Man, it's 20° here this morning (that's -7C). I feel like the biggest problem local farmers/orchardists/gardeners are going to have now and going forward is that warm temps occur earlier in spring and later in fall - but cold temps occur in the exact same range they always did. That is: we'll see warm temps in March instead of April, but it will continue to occasionally drop below freezing well into May as it always has. I don't see how blossoming fruit trees and bushes will ever be able to cope with that.

Unlocked Book of the Month: History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations Who Once Inhabited Pennsylvania and the Neighbouring States

Each month we’re highlighting a book available through PSU Press Unlocked, an open access initiative featuring scholarly digital books and journals in the humanities and social sciences.

About our February pick:

First published by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1818, History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations provides an account of the Lenni Lenape and other tribes in the mid-Atlantic region, looking at their history and relations with other tribes and settlers, as well as their spiritual beliefs, government and politics, education, language, social institutions, dress, food, and other customs. The text, written by the Reverend John Heckewelder, a Moravian missionary based in Ohio and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, includes the author’s observations, anecdotes, and advice, preserving not only his knowledge about the Indian nations in the eighteenth century but also his perspective, as a missionary and settler, on Native Americans and the often-fraught relationships between the tribes and European settlers. This version of the text, published in 1876, contains an introduction and notes by the Reverend William C. Reichel as well as a glossary of Lenape words and phrases and letters between the author and the then-president of the American Philosophical Society concerning the study of the Indian nations and their languages.

Read more & access the book here: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-06701-8.html

See the full list of Unlocked titles here: https://www.psupress.org/unlocked/unlocked_gallery.html

Aesthetically, the mid-Atlantic is pure tragedy.

Anna Dorn, from Vagablonde

Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Leaving Portland, Maine, I wanted to take the beach route and visit the small community of Old Orchard Beach, Maine.  With only 9,000 full-time residents, this vacation spot swells to nearly 75,000 in the summer. Old Orchard Beach was first settled in 1657 by Salem native, Thomas Rogers naming it the Garden of the Sea.  Planting grape vines and pear trees, it was the apple orchard that gave this…

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Join the DC Trans Ladies for our Holiday Soiree @ The Bethesdan Hotel, December 2

Join Beth in your elegant holiday gown or cocktail dress at the DC Trans Ladies Holiday Soiree on December 4 at The Bethesdan Hotel!

Join the DC Trans Ladies at The Bethesdan Hotel for our Holiday Soiree. Enjoy drinks at the bar, sit down for dinner, and socialize with friends, new and old. As always, we invite you to bring your significant other. So assemble your favorite winter-themed outfit such as a cocktail dress or gown and join us at our Soiree in bustling downtown Bethesda! We will be hanging out at the bar, lounge,…

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Virginian Salsa Blanca

Ever since my family moved to the mid-Atlantic, each time we ate at a tex-mex restaurant we’d be given this small bowl of white, sweet sauce that visually resembled ranch dressing. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I discovered that this wasn’t a common thing outside of the tri-state area. It turns out that “white sauce” was invented at a restaurant called El Toro in Norfolk, VA.

Historically I’ve not been a fan of white sauce, though in researching the history I’ve come to appreciate it more, especially with saltier beef dishes. If you’re looking for something a bit different, give it a try.

A note on the dry seasonings: every restaurant around here seems to have their own twist, some using only cumin and red pepper (probably to cut costs). I do think the original recipe is the most flavorful, but adjust as you see fit. And that 48 hour resting period isn’t optional; you won’t get the full effect until all the flavors have had a chance to completely infuse.

The entire history can be found at the Virginia Pilot: https://www.pilotonline.com/food-drink/article_fe7119ba-6c23-11e9-be4f-1f7a7c9f8291.html

NJM expands commercial package coverage in Mid-Atlantic

NJM expands commercial package coverage in Mid-Atlantic

NJM Insurance Group has expanded the availability of its commercial package policies in the Mid-Atlantic region. NJM is now writing commercial package policies in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania, with policy effective dates beginning Aug. 1. The company began offering the product to New Jersey-based businesses last month. “This expansion enables NJM to extend its mission of service to a…

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MASAE Announces New Virtual Executive Peer Group Offering

MASAE Announces New Virtual Executive Peer Group Offering

MASAE is excited to announce a new interactive program for members who serve as a chief staff position for their organization. Our new Virtual Executive Peer group was created to provide a forum for members to engage with MASAE and each other and provide a platform for member-generated content.   The one-hour peer groups will be held on five Thursdays in the summer: July 14, 2022 at 12:00…

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➡️➡️[HIRING] Senior Construction Superintendent - Mid-Atlantic in Trenton Hiring Now!

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge rendered from bathymetry data

by u/visualgeomatics

Scientists this week warn that the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (aka AMOC, contains the Gulf Stream) is closer than they previously predicted, as early as 2025.

This is bad and will lead to ripples in climate, weather patterns, local "normal" temperatures, storm severity, ocean oxygenation and fishery productivity (hello phrase "fish die-offs" 😭), and sea level that will disrupt life as we know it and cannot be reversed in this century or maybe (likely) for centuries to come.

(You can check the Wikipedia page for more information.).

Scream at someone about this.

Go here -- https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ -- or here -- https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. Start typing. Feel free to use the template I'm putting under the "read more." Press send. Repeat if you have the energy. Ily if you do it even once. Thank you, and keep fighting the good fight!

Dear <NAME OF OFFICIAL>,

<OPTIONAL SENTENCE OR TWO TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF. Say why climate change matters to you. Say if you're frightened. Say if you're depressed. Say if you're anxious. Make it personal.>

This week a study was released (https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/world/gulf-stream-atlantic-current-collapse-climate-scn-intl/index.html, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39810-w) showing that the collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is far closer than scientists had previously thought. When this current stops, it will have far-reaching impacts on sea level, weather, storm patterns, and fishery production that will be irreversible for a century or far longer.

I am deeply worried about the future. We need climate change ACTION now, not just voluntary incentive programs. Please take action to improve our electrical grid, transition our power plants to clean fuels, transition to clean modes of transportation, and tax carbon emissions.

Sincerely,

<YOUR NAME HERE>

42 more days until daylight savings

I’m baaack!

After fabulous spring travel to England and California, I’m back to my regular schedule of seeing clients six days per week (closed Mondays). I hope to see you for a makeover soon! Book online anytime at https://makeoverswithelizabethtaylor.fullslate.com

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LINK FEST: 29 NOVEMBER 2022

LINK FEST: 29 NOVEMBER 2022

Links that may or may not be related to gardens, food, travel, nature, or heterotopias and liminal spaces but probably are. Sources in parentheses. essay: All of It: How to Have a Hard Holiday (Mari Andrew/Out of the Blue). I just love her perspective and her writing. “We’ve really sanitized these very oddball, often devastating stories into heartwarming scenes that now leave a lot of people and…

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