Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
Saturnalia Saturnalia begins today. This year Saturn presides over the beginning of his holiday season. Look to the west at about 5:30pm. Saturn will be sitting just above the crescent Moon. In the north, this is also the beginning of the shortest nights of the year. For the next ten days, day length in my… Continue reading The Daily: 17 December 2023
I'm working my way through Rhyd Wildermuth. This was not a planned exercise, but I find his writing so compelling and original that I just keep picking up one book or essay after another. The most recent is All That Is Sacred Is Profaned: A Pagan Guide to Marxism, which is almost exactly as advertised… Continue reading The Daily: 14 December 2023
Lucy Light Shortest day, longest night —traditional English proverb Before Pope Gregory tweaked the Julian calendar and caused a great deal of confusion, 13 December was celebrated as the winter solstice in Scandinavia. The poem by the late 16th century English writer, John Donne, “A Nocturnal upon St Lucy’s Day, Being the Shortest Day” shows… Continue reading The Daily: 13 December 2023
The Winter Sleep Moon goes dark today at 6:32pm. Tomorrow, the Midwinter Moon is a thin crescent in the evening sky. In my part of the world, sunset is as early as it's going to be. At the end of this week, the sun will set a minute later than it does today. The change… Continue reading The Daily: 12 December 2023
I never used to be afraid of the weather. Weather happened. Sometimes it was uncomfortable. Sometimes it could be destructive and scary. I've lived through hurricanes and tornados and blizzards and heat waves that set the bosque on fire. For all those things, I made sure to be as prepared as possible. Open the window… Continue reading The Daily: 11 December 2023
St Nicholas December 6th is St Nicholas' Day. Nicholas is an interesting figure, or perhaps collection of figures, as the case may be. The official Nick was a bishop of Myra. His legends claim that he was born in about 270CE to wealthy parents in Greek Lycia. While still a child, he was orphaned by… Continue reading The Daily: 6 December 2023
It is Krampusnacht. Tonight, the long-tongued goat-man goes running through the streets, sometimes tagging along with the kindly old St Nicholas, sometimes striking out on his own, always seeking the naughty kids. He carries iron chains, a birch bough and a sack. Sometimes a good lashing is all it takes to straighten out the nastiness.… Continue reading The Daily: 5 December 2023
The weather continues to be challenging here. With Monday's wet snow, I had half a lilac bush break apart and fall onto my composter. That was a fun clean-up project. Power has been intermittent all week. Trees that were weakened by Monday's storm gave up when the weather turned colder and windier, and so they… Continue reading The Daily: 4 December 2023
St Andrew's Day St Andrew by Artus Wolffurt (1581-1641) Today is St Andrew's Day. Andrew, whose name means simply "a man" (though it can also be glossed as "virile" or "manly"), was the brother of St Peter. Both were fishermen and, as such, were part of the backbone of the local economy. He is imagined… Continue reading The Daily: 30 November 2023
In this culture, holidays are exhausting. Even when there isn't a grand production of a gathering, there is still a decided lack of sleep. There is often travel as well, since few of us get to live near our loved ones. And then there are all the tasks that needed to happen for the week… Continue reading The Daily: 29 November 2023
By My Solitary Hearth 