Monday Musings

  The summer solstice occurred a few days ago on June 20th, but it was recorded as June 24th by the old Julian calendar. The comments below pertain to Northern Hemisphere dates. The event originated in Sweden during the Stone Age as a pagan holiday with rituals for successful harvest and fertility. The day is the midpoint of the growing season, between planting and harvest. Celebrations include festivals with picnic feasts, dancing around a maypole, decorations of garlands and greenery. At Stonehenge, folks gather to watch the sun peak between the famous rocks. Some cultures consider it one of the four “Quarter Days,” i.e., the Solstice and Equinox dates. The traditional celebrations are Lady Day (Feast of the Annunciation/Ostara), Midsummer (Lithia), Michaelmas (Mabon), and Christmas (Yule). These quarter days were when servants were hired, school terms began, and rents were due. In addition all accounts must be settled to ensure no lingering debts or lawsuits. The Cross-Quarter d...

Last week, I regaled you with tales of my nascent garden, but the battle of gardener vs. pest has already begun. This morning, I went to my potato boxes to add more fill soil around the growing plants. Yikes! Something ate the leaves off of three-quarters of the plants. A neighbor suggested perhaps rabbits were the culprits, but unless the hares have stilts, that’s unlikely since the top of the boxes are waist high. The most likely varmint was a deer.  A single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day . The area is now barricaded with some old cucumber trellises. And the eaters were not picky. They also polished off a pot of petunias and coleus, either as hors d’oeuvres or dessert. So far, my make-do fencing has protected the tomatoes and peppers. Stay tuned. Chicken Wire cages stand guard over the squash, cucumber, bean, and melon beds. Nearby, another neighbor has kicked his plant protection up a notch: his gorgeous, productive garden is surrounded by two layers of defens...

  Greetings: I’m in fresh (actually not so fresh LOL) from a day in the garden. The 2024 garden got a slow start. First, there was a delay due to orthopedic surgery recovery and general immobility. Thankfully, we have a long growing season in North Carolina. I don’t know if you recall my lovely elevated raised beds from previous gardening tales. They were 2018 vintage and sadly gave up the ghost. Breaking them down and carting them away was a major project that needed to be accomplished prior to installing new beds. There were four 3'x6' beds and three 3'x3' beds, which contained a total of ~ 50 cubic feet of soil. All had to be scooped out (and raked to another spot). Then, the rotted beds had to be broken apart and discarded. Multiple excursions to a West Jefferson farm supply store were necessary to haul home forty-eight 1.5 cu ft bags of Daddy Pete’s Raised Bed Soil. Unfortunately, the guys wouldn’t come home to help unload the heavy bags. The photo above only conta...

  Ironic comment that embodies the word’s exact meaning: a synonym dictionary. While the word conjures up images of prehistoric beings, in reality, its definition is more recent. The word comes from Greek  θησαυρός  and literally means treasure, treasury, or storehouse. As an Author I employ a thesaurus regularly to sharpen my pencil: to clarify… and amplify. Do you struggle to find the exact word to describe the item, action or emotion you’re trying to convey? If so, a thesaurus may be the ticket to your destination. You can follow the Author on her  Website  or  X  (formerly Twitter).