You may recall that The Old Farmer's Almanac was a volume filled with details on farming, rainfalls and snowfalls, family history, and other bits of information. In his 20th book, the imaginative and prolific Edward Hays lays before us a treasure trove of 365 daily entries with his own special takes on celebrations of holidays and holy days, famous and infamous days, and saints of all stripes. The Old Hermit's Almanac will lead you through the year with meditations, commentaries, prayers, weather reports, prophecies, and trivia that is both entertaining and edifying.

We enjoyed the following: January 9 as "God Speed" Day where the author challenges us to use this blessing as an energy booster; January 15, the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when we are called to demonstrate "heroic impatience with the continued racial inequalities in every aspect of our lives"; February 25 as International Day of Reinvention where we are advised to reform ourselves in some way; March 3, the Birthday of Dr. Seuss, to be celebrated by getting in touch with our inner unruly child; April 19 , the First Use of Chemical Warfare in America Day, when we are asked to sign a chemical weapons treaty with ourselves pledging not to use sarcasm, ridicule, or teasing as weapons against others; and July 13, as Seeing The Beautiful Everywhere Day, where we are admonished to practice looking at the world with God's eyes. This is a wonderful manual and daybook!