Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
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 2024
Cranberry sauce was not part of Thanksgiving until the late 19th century. I feel this was their loss. This is the one part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal that I love, but not that jellied gunk that comes in a can — which is probably mostly sugar and red dye. The real sauce is delicious… Continue reading The Daily: 25 November 2024
I have never been particularly attached to Thanksgiving. It feels all wrong. It is supposedly a harvest festival, but it falls well after the harvest. It is lavished in the colors of autumn — which faded away weeks ago in the real world. It is based on a story that is neither factual nor especially… Continue reading The Daily: 24 November 2024
Here in central Vermont, the Winter Sleep Moon, also known as the Beaver Moon (Old Farmer's Almanac), is full today at 4:29pm. The moon rises at 3:55pm, and the sun sets at 4:22pm. This full moon is about as close to moonrise as I have ever seen. Moreover, the moon was just at perigee yesterday… Continue reading The Daily: 15 November 2024
Martinmas On November 11th at 11 in the morning, we practice a moment of silence for two minutes to remember the day we reached an accord and agreed to lay down arms after the brutality of World War 1. A century ago we stopped fighting. Soldiers came home. It was a time very like this.… Continue reading The Daily: 11 November 2024
Winter Sleep Moon and Early Winter A Brown Time... The Hunter's Moon went dark on All Hallow's Day, which also ushered in the new lunisolar year and the new season of Early Winter. The Winter Sleep Moon was new on the Day of the Dead. It will go dark on December 1st which is the… Continue reading The Daily: 4 November 2024
November snuck up on me. I get the feeling that many are feeling the same. Suddenly, it's winter, it's dark, it's past Hallowe'en. That time-change thing happens again today. Two in the morning. Hate it... I don't care which way it goes, much like my body doesn't care which time zone it's been transported to… Continue reading The Daily: 3 November 2024
Today is the new Winter Sleep Moon. But it's also the Day of the Dead. So I am pushing the new moon post off until Monday — which feels appropriate — and here is my post on the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead In Tolstoy’s Calendar of Wisdom, he says that… Continue reading The Daily: 2 November 2024
It is the first Friday and the first day of the eleventh calendar month, named for the ninth. Today the Hunter's Moon goes dark at 8:47 am. In my calendar, the old year ended last night, and the season of early winter is ushered in tomorrow. So here is another reminder of what all this… Continue reading The Daily: 1 November 2024
Today is All Hallows' Eve, Hallowe'en, the first night in the ancient new year's festival that Celtic language speaking people called Samhaine. We hardly remember that it was once a sacred festival, celebrating endings and beginnings, nor that it was converted by the Catholic Church into a day for honoring the dead. It's possible that… Continue reading The Daily: 31 October 2024
By My Solitary Hearth 