‘Through the dancing poppies stole a breeze, most softly lulling to my soul.” – John Keats. I’m grateful for my flowers and my farm, which help me stay grounded at a time when so many people are frightened, angry, or otherwise upset. Like everyone else, I am concerned about our … | Continue reading
Maria met a friend, and I made myself lunch – focaccia bread with cheese, fresh peaches, and snap peas. I went outside to sit in my Amish Adirondack chair and slipped into a trance between sleep and dreaming. It was the most beautiful afternoon of the year for me. It was cool and … | Continue reading
Finding a Terraforming Civilization by Paul Gilster | Jun 28, 2024 | Astrobiology and SETI | 0 comments Searching for biosignatures in the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets invariably opens up the prospect of folding in a search for technosignatures. Biosignatures seem much more l … | Continue reading
Space Exploration and the Transformation of Time by Paul Gilster | Jun 26, 2024 | Advanced Rocketry | 1 comment Every now and then I run into a paper that opens up an entirely new perspective on basic aspects of space exploration. When I say ‘new’ I mean new to me, as in the case … | Continue reading
The Ambiguity of Exoplanet Biosignatures by Paul Gilster | Jun 21, 2024 | Astrobiology and SETI | 19 comments The search for life on planets beyond our Solar System is too often depicted as a binary process. One day, so the thinking goes, we’ll be able to directly image an Earth- … | Continue reading
The Physics of Starship Catastrophe by Paul Gilster | Jun 18, 2024 | Uncategorized | 9 comments Now that gravitational wave astronomy is a viable means of investigating the cosmos, we’re capable of studying extreme events like the merger of black holes and even neutron stars. Any … | Continue reading
An X-Ray Study of Exoplanet Habitability by Paul Gilster | Jun 14, 2024 | Exoplanetary Science | 5 comments Great observatories work together to stretch the boundaries of what is possible for each. Data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory were used in tandem with the James Webb Sp … | Continue reading
Shutting Down Chandra: Will We Lose Our Best Window into the X-ray Universe? by Paul Gilster | Jun 12, 2024 | Deep Sky Astronomy & Telescopes | 10 comments Our recent discussions of X-ray beaming to propel interstellar lightsails seem a good segue into Don Wilkins’ thoughts on th … | Continue reading
I had a lot of fun with my flowers today. I took some out into the sun and went to town. I hope you enjoy it too. I’m signing off; I’ll see you in the morning then. The flowers are all bunched together; there are too many names for me to mention. Bless the sun. The sun is my flow … | Continue reading
The story of Maria and her new Crow Fabric Painting (not named yet) is a compelling one about an artist struggling with an original idea. Most of Maria’s work has no precedents; she has to create it all by herself and with her incredible imagination. Maria loves all trees, especi … | Continue reading
According to Sarah, the director, two dollars and 38 cents will make many people happy at the Cambridge Food Pantry. Salad dressing is one of the most popular items sought by people seeking food support. Only a few things will help people and their children for under three dollar … | Continue reading
I was lured away from wildflowers today by this gorgeous display at the farmer’s market, which was shouting out to be photographed. Erin sold them to me for 8 dollars. Somebody’s got to do it, so I was happy to take the assignment. I love these colors; they lift me. Tomorrow, wil … | Continue reading
For us, the Farmer’s Market has become a cherished ritual for buying vegetables and fresh fish from the Adirondack Fish Company. I’m in love with this family; I look forward to seeing them every week. They are honest, hardworking, and viscerally loving, which is rare among all pe … | Continue reading
There is an inevitable loneliness about love, whether you have it or not. Living without it can be cold and cruel; living with it can be just as bad or worse. I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. Love can grow strong, rich, and powerful. It can also calcify and wither, often dyi … | Continue reading
Zip and I have finally, and perhaps inevitably, crossed paths – two stubborn and opinionated males, always a formula for trouble. As I’ve written many times, Zip and I hang out togetether in good weather on a chair near the pasture, where we observe the fascinating parade of life … | Continue reading
Georgia Okeeffe made a brilliant observation about her flower paintings, which inspired me greatly. She said she thought of flowers as a kind of sculpture, and that idea stuck in my mind. I went to my friend Sue Lambeerti’s Cambridge Flower shop today (she is one of my favorite p … | Continue reading
