Interesting Beginnings

 A plea to the worthy scholars that prepare important texts for the rest of us to read, make the introduction at least as interesting as the material you are framing. I’ve started dreading reading the introductions. If I put a list of the books made boring by their introduction you would be surprised as many times the text itself is a great pleasure to read. There are exceptions. Some scholars make it seem as though the book were written yesterday, and that it is a popular best-seller. I love those moments, but they are rare. I have to read the introductions because I want to understand my texts more deeply than a straight reading would offer, but lately I’ve wondered if it wouldn’t be better if I read the introduction after the text.

Christmas Treats

 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I admit it. I cried. I cried even though the story has been around forever and I cried every time I read it before. The beauty of a Christian community being reminded about what those comfortable, old rituals mean, and the joy of children being loved is enough to stir tears in any true believers and sympathetic co-religionists. I’ve already put in enough spoilers, so I’ll just say if you love Christmas and you love children this will open your heart wide.

Let It Glow. Charming is my favorite description for very fun things for children. This book oozes charm and even sparkles as it leads on a journey reuniting twins separated at birth who are adopted into a Christian family and a Jewish family, respectively. The twins switch homes for the holidays and they (and we) learn a lot about Christmas and Hanukah. There are also good lessons in courage and gentle reminders about the importance of observance. I’ve given two away already. 

Christmas Teatime. This book has me thinking I can write a Christmas of my own. It turns out you can make a tea with just scones, three sandwiches, and three cookies. That is totally doable if I pick my recipes strategically. Part inspiration, part how-to I’m letting this book be my guide.

For the Good of All

 One of my friends when I was young had severe disabilities. His family needed help carrying him up the flight of stairs that brought you to the sanctuary of our church. They requested that an elevator be put in. It started a whole battle of opinions and the final answer was a regrettable “no”. For the first time I saw a body of sincere believers make the wrong decision. It was my introduction to the fact that Christians can make selfish, wicked decisions en masse. 

Ever since then the push to accommodate disabled persons has interested me. I recently discovered a very accessible YouTube channel on the subject, Sarah Todd Hammer. Sarah became disabled at the age of eight. She is partially paralyzed in her arms and upper torso. She has still moved forward and achieved much. On her channel is a mix of advocacy pursuing greater understanding and show and tell videos about accommodations she currently employs. I find the person on the street perspective helps me understand disabled people better and it improves my efforts to be helpful whenever possible.

Sarah is fun to watch. Her bubbly personality lightens a weighty subject. You should give her a visit.

https://youtu.be/luoKLNtA3gA?si=tP5PX8uuqdZ095ho

Reunited

I’ve been handing on my useful tricks to interested parties. One of the first books to go was Fix Freeze Feast. It went first because it is one of the best. The dishes are easy to put together and easy to cook out of the freezer. There was no question about its usefulness. 

I recently discovered that I own 2,000 books. Logging them into Library Thing I also discovered that most of them are useful. Lending books has long been a habit of mine, but that is a small way to do good. BookTube might be calling. I rebought Fix Freeze Feast because it is so useful and therefore so recommendable. I’m considering doing BookTube shows drawing solely on my book collection. I am a person of many interests so it will be hit or miss with viewers much like this blog. I hope you’ll come and see it. If it becomes real I will invite you.

Montaigne Your Distance

 

I am on page 386 of a 1336 page book. This elegantly bound bruiser is wearing me out. The length is daunting, but I have often covered books of such girth. This book’s problem is content. I happen to be female so when Montaigne allows himself a bevy of slurs and insults against women with withering frequency I feel the sting personally. I am struggling to hear all the other things he has to say. I enjoy medieval literature. I recognize that there were different mores at that time. Other men writing at the same time presumably with similar inclinations have not offended me at all. Montaigne makes his disdain very personal.

Maybe he thought that few women would read his work, after all women were illiterate mostly. Maybe he was gay and the frustration of not having access to the love of his life left him angry with women, which he did have access to. Maybe he was just socially awkward and “girl jokes” had slayed at boarding school.  I don’t know why Montaigne is so (to put it mildly) gauche, but he is. I would recommend avoiding him, but for the fact that his flies in amber show us how much progress we have and haven’t made in valuing women. He is a good litmus test of the enlightenment we believe we have secured in the present. Women especially should read him and be fortified that we must never go back.

