The Daily: 11 July 2024

I have embraced some of the sillier "holidays" in The Old Farmers' Almanac's calendar. Today, they say, is National Blueberry Muffin Day. I have no idea where they get these things. Perhaps this is a nod to King Arthur Baking, which is almost as venerable a New England tradition as the Almanac. National Blueberry Muffin… Continue reading The Daily: 11 July 2024

The Daily: 3 July 2024

Things to look forward to... visiting a museum 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... Either way, it is the hottest time of the year in northern climes. My mother keeps calling to tell me the latest and… Continue reading The Daily: 3 July 2024

The Daily: 2 July 2024

It's politico season again. This is more than a little depressing. Two doddering old white guys, neither of whom can string together more than three words that make sense. Is this really the best we can do? I find I have a very hard time caring. Yes, I know Biden is preferable in every way… Continue reading The Daily: 2 July 2024

The Daily: 30 June 2024

Trees flattened by the explosion Today is International Asteroid Day. This day was created by the United Nations in 2016 to commemorate the Tunguska Event in East Siberia near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River on 30 June 1908. An asteroid of about 50 meters in diameter smashed into Earth's atmosphere on this day, killing several people… Continue reading The Daily: 30 June 2024

The Daily: 23 June 2024

Tonight is the night that Shakespeare had faeries running amok in the woods around Athens. This is Midsummer's Night, tomorrow being Midsummer's Day. Folklore has it that this is the best time to go find the Good Folk, though lore also makes it pretty clear that you may be in for trouble if you do.… Continue reading The Daily: 23 June 2024

The Daily: 24 May 24

It's been the sort of month that pushes even climate deniers out of their comfy head-in-the-sand world. Every day there are pictures of homes and lives destroyed by extreme storms, from one end of the country to the other. In May, folks... The Northern Hemisphere is not yet heated to its summer temperatures and we're… Continue reading The Daily: 24 May 24

The Daily: 7 May 2024

The Greenleaf Moon Goes Dark Tomorrow begins the Flower Moon. There are actually flowers in my garden this year. In New Mexico, early May (and therefore Floralia and May Day) fell in a rather flowerless pause between the bulbs and the main bloom season. There were apple blossoms and sometimes roses, but not much else… Continue reading The Daily: 7 May 2024