For reasons known only to the universe, we know a surprising number of people who were born today. That means it’s an excellent chance for me to cheer them on.
Not everyone wants a big to do, but whether you love your birthday, loathe it, or struggle to remember how old you are, the day is also an opportunity for the rest of us to appreciate you.
You’re here. And we’re happier for it.
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We recently had something of a family emergency. We’re okay and I’m mentioning it now not for sympathy, but because it reminded me that no matter what it looks like from the outside, you never really know what a person is going through.
When you can, err on the side of kindness.
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Whoops, I forgot to mention a recent solar system milestone. Two days ago, the Earth (that’s you and that’s me!) reached aphelion, or the point in our orbit at which we’re the farthest distance away from the Sun. That puts us at approximately (give or take the distance we’ve traveled in the past two days) about 3 million miles farther away from the sun than we are at perihelion.
It also raises a funny question:
Aphelion: Earth is as far away from the sun as it ever gets. So why is it so hot?
This happens every year in early July, which might sound backward. If we’re farthest from the sun, shouldn’t it be cooler?
The answer lies in the fact that the Earth gets closer to and farther away from the Sun, but it’s also tilted.
Our planet spins at an angle — about 23.5 degrees — which means different parts of the globe receive more (or less) sunlight depending on the time of year. In July, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, bringing longer days and higher sun angles that lead to more direct sunlight — all of which produce summer-like heat.
And as this Space.com article details, we’re also moving at our slowest:
Since Kepler’s laws of motion dictate that celestial bodies orbit more slowly when farther from the sun, we are now moving at our slowest pace in orbit, slightly less than 18 miles per second (29 kilometers per second) compared to just over 19 at perihelion.
Given that, today might be a good time to relax, and enjoy the ride.
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Posted in Other, Science! | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, aphelion, astronomy, science, space | Leave a Comment »
Happy Fourth of July!
“I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love.”
— W.E.B. DuBois
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Posted in Holidays | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, independence day, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
This world belongs to you. You are here to lead, to blossom out in the open, to show your heart to strangers, to fail and fail and fail again — with grace, with humor, with dignity, with joy.
— Heather Havrilesky
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, failure, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
This week I learned about a little piece of medieval magic called the posset.
What is a posset? Not, as you might think, an odd variant of the possum, but a dessert. And a dessert that shouldn’t, at least on first glance, work. At all.
But it does, and it is magic.
I titled this post “medieval magic” because I’m a sucker for a fun alliteration, but my familiarity with the posset comes from historical fiction set in the nineteenth century. (It was originally a drink of milk curdled with wine often used for medicinal purposes, but the word evolved.) I knew that it was a dessert and something like custard, but not the how or why of it.
As of yesterday, I have added this particular spell to my magical recipe book.
Why magic? Because the posset, which is a cream-based pudding-like dessert, shouldn’t work.
Look at this ingredient list:
Gently boil cream and sugar for five minutes, remove from heat and stir in juice, cool then chill.
That’s it. Unlike panna cotta, custard or pudding, there’s no gelatin, eggs or starch to bind the ingredients together. It still comes out of the fridge a thick, spoonable dessert that goes beautifully with fruit and a Biscoff cookie base. And it’s simple. The biggest commitment is chilling time.
The recipe I modified, with notes:
Creamy Key Lime Pie Bars Recipe | King Arthur Baking
Seriously, though, why does this work?
The magic is in the interaction of the acids in the juice and the cream.
How To Make A Posset – An Acid Set Cream – The Culinary Exchange
Possets are acid set creams. This makes citrus flavors perfect posset making foundations.
Yes, please.
Posset – The old school dessert we’re bringing back
It’s a 3 ingredient custard that tastes like the love child of lemon curd & pastry cream…
- Dissolving sugar into cream keeps the posset from being gritty
- Boiling the cream evaporates off a little bit of the water, concentrating the fats in the cream for an extra-luscious texture
- The acid coagulates the proteins in the cream, which causes the posset to thicken as it cool. Coagulation means that proteins are getting together and hanging out. The closer they hang, the firmer the final filling texture!
So kind of like cheese, but in the end, nothing like cheese. The posset was fruity, tangy, and delicious, exactly the sort of magic I love.
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Posted in Food and... | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, dessert, food, food science, recipes | 1 Comment »
Happy Canada Day!
Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.
— Pierre Trudeau
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Posted in Holidays | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, quotes | Leave a Comment »
There’s a bird hanging around outside, one that’s been frequenting the yard on and off for the past couple of weeks. It’s a cardinal. Pretty, but not extraordinary around here.
This particular bird, however, is a bit peculiar in that it seems to have some interesting blotchy marks on its wings. Or maybe its belly. Or its back? Perhaps it’s just a juvenile taking his first flights into adulthood. I can’t be sure because I’m a typically nearsighted book nerd and the pesky little guy refuses to sit still long enough for me to get my phone or binoculars.
So I think it may have some unusual markings, but maybe it’s just me. All I know is that it’s interesting and I’d like a closer look.
I haven’t been able to get that close-up look, yet, but the possibility of it keeps me focused, and paying attention to what I can see. Squirrel shenanigans, a giant lazy bumblebee, gulls riding air currents overhead, a huge black wasp, a tiny little bee feeding on grass flowers, a chipmunk, lightning bugs in the yard, the beauty of the volunteer daisies around the corner of the house.
I may not always see everything I hope, but I see far more than I would if I were not paying attention at all.
And that’s a very good thing.
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
“To live is not to breathe but to act.”
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, action, inspiration, life, philosophy, quotes, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
We took a little time out this afternoon to deliver encouragement to some hardworking friends. And delicious 0% blueberry beer from Broadhead Brewery, perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Recommend!
“Happiness is not made by what we own. It is what we share.”
— Jonathan Sacks
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, happiness, quote, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
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