haiku, a painted sky

 

 

 the clouds! like a painting

 this sunset beyond the trees 

colors float, sun sets

Me, the Farmer's Almanac , and the full moon of July of 2026

 

 First of all let me say that The Farmers Almanac has become , a favorite "yard sale find", next only to insulators.

Though July will always be the 'firefly moon' to me, i must admit i have seen more than the usual number of young bucks, and does with fawns  browsing along the greenery where lawn meets the deep woods, not sure why there have been so many this year, perhaps because of the late summer, certainly not because of the nearly non existent berry crop.... 

 

 

July 2026: Full Buck Moon, Summer Gardens, Meteor Showers, and Midsummer Weather Lore

by Tim Konrad Updated: July 1, 2026

July is high summer in full swing. Gardens are heavy with vegetables, fireflies glow after dusk, thunderstorms rumble on humid afternoons, and warm evenings invite us outdoors long after supper. In 2026, July also brings a special patriotic milestone: the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

Moon Phases for July 2026

All times below are listed in Eastern Daylight Time.

• Last Quarter Moon: Tuesday, July 7, 3:29 p.m.
• New Moon: Tuesday, July 14, 5:43 a.m.
• First Quarter Moon: Tuesday, July 21, 7:05 a.m.
• Full Buck Moon: Wednesday, July 29, 10:36 a.m.

The July Full Moon reaches peak illumination during the morning hours in North America, so the best time to enjoy it will be after sunset on Wednesday, July 29, and again on Thursday, July 30, when the Moon will still appear nearly full.

Why Is It Called the Full Buck Moon? 

July’s Full Moon is traditionally known as the Buck Moon because this is the season when antler groth is most dramatic when antlers grow rapidly covered with 'velvet' which  contains, nerves and bloodvessels which nourish a the antlers as they grow.  While the antlers are still in velvet they are composed  of cartilage, which turns to bone.

 

The full moon of July has many names, including the Buck Moon, with alternative names including Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, and Wort Moon. 

So on this this evening, a cloudy one at that, i an watching the skyline waiting to catch a glimpse of the waxing gibbous moon in the southeast.   
Good night and peaceful slumbers to all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Christmas in july!!!!

Christmas in July, it sometimes make me wonder about many things. One of the most perplexing is how Sasquatch came to be a part of a holiday that some believe started as advertising  for an Australian Ski Lodge.   

 

Another story i find totaly charming is that of a Sasquatch who rescued a Postmaster who went out to find the Postal vehicle  that was laden with gifts for the people in his town and got lost .

I don't know if the two ever met, but the thoughtful Squatch did make a path for the postmaster to follow home with the gifts and cards. 

 

 

• Summer memories — “When the summer sun finally shows up in the North, what’s the first thing you two like to do together?” 

  SON-i go with dad down to the creek and catch crayfish. 

• Holiday meaning — “In your own words, what does Christmas in July mean to your family?”

  DAD- that's an easy one, We decorate the house and sing, then the night before we BBQ, and sing songs and wait for Santa to fly over in his plane and drop gifts to us.  And leave out some food for the hungry Campers who tromp thru the wood scaring the game, they are usually pretty hungry.

• Father–son bond — “How does celebrating in July bring the two of you closer?”
  SON- Dad gets time off from his job, he pulls trees out of the ground and then plants them upside down, because the tourists think they are special. I don't like them because the trees don't have any leaves on them anymore.

• Traditions — “Do you have any special Christmas‑in‑July traditions that only squatches would
  understand?”Yah. and except for this story, Try this link, its sorta like an advertisement.

I-generated image created with Microsoft Copilot, July 2026. 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandma's kitchen, "Oh my! It's Chocolate pie!"

I hope you will try this recipe, click on the word - link - below  to watch a remarkable  lady in action preparing this pie.   

So tasty and really if you  have any doubts about  your pie crust making skills, like i do.  Notice that a pie shell was used, but it is OK to make your own pie crust if you prefer to do so.  
Try this recipe and enjoy the video! 

Jimmy Huckaby

  ·

This is for anyone who ever had my late grandmother's chocolate pie. I filmed her making it on her 100th birthday. If you want to make it yourself below is the recipe and Ruby Huckaby will show you how its done.

 

Recipe

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

3 tbsp. cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 sm. can evaporated milk

1 cup of water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 baked pie shell

Mix sugar, flour, salt and cocoa. Add milk to the dry ingredients.

When moistened, add egg yolks alternately. Add water; mix well,

put in double boiler and cook until thickened. Pour into baked

pie shell. Use egg whites for meringue. 

 

if you would like to see the video

  https://www.facebook.com/reel/10202558011972924

click 

 link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haiku~~~~IN MEMORY OF MY FIRST MENTOR

 

wAS IT YESTERDAY?

