Page 6 Archives - Alex's Asteroid Astrology

June 30th, 2025 at 08:54am by Alex Miller

Garden Glimpses: Solstice Stunners

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “It never rains, but it pours.” Well, that was May 2025 in the garden. After a dry, showerless April, the May flowers were distinctly lacking, but 9” of rain that month brought on the vegetation like gangbusters, and by summer solstice, the garden had become a tangled jungle.

Between the incessant rains and then a physical setback when a burst water cyst behind the newly replaced left knee kept me in pain and off my feet for two weeks, there was no curb on the ambitious plans for world domination clearly hatched by my local weeds during their dormancy. I hadn’t even finished the last of the winter cleanup when the deluge began, and that boat has now sailed, with the eastern bank of the sand mound a revolting mix of old and new weeds. Well, there’s always 2026.

June 6th, 2025 at 08:17am by Alex Miller

Aster-Obit: Loretta Swit

On 30 May 2025, American actress Loretta Swift passed away at her home in New York City, at the age of 87. Best remembered for her performance as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the smash 1970s TV hit series M*A*S*H, Swit effortlessly grew that character from one-dimensional, strait-laced, traditionalist army nurse having an extramarital affair with an inept doctor, to a married, then divorced, fully emancipated modern woman. The metamorphosis was stunning to behold, and Swit’s character became an icon of feminism for the time. Swit won two Emmy Awards for her portrayal, appearing in all but 11 of the series’ 256 episodes, only one of two actors to appear through the run of the show, from pilot to finale (the other being Alan Alda, Captain Hawkeye Pierce).

April 28th, 2025 at 10:40am by Alex Miller

Garden Glimpses: Spring 2025 – Better Late Than Never

It was a long time coming, but Spring finally got here. And by and large, it did not disappoint. True, some of the plantings were inexplicably reduced in size over last year, but many flourished, and new plantings in the west bed did very well. A climatic push-me/pull-you combination of short bursts of extreme heat and long spells of below-average temps contrived to bring things on quickly, then preserve them longer than normal.

April 4th, 2025 at 09:51am by Alex Miller

Aster-Obit: Richard Chamberlain

Veteran actor and ‘60s teen idol heartthrob Richard Chamberlain passed away on 29 March 2025, just two days shy of his 91^st birthday. Dubbed “King of the Mini-Series” in the 1980s, Chamberlain made a big splash on TV and film as a dashing leading man, but experienced internal conflict in having to conceal his homosexuality to preserve his swashbuckling image. Chamberlain first made his mark in the 1961 TV series “Dr. Kildare,” garnering legions of female fans, and went on to a successful movie career, starring in the 1970s “The Three Musketeers” franchise, among other action films.

March 26th, 2025 at 08:11am by Alex Miller

Aster-Obit: George Foreman

On March 21, 2025, former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman passed away peacefully at a Houston, Texas hospital, surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death has been released. Foreman dominated professional boxing in the 1970s; claiming the championship from the then-undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973, he held the tile for just a year before his loss to Muhammad Ali in “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Foreman retired three years later, but made a brief comeback in 1994, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion after defeating Michael Moorer. In later life, Foreman became a household name for his endorsement and promotion of the eponymous “George Foreman Grill,” a small double-sided cooking appliance. He is also remembered for his eccentric habit of naming each of his five sons after himself, merely adding regnal numbers to distinguish them.

March 21st, 2025 at 08:35am by Alex Miller

House Diary: Easter’s On the Half-Shell

Seems I’m not the only one moving a little slowly this spring; I’m almost finished with recovery from knee replacement surgery in January, though still a bit wobbly on uneven turf. But Mother Nature has been dragging her feet as well, with the garden a good 4-6 weeks behind its normal schedule, after an unusually cold winter. Fortunately, we also had snow cover through most of the coldest periods, if not deep, but at least that sheltered the more sensitive roots and bulbs from the bitter temps, and I’m hoping not to have much damage or loss.