August 17: National Vanilla Custard Day

August 18: The feast day of St. Helena, invoked as protection against fire and lightning

August 19: Gail Borden was granted a patent on this day in 1856, for a process to make condensed milk.

August 21: Hawaii was the last state to enter the Union, on this day in 1959.

The reason lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time. —Willie Tylor

Since Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod, most of us have felt pretty safe from lightning. But throughout human history, people have been justifiably afraid of fire from the sky. Here are some of the things they thought might make a difference. (Smile if you will, but please don't jog with your iPod during a thunderstorm!)

• Houseleeks (Sempervivum tectorum). In Roman mythology, houseleeks (we call this plant hen-and-chicks) were sacred to Jupiter, and in Norse mythology, to Thor. Both gods were associated with lightning so people reasoned that houseleeks planted on the roof protected the structure against lightning and fire. Charlemagne decreed that these plants should be grown on the roofs of all the structures of his empire. To this day, you'll see houseleeks growing on roofs in England and Europe.

• Mistletoe (Viscum album) was thought to have been planted in trees by bolts of lightning; hence, mistletoe hung over the doors and windows of a house would protect against lightning.

• Holly (Ilex sp.) and hazel (Corylus avellana) In Norse mythology, holly and hazel also belonged to Thor the Thunderer, and were thought to protect people from his thunderbolts. Holly trees were planted a little distance from homes to attract lightning strikes away from the house. In Christian times, holly taken into the church for Christmas celebration (or hazel for Easter) was carried home and hung up to ward off lightning the rest of the year.

• Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) was a sacred tree in the Celtic tradition and was later assimilated into Christian legend. It was said to have been used for Christ's crown of thorns. In Normandy, it was believed that lightning (which was the work of the devil) could not strike the plant that touched Christ's brow, so people used it to protect their homes. Hawthorn (often called thorn) was sometimes employed in house construction specifically as a lightning protector.

Observe Vanilla Custard Day by getting better acquainted with vanilla, perhaps the best-loved flavoring of all time Vanilla pods are the fruit of the vanilla planifolia, the only orchid to produce an edible substance. Go here for a brief history. If you're hooked, read Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid, by Tim Ecott. And for a great plain-vanilla baked custard recipe, try this one. Top with fresh strawberries or peaches for an elegant dessert.

If you'd rather make your vanilla custard with condensed milk, here's how. And while you're at it, you might want to know just how Gail Borden came to develop canned condensed milk, and why it was so important at the time—a bit of food history that you probably didn't learn in school!

Afraid of lightning? Check out the houseleeks growing on the ledge over the door at Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm, planted there in the traditional Lake District way of warding off lightning. For more photos of Beatrix's garden, go here. And don't forget, The Tale of Applebeck Orchard will be coming to your favorite bookstore the first week of September. The print run on this book is smaller than usual because of the national downturn in book sales, so be sure and get yours early, before the store sells out.

Learn about the breadfruit, Hawaii's ancient island treasure. The plant has traditionally been revered for its medicinal properties, as well as its values as a food and other resources.

Looking for a good book on cooking, gardening, nature, and place? Susan's reviews can help you to make a choice. Her latest: Bringing It To the Table, a collection of essays by Wendell Berry, with an introduction by Michael Pollan.

For more about herbs and the passing seasons, read China Bayles' Book of Days.

To find out what's going on in Susan Albert's life in the Texas Hill Country, read Susan's blog.

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