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The Hidden Almanac for
Monday December 28th, 2015
Episode 353
The Hidden Almanac
Previous episode: 2015-12-25
Next episode: 2015-12-30

Summary[]

Today we remember the humming axolotl. It is also the day the Gray Sea-Eagle was first described. It is the Feast Day of the Light Returning, and in the garden, there are shoots and sprouts.

Be Safe, and Stay Out of Trouble.

Transcription[]

Welcome to the Hidden Almanac, I'm Reverend Mord.

Today is December 28, 2015.

It was on this day that a dozen axolotls clasped one another’s front feet in a long line, and swam together across the bed of the lake in which they lived. When they completed one pass across the lake, an axolotl on one end would drop off and go back about its business. The final pass was made alone, by a single individual. Witnesses report that it was humming to itself, but the tune is not recorded.

And it was on this day that Eland the Younger records his discovery of the Gray Sea-Eagle, an immense bird described as having wings “like barn doors.” Gray Sea-Eagles are surprisingly maneuverable for their size, and despite their large wings, do not glide with the same ease as albatrosses. Instead, they follow the migration of seals and sea lions, and in the north, walruses. It was originally thought that the eagles fed on the seal pups, but research vessels eventually discovered that the eagles primarily ate sharks attracted to the migrating seals. The whales inform us that the seals refer to Gray Sea-Eagles as “the devils-who-eat-devils” and grant them a high place in their mythology. Since we have only the whales’ word that seals even have a mythology, it is recommended that the listener take this analysis with a grain of salt.

It is the Feast Day of the Light Returning. This holiday falls on a variable date after the winter solstice. A number of complex astronomical theories have been put forward to explain the variation in dates, but most anthropologists believe that this can be explained by how long it takes to pull a feast together at midwinter.

In the garden, the hellebores are sending up green shoots and the cigar plant has sprouted from the roots. The alliums are several inches tall, and many spring ephemerals have emerged far too early. Everything is reacting to this spring-like weather, and it will all end in sorrow when the temperature finally drops.

The Hidden Almanac is brought to you by Red Wombat Tea Company, purveyors of fine and inaccessible teas. Red Wombat --- “We Dig Tea.”

Also brought to you by Suzy’s Seasonal Assassins, offering after Christmas bargains for relatives who you previously thought that you could stand.

That’s the Hidden Almanac for December 28th, 2015. Be safe, and stay out of trouble.

Outro[]

Out of character

The Hidden Almanac is a production of Dark Canvas Media, written by Ursula Vernon and performed and produced by Kevin Sonney. Our theme music is Moon Valley and our exit music is Red in Black, both by Kosta T. You can hear more from Kosta T at the Free Music Archive. All other content is copyright 2013 through 2015, Ursula Vernon.

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