The Daily: 21 July 2025

My potatoes decided to flower... but they are nowhere near digging time! In my calendar, the season of Lughnasadh begins today. This is my favorite time of year. Fairs and food and the soon-to-be dwindling of summer heat — and dwindling of summer activity. (Hopefully, dwindling of summer bugs!!!) This season is marked by the… Continue reading The Daily: 21 July 2025

The Daily: 3 July 2025

The Dog Days begin today. This is when Sol and Sirius shine together all day long, creating blast-furnace heat. Or maybe that's just carbon... Canada is on fire. Europe is boiling. The Mediterranean is as warm as spit. The Pacific Ocean might be ENSO-neutral; but June 2025 was as hot as in any El Niño… Continue reading The Daily: 3 July 2025

The Daily: 30 June 2025

Last week was a rude awakening... Okay, so I knew it was going to be different. I suspected it might be uncomfortable. I did not know it was going to be hell. I will remind you that my neighbors cut down the ancient maple in front of their house. There were reasons. The tree was… Continue reading The Daily: 30 June 2025

The Daily: 9 June 2025

June 9th, was the Roman feast of Vesta. This festival fell within the state holiday of Vestalia, and it did have state rituals assigned to it. But mostly it was a festival of the plebs, and particularly of the army of bakers that kept the Romans fed. So this is a grain harvest festival tied… Continue reading The Daily: 9 June 2025

The Daily: 19 May 2025

Today is St Dunstan's Day. Dunstan was a beloved bishop of Glastonbury in the early 10th century. He used his skills at casting bells and crafting music to bring beauty into his church. He believed music both glorified god and brought more people into the fold. Today, he is the patron of bell ringers, and… Continue reading The Daily: 19 May 2025

The Daily: 11 May 2025

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 Daily: 28 April 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