It’s getting cold in Vermont. We’ve had more than one day that did not top 50°F. But so far, we’ve not had a frost. So I’m still puttering along in the garden as much as I am able. Which is not much this week, being that it’s been raining every day and at least one… Continue reading Winter Approacheth
Customary Monstrosity
I work in a university bookstore. My official title is not very descriptive so I shall say that most of my days are spent shipping out web orders and receiving in merchandise. I am not altogether happy with this experience. It has surprisingly less to do with books that one might imagine from the label.… Continue reading Customary Monstrosity
Autumn Reflection
The sun passes the ecliptic today at 9:04 pm (EDT). This is the autumnal equinox. By now, those of you who tolerate my blathering know that this is not the true equinox since that day of equal length for night and day is dependent on latitude. Here where I live, we have a 12-hour day… Continue reading Autumn Reflection
Winter Fluff
I realized this week that not everybody knows how to winterize a home. I grew up with wood heat and old houses. I’ve spent the last many years in New England living in even older houses. My Massachusetts farmhouse didn’t even have heating ductwork. (It did have fabulous iron grates in the floors for the… Continue reading Winter Fluff
cannot brain today…
So... this is just a short post to say that there won't be much from me this week. It is homecoming at the university this weekend. As Person-in-Charge-of-Stuff and Person-in-Charge-of-Events, I won't get another break until they all go home on Sunday afternoon. And with our store manager out with something that is not-COVID but… Continue reading cannot brain today…
Wicker Man
Gary ate another palmful of antacids. Didn’t seem to matter what he ate for lunch these days. Or even if he ate. By mid-afternoon a bubble began to grow low in his gut and propagated up through his digestive tract until he felt like an iron fist was gripping his esophagus. On the long drive… Continue reading Wicker Man
Wednesday Word Poetry
the flow i and you in this dance flowing life from one to the other you give i receive green sustenance you create i unmake you, me to feed is death no breath without you no spark without me no me, no you without this arc my nourishment are you your nurture am i we… Continue reading Wednesday Word Poetry
Human Nature
I think there may be a new motif taking root in a certain class of writer. (How’s that for a vague beginning?) There is this idea or excuse or something that seems to be appearing in different guises all over the place. It is variously called “radical non-duality” or “basic biology” or “human nature”. It… Continue reading Human Nature
Not a Garden
To begin with, I have a mild case of COVID again. (Because, hello, People in Charge of Workplace COVID Policies, working in close quarters with someone who has tested positive in the last fortnight, even if masked, means certain transmission for many of us. But, by all means, pay me to sit at home and… Continue reading Not a Garden
A Sexy Future
I was listening to Timothée Parrique talk with Nate Hagens on The Great Simplification. Parrique is entertaining and enthusiastic, not common qualities in an economist, much less one whose research focus is in the potentially doomy arena of degrowth. But he makes degrowth sound fun. I shared the podcast conversation on social media and attached… Continue reading A Sexy Future






