Towel Day 2026

Do you know where your towel is? "...any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

I resisted the draw of Douglas Adams' books for many years, but when I finally gave in and read them in order to find out what the hoopla was all about, I found myself caught up in his web of words. Admittedly, sometimes I questioned his possible relationship with mind-altering substances, but there was something in his mad verbal meanderings and the (at times) nonsensical and tangential interludes in the books which had a magnetic appeal. I identified deeply with Arthur Dent, the hapless human in a situation clearly not of his own making, who craved desperately for one item of normality: a cup of tea amid the chaos. There is much in "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" which is relevant in modern times, so I ask you again: Do you know where your towel is?

A Proper Cup Of Tea

Day 224: "All I want is a cup of tea. A cup of tea would restore my normality," said Arthur Dent. "Is there any tea on this spaceship?" Poor Arthur. I think most of us can sympathize with him on some level, especially after the last year. But as our hapless hero is about to discover, normality is probably going to remain out of reach for some time. We can be grateful that no one is reciting Vogon poetry to us now (four years of that was more than enough for one lifetime), but we should expect "normal" to restructure itself rather radically, perhaps to include two-headed beings from Betelgeuse, paranoid androids and strange small men obsessed with fiords. Fortunately and unlike Arthur, we still have tea, although sometimes I think I'd prefer a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster to keep me from deciding to go quite, quite mad.

Oemleria Cerasiformis, Indian Plum

Day 181: Commonly known as Indian Plum or Osoberry, Oemleria cerasiformis is unique in that it is the only member of its genus. Moving up the scale, we can see that it is a member of the Rosaceae, a botanical Family with such widely diverse "cousins" as roses, rowan trees and raspberries, almonds, apricots and apples. It is a dioecious shrub, which is to say that male and female flowers are borne on separate plants, and its fruits are considered edible, if bitter. The fruit is yellowish-red when immature, darkening to a reddish-purple when ripe. Its leaves and bark may also be used to make tea, although I can't speak to its desirability as such. As I have said repeatedly, many plants which are considered "edible" do not necessarily fall into the narrower category of "desirable as food," which is to say that you could assuage a burning hunger by eating them without poisoning yourself, although you wouldn't consider serving them up to guests. I think I'll give Oemleria tea a miss, thank you.