One page at a time, the medicine goes down.

Furrowed Brow

 It was fifth grade, and my friends confirmed that I had lines on my forehead that were not normal. They were pretty sure I was thinking too hard. As an adult I’m sure they were right. I’d decided someone had to understand the problem of human evil so that it could be overcome. Yes, I knew Jesus had overcome it already, but there was this pesky thing called the Apocalypse. I thought it was a piece of future history we could do without.

So I was studying human evil and how it might be overcome. Anytime someone said something was really evil I looked it up, I asked around, I made up horrendous playground games. I gave people nightmares. I did not waste time on horror movies and such, only non-fiction evil for me. I don’t think that was healthy, and my brain is a little fragile as a result. I never figured out the answer to human evil, and for the sake of my health I quit trying.

Suzanne Collins explores the problem of human evil with the creativity and a faux innocence that could easily be credited to a child. I fell into her Hunger Games and knew I had to beat it to death or run and hide like her protagonists. I chose the deep dive, and was relieved when I could sit in the meadow with Katniss at peace. Despite the stress it was causing me I loved Suzanne’s writing. I liked living in the world deep enough to understand it. The way her character’s brains worked awakened old models in mine. 

When The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was advertised in the window at Barnes and Noble, I was apprehensive. When the movie came out I went to see it, but with half a mind in reserve. I kept putting off buying the book using my book budget as an excuse, but I love her voice. I was going to buy it and I was glad when I finally did. Songbirds is more about human evil, but examined in a slowed down, armchair traveller way. It gives her a chance to help those of us who were too freaked out by the rush and carnage of Hunger Games a chance to see the underlying principles this time in a slower more tempered way. It is the right book for the truly committed. I should have read it right away.

Mommy Magic

 

Whenever we would go traveling with the kids I took time to collect items for our Love Bug Bag. The Love Bug Bag is black and covered with hearts and I swear sometimes Hermione put a charm on it, because it has a huge capacity. I filled it with games and puzzles, toys and books and handing it over to the kids was one of the best parts of any vacation.

Ashley Wright has turned such joy into a science. Her girls are still very little, so she has to think about diapers and potty training, sleeping in a strange place, loading up a stroller, and all the normal practical issues. She goes one further with carefully thought out activities to make the flight or a late dinner go smoothly. The Wrights mainly travel to Disney World, and if you want to see how that is done look Ashley up at Pixie Dusted Mom or if you want to add some magic to your cleaning routine try her new channel, Spoonful of Cleaning

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnYjpNazZ0ixJCXxH7Z2B7g/videos

Slap It!

 https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Wearable-Silicone-Wristband-Healthcare/dp/B08YR9D6FZ

I’m always looking for ways to improve productivity. A to do list is the most basic unit no matter how you dress it up, but I recently found a new version of this basic on Amazon—the to do list slap bracelet. If you’re a little older you will remember the slap bracelet with its ability to transform from a flat rectangle into a bracelet with just a tap on your wrist. Someone has developed a grown-up version with a ruler printed on one side and a place to make a list on the other.

This simplicity gets a little complicated as you need a frixion erasable pen and an eraser so that the list can be erased and the bracelet be used over and over again. I think it is worth it. I got one for myself and for each child still living at home. They even come in colors.

 

A Little Vegetarian

 

I am always trying to expand what I am willing to eat, partly because I’m stubborn about food and partly because I want to be ready to eat whatever in case of an Apocalypse. Vegetarian is a new category. In my ideal world all the fast food chains would offer a veggie option to save the world and our diets. For that to happen we have to be eating more vegetarian food, so I’m trying to eat more vegetarian food. Taco Bell offers the excellent Crunchwrap, a long-term favorite, and when I heard it came vegetarian with black beans, I could not think of a reason to decline. It’s delicious. The texture of the the beans blends with all the other textures and I get to be virtuous for nearly no effort. 

Give it a try. It’s good for you and the planet.

Changed

 

I only planned on giving Revelations of Divine Love a week. It was important and would close the loop on female, medieval mystics, but it was me in collector mode. I did not expect to be changed by the reading. St. Julian received a deep bounty of wisdom about the love of God and its impact on our lives. She shares it with clarity and humility. You really must read it for yourself. Take your time. You will be a different person when you finish.

