Once again, Americans have turned back time. By the time this blog officially launches on November 3, 2025, it will all be over. Americans will have changed time at 2:00 a.m. local time Sunday, November 2. Wait — What? You mean you didn’t know we could control time? Benjamin Franklin suggested the concept in 1784
Articles Categorized History
Halloween Stories
Halloween, once called Samhain, is nigh. In two weeks costumed children, as well as adults, will pass through neighborhoods or decorated trunk-or-treat parking lots with dulcet cries of “Trick or Treat.” Halloween is the modern iteration of Samhain [pronounced SOW-wen] a Celtic festival that begins at sundown October 31 and continues into November 1. As
Bobbing for Apples, An Autumn Tradition
Fall officially began last month, but October is the month I always associate with the changing of the seasons from summer activities to those that announce Fall and the Harvest Season has arrived. Deciduous trees paint the horizon in warm colors before swirling to the ground. Halloween preparations are underway, and black cats are understandably
Chapter House Grotesques at York Minster
The so-called Green Man motif, like the one on the left, is often found in medieval grotesques. An ancient symbol of rebirth, the Green Man is linked to spring, and earlier gods of the forest. Most generally, the Green Man is surrounded by leaves or branches. This Green Man lives in York Minster, beneath the
York Minster Grotesques & Other Carvings
Over the years, I have visited York Minster many times. And I always see something unexpected, like this chap on the left. It seems uniquely appropriate that a creature such as this should be restrained by fencing in the Stonemasons’ Yard. The wide-eyed creature with pointed ears clutches his head while a frog crawls out
Rembrandt, The Night Watch, & Me
When I was in middle school, every student had to take a semester of music and a semester of art before they could take any other electives unless they kept to either music or art for their entire middle school career. I didn’t know if I would like music, but I knew I wouldn’t like
St. Gertrude’s Cats
Monday, March 17 is the annual celebration of St. Patrick, usually accompanied by leprechaun illustrations and green beer. In recent years, a meme depicting St. Gertrude of Neville stroking a cat she holds in her arms appears about the same time. Caption: “It happens every year: Patrick this and Patrick that. No one remembers me
Riding Pillion
Pillion is a new word in my vocabulary. According to Merriam-Webster, a pillion is a light saddle for women consisting chiefly of a cushion, OR a pad or cushion put on behind a man’s saddle, chiefly for a woman to ride on, OR a motorcycle or bicycle saddle for a passenger. The word pillion seems
Janus, The God of Transitions
Janus, the Roman god of new beginnings, transitions, and thresholds has a brief moment of recognition in his namesake month. The ancient Roman calendar was a 10-month lunar year of 304 days, and an awkward gap of 61 days. The year began in March, the start of the new agricultural year. By 45 BCE the
YULE: A CELEBRATION OF WINTER SOLSTICE
In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice will happen on December 21st, marking the season of Yule. It is the shortest day of the year, while also marking the slow return of longer days. Winter begins, but also heralds the hope of spring. At Stonehenge, Neolithic builders shaped the standing stones to frame the winter and
Samhain — The Witches’ New Year
Samhain [pronounced SOW-wen] is an ancient Celtic celebration marking the death of the warmer half of the year and beginning the next cycle in the Wheel of the Year. The year turns between sunset October 31 and sunset November 1. The specific dates are somewhat arbitrary. Suffice to say, Samhain marks the year’s turning from
Black Cats —From Revered to Feared
In the northern hemisphere, October marks the transition from summer to fall. Pumpkins appear at grocery and garden stores. Leaves swirl in the breeze before dropping in colorful abandon. The days grow shorter. Pumpkin spice is everywhere, especially in coffee and pastries. Neighbors put skeletal Halloween decorations in their yards. And, in general, we become
Rum Punch, An Imperial Tipple
After learning about Puritan taverns [see previous blog], I began researching 17th century “church-raising” in Salem Village. The process is basically the same thing as a barn-raising, and requires almost complete community participation to raise the walls and connect them to the roof rafters. But research often leads to unexpected results. Apparently, the town of
Baking 4 + 20 Blackbirds Into a Pie
I’ve been researching 17th century wedding customs this week and a 1685 recipe for Bride’s Pye caught my imagination. Bride’s Pye included all manner of ingredients that seemed a bit unusual from my perspective, though I admit I am not the most adventurous eater. Examples include cock stones and combs [roosters’ testicles and the combs on
The Statue of Liberty: France’s Gift to America
The first time I saw the Statue of Liberty was in 1963, the year this photo was taken. My grandparents, in a spirit of incredible courage & generosity, took my cousins & I on a car trip to see American monuments across the United States. We took the ferry across from a pier in Lower
Apples & Pumpkins: The Fruits of Fall
Every season has its own special foods, and two of the foods most associated with fall are apples and pumpkins. Both are harvested between late August and the end of October, and both have associations with fall in the northern hemisphere. As the nights become longer and the weather chillier, a mug of hot apple