Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
The wintry weather up and down the eastern seaboard sure has people chattering. Or maybe their teeth are chattering and words are just, inevitably, dribbling out. From the Carolinas right through to Nova Scotia, it has been cold this last week. Though... It's been cold here in Vermont since Thanksgiving. It's just been a cold… Continue reading The Daily: 10 February 2026
Yesterday morning, the sun shone on Gobblers Knob in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania, so the groundhog, Punxatawney Phil, saw his shadow and went back to bed, thereby forecasting six more weeks of winter. Of course, today, February 3rd, being the exact cross-quarter day between the winter solstice and the spring equinox means that there are, indeed, six… Continue reading The Daily: 3 February 2026
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 2026
In central Vermont, the Wolf Moon is full at 5:09pm on Imbolg. For some of you, the moon will be full on Candlemas, but the moonrise on the 1st will still be closest to full. It's been a while since the last time the moon was full on Imbolg. The moon should be full on… Continue reading The Daily: 1 February 2026
If Brigid visited your house with a blessing last night, show her your gratitude by beginning your spring cleaning in her honor. If you have a woodstove, today is a good day to clean out the ashes and begin spreading them on your garden beds. (If you live where the soils are already saline, especially… Continue reading The Daily: 1 February 2026
Central Vermont is closed for the foreseeable future. Maybe all of Vermont. There is no news from elsewhere right now. Probably not a good sign... However, the power is on here. The temperature finally topped 10°F for a few hours — for the first time in about a week. And the crazy local oil-delivery guys… Continue reading The Daily: 27 January 2026
Today is National Cheese Lovers Day. I don't know if that means much to most of you. I love cheese, so I feel it's a day to celebrate this amazing invention. But that's not what I want to talk about today... We've entered a new lunation. The Cold Moon went dark on Sunday (2:52pm, my… Continue reading The Daily: 20 January 2026
I am off work today to honor Martin Luther King Jr. I wonder how many people actually know that this January federal holiday is remembering Martin's birthday. I also wonder how long it will remain a federal holiday. I have heard moans about Juneteenth and a disturbing resurgence of saying Columbus Day over Indigenous Peoples'… Continue reading The Daily: 19 January 2026
Plough Monday Plough Monday is an ancient rustic holiday that became attached to the Christmas holiday tradition. Plough Monday may trace its descent back to the Roman Compitalia, celebrated by slaves when plowing was over. But by the mid-15th century it became the traditional end to the Christmas season, the end of the season of… Continue reading The Daily: 12 January 2026
Well, we've made it through another Midwinter holiday season. Tonight is Twelfth Night, the last night of Christmas and the long night before Epiphany, the festival of the Wise Men. This is the night when all the drummers show up, along with a veritable cacophony of birds; a party of lords, ladies and colorful others;… Continue reading The Daily: 5 January 2026
By My Solitary Hearth 