On an aside, I might pair it with Kierkegaard’s The Sickness Unto Death. She surely shares the antidote.

Dust Ups: Shaun Overton

 

I fell in love with Africa when I was a child. I grew up in a mission-minded church that supported missionaries, and the missionaries would come back every four or five years and teach us where they’d been. They would bring back slides, items, but most of all stories. It meant a whole Sunday away from the monotony of our preaching cycle, and a glimpse of the exotic. We sent missionaries everywhere, even in the US, but my favorite was always Africa.

I meant to be a missionary myself, but God had other plans. In any case, I get excited about African content. I bumped into The Green Wall of Africa, where they are fighting desertification one hole in the ground at a time. I went through a lot of You Tube videos about it all, but they felt static, like encyclopedia articles. Shaun Overton sneaked into my feed with his project in west Texas. Buying a large ranch in the desert, he is deternied to raise up a desert forest. He was just this guy going out there with no real idea of what he was doing, but determined to do it. It is that grit that makes the show interesting. He hires experts. He chops up cactus. He takes a week a month to put in the hard labor his project demands. I just love it.

I wish someone would create the same long-format story-telling in Africa.

Mrs. Who Phase

 

In the past when I was making the choice about new frames for my glasses I tried to get the most flattering  one. Most of the time I chose the most unobtrusive pair, preferring to present my face rather than a mask, as much as possible.

I am slowly becoming aware that working with children is my thing. I like lots of things. There are many things I can do, but children make me the happiest. If you can help someone get their feet on the good path in their childhood you will save them so much grief. Things that are so hard to adopt in adulthood are simply accepted by children. The school I grew up in loved the quote, “It is easier to build a boy than mend a man.” Setting aside the sexism it is true. I’d like to build children.

Buying new glasses was different this time around. I bought them on line. They offered various ways to virtually try frames on, but I never quite got them working. In the end I just liked what appeared to be a light brown pair. It was a great experience, the glasses arrived swiftly and I love them. They are however, more of a mask. They remind one of Sybil Trelawny. I like to think of them as Mrs. Who from A Wrinkle in Time. Children do need some space from the adults in their lives. Adults carry all the broken things that come with maturity. 

I’m Back!

 

Somewhere around April I quit reading. I’m not sure why. I love the book I was reading at the time. I just couldn’t find the energy to invest in books and all the activities I center around reading. I tried to force it, but it just wouldn’t go. 

Setting that aside I turned to streaming and Redecor. Eventually it was just noise playing in the background while I thought about my life. Thinking about one’s life is generally a lonely experience unless you can afford a therapist or have very impartial and patient family and friends. 

For whatever reason, I’m reading again. Finally finished Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays. The book was as great as it was when I took a break from reading. The medieval vocabulary and interpretation of the Bible turn me on. It also puts me four books away from my current Crowhook goal. Lots of goals worth reaching, feel just at my fingertips.

Big Plan Books

 

When I was a child I loved gigantic books. Coffee table books weren’t a thing where I grew up, so anytime I found myself faced with a giant book on a coffee table I was impressed by how fancy this home was. My uncle used to give me some money just to see what I’d buy, and he was particularly pleased with the purchase of Vasari’s Great Masters. I was pleased because it was huge with great pictures and lots to read.

Homeschooling provided an excuse for buying more giant books, like world atlases, science omnibuses, and more art. I used to worry that I’d wasted money, but I recently looked them up. The spines are destroyed. They were getting read even if I wasn’t seeing it. 

I intend to spend significant time with my grandchildren, enough to need planning which is so fun. I’ve bought books (Cousin Camp, Camp Granny) and I’m doing lots of day dreaming. I’ve decided to incorporate a “Big Book Time” into longer stays. I’ll set a timer for 15 minutes or so and let them choose a giant book from the cram jam on the kid book case to explore. With such a variety it might fill an afternoon.

Here are some titles that’ll be on my shelf.

Hammond World Atlas

Vasari’s Great Masters

America’s Glorious Quilts

Earth by James F. Luhr

Peanuts by Charles Schultz

Christopher Columbus by Consuelo Varela

The Illustrated Treasury of Classic Children’s Stories by Charles Santore

Bug Farmer

 

Bugs are fascinating. They can be gross, but bees are only a problem if they make a hive in the wrong place. My interest in bees as particularly interesting may have started when I spent the night at a friends house where they kept bees. I only saw the equipment and the box, but it was fascinating to imagine what was happening in the box.

