Susan Wabuda
@susanwabuda
Susan Wabuda, Ph.D. (Cantab.), F.R.Hist.S., FSA. Historian. My opinions are mine. A recent book on Thomas Cranmer. Fordham University. Connecticut farms. Democracy. DMs discouraged.
Very sorry to read of the destruction of a productive field, under cultivation since c. 1657 (and earlier) on the eastern tip of Long Island, destroyed at the end of the 20th century to build single-family houses: ch. 2 of Robert Dash's elegant _Notes from Madoo: Making a Garden in the Hamptons_
Starting TODAY and running through the weekend, the fabulous fund-raiser book sale in Newtown, Connecticut to benefit the C. H. Booth Public Library that draws people from all over New England and New York. Thousands of used books in all categories. See you there!
In my previous garden, I had a small collection of antique roses, some of them rescued from abandoned Connecticut farms. This in one of them: a small moss rose, probably brought to North America for culinary purposes. I saw another like it in bloom yesterday. My next rose has arrived.
The way a real king looks the matter over, courtesy @privateeyenews.bsky.social
About a century ago, our grandparents built a small house, and Grandfather dug the cellar out by hand (!). He banked the soil and they planted daffodils and tulips there. The tulips have disappeared, and so has the house, but the daffodils are thriving. Plant some for future generations to enjoy.
Yes, he must have been well-read, and books make the best gifts. I was sorry that I saw only one book from his library at the fundraiser: Richard C. Hottelet's 1950 copy of Roland Bainton's landmark study of Martin Luther.
In his 1957 book (and revised later) Graham Stuart Thomas devoted several pages to Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, among several other species. He identified some that bloom in SEPTEMBER. He argued that winter is part of the calendar's continuum, and gardeners can have winter flowers, if they plan.
With an impressive thump, this superb volume landed on my doorstep earlier this week. Congratulations to the entire team at the Church of England Record Society on the publication of volume 29.
Welp, last night a killing frost arrived here in the hills of sw Connecticut, and that means the end of so many flowers, like the vibrant nasturtiums. This happens every year, so it's no surprise, but yet it is a small grief, every time. @paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social
From the garden this day in mid-October, another selection of nasturtiums in a rich color like burgundy.
Remembering today, and every day, Hugh Latimer, former bishop of Worcester, and Nicholas Ridley, bishop of London, who went courageously to their deaths in Oxford, 16 October 1555. with thanks @jastucaz.bsky.social
From the kitchen garden here in Connecticut this September morning: a handful of ripe cherry tomatoes.
TODAY the USED BOOK SALE to support the C. H. Booth Library in Newtown, Connecticut is STILL ON and ALL BOOKS are 50% OFF. Despite appearances, I left plenty of books for other readers. Go tomorrow Tuesday 10-1, and all books are FREE. Reed Intermediate School, easy access Rts 25 and 84
Readers who wish to know more about the life and influence of John Cheke might like our recent collection of essays in *The Cambridge Connection* which I edited with the late John F. McDiarmid.
About a century ago, our grandparents established a bed of daffodils near the house they built. This year, the flowers were sensational.
If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a hyacinth to feed the soul.
America has no king! Why not? Among the reasons are the arbitrary use of power by Henry VIII's distant Stuart successors in the next dynasty, especially King James II. He treated his North American colonies as his personal possession. He was an investor in the brutal slave trade.
The most powerful of all monarchs of England and Wales was Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), famous for his six wives. By laws passed through Parliament, Henry severed his realms' links with the Roman Catholic Church, and he closed all religious houses (confiscating their assets).
For most of us, the familiar face of monarchy has been Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022. For 70 years, she tirelessly represented the interests of the United Kingdom, and the countries of the Commonwealth (including Canada).
At the weekend, I was fortunate to be able to give the chairs pictured here a new home. Made in the early- or mid-nineteenth century, they are associated with the Hitchcock Chair Company, founded by Lambert Hitchcock in northern Connecticut.