My daughter Emma spent almost every waking moment of her young life reading. The first job she got (she was 14) was in a used bookstore. My granddaughter Robin has taken on that habit; Emma says she always reads and writes in school and at home. We spent many hours together in bo … | Continue reading
During my absence, Sarah Harrington, the Executive Director of the Cambridge Food Pantry, showcased her relentless drive and resolve, propelling the pantry into a significantly improved state. Her proactive approach to problem-solving was evident in her actions throughout the we … | Continue reading
Maria’s ear is getting better, her hearing is better, and she is better. She has three or four more weekly visits to the ear doctor before it’s all better. She is still uncomfortable at times, but she is much better than yesterday. She was in the wind, rain, and sun most of the d … | Continue reading
The story I want to tell of flowers is of a world all its own, sometimes several worlds converging. Once I started paying attention, flowers began hypnotizing me, bringing dreams, colors, and hidden meanings. Flowers have a powerful grip on millions of people—and on me. I made th … | Continue reading
It is unique because of its rare hand-embroidered vintage center and Maria’s craftsmanship. Here is the newest potholder: The Night Rooster Potholders, $25 plus $5 shipping, offered for sale today on Maria’s Etsy Page. Only seven are being made. Hand-embroidered vintage fabric ar … | Continue reading
I couldn’t resist taking this photo of Maria brushing the donkeys through the lens of the Leica and the garden bed’s new blue bluebells. | Continue reading
It starts out nicely, with Zip curled up on my shoulder, getting a scratch. It ends abruptly when a chipmunk pops up on the stone wall a few feet away. I saved four baby chipmunks in the last two days; Maria saved one yesterday. Above is a photo of Zip stalking the chipmunk; be … | Continue reading
Sarah sent three choices for foods that the pantry is out of shelves. Empty shelves are discouraging. I hope we can help over the weekend; these are the choices and requests. So far, we have done a fantastic job. The weekend items: – 1. Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter, 16.3 Ounc … | Continue reading
Why X-Rays Can’t Push Interstellar Sails by Paul Gilster | Jun 7, 2024 | Sail Concepts | 30 comments Although solar sails were making their way into the aerospace journals in the late 1950s, Robert Forward was the first scientist to consider using laser beams rather than sunlight … | Continue reading
I told a friend last night that Maria and I would be going to Albany this morning, and she said, “Oh, no, are you okay?” It’s not me this time, but Maris. She has some ear issues, and we’re going to a walk-in clinic. Nothing serious. I’ll be home later. I saw a beautiful Robin [ … | Continue reading
Sue Silverstein is an Art and Community Service teacher at Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, New York. Tser Nay Taw (above) was the first Myanmar refugee whose tuition we paid for all through high school. She is graduating and off to college and hopes to be a lawyer. Sh … | Continue reading
It’s painful to see how bitterly divided the country seems, but it has also inspired me to see if the Wildflowers I love to photograph can be mixed up with the more staid and rigid cut flowers. I’m discovering that they each get along quite well with one another, which gives me h … | Continue reading
Joan Chittister, one of my favorite spiritual guides and authors, writes in her book Between The Dark And The Daylight that a part of the soul stirs at night, in the dark and soundless times of day, when our defenses are down. Our daylight distractions no longer protect us from o … | Continue reading
It may seem unusual to some, but I’ve come to appreciate our dogs’ and other animals’ adaptability and resilience. When I go away for short visits, as happened this week, I don’t fuss over saying goodbye, hug and kiss them, or reassure them that I will return. I leave when our f … | Continue reading
I wanted a break from my normal routines, so I only took my Leica Monochrome, a special camera for special places. The first photo I took was of Maria (above) sketching in our AirNB. She always sketches when we are in a hotel or motel and when we are waiting in a doctor’s office. … | Continue reading
Going Interstellar via Budapest by Paul Gilster | Jun 4, 2024 | Culture and Society | 6 comments Studying the rich history of interstellar concepts, I realized that I knew almost nothing about a figure who is always cited in the early days of beamed sail papers. Whereas Robert Fo … | Continue reading