YouTube lets me explore lives I won’t live, and I am enjoying the life of bees. I’m watching multiple channels, and offering advice as if I knew anything. A bee stung me once. It didn’t hurt very much. I’ve never been stung since. I like to think it’s because I am generally calm. 

Bug Farmer is an experimenter. He likes to try new hives and new ideas. He is always moving forward, forward, forward. I pick up a lot of information from his channel, and he keeps my interest.

https://www.youtube.com/c/BugFarmerBees/videos

Cozy

 

Redecor is now an entrenched part of my life. I ration myself to four designs and two redesigns a day. I also work all the places where you can earn coins each day. I do my very best to wait for good sales and ration my token money. I find it so calming. It has also taught me to respect my own opinion.

The judging is a perfect score of three hearts, descending to one heart. I get a lot of one hearts. At first this bothered me, but when I was judging other people’s designs I realized they aren’t like mine. I have a distinctive style I’m calling “Cozy”. There are two things that make my style. One is I’m cheap, so I have to make do with past colors and items. I shop my leftovers first and that provides a lot of inspiration and creativity. The second thing is I like a lot of color. The design above makes me happy with its primary colors. It comes from my happy place.

I’ve decided not to redesign the “one heart wonders” as I’m calling them. They make me happy, and that is enough.

Frozen

 

From my earliest memories I have always had projects I was working on. Simple things like making a bouquet of flowers for Mommy and how to get away with wearing shorts, kept my little brain chugging along, and that’s never changed. The projects are still there, all stacked up on top of each other and going nowhere. I’ve lost the energy to make things finished/real. My BUJO is untouched. My Zettelkasten has no new notes. The TBR pile is going backwards as the new books pile on and the old books aren’t read. Even the work of logging in the last couple hundred books is going nowhere. Forget about writing I can’t even get a Willow story out. 

I don’t know what to do to get back on track. Maybe I needed a break more than I ever thought I would. In any case the well is empty and all progress seems to be frozen.

A Relative Term

 

Korean TV is the young person’s Brit Box. I am not knocking Brit Box. It is charming and cozy in ways that are thoroughly enjoyable, and it has enough variety to keep you happy for a long time. If what you want is charming and cozy. If your tastes are more diversified such as sci fi, historical drama, fantastical adventures and improbable sit coms Korean TV has a hit list on it with something for everyone. There is the heart-warming Extraordinary Attorney Woo with it’s heart melting autistic lead. The King’s Affection and Captivating the King offer a lot to think about without requiring thinking at all. The School Nurse Files is amazingly weird. You have to keep watching because if you stop you’ll never understand the show’s logic. Castaway Diva led by the amazing Park Eun-Bin is the classic unlikely happy ending. 

In any case, I’ve gone from noting, “It’s Korean” to actively looking for Korean shows. I find mine on Netflix. Let me know where you find yours. 

Down in the Heart

 

Usually in this spot I recommend a YouTuber whose work I enjoy, but this time I’m going to post a shout out to one of my childhood’s greatest pleasures. My mother went off to a conference for Christian school teachers and picked up Dottie Rambo’s Down By the Creek Bank for me. A creek ran under our church/school so it was on the nose. It was love at first listen. I’d been on days to the country, and we all loved singing. Every song meant something to me as I listened to it over and over and over. The truth in those songs sank deep in my heart both guiding and comforting me.

My tape was completely worn out, so I rejoiced to find the album on YouTube. Give it a listen and play it for your kids.

https://youtu.be/Owr7_EfLHUo?feature=shared

Redecor

 

To say I don’t like video games is a polite understatement of the facts. Watching little electrons run around a screen accomplishing dolittle tasks strikes me as a great waste of time. But, here I am about to confess my delight in a video game. It has me wondering who I am and what I stand for. They have won me over with…interior decorating. You get a room full of furnishings that you have to choose the finishes for. You have a limited budget which means limited items which means greater creativity, unless you pay premium coin. I’ll do almost anything for new items, but I won’t do—ok I did I bought coins, twice! It is so satisfying when a design clicks. Using up scraps from past designs to make successful new ones is delightful. Voting on my fellow Redecor designer's designs is both fun and lucrative. 

