The sun passed the ecliptic yesterday at 8:43am (EDT). This marks the autumnal equinox, the day the sun passes that imaginary equator in the sky in its annual trek through the seasons. By now, those of you who tolerate my blathering know that this event does not mark the true equinox since that day of… Continue reading The Daily: 23 September 2024
Category: Home & Garden
The Daily: 22 September 2024
Happy Mabon? Is it possible to unselfconsciously use the Wiccan-derived names for the quarter days? Because I can’t seem to get there. For the third quarter day of the year, they chose a rather obscure deity to name this holiday. I couldn’t say what the Cymric (Welsh) Mabon, or Maponos, the perpetually young Son of… Continue reading The Daily: 22 September 2024
The Daily: 16 September 2024
I made a bittersweet discovery last week. I had been noticing little piles of chewed up green stuff on the walkways and on my porches. It looked like unripe fruit, so I thought the rodents had gotten into some deep patch of the jungle that had a stunted peach or plum or something. I am… Continue reading The Daily: 16 September 2024
The Daily: 11 September 2024
Things to look forward to... receiving a letter My son and my father have taken to writing each other physical letters. I know this because they both call or text me to report on the letters they have sent and received. They are both transformed by this project that started on a whim, with my… Continue reading The Daily: 11 September 2024
The Daily: 4 September 2024
Things to look forward to... growing your own food While I don't believe anyone can grow all their own food, most everyone can grow some of what they eat. And this is always a delight! A radish, pulled from the cold ground in the springtime. A cucumber slid from the vine. A pile of potatoes… Continue reading The Daily: 4 September 2024
The Daily: 3 September 2024
The Blueberry Moon went dark at 9:56pm last night. Today, the sickle Harvest Moon follows the sun into the western horizon. The Harvest Moon is full on 17 September at 10:34pm. Moonrise so close to the full will be a lovely sight, but at its fullest it will be dimmed. This year in North America… Continue reading The Daily: 3 September 2024
The Daily: 28 August 2024
Things to look forward to... feeding the birds This time of year, when the day starts dark with fog and ends in warm sunshine, the birds are starting to think about migration. In days when we still had swallows, they were already leaving in late August. After a summer of darting jet arrowheads swooping and… Continue reading The Daily: 28 August 2024
The Daily: 22 August 2024
I need to take a harvest hiatus for a bit here. Probably won't be completely gone, but it will be light. I have to do something about the apples and peaches. Have to get the dead radishes out and plant some peas and carrots for fall and overwintering. Have to finally finish the mulch project… Continue reading The Daily: 22 August 2024
The Daily: 15 August 2024
The Feast of the Assumption It is the Feast of the Assumption. In the Church calendar, this is the day Mother Mary was taken bodily up to heaven without the inconvenience of dying first. But in the older calendar of Europe, this was the time when it was recognized that the heat of summer was… Continue reading The Daily: 15 August 2024
The Daily: 12 August 2024
I don't think lilacs like this weather. All the bushes around my house and on my neighbor's property (though leaning over into my yard) have leaves that are curling and turning brown. The grass underneath the bushes is covered in brittle leaves. Walking through the yard sounds like autumn. It is hard to tell from… Continue reading The Daily: 12 August 2024
