Happy Bloomsday To Us All!

“Grey way, whose violet signals are…” James Joyce’s Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, c. 1928

There’s a poem that comes to mind, usually unbidden. I can be doing something completely mundane, and suddenly, there it is. And as I intone the words to myself, I get goosebumps.

The poem is “Bahnhofstrasse” by James Joyce, better known as the author of the great novel, Ulysses.… Continue reading

Filling the Belly

Brother Francis surveys the daily bread fresh from the ovens. What’s the story, here?

It’s easy to make bread!

You know the drill: flour, water, salt, yeast. Mix it into a nice dough, let it proof, and throw it in the oven. You don’t really need a recipe if you’ve made it a few times.

You can be sure that that amorphous mass in the bowl or dough trough will undergo a divine transformation.… Continue reading

Breakfast on Bloomsday

A day in the life of Leopold Bloom

What will you have for breakfast this Thursday, June 16? Anything special?

I’ll probably have a slice of toasted Seed Feast loaf from last week’s bake with a smear of peanut butter and pour-over coffee. I’ll raise my first steaming cup to Jennifer and wish her a happy Bloomsday.… Continue reading