The Daily: 8 April 2025

The bank that employs me is filled with bored women. Banking is not exactly a challenging job, not a lot of intellectual or creative stimulation. In fact, it’s best to not think and certainly not improvise. So most people have hobbies that verge on second jobs. There are a few gardeners, several cooks, a couple… Continue reading The Daily: 8 April 2025

The Daily: 21 October 2024

We had our first frost on October 18th, which is the beginning of St Luke's Little Summer, the traditional name for a warm string of days that usually fall around the Feast of St Luke (October 18th). This always has me asking: Do we get a St Luke's Little Summer if we haven't had winter… Continue reading The Daily: 21 October 2024

Lugh’s Blessing

It is nearly Lughnasadh, fair season. This is the time of year when we gather together to celebrate and share and boast about our handicrafts. The Irish have a such a deep passion for these crafty clan gatherings, they put a deity in charge. Lugh was the primary god of the Tribe. These days, he… Continue reading Lugh’s Blessing

My Grandmother’s Hands

My grandmother was born over a century ago in Ireland. We don’t know where. She would never say. She and her twin sister were adopted by the Daleys of Chicago. She changed from foundling to heiress as she crossed the Atlantic. Her name and her ancestors were abandoned on the quay — and she was… Continue reading My Grandmother’s Hands