(1) Umbellifer Gossip: Carrots! Get a room!!!
Did you know that carrots are related to parsley, celery, and parsnips, and also to anise, fennel, caraway, cumin, dill, and coriander (the dreaded cilantro!)? Further, the wild ancestors of carrots came from Iran and Afghanistan. The Moors brought them to Europe in the 8th century, at which time they were purple (the carrots, not the Moors).
Sneak past these Daily Kos naughty carrots with me and we'll go on to other things.
(2) Lunar Eclipse: We could not directly observe the lunar eclipse here at my ancestral home. It was cloudy, plus on the east coast, the eclipse occurred just as the moon was setting, and we have a lousy view of the western sky from here on the east side of the hill. That's why I am glad that I have bookmarked the Astronomy Picture of the Day. The APOD takes many different forms, but is always interesting. I highly recommend a regular visit!
In case you are seeing this diary later on, here is the link to the specific picture I want you to see (which is copyrighted so I am not embedding): it's the eclipse in progress above the clouds of Chile, and it's gorgeous and eerie.
(3) Marriage Equality: if you have not seen this current xkcd, despite Mokurai's diary yesterday, you need to see it:
http://xkcd.com/1431/
For those who can't see hovers, this is what it says:
People often say that same-sex marriage now is like interracial marriage in the 60s. But in terms of public opinion, same-sex marriage now is like interracial marriage in the 90s, when it had already been legal nationwide for 30 years.
I think by now, we might all know that nothing involving humans is a steady climb toward enlightenment. It's interesting to see how this particular climb is playing out, though. Blessings to all those who are newly able to marry their life partners now -- so many of us thought we'd never see this much progress in our lifetimes.
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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