Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
The Wolf Moon ends today. Tomorrow is Mardi Gras and the New Hunger Moon. Time is getting on! One of the best and purest joys is having a rest after labor. — Marcus Aurelius (found in Tolstoy's Calendar of Wisdom on 19 February) I've decided that I am done with my job. I am just… Continue reading The Daily: 20 February 2023
We lost power last Thursday night. That I still don't know why is testament to the ordinariness of such things. I was typing away at something and suddenly all the lights went out. It had been snowing quite heavily when I drove home from work, but the snow had turned to freezing drizzle by the… Continue reading The Daily: 17 February 2023
February First Fruits & Quirinalia To highlight just how different the seasonal cycle is depending on latitude, mid-February, the last ides period of the ritual year in Rome, was a festival of the first-fruit offerings. While here in Vermont we are barely thinking about the growing season, never mind able to see actual earth, during… Continue reading The Daily: 16 February 2023
Parentalia As February marked the last month in the ancient Roman calendar, the Romans spent this time of year setting themselves in accord with the world. The 9-day festival of Parentalia began on 13 February and culminated with the day of Feralia, which began at sundown on the 21st. Parentalia was a sacred time to… Continue reading The Daily: 13 February 2023
The Wolf Moon was full yesterday. Being full on the 5th, this is a rather late Wolf Moon; it feels more like a Snow Moon — which isn't full until March this year. And yet, this very late Wolf Moon is, nevertheless, decidedly lupine. The period of the Wolf Moon is the coldest time of… Continue reading The Daily: 6 February 2023
So as an addendum to yesterday, I discovered that when the temperature drops to double digits below 0°F the electric vehicle side of my car doesn't want to run at all. On the way home last night, it kept turning over to the gas engine even when it was going downhill or cruising at constant… Continue reading A Short Daily: 4 February 2023
If Candlemas be bright and clear there'll be two winters in the year. — traditional adage from Scotland Of Candles and Divinatory Beasts There are many weather marking days throughout the year. Candlemas, falling on 2 February, was the day that our ancestors began to get nervous about the spring. A fine Candlemas portends a… Continue reading The Daily: 2 February 2023
You can achieve wisdom in three ways. The first way is meditation. This is the most noble way. The second way is the way of imitation. This is the easiest and least satisfying way. Thirdly, there is the way of experience. This is the most difficult way. — Confucius (Tolstoy's Calendar of Wisdom for 29… Continue reading The Daily: 30 January 2023
Making Yogurt: In anticipation of Imbolg, we’re going to make yogurt, a fermented dairy product that extends the shelf life of fresh milk — and adds quite a bit of nutrition and delicious flavor.
Just after sunset tonight, if you have a cloudless sky and a flat western horizon, look for the thin crescent of the New Wolf Moon in a grouping with very bright Venus and a warm fuzzy Saturn. Look for Venus first. At magnitude -4, it will be easiest to see in the twilight (which is… Continue reading The Daily: 23 January 2023
By My Solitary Hearth 