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: 10 July 2024
Things to look forward to... falling in love I'm fairly certain Sophie's view of love is different from mine. Her short exposition on love mostly focuses on finding human sexual love later in life. I am all for human love, I just don't have much use for it. Or maybe it doesn't have much use… Continue reading The Daily: 10 July 2024
The Daily: 8 July 2024
Yesterday morning I woke to three young raccoons in my backyard. They were digging hard in the fruit crate planters. I yelled out the window for them to stop. Miraculously, they did. They got out of the planters and went looking about under the cedars. But by the time I got myself together, I realized… Continue reading The Daily: 8 July 2024
The Daily: 6 July 2024
New Hay Moon The Strawberry Moon went dark at 6:57pm yesterday evening. So today there will be a very thin new moon closely following the sun as it sinks into the western horizon. This is the Hay Moon, the ninth moon in the cycle that begins on All Hallows. This is the moon of reaping… Continue reading The Daily: 6 July 2024
The Daily: 4 July 2024
Whose Independence... It is early July. In my country, we set fire to gunpowder and other explosives wrapped in paper — which are produced almost entirely in extremely hazardous conditions outside of this country — to mimic the actual gunpowder explosions that presumably were the background for the signing of a document that declared this… Continue reading The Daily: 4 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: 1 July 2024
Today, though the string of longest days ended last week, the latest sunsets end in my part of the world. Tomorrow, the sun will set earlier enough to knock a minute off the evening. By the end of July the day will be about an hour less than its Midsummer length. Also, this Friday the… Continue reading The Daily: 1 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: 29 June 2024
Every time Paul Bunyan Day rolls around I am struck anew by the realization that there are quite a large number of appallingly stupid heroes and male deities in EuroWestern traditions. This probably reflects our ideals in ways that we perhaps need to analyze. Or maybe develop another whole 'nother branch of psychology to deal… Continue reading The Daily: 29 June 2024