YOU TAUGHT ME  THE FLOWER' S NAMES

I DRIFT OFF REPEATING 

 

  

Guest blogger Hugh Williams. on the Humber Stone

Not all that far from where is used to live there is/was an abandoned stone quarry.  A place just waiting for  adventurous  children of all ages, and in an even earlier time moonshiners.   It gradually became a site of paranormal {not the term we used then} events, and abductions of unwary young people, ghostly sights and sounds,  all the sort of tales made up  in my not so humble opinion, buy parents.  Oh, and there were also mountain lions sighted there,  which at least turned turned out to be true.  
Anyway, where was i going  with this, ah yessssss!
I find these places interesting, and  the Humber Stone, is no exception.   Since roughly  90% of the earths crust  contains silica, and silica which is used to make chips, computer  chips ,  is the earth then some sort of computer????   Saving bits of information , words , thoughts, symbols etc, etc and resembling them?

I think, yah, i know!, i think too much.  But i digress and i do that too much also.  I think there could be a syllogism written to prove that  " one never knows what one never knows."

 

 

Hugh Williams

  ·

A mangled block of stone lies in a small field in Leicester, between a branch of KFC and a housing estate. People walk past it everyday, many of them oblivious to its identity...what is it, and why is it there?

The Humber Stone is a massive rock that sits with most of its mass under the earth, like a stone iceberg. According to 19th century antiquarians it was used by some of the ancient inhabitants of the area as a "sacrificial altar", a claim requiring a pinch of salt perhaps - but it gets stranger.

The stone has gone by other names – Hell Stone, Holy Stone, all tenuously following the tradition that some kind of ritual may have gone on here. The nearby area of Humberstone is definitely linked as it appears in the Domesday book as “Humerstan”, probably meaning “Humba's or Humma's Stone”.

The whole of the Humberstone used to be on display but various attempts have been made through history and in folklore to bury and even break it. Probably because of the “Hell Stone” name it once went by, a vicar had the entire stone covered with earth to create a mound then performed the rite of exorcism over it. On his way home he was thrown from his carriage, breaking his hip. It is said that a local landowner then attempted to break parts of the stone off to flatten it so a plough could pass over. His fortunes went into an immediate downward spiral, ending eventually in bankruptcy with the man ending his days in the workhouse.

After hearing of “groans” emanating from the stone at night, a man from Barkby named Pochin decided to “investigate” the Humberstone, armed with a revolver. Whatever happened that night is not fully known, but he managed to shoot two of his own fingers off in panic, blasting away at something in the dark.

In 1925 a farmer built a haystack, complete with traditional corn dollies, over the now half-buried Humber Stone which spontaneously combusted, causing the fire brigade to come out twice to quell the flames. The stack re-ignited a third and fourth time, with the fire fighters having to run four hoses to finally quell the flames.

When work began on a new road near the stone a family living in a street next to the Humberstone were disturbed by their 10 year old son being menaced by a “horned figure”, which he drew for teachers at his school. He said he didn't know what it was but referred to it as “the thing that I see at the end of my bed”. So unsettling was this phenomenon that the family moved out but a few years later their parents moved in to thar same council property, whereupon the boy's grandmother claimed she had been throttled “by a ghost”.

Finally, in 1985 a man taking a driving lesson was making his way carefully past the Humberstone when both he and his instructor claimed to have seen a UFO in the form of a small silver disc – hovering in the sky above the stone!

Whatever the truth of any of these tales, today the Humberstone now lies half buried in a lonely little field next to the main road, hidden by hedges. The deep gashes made by the many attempts to break it up are still clearly visible while erosion has made its mark too, but with its main mass underground it is difficult to get an impression of how great this monument once was.

If you intend on seeing it for yourself by car then I would suggest parking at the KFC and crossing the road by foot into its little field. An odd spot for such a grand old stone but while buildings rise and fall...it's still here.

 

From Grandma's Kirchen Joni Mitchell's Lentil Soup

  
Once in awhile there is something really good  shows up on my internet machine.   Just had to share.  

 

🌿 Joni Mitchell’s Favorite Lentil Soup

Daily Grill–style

Ingredients

• Butter

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced

• Tomato purée

• Paprika

• Red lentils

• Bulgur wheat

• Chicken stock or broth

• Chili flakes (for serving)

• Dried or fresh mint (for serving)

• Fresh lemon juice (for serving)

Instructions

1. Sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft.

2. Add tomato purée and paprika; cook briefly.

3. Add red lentils, bulgur, and chicken stock/broth.

4. Simmer about 30 minutes, until lentils are completely soft.

5. Purée the soup until creamy and smooth.

6. Finish with chili flakes, mint, and a squeeze of lemon.

Notes

• Longer cooking of the tomato purée adds sweetness.

• Broth works just as well as stock.

• Fresh mint is lovely if you have it.

• The soup develops deep flavor in only 30 minutes.