Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
World Water Day is 22 March 2021. This annual observance was organized by the UN in 1993 to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and to promote sustainable freshwater management. Each year a different theme is chosen, centered on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. The theme for 2021 is Valuing Water… Continue reading World Water Day and Drought
I’ve been having a bad week. Surprisingly, I do not have a sudden urge to buy guns and use them. It’s rather unsettling that I have no doubt that I could do that. Today. Just walk across the street from my house and buy a gun from the “vintage military” dealer over there and then… Continue reading It’s Not Enough
Humans are deeply social creatures. It is the essential fact of being human. We are part of a group from the moment we are born. We live with others of our kind (and some not of our kind) more prevalently than most animals. Few of us thrive without friends and family. Loneliness is far more… Continue reading Kiss Me I’m Irish
Here is a story that we tell ourselves. From The Good Ancestor: “Consider the immense legacy left by our ancestors: those who sowed the first seeds in Mesopotamia 10,000 years ago, who cleared the land, built the waterways and founded the cities where we now live, who made the scientific discoveries, won the political struggles… Continue reading Is Farming the Problem?
We need to increase localized food production. We need to feed the hungry and eliminate food deserts. We need to revitalize our communities and rebuild life systems. We need to work our bodies more and connect with the more-than-human world. We need more color and flavor in our lives. Always. The solution to all these… Continue reading Guerrilla Gardening
We regularly hear about the gender wage gap. We know about glass ceilings and barriers to advancement. We wring our hands over leadership roles filled mainly by men. These are all vital concerns. But today I’d like to address a disparity that doesn’t get much press — women in agriculture. Women farmers embody the merger… Continue reading Women in Agriculture
Last week I talked about the things that you can do. I think a follow-up is necessary. These are the things we need to build into society, things we must do collectively. This list is just as important, but it will take much more work. Very likely a good deal of pain. These are problems… Continue reading Tear It Down to Build It Up
Political cartoon by Dr Seuss, signed as such. (Copyright Marshall Field 1942, The Newspaper PM) This week white America finally noticed the disturbing racism of Theodor Geisel. I submit that it’s not merely the appalling cartoons he made for adult audiences, but the complete lack of any human skin tone other than white in all… Continue reading Whiteness
Today is Town Meeting day in Vermont. For the uninitiated, this is the day when Vermonters pack themselves into school gyms and various meeting halls to vote on town governance for the upcoming year. Officials are elected. Laws are debated and passed. Budgets are assigned. If there are complaints or disturbances, these are given voice… Continue reading Of the People in Vermont (now with more goats)
We need to renovate our entire culture. But where do you even begin? There are so many things that need doing and so many opinions on priorities. But I’ve yet to see a practical list that an average human can afford, that someone with little agency or influence can expect to accomplish. So I’ve been… Continue reading The To-Do List
By My Solitary Hearth 