Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
In my garden planner, I have ambitiously scribbled "plant summer squash, cukes, melons, and spinach". For the second year in a row... Not surprisingly, once again, I will not be following my schedule. It is not freezing, and it is raining — both good for germination — but it's not warm enough for cucurbit seeds… Continue reading The Daily: 11 May 2025
The Greenleaf Moon went dark yesterday afternoon without bringing much in the way of green leaves, though we are much closer to that than we were last week. Leaf casings are opening up. The maples are in full bloom. My pussy willows are almost done blooming. And the peach tree is just on the edge… Continue reading The Daily: 28 April 2025
We flirted briefly with temperatures above 60°F on Saturday, though it also rained the entire day with gusty winds from every direction, making it not entirely pleasant garden weather. Sunday was dry but much cooler, never topping 50° though it was sunny in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was also even more windy, the kind of… Continue reading The Daily: 21 April 2025
The Daily for 29 March 2024: Hot cross buns!
Today is the last Monday before Easter. Many spring traditions have migrated to this holiday, including the name of the holiday, which has nothing to do with the Christian story. (Though what is does mean is a subject of debate.) Today it is traditional to bake simnel cake for Easter morning. Simnel cake is a… Continue reading The Daily: 14 April 2025
Today is Palm Sunday and this coming weekend is Easter. There are palm parades and processions all over, and today is a traditional day for Pace Egg plays, a sort of mumming that features St George and the Dragon. Bake a Pax cake (which are shortbreads with springy decorations in jam or frosting) or figgy… Continue reading The Daily: 13 April 2025
The Greenleaf Moon is full today at 8:22pm. I haven't said much about this moon cycle because it hasn't felt very accurate this year. In the past, you could count on the sugar season ending when this moon is new and new leaves washing the bare trees in spring green. Some years there are apple… Continue reading The Daily: 12 April 2025
The bank that employs me is filled with bored women. Banking is not exactly a challenging job, not a lot of intellectual or creative stimulation. In fact, it’s best to not think and certainly not improvise. So most people have hobbies that verge on second jobs. There are a few gardeners, several cooks, a couple… Continue reading The Daily: 8 April 2025
National Dandelion Day When the dandelions bloom,time to plant potatoes. — Old Farmer's Almanac The Old Farmer’s Almanac claims that April 5th is Dandelion Day. I’m fairly certain this is not a thing, but it should be. Dandelions are pleasurable in so many ways. Just imagine an early summer lawn dotted with bee-covered smiling suns! And when… Continue reading The Daily: 5 April 2025
Lady Day March 25th is Lady Day. This is another Marian holiday which incorporated older pagan traditions — in this case the New Year celebrations which fell on 25 March before Julius Caesar shifted the Roman observance to the beginning of January. Lady Day is nine months before December 25th, so you can probably figure… Continue reading The Daily: 25 March 2025
By My Solitary Hearth 