Alex Miller, Author at Alex's Asteroid Astrology - Page 46 of 110

August 30th, 2021 at 09:02am by Alex Miller

Garden Glimpses: Farewell Summer!

As August waxes, the garden wanes. With the entrenched heat and increased drought, the riot of color that was early summer and July fades to straw and dun tones as Lammas passes, and only pockets of vibrancy remain to remind one of the garden’s heyday. I used to trim back spent or dying vegetation quicky, but I’m eco-systemically “woke” now, and realize that lots of critters depend on this garden detritus for their winter shelter, so I (try to) embrace the bleak, apocalyptic landscape emerging. (Well, it’ll be good for Hallowe’en, right?) Many early autumn bloomers are still budded, but some are starting to reveal their beauty, and a few summer stragglers fight bravely on.

August 20th, 2021 at 08:47am by Alex Miller

Afghan Implosion

The phenomenal collapse of the Afghan government in mid-August 2021 sent shockwaves through the US and across the world. Seemingly overnight (though the process took eleven days total), the 180,000+ strong US-trained Afghan military melted away, leaving the resurgent Taliban, already predominant in much of the rural regions, with little to no resistance in occupying the cities. Even Kabul, the capital of the country, fell in a matter of hours on August 15^th, with the US in full retreat from its abandoned embassy, controlling just half of the airport.

August 12th, 2021 at 10:38am by Alex Miller

A Tale of Two Andrews

Two famous Andrews came to crisis moments in their biographies within a day of each other, in mid-August 2021. On the 9^th, a lawsuit was filed against HRH Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, alleging sexual abuse of a minor; and on the 10^th, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned under a firestorm of condemnation after a probe into allegations of sexual misconduct revealed a pattern of abuse of female staffers.

Two Andrews, in two days, both charged with sex crimes? What’s going on here, celestially speaking?

August 5th, 2021 at 08:21am by Alex Miller

Simone Biles’ Olympic Saga

The professional sports world was stunned on July 27^th by the announcement from star American gymnast Simone Biles that she would be withdrawing from the 2020 Olympics, citing mental health concerns. After performing a qualifying round for the vaulting competition, Biles made a hard landing, affected by what gymnasts term “the twisties”, when one’s sense of balance and positioning is lost during vaults or dismounts. Biles went on to withdraw from all team and individual competitions, later stating that the unexpected loss of her aunt two days before the Tokyo games opened, and memories of sexual abuse from her coach, had combined to dangerously distract her focus.

July 26th, 2021 at 09:10am by Alex Miller

Capitol Fireworks: the 1/6 Select Committee

Independence Day may be over, but the fireworks in DC are just beginning. Hard to imagine this could be a controversial topic, but in the post-Trump age even an investigation into an insurrectionist attack on the US Capitol itself can become a bone of contention between the two Parties. Some of the very lawmakers whose lives were threatened by the fury unleashed by Donald Trump’s supporters, now stand by and opine that the attack was just high spirits or a typical congressional tour group.

July 19th, 2021 at 09:50am by Alex Miller

Garden Glimpses: July – Another Day, Another Daylily

Daylilies have always been a part of my experience of this property, from my earliest remembrances of the lemon lilies my mother brought with her from my grandmother’s garden. Bright shining yellow, these late May bloomers are still the first to open, though the encroaching maple shade has thinned them to a precious few.