Essays Old and New

In the later sixteenth century, about a century after the introduction of the print, Renaissance humanists evolved a novel literary genre, the Essay. The name itself was probably coined by the French thinker Michel de Montaigne. He felt he needed a written mode that...

On growing peppers

My garden and yard are now in full fall regalia. Leaves are scattered over an unevenly mown lawn; sticks blown down by storms and toys tossed aside by children accent the disarray. I’ve moved perhaps half of the compost to the garden but only spread a few beds;...

Lembas and physics

Magic violates the laws of physics. In some states it violates other laws as well. I suppose with the recent election some forms of magic may become the law in certain southern states. In the reality based part of the country (does Massachusetts still count?), what...

Fear of the unknown

I, like most animals am afraid of unknown things that appear to be dangerous to my livelihood. Charlie Baker scares me. Like me, my chickens fear strange and unknown things; their acceptance of me suggests they do fine with strange and known things. A hawk or a...

Sick Chicken

Last night on the bus I was thinking about my chicken. That’s not against the rules on a PVTA bus, though “failure to meet minimum standards for public health and hygiene” is. I will assume that either I have met the minimum standards for public...