A Shifting, Seething Solar Wind by Paul Gilster | May 31, 2024 | Sail Concepts | 4 comments In search of ever-higher velocities leaving the Solar System, we need to keep in mind the options offered by the solar wind. This stream of charged plasma particles flowing outward from th … | Continue reading
My basic idea with my flower photography is that flowers are never really alone, as they are often presented in flower photos. I believe they are all connected in one way or another and are best seen and understood when they are together. Like us, we are all connected, whether we … | Continue reading
Dear Army of Good, this is a love letter to you from me. I went to the pantry today and was thrilled to see that the empty places on the shelves were filled, just a couple of days after the pantry called for help when every item on their Amazon Wish List was gone, chosen […] | Continue reading
Those things flowers mean to me = are beauty, love, rebirth, and hope. Nobody can take that away from us. | Continue reading
Food pantry support is not a place to rest on our laurels, but you did a heroic job of helping out over this holiday weekend. Thanks to you, the pantry shelves are full. . Hunger in America is real, severe, and getting worse. This was a historic weekend for the Cambridge Food Pan … | Continue reading
I love getting up with the dogs and Maria each morning. I foolishly threw on my bathrobe again, but there were no spiders or other bugs. The farm looked especially beautiful, and I am so fortunate to be alive on this lovely farm. Zinnia spotted me and rushed to the gate to greet … | Continue reading
And Then There Were Four (or Maybe Not) by Paul Gilster | May 28, 2024 | Astrobiology and SETI | 21 comments I’m delighted to see the high level of interest in Dysonian SETI shown not only by reader comments here but in the scientific community at large. I wouldn’t normally retur … | Continue reading
Signing off. I had a sweet holiday. I didn’t get the silence or meditation time I hoped for, but I was lifted by the Army of Good’s excellent work, replenishing the Cambridge Pantry’s empty shelves. We took the day off but will be back tomorrow in full force. Thanks so much. I al … | Continue reading
This is a preemptive strike. The endless argument about where Zip should sleep is over. It was the silliest and most useless argument I can recall, and I’m not having it again. My time is more valuable to me than that. It was a colossal blunder to be pulled into it in the first p … | Continue reading
Today was a significant day for the Cambridge Food Pantry. It marked the first time the pantry had a float in the Cambridge Memorial Day Parade. It was a major success—big, beautiful, fun, a bit wild, creative, colorful, to the point, beautifully designed, and put together—one of … | Continue reading
Sitting on the back porch, I noticed Zip darting back and forth, a small creature clutched in his jaws. He was playing with it, a game of cat and mouse quite literally, and it was a sight that always leaves me conflicted. I don’t mind him catching and eating rodents, but it somet … | Continue reading
Maria took this video this morning, as she does every Monday. It’s beautiful, as always. On this windy, lovely morning, when I went out to check on the animals in the Pole Barn, I found Lulu standing by the Pole Barn, Constance in the corner. It was a beautiful image to me, cal … | Continue reading
I admit I was a bit on edge this weekend. No one has more faith than I do in the Army of Good, which gets more potent by the month. But this was short notice on a significant call for help and on a holiday weekend. You can see where the urgent Wish List call […] | Continue reading
Something exciting is happening to me and my photography. I’m just recognizing it and figuring it out. Maria has awakened me to the extraordinary beauty of wildflowers, flowers out in nature, gorgeous in their own right. I’m zeroing in on them in the Spring, when most of them app … | Continue reading
It is a beautiful Spring day, warm for late May, but our future. Zip slows down as the temperature rises; he sleeps a lot during the day and hunts at night. The flower gardens have been a godsend for him, as have all kinds of places to lie in the shade and look for hunting […] | Continue reading
I was offered a place on the Cambridge Food Pantry’s first-ever Memorial Parade Float, but I didn’t think I’d do well as a fruit or vegetable. I volunteered instead to get up early and go to the pantry and take some photos of the volunteers and workers there early in the morning … | Continue reading