A blizzard in the mailbox . . .

Monday, March 2, 2026. It's the Moon's day . . . This is the last blood moon until 2029. and a total lunar eclipse is to occur tomorrow morning in TulsyTown – if the clouds allow. Tomorrow morning's forecast indicates a “mostly cloudy” set of conditions during the best viewing times from 5a.m. to 6am, so there's a chance, small though it may be. The event will unfold in the Western skies. Today's forecasts indicate Northerlies continuing to bring cloudy skies with cool conditions in the mid 50's afternoon.

Sometimes compassion will arise spontaneously, like the clouds parting to reveal the blue sky. At other times we may have to make a conscious effort, which is a bit more like imagining what the blue sky looks like, even when it’s obscured by clouds. – Andy Puddicombe

The week ahead. – Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse.

Trump and Iran: to divert attention and the real costs. – Robert Reich, Trump's Real Reason, online.

Trump and Iran: A historic perspective, from Heather Cox Richardson, in Letters From An American.

Yesterday, birthdays at the back of the mailbox . . .

Javier Bardem turned 57. He was born in 1969, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain.

Ron Howard turned 72. The multi-awarded laureate for his film acting and directing born in 1954, Duncan, Oklahoma.

And the composer/pianist Frédéric Chopin was born in 1810 near Warsaw, Duchy of Warsaw (now in Poland) .

Today’s birthdays spilling out from the front . . .

John Irving is 84 today. The novelist and screen writer was born in 1942 Exeter, New Hampshire. He is the author of The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules, among more than 15 other novels and screenplays.

Daniel Craig is 58. His list of film credits would fill any mailbox. He was born in 1968, Chester, Cheshire, England.

One of the most influential songwriter/musicians in the history of alternative rock, Lou Reed, was born on this day in 1942, Brooklyn, New York. He was not afraid of shining light on New York City's “wild side.”

The author Tom Wolfe was born on this day in 1930, Richmond, Virginia. A leading proponent of New Journalism (the application of fiction-writing techniques to journalism).

Today is also the birthdate of the children’s book author who wrote under the name Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Geisel, in 1904 Springfield, Massachusetts.

And, Kurt Weill was born in 1900, Dessau, Germany. The German-born American composer created a revolutionary kind of opera featuring sharp social satire in collaboration with the writer Bertolt Brecht.

Without the experience of a New York blizzard, your life is not complete until you’ve seen one. – Garrison Keillor, “What A Beautiful Blizzard,” TheColumn.

There’s nothing that quite matches watching a snowfall in the late evening.

Saying “yes” to the mystery. . .

Sunday, March 1, 2026. It's Sol's day . . . cooling after record Spring warmth. TulseyTown forecasts indicate a cloudy day for TulseyTown with a 50/50 chance for rain this afternoon as moderate Northerlies bring temperatures down to 70º. 60% rain chance this evening.

It is not good to feel that one’s own religion alone is true and all others are false. God is one only, and not two. Different people call on Him by different names: some as Allah, some as God, and others as Krishna, Śiva, and Brahman. It is like the water in a lake. Some drink it at one place and call it jal [Hindi], others at another place and call it pani [Urdu], and still others at a third place and call it water. The Hindus call it jal, the Christians water, and the Mussalmans pani. But it is one and the same thing. – Sri Ramakrishna.

Growing pains – AnaLouise Keating, Wildnerness Times, in Meditations, from The Center for Action and Contemplation.

Yellowstone was named a national park on this date in 1872.

Novelist and essayist Ralph Ellison was born on this day in 1914 Oklahoma City,.

One of the most awarded poets of the 20th Century, Richard Wilbur, was born in 1921 New York City.

The poet Robert Lowell was born today in 1917 Boston, Massachusetts. Critics consider Lowell the “father of confessional poetry.”

For you:

Rita Dove & Billy Collins conduct a brief introduction to poetry workshop. It's about 10 minutes with two of the very best of our living poets.

Mysteries, Yes

… we live with mysteries

too marvelous to be understood.

…

How people come, from delight

or the scars of damage

to the comfort of a poem.

… Keep company always

with those who say “Look!”

and laugh in astonishment

and bow their heads.

– Mary Oliver, “Mysteries, Yes,” in Evidence, Beacon Press. 2009.

A bright idea . . .

Saturday, February 28, 2026. It's the Satyr's day . . . Forecasts for TulseyTown indicate slight rain chances for rain the next several days. Likely mid week. Increasing clouds late today after another possible record high in the low 80's with moderate to strong Southerlies.

Today's Mailbox was jammed to the seams with politics and this reminder:

Gratefulness is possible with the awareness of the fragility of what we have.

That said . . .

Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched co-ordinated strikes across Iran this morning. Iran is retaliating with missle attacks in Israel and on U.S. bases in the region.

Trump is about to turn CNN into his own private FOX. – Miles Taylor, Defiance. 2.27.26.

DIRECTV is warning of the danger of mega ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC mergers impacting local news coverage.

(… Whew … )

Today is the birthday of Paul Krugman. The Nobel Prize laureate economist and journalist was born in 1953, Albany, New York.

The internationally acclaimed architect and designer Frank Gehry was born today in 1929, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

And, Linus Pauling was born on this day in 1901, Portland, Oregon. The theoretical physical chemist became the only person to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes.

My uncle, Eugene Wilson Young, survived WWII as a B24 gunner. He became a geologist after the war. It was a fine day, so he told me, when he came up with a bright idea.

My Uncle's Bright Idea

Eugene Wilson we called him, had an idea:

Take home as many oil well core samples

as would fit into his new Volkswagen Golf –

a German made auto he swore

he'd never drive

much less purchase –

put them on a lathe at his workshop

and using carbon fiber sandpaper

polish them into lamp bases,

some of which now adorn my abode's rooms

bringing the light he searched for years

to share.

– jab

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. – Thomas Merton