-
December 4
As everybody knows, December 4, at least in the US, is National Cookie Day. December, of course, is well known for National Food Days; it all starts on the first, which is Eat a Red Apple Day. The next day takes a left turn away from healthy choices to be National Fritter Day. Then after… Continue reading
-
Those birdbrains
Those stupid birdsare always tweeting,and now we’ve foundthey’re always eating! My humans leavea bunch of seedsfor birds — I guessthat’s what they need. And their feeder thing?It’s in my yard!Those birds ignoreme standing guard! And then they perch there,always eating.And while they eat,It’s nonstop tweeting! -Chocolate Continue reading
-
The writers of December 3
Today is the birthday of two authors whose birth names you don’t know. Well, you probably don’t. The first, born December 3, 1857, is Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski. You may recognize him as Joseph Conrad. The second, born December 3, 1937, is Sally Snyder, who is celebrating her 87th birthday today. You can imagine her… Continue reading
-
The shadow knows
The Latin word for shadow is “umbra,” and it shows up a number of places in English. The first place it shows up, although maybe not the first place people nowadays would think of, is the actual English word “umbra.” It’s not necessarily a literal shadow; one usage of “umbra” means ghost — either a… Continue reading
-
December 3
December 3, 1800, was the day that Aaron Burr nearly became the third president of the US. The 1800 election resulted in a tie between Burr and Thomas Jefferson, so it was up to the House of Representatives to hold a contingent election. After the first ballot, that was tied too, and it stayed that… Continue reading
-
A brief winter trip outside
My yard had a bird when I trotted out there.I chased it away so my grass could be bare,But a squirrel annoyingly chattered at meAnd it stayed where it was up too high in the tree.So I picked up my toy (I keep one outside)and I flapped it around ’til I could decideif I wanted… Continue reading
-
I’m not from here
Thanks mostly to air travel, it’s not unusual to meet someone from practically any country on earth. You may have even met a Padanian. But you won’t find Padania on a map, in an atlas, or in the United Nations. That’s because it’s the name of a nation that doesn’t exist. But people really live… Continue reading
-
The unhappy emperor
Empires have historically been more common than you might think. Even in the western hemisphere, we’ve had the empires of the Inca, the Maya, and Brazil. Yep, Brazil. And as it happens, the last emperor of Brazil, Pedro II, was born December 2, 1825. His full name was just a bit longer than Pedro II:… Continue reading
-
December 2
It was December 2, 1823 that US President James Monroe delivered the State of the Union address where he announced what’s now called the Monroe Doctrine — the US was going to be neutral in all future European conflicts. The Monroe Doctrine lasted quite a while, although of course the US eventually got involved in… Continue reading
-
Honk if you’ve heard this one
When I see a good friendon the street (other side)I know enough not torun there to say hi. In between are those thingsthat are loud, fast, and smellyand dangerous, too;they could turn me to jelly. I’ve ridden inside them myselfso I knowthat they’re not really real;they can just stop and go. The humans believethat they… Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Privacy policy
No trackers, no ads, no data collected or saved.
Now Read This
This list includes only “artisanal” sites, by which I mean they’re all authored by individuals. While there are some worthwhile sites created by organizations, this is the kind I prefer to support.
[citation needed] by Molly White
Bedlam Farm Journal by Jon Katz
Full Moon Fiber Art by Maria Wulf
Daring Fireball by John Gruber
Garbagetown by Catherynne M. Valente