Well, it is in the northern hemisphere. Those down under are flirting with the powers of the winter solstice (don’t touch the standing stones!! 🙂 ) Got whip-lash yet? For me, it was January only two seconds ago and now it’s the summer solstice. The summer and winter solstice celebrations go back into antiquity, and […]
It’s the Summer Solstice today. Read More »
June is Great Outdoors Month in the USA, which is a great idea. Everyone tends to head out in June, as soon as the warmer weather kicks in. Even mole-like people like me appreciate being able to open windows, breathe fresh air and still be warm. I’ve written many stories that were set mostly out
Great Outdoors Month Read More »
Today is Armed Forces Day. Canada’s Armed Forces Day isn’t a public holiday, although there are parades and fly-bys where there are military bases. There is not a lot of commonly-known history about the Canadian military, and as a new Canadian, I’m still catching up on it. There is waaay more movies and TV series
Canadian Military History on Armed Forces Day Read More »
Every year I write about May the Fourth, and every year, it seems, I explain why I cannot ignore the day. So this year, I won’t. 🙂 Instead, I’m bringing forward the most interesting post from previous years. You can also find other May the Fourth posts here and here. Have an interstellar day! t.
May the Fourth Be With You… Read More »
No, I’m not referring to bedroom games. Really! In the continuing series on things we don’t have to do anymore, providing medical care for our families is on that list. I remember reading Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott when I was very young. I was too young to appreciate the setting and time period, so
This post ran seven years ago, so it has drifted deep into the archives. I thought I’d refresh it and bring it forward. –t. I’m almost afraid to mention Shakespeare. There is a whole generation of readers out there, including my kids, who had Shakespeare in Love shoved down their throats in English class at
Shakespearean Sonnets Revisited. Read More »
I’ve seen many pictures of women in third world countries carrying water. Buckets and jugs on their heads, or jerry cans in both hands, sometimes with babies strapped to their backs. I’m sure you’ve seen them, too. Thing is, not so long ago, everyone had to carry water from the nearest source, back to their
I wrote this post almost exactly two years ago. I thought I’d bring it forward, because it has a lot of the information in it and all the far more interesting asides (like Oded Fehr). I’m digging back into the history of the Legion once more, this time not just because my curiousity bump was
Héros de la Légion étrangère française, oh mon dieu! Read More »
In the first part of this long post, I described the long process involved in turning any type of fiber (wool, flax, silk, cashmere, cotton) into strands for weaving, to produce cloth, and how labour intensive it was in the past, when machines didn’t do all the work for us. All That Was A Woman’s
Making Cloth – Part 2 Read More »
Look Around You In a second, I’m going to ask you to lift your head up and look around your current location. I want you to take a quick tally of everything you can see that has a textile component. That is, any fabric, anything woven. Okay, take thirty seconds and have a look. …
Making Cloth – Part 1 Read More »