The Dark Times
One day in late October, a neighbor boy on the block where we lived years ago observed that we were beginning “the dark times.” It seems to amuse Craig to recall this comment each fall around this time. It’s an apt observation, considering the decreasing daylight hours, the encroaching return to Standard Time, and the way our evening rituals have been shifting for the last several weeks.
Seasonal Rituals Include Leaving the Leaves
The more I learn about the diverse ways in which nearly all insects are beneficial—sometimes simply as food for birds—the less cleaning up of the garden we do.
October Days and Mysteries
A month in which we admire the harvest moon and migrating birds, read banned books, conclude the Jewish High Holidays, and consider the mysterious and curious ways of the ancients.
An Update on the 2026 Useful Calendar and LoLa
There must be some invisible force afflicting printers around here lately. Fortunately, I do have a good variety and quantity of items for LoLa this weekend. If you’re in the Minneapolis area, do stop by and see all of us at the Toolbox Collective.
It’s the 2026 Useful Calendar, Now With Even More Usefulness
The new Useful Calendar featuring 12 horse illustrations for the upcoming Year of the Horse is ready (mostly), and will be available (in at least some iteration) at the LoLa Art Crawl, Sep. 20–21.