The Weather of the Future Heidi Cullen Harper, 2010 Heidi Cullen, Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, opens The Weather of the Future with an anecdote from one of her first seminars on climate change. After her presentation a man from the audience approached her, saying he enjoyed… Continue reading Remembering The Weather of the Future
Author: Eliza Daley
I'm an inveterate book-slinger, gardener, baker, geologist & writer. This blog is a collection of book talk, recipes, gardening tips, observations & essays on nature & culture — with a healthy dose of armchair philosophy & sociology — my attempt to muddle through all the mess and feel the wonder of this world.
Ashes, Ashes, We All Rise Up
Ash Wednesday is a day of reckoning and atonement. Time for purification in preparation for the coming season of growth. We dip our souls in the cleansing fire of spring renewal and rise phoenix-like from the ashes. Daubing ash on the forehead is a reminder of our earthiness, our deep connection to this planet we… Continue reading Ashes, Ashes, We All Rise Up
Pancakes for Fat Tuesday
I briefly considered writing about Mardi Gras today, but I just don’t like it enough. I am not a Carnival person. I don’t like the noise, the crowds, the mess, the stink. I hate feeling inebriated and I simply can’t tolerate drunk people. I have no use for plastic beads. And King Cake looks revolting.… Continue reading Pancakes for Fat Tuesday
Romulus and Remus
The old river god gently laid the sleeping twin boys on the bank. She watched as he sadly backed away from the shore and melted into his domain. Just before he vanished he looked up and met her eyes, charging her with this task in that one glance. He knew her well. She would never… Continue reading Romulus and Remus
Of Hearts and Wolves
Like many people, I find the American version of Valentine’s Day and the saccharine and monochromatic view of love it promotes to be repulsive. In my younger days I assumed the whole farce was invented by the greeting card and gifting industry, along with the rise of all manner of fake holidays intended to get… Continue reading Of Hearts and Wolves
New Year by Snow Moon
Snow Moon The fourth moon in the lunar year is the Snow Moon, though I sometimes think it should be called the Hunger Moon. There is not always snow, but there is hunger — in both belly and mind. At this time of year, many of us become restless, wanting to be more, do more.… Continue reading New Year by Snow Moon
Chionophobia
I have chionophobia, fear of snow. This is not a professional diagnosis. Nor has it always been true. I used to love skiing and ice-skating. I could build a mean snow fort well into my nominal adulthood. The sharp scent of snow elicited memories of birthdays and mountain nights. The silence of snowfall still takes… Continue reading Chionophobia
Hügelkulture
Because it's time to start planning those gardens, folks. And because there are all these broken trees after that last nor'easter. Hügelkulture (pronounced HOO-gl-culture) is the most fun word ever to come out of agriculture. Sounds like the hoopla around faddish felt gnomes or something, doesn’t it? Or maybe a really bad New Mexico cannibal… Continue reading Hügelkulture
Nor’easters Explained
Nor'easters Explained: We interrupt your spring-leaning inclinations to bring you this winter weather warning.
The Good Ancestor: Review
The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking Roman Krznaric The Experiment, 2020 The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric A book that inspires reading is a good book. A book that inspires thought is a better book. A book that inspires action is the best book of all. The Good Ancestor is the best… Continue reading The Good Ancestor: Review
By My Solitary Hearth 