Samhain, one of the 8 great Shabbats of the Wiccan calendar, has been celebrated by the Celtic peoples for 3,000 years.
Monthly Archives: October 2005
Alito
He’s qualified, he’s conservative but not a raving nut, and if he were a woman, I’d be quietly content with the decision to nominate Joseph Alito to the Supreme Court.
As it is, I can live with it.
And Speaking of James….
I meant to post this on Saturday following the afternoon spent with Emme(8) and James(5):
Alpha Centauri
Following their visit on Saturday to the Werner Schmidt Observatory, the grandkids were talking about the stars last night.
At first, they wanted to find Polaris, the “north star”, but the conversation quickly turned to Alpha Centauri, the triple star system closest to our own sun.
Celebrating Halloween
Within a short drive from here, there are still a number of beautiful private properties with charm and character, i.e., yards where developers haven’t cut down every tree and haven’t covered every square inch of ground with high-maintenance, nitrogen-leaching grass.
First snow…
…. witnessed on the way back from the Kennedy rink in Hyannis, prompting young master James to say, “I’ll bet Santa will be here in just a couple of days.”
There is something preternatural about seeing snow before all the leaves have turned. The weather persons predict up to an inch of it for us, with sunny, warmer weather tomorrow.
Gardener’s Diary
It’s October 29, and today’s big decision is when to dig up the dahlias, which are still happily blooming.
Per my friend Carolyn, who is a superb gardener, I should do it NOW, before there’s a hard frost.
Most of the mums have weathered the long period of rain that should banish any talk of water shortages for a good while, and roses are still blooming in other places, like the Fairgrounds.
Two Good Judges, Two Stories
Overriding a proposal for a lesser sentence, NH judge James O’Neill sentenced a Massachusetts man to 30-60 years for the repeated rape of a young relative. The girl was between 13 and 16 years old during her four-year ordeal.
Sock and a Shoe
One of the funniest bits from “All in the Family” was a goofy argument between Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), the blue collar patriarch, and his radical/intellectual son-in-law antagonist, Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner), about the order of putting on shoes and socks.
Decisions, Decisions
Something happened yesterday, a consequence of a series of decisions going back many, many years, and if anything, it proves the point that no matter how hard we try, we are still at the mercy of fate and folly, either our own or that of others.
Let’s just say that for my part, I’m damned sorry I didn’t change our family name when my son was a minor and leave it at that.