Monday Musings

  One of the busiest weeks of the year is upon us. Today we tackled the market: our grocery cart groaned under its burden, as we filled it with recipe ingredients and end-cap two-for-one specials. As the cash register total rose, we reminded ourselves of our blessings. The checklist continues: pulling the turkey out of the freezer to begin its days-long thaw, tidying the house for a holiday guest, baking and making do-ahead dishes, and placing fresh flowers on the mantel. Our Thanksgiving menu is traditional: roast turkey, dressing, special mashed potatoes (a family secret), a gussied-up sweet potato bake, green bean casserole (this year’s version a treat with frozen green beans from my garden and baby Bella mushrooms), cranberry-orange relish, Parker House rolls spread with Kerrygold Irish butter, turkey gravy, and pumpkin pie. On Black Friday, we always avoid the shopping crush and head to a local Christmas tree farm. The Thanksgiving visitor, our able-bodied young nephew, will d...

While working in my garden this autumn, I noticed there were more acorns than in previous fall seasons. The ground was carpeted by oak nuts. Is this abundance of acorns a harbinger of a severe winter? In fact, it is not. It is a mast year. Mast is a term derived from Old English  mæst , which means the fruit of forest shrubs and trees, which are wind-pollinated species. What are nature’s signs of a mast year? The characteristics are  synchronization :  simultaneous widespread production of large seed quantities of many trees , and  high seed production : a thick ground acorn layer, a single oak tree may drop thousands of acorns. Why does this phenomenon occur?  There are  three categories of hypotheses .  Economies of scale  can be due to  predator satiatio n (a proportion of seeds can escape consumption and lead to new trees) or  pollination efficienc y (from reproductive synchronization). Both ideas assume that a variable, large reprod...

  This emoji captures how I felt when I let my dogs outside this morning. And here is why: the weather data from our home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina at 08:00 AM. The polar vortex descended into the Eastern United States with a vengeance. Temperatures plunged overnight. Even Florida will experience unseasonal cold later today and tomorrow. The wind chill, or “feels like” temperature, was ten degrees worse than the thermometer displayed due to brisk winds. We had gusts up to 33 mph, driving our cold deeper. In addition, the first dusting of snow appeared. We were lucky: the Great Lakes area was pummeled with about a foot of snow in some areas. Is this a harbinger of a bad winter? According to the  Farmers’ Almanac 2025–2026 winter forecast , we may have a season of widespread wintry weather with dramatic swings. Where do you look for weather outlook: television or social media? Traditionally, I have turned to almanacs for guidance. The  Farmers’ Almanac ,...

  October 31, Halloween, is a time for costumes and parties. Even adults enjoy these festivities. A neighbor took this shot with his new camera and sent us an AI adaptation. I chose the human anatomy theme featuring a one-piece costume, complemented by a “brain” cap. I used grease paint to apply a rendition of the facial muscles to complete the ensemble. Too realistic, I suppose, for another guest-Death was not amused. [I won the best costume prize!] My wife portrayed everyone’s fear: the evil clown. Quite frightening to behold! Cue the scary background music! We subjected our dogs to our madness. Plato was not amused at our shenanigans; Benji spun in circles, biting at the spider’s legs. Every party must have snacks and libations. The potluck selections were tasty. I may have seen a tray of neon Jello shots making the rounds. My contribution is pictured above. In our mountain community, homes are spread out over a considerable distance, and there are few children, so there is no t...