Cave time is coming . . .

Friday, January 2, 2026. It's Frigg's (Freya's) day. Northerlies brought a rain shower to TulseyTown this morning. Forecasts indicate clearing skies and low 60's this afternoon.

When roles fall away, do you ever vanish? Or is there something here that remains present, quiet and alive?

Day Two: Yep, new year, new ancient tradition. While the Babylonians were promising to return borrowed farm tools (actually), I read that 85% us will try to spend less time on our phones, which is a noble goal we’ll all inevitably fail at while scrolling through “10 Tips to Reduce Screen Time” at 2:00 AM. – Kim Komando, The Current, 1.1.25

How to establish a daily practice of almost anything. – Anne Cushman

On January 1, 1892 the first person processed through the newly opened Ellis Island Immigrant Station entered the United States of America. – Heather Cox Richardson, in Letters From An American.

The electric car finally becomes more convenient than the gas car in 2026. That changes this year. Major automakers like Mercedes-Benz and Toyota are slated to move solid-state batteries from the lab to the production line in 2026. The main problem with e-cars has been batteries. The new batteries are a game changer. They don’t catch fire, they charge in about 10 minutes, and they can go up to 1,000 miles on a single charge. That’s New York to Florida without stopping for a charge. – Kim Komando, The Current, 1.1.26.

Lynda Barry turns 69 today. The cartoonist and author (The Good Times are Killing Me) was born in 1956 Richland Center, Wisconsin.

And, today is the birthday of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The author “The Story of A Soul” and became known as “the little flower.” She was born in 1873, Alençon, France.

Every exit is an entry somewhere else. Tom Stoppard

Extravagant Stillness

Be patient, my heart.

The time of the cave is coming.

[...]

This is not the season of sorrow,

but of gratitude.

[...]

– Maribai Starr, “Extravagant Stillness,” online, 12.30.25

And so the sun sets . . .

Thursday, January 1, 2026. It's Thor's day . . . and a New Year has begun. Light and variable Southerlies are in the forecasts, bringing a cloudy day to TulseyTown with mild mid 60's afternoon.

As this year turns, may we trust that something wise is moving us forward, even when we cannot yet see the path.

We can never really be lost, no matter how far we wander.

The author of Catcher In The Rye, J. D. Salinger was born on this day in 1919 in New York City.

And, today is the birth date of English author E. M. Forster. The author of Room With A View, and Howard's End was born in 1879 London.

And so, the sun sets . . . Heather Cox Richardson, in Letters From An American. 12.31.25

Start Close In

Start close in,

don't take the second step

or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step

you don't want to take.

[...]

– David Whyte, “Start Close In,” Essentials, 2020

What Have I Learned

I have learned

that fences are for climbing to see

if the grass really is greener on the other side;

[…]

I have learned

that fences are for climbing to see

if the grass really is greener on the other side;

[…]

And I’m glad I was not told

any of these things

else I would not have grown as tall

nor stretched as far.

[…]

– Catherine Garland, “Learning Life,” in Grateful Living, 1.1.26

A naked face for the new year . . .

Wednesday, December 31, 2025. It's Odin's day … light, variable Westerlies bring warmer conditions to TulseyTown this afternoon. Sunny skies and mid 60's are indicated in the forecasts. It's New Year's Eve and some people will be wearing another mask for fun tonight.

[T]here is a reason we move through the world masked — there is nothing more vulnerable than the naked face of the soul. Emerson knew this: “There is no terror like that of being known,” he wrote as he was falling in love with his friend Margaret Fuller and resisting it. – – Maria Popova, “When Friends Become Lovers: H.G.Wells,” in The Marginalian, 12.28.25

The first ball was dropped at Times Square in New York City to celebrate New Year's Eve on this day in 1907.

Some significant navigators of The Way were born yesterday.

Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland turned 64. The prolific author who coined the term “Generation X” was born on a military base in 1961 Baden-Solingen, Germany; Patti Smith turned 79 yesterday. The singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, photographer and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was born in 1946, Chicago, Illinois; Tiger Woods is now 50. He was on yesterday's date in 1975, Cypress, California; and LeBron James was born in 1984, Akron, Ohio;

Birthdays today include Henri Matisse, the artist often regarded as the most important French painter of the 20th century, was born in 1869 Le Cateau, Picardy, France; and George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army chief of staff during World War II (1939–45), U.S secretary of state (1947–49) and of defense (1950–51), architect of the Marshall Plan for European recovery, and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1953, was born in 1880 Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Sophie's “Sensorial Portraiture” for her 2025. – Sophie Strand, in Make Me Good Soil, 12.31.25

Patti Smith envisions a peaceable kingdom.