Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
Penny Loaf Day March 11th is Penny Loaf Day, though it is also traditional to set the observance to the Sunday closest to 11 March. This is an obscure holiday that I’d like to revive. Because first of all, it involves bread (so, duh, of course!), and second it celebrates generosity that has endured for… Continue reading The Daily: 11 March 2026
In acknowledgment of the spring sun's rising earlier and earlier — 6:16am in my town yesterday — those who follow Daylight Savings Time have had an hour removed from their morning today at 2am. This morning's sunrise is 7:14am, meaning we've lost an hour of morning light so that we can have more day in… Continue reading The Daily: 8 March 2026
Lion and Lamb March is upon us once again. An Old English name for March was Hlyda, meaning “loud”, presumably referring to the roaring March winds. This name survived as Lide in the West countries. Eat leeks in Lide and ramsons in May, And all the year after physicians may play. — proverb from western… Continue reading The Daily: 1 March 2026
If Matthew finds ice, he breaks it. When the cat lies in sunshine in February If he doesn’t break it, he makes it all the harder. she'll creep behind the stove in March. St Matthias with his ice breaker... If there is sharp frost on Matthew’s Day, it will last till March. The fox is… Continue reading The Daily: 24 February 2026
A Parable of the 1%* Imagine a flock of pigeons in a corn field. Imagine that ninety-nine of them, instead of pecking the corn they need and using it as they need it, start to collect all they can into one big heap. Imagine that they do not leave much corn for themselves, but save… Continue reading The Daily: 23 February 2026
Last week we celebrated the Purification of the Virgin, otherwise known as Candlemas or Imbolg. Next week Mardi Gras ushers in the Lenten fast, a time of reconciliation and cleansing. This weekend we celebrate the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia which has been recast and shifted slightly to Valentine’s Day. This too is a… Continue reading The Daily: 11 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
If Candlemas be bright and clear there'll be two winters in the year. — traditional adage from Scotland Of Candles and Divinatory Beasts There are many weather marking days throughout the year. Candlemas, falling on 2 February, was the day that our ancestors began to get nervous about the spring. A fine Candlemas portends a… Continue reading The Daily: 2 February 2026
If Brigid visited your house with a blessing last night, show her your gratitude by beginning your spring cleaning in her honor. If you have a woodstove, today is a good day to clean out the ashes and begin spreading them on your garden beds. (If you live where the soils are already saline, especially… Continue reading The Daily: 1 February 2026
The Romans had concerns about drought at this time of year. Three very old festivals were grouped together at the end of July to honor deities who presided over watery things. The first was the Lucaria, the clearing of the groves. This was an ancient observance even in Varro's time (116-27 BCE), and little is… Continue reading The Daily: 25 July 25
By My Solitary Hearth 