold rain. At that point, few of my jungle trees had mature leaves. On Saturday, the clouds cleared off for most of the day and the temperature warmed to about 70°F. Then on Sunday, it… Continue reading The Daily: 18 May 2026
The Greening Moon went dark yesterday afternoon, but the trees have not quite embraced the green growing season. Many shrubs are leafed out and the grass is putting on inches every day, but most of the trees are only just hinting at leafy shade to come. The maples are still blooming, dropping their buds everywhere.… Continue reading The Daily: 17 May 2026
By My Solitary Hearth 