Revisiting Rachel Carson and Silent Spring

“Saint Rachel,” Rachel Carson, 1940. Photo courtesy of rachelcarson.org

There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields.

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The Pandemic is Beginning to Leave its Mark — As It Always Does

Apologies for the creepy image!

It’s a 17th-century engraving of a plague doctor. He’s wearing a costume that had its origins in the medieval period.

I came across a similar image on Instagram this week. It was a meme commenting on the “fashion trends” of Summer 2020. Funny, but like many Internet memes has a certain edge.… Continue reading

Confessions of a Would-Be Baker

Feeding the multitudes

I don’t consider myself a professional baker by any means. I’ve never studied a baking program, never worked in a bakery. I’ve learned a few tricks from books, watched a few videos like everyone else. And I’ve learned a bit by doing. Making larger quantities of bread than just a couple of loaves at a time.… Continue reading

The Stillness of Summer

The Sourdough Mountain Lookout, a fire lookout built in 1933, North Cascades National Park, Washington. 
Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout
By Gary Snyder

Down valley a smoke haze
Three days heat, after five days rain
Pitch glows on the fir-cones
Across rocks and meadows
Swarms of new flies.

I cannot remember things I once read
A few friends, but they are in cities.
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This Living Rock Island

Our little island at right, the lights of Sidney in the distance. A near full moon. Picture taken July 3 at 2:34 a.m.

In the dark, it’s a haunting presence, this island to the southwest off the prow of our property. I often see it in the moonlight, in the early morning hours of a bake day.… Continue reading