Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
It got above 50°F yesterday! And the sun shone in blue skies most of the afternoon. I opened a window... well... I cracked it open a sliver... for a couple hours... on the lee side of the house out of the wind... But still! No resultant frostbite. The furnace didn't even kick on... The snow… Continue reading The Daily: 9 March 2026
I woke in the darkness yesterday morning. The skies were clear. The temperature was 3°F. And the full moon was westering with a large bite out of its eastern side. I made hibiscus and ginger tea and took care of the cat's needs. I have been burning cedar incense in the basement because I read… Continue reading The Daily: 4 March 2026
World Wildlife Day March 3rd is the UN's World Wildlife Day. This is the day that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was signed in 1973. So on 20 December 2013 at the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, March 3 was declared United Nations World… Continue reading The Daily: 3 March 2026
February First Fruits & Quirinalia To highlight just how different the seasonal cycle is depending on latitude, mid-February, the last ides 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 the… Continue reading The Daily: 16 February 2026
Like many people, I find the American version of Valentine’s Day and the saccharine and monochromatic view of love it promotes to be repulsive. In my younger days I assumed the whole farce was invented by the greeting card and gifting industry, along with the rise of all manner of fake holidays intended to get… Continue reading The Daily: 14 February 2026
I’ve been rereading some of my books on Buddhism lately, some popular culture, a bit of fringe, and one book of the actual sutras. And I’ve been thinking… (I know, bad…) I still just can’t quite get on board with no-form. It feels nihilist. It also denies our basic experience of living, which may, in… Continue reading The Daily: 12 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
Tonight is St Brigid's Eve. Tomorrow is the feast day of St Brigid, arguably the central idea of deity for most of the ancient Celts and one of the most widely venerated Christian saints. St Brigid is patron of Ireland, alongside Patrick. She is also patron of babies, children whose parents are not married, dairy… Continue reading The Daily: 31 January 2026
If you live in the US, then today is the day to stand up. Today, we strike back where it hurts them the most — on the balance books. Today is a general strike, a National Shutdown. No shopping. No entertainment. No travel. No spending money. If you are able to stay home from work… Continue reading The Daily: 30 January 2026
Plough Monday, an ancient rustic holiday that became attached to the Christmas holiday tradition, is on the first Monday following Epiphany (January 6). It is the traditional beginning of the agricultural year.
By My Solitary Hearth 