A Brief Apology
Also: A quick review and a look forward
Wes thu hal!
The title of this article is far too dramatic. We have both just been remarkably busy for the past few months and have not found the time to send out any new material. Both of us are presiding over growing families (Jake just had his second a few weeks ago and Joe had his first in July!) and wrangling with our students over the various tedium of modern education. Not to mention the tedium that comes from the administrative side of teaching, but that could be a whole article in itself.
In light of this, we’ve decided to put Dreaming of the Rood on pause until Plough Monday — January 12, 2026. This was traditionally the beginning of the working year in Merry olde England, at least for those engaged in the work of farming. Our work isn’t quit as noble as the plowman’s, but we hope it is dignified enough to shanghai their holiday.
In case you are starving for DotR content in the meantime, we’d like to recommend some of our best posts of the past year. This has been a crazy year for us in many ways, but especially in the way that our little publication has grown. We have gone from about 100 subscribers in January of last year up to almost 650 at the time of publishing this. That is an absolutely mindboggling statistic to us.
If you’re in the mood for politics, check out Joe’s reflection on anarchy and the Middle Ages. No, Aquinas probably wouldn’t agree with Proudhon, but there are shocking amounts of overlap in their visions of a just society.
If you’d like to read about our ongoing project of thinking critically about technology, check out Jake’s contemplation of why analog watches are superior to “smart” watches. The latter is the favored watch of demons, the former of the godly (insofar as timekeeping in general can be considered godly, we’re still skeptical on that front.)
If a story is what you’re after, we would suggest checking out one of Jake’s fairy tales, especially his tale about the Wolves of Little Egypt. This tale is set in Southern Illinois, a hitherto much neglected setting for fairy tales (a problem that we are trying to remedy with our mystic Mississippi project).
Lastly, if you wish to meditate on death this Winter, try exploring Joe’s meditation on the fear of death. The fear of death is disturbing, especially at this time of year, but we who believe in the Resurrection should fear death differently (if, that is, we should fear it at all).
While we are on hiatus, we’ve got a few fun projects we’re working on that will debut when we come back. There are a few essays still under construction that are among our favorites that we’ve ever written, and even a few guest posts that will be coming, starting in January. If we can find the time, we also hope 2026 to be the year that we expand into other media forms. There is a DotR podcast in the works (featuring dramatic retellings of the lives of the Saints), as well as a plan to expand into physical media (more on that when it takes firmer shape).
May God bless you all and bring you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
In the peace of Christ,
Joe Siemer
Jake Terry
Dreaming of the Rood
If we must wait, we must wait. Blessings to you both this Christmas