Sumac: Deep Red
Sumac. A strange little word. I assumed it must be Native American—it just sort of sounds like it. And sumac is a dirt-common American plant, lining roadsides, springing up in empty lots, under power lines–all across the country, literally from coast to coast. But when I googled the word sumac, it turns out to be derived from ancient Aramaic, of all things. Sumac doesn’t refer to just the native American varieties, there are hundreds of sumac species all across the world. Sumac, it turns out, was a prized spice and also a medicine in the ancient world, a very valuable commodity. In the...
Read MoreWhite Clover: Halloween Magic
On the way home from a trip to Washington, DC. I set the GPS, then absentmindedly follow its commands through a maze of beltways and interstates. Keep left on this, turn right on that… Before I know where I am, it’s leading me over the hills and far away—not up the Jersey Turnpike, as I’d planned to go, but a longer and more winding route through the green valleys of Pennsylvania. Recalculating. Ah, well. It’s a pleasant fall day, leaves are turning, and all along these winding country highways are farmstands selling pie, honey, maple syrup, apples and pumpkins. Halloween, coming soon....
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