Holidays

September 16, 1931 The indomitable Omar al-Mukhtar, religious scholar and leader of Libyan desert fighters who’d fought a European colonial power to a standstill for twenty years, was martyred. He was 73 years old, still fighting, when he was wounded and captured by troops of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Mussolini […]

Back in the ’70’s, there was fiction piece about a movement called BYE: Better Your Exit, where people who were terminal would kill themselves in interesting ways that made a statement and would maybe benefit society. I thought of that when I read about Marvin Heemeyer’s last ride. Marv was […]

Three St. Patrick’s Day Treats: Irish Coffee, Irish Soda Bread, and the Dubliners. Irish pickup line: Darlin’ if you won’t come home with me the leprechauns have already won! Nearly 33 million Americans identify as Irish. That’s seven times more than there are Irish people in Ireland. Now here we […]

Here are two seasonal breads that are always welcome at a solstice potluck or as drive-by gifts. Both include sourdough which gives a subtle flavor and changes consistency in a way that’s hard to describe but noticeable. I made them for years without sourdough so no worries if you don’t […]

Dies Natalis Solis Invictus “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.” December 21st is the shortest day of the year in the north. Tonight’s an auspicious one, with a full moon and meteor showers. In Juneau we’ll get 6 hours, 22 minutes of daylight. At 1:22 p.m. there’s a celestial pause then […]

… a car stops and the rich mill owner’s lazy wife leans out and whines: “Giveya two bits for that ol tree.” Ordinarily my friend is afraid of saying no; but on this occasion she promptly shakes her head: “We wouldn’t take a dollar.” The mill owner’s wife persists.” A […]