Categories
Heros Music

Wendy Carlos: Veil of Orpheus

[Part I of an ongoing series on the musician Wendy Carlos] During a recent staff meeting, we realized that we all shared a fascination with the work of Wendy Carlos, and were enthusiastic to look into her life, her work, and her influences. Veil of Orpheus As faithful readers of WLBOTT will recall, we’ve talked […]

Categories
Agriculture Heros

The Women of the Fields

Today we celebrate the dignity of labor – The Women of the Fields. The GleanersThe Gleaners (Des glaneuses) is an oil painting by Jean-François Millet completed in 1857. It is held in the Musée d’Orsay, in Paris. It depicts three peasant women gleaning a field of stray stalks of wheat after the harvest. The painting […]

Categories
Heros Hopeful Songs on Dismal Days

Musings on the New Year

Shawn Phillips is a wise man, and today he posted these thoughts on the New Year. From his Facebook post: But I’m not alone on this earth so fairThere’s something else beside me hereSomething keeps me ever looking forwardAnd it’s brighter than the sunlightAnd it’s purer than the moonlightAnd it’s drawing me toward itLike a […]

Categories
Adventures of the Elders ENGin Food Ukraine

12 Ukrainian Christmas Dishes: Pea Cutlets / Січеники з гороху

Today we made another traditional Ukrainian dish, suggested by my ENGin buddy. The dish, Pea Cutlets / Січеники з гороху, is a simple recipe using dried peas. We found a recipe on the delightful Ukrainian food site Shuba. At the WLBOTT Test Kitchen, the Ladle & Lube, we made two executive decisions: Thoughts / Reflections […]

Categories
Adventures of the Elders ENGin Food Ukraine

12 Ukrainian Christmas Dishes: Borscht

My Ukrainian ENGin buddy shared the twelve traditional dishes served on Christmas Eve. We are going to see how many we can make at the WLBOTT Test Kitchen and Tractor Lube Station. The menu: I’ll have to check with my buddy, but I believe that “Lenten” in this context means “vegetarian.” Lenten borscht — Пісний […]

Categories
Adventures of the Elders Curated Absurdity Heros Mildly Interesting

WLBOTT and a Breath of Fresh Air

For several decades I’ve had this fantasy[1]: [1] Elder G: UC#4, are you sure you understand the concept of “fantasy?” [2] Admittedly a daunting challenge. I could sweeten the deal by making her an honorary Elder of WLBOTT. In 1975, she moved to WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to host and produce Fresh Air, which was […]

Categories
Heros Meaning of Life Music

A Tribute to John Prine

Angel From Montgomery I am an old womanNamed after my motherMy old man is anotherChild that’s grown old If dreams were thunderAnd lightnin’ was desireThis old house would’ve burnt downAt a long time ago Make me an angelThat flies from MontgomeryMake me a posterOf an old rodeo Just give me one thingThat I can hold […]

Categories
Agriculture Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Food Heros WLBOTT Corporate

Sweet Potato Preparedness (part III of III): Spiritual Guidance and a Proactive WLBOTT

WLBOTT has a mission to keep some sweet potato vines alive through the winter. Here we reach out to the spiritual community. This proved very challenging. There are very few “Christian” churches left in ‘Merica that recognize the Gospels or the Sermon on the Mount (too woke). As we presented our concept of incorporating vine […]

Categories
Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. ENGin Erudition Existential Angst Texas Ukraine

WordleBlott

Our esteemed Elder G informs me that there are approximately 100 four-letter curse words in the English language. WLBOTT Word-of-the-Day WLBOTT: If you had to say there was a “queen mother” of all curse words, what would it be? Elder G: The “queen mother” of all curse words would probably be “f***.” Its versatility is […]

Categories
Book Club England Heros Tess Twinehart

Tess Addresses the Stress of The Big Day

Dear Tess, I feel like the country is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The 2024 election cycle seems like a long, drawn-out, slow-motion colonoscopy prep. Can you help us get through this? Also, my body tractor starts hard, has horrible fuel consumption, and has overall low performance. Your friend in twine, – Live […]