Last weekend, as the Sun ganged up with combustible Mars in Scorpio, the second SpaceX Starship test flight took place in Texas. Unlike that of its predecessor in April, this iteration’s liftoff was perfect. But Elon Musk’s $5 billion Starship suffered two explosions, ending its trial run in eight minutes. Still, it’s being hailed as progress, since this version made it to … [Read more...]

Mary Moody Emerson was an original. The eccentric aunt of Ralph Waldo Emerson, she had a great influence on the man often considered to be the greatest thinker of his time. Never married, Aunt Mary stepped in to care for her brother William’s children after he died. She set high intellectual standards for them and demanded original thinking, always encouraging them to do what … [Read more...]

A few years back, I built an altar for Dia de Los Muertos to honor my parents. We have no Aztec or Spanish blood in our lineage, but I’ve always loved the tradition. Creating the altar was a labor of love that involved hauling a lot of stuff to the Sherman Heights Community Center, including candles and marigolds. But it was worth it to share Mom and Dad’s lives with others via … [Read more...]

An inspirational tale for the “ring of fire” solar eclipse! Composite image by April Elliott Kent. One cold day in 1936 a stray tabby cat crept inside St. Augustine’s Cathedral in London, seeking food and warmth. Several times she was cast out. But eventually she prevailed, and went on to win hearts as the beloved church cat. Called Faith for her determination, she sat in … [Read more...]

On a sweltering May afternoon in 2015, D’Arcy Downs-Vollbracht heard an unearthly scream. She ran out of her Bullhead City, AZ ranch house and saw three neighboring dogs viciously attacking her pet goats. The protective mama managed to save one of the goats, but then the dogs turned on her. During the melee, the horses in the nearby pasture froze – all except Fortune. An … [Read more...]