I highly recommend this game. It has me playing! Who knew it could be done.

But Not in My Tea

  I, generally speaking, like bugs. It all began with an appreciation for the butterflies and lady bugs in our garden and was confirmed by Charlotte’s defense of a spider’s work in the world. I find their tiny lives interesting and heroic, but not in my tea. My tea I like clean, sweet and robust. Imagine my disgust when the peculiar off taste in my tea was a bug, a stink bug no less. The best I can figure it, it had been there for a while, and I was nearly done my tea. It was the not happy kind of surprise.

Spiritual Sprinkling

 

One of the fun things about being Catholic is that we get sprinkled with holy water as part of the service sometimes. Father takes a bowl of holy water and the sort of a round whisk broom and splashes it over us as we sing something about baptism usually. I’m one of those people who gets a little tense over things like this, so I tend to make a face until it’s over. It’s not because I’m not enjoying it. There are so many unexpected things that could happen. Mostly it feels like being a kid in the sprinkler again, a holy sprinkler intended to wash your sins away. You Protestants ought to try it.

Matt Price: Mr. Make It Happen

Seafood is where he bagged me. I grew up close enough to the shore to enjoy it, and far enough away for it to be special. The occasional New Year’s shrimp feast, the here and there summer crab pick, and the grand splurge at a seafood restaurant all made shellfish precious to me. Now that I live in the midwest, seafood is nostalgic, so when Mr. Make It Happen was making it happen with crab meat he had my attention. A lot of other chefs don’t use crab so much, Marylanders like me can’t get enough.

The exciting thing was that Matt knew the way to flavor and cook these items in a way that makes me homesick. After  a while I looked him up. He’s from Virginia, just down the road. His momma raised him right.

If you want to do seafood right, and lots of other things, check out Mr. Make It Happen. He’s got the goods.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBW5KiJa8Ft42-XNIz4HCgg

Sequestering Carbon

 There are things in my life I try to protect other people from. Things that I am, things that have happened to me, I try to bury them deep inside myself for everyone’s good. But it’s terrible for me. I’m not so sure it’s good for the people I’m protecting either. They are robbed of the chance to grow and to learn more about love whether or not they would take the opportunity. So many of my relationships are stale beyond eating because the parts of me serving that are long dead.

Normally I’m a real cheerleader for mitigating the consequences of past mistakes, but perhaps it’s better to knuckle through them.

The Walking Dictionary

 The Walking Dictionary was my elementary school nickname. I did not appreciate it as much as I should have because it is unwieldy. No one said! “Hey, Walking Dictionary, come hang out with us.” the way you might say, “Specs, over here.” I have grown into it since, though by now the people who gave me the name have forgotten it. I still love words for their own sake. I especially love medieval words. They are so mellifluous. I recently found a treasure trove of medieval words in Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays. The plays are a treat in themselves. The homemade feeling of the plays takes me back to the amateur productions my church and school put on. I can imagine talking them into putting on a show from the book after I explained that it was ok that the plays aren’t Biblically accurate. I’m simply loving this book so much more than I thought I would.

New Medieval Words

selcouth/wondrous

swink/toil

losel/scoundrel

pottle/bottle

lorn/lost

McDonalds Coke

Coke from a can isn’t worth drinking. Coke from a plastic or glass bottle is pretty good, but if you really want Coke at its best, go to McDonalds. I don’t know what they do or why no other vendor or packaging options can match the perfection of McDonalds Coke. Do they have special machines? Secret recipe ice? I don’t know, but when I want a Coke I go to McDonalds.

I go to McDonalds for lots of things, small celebrations, consolation, nostalgia. It’s the home of so many early memories not just for me, but also for my children. It was my first job, and I killed the fry station. Three buses at once? Bring them on, I knew how to fast food. I still eat well-prepared fries with pride.

I’m hooked McDonalds. You’re my ride or die fast food. I get around, but I know where my home is. You can count on me, and my children to keep coming even if you have to change things up, like the fries. Maybe it’s time to diversify the sides menu so we can have better practices for producing potatoes. It might be fun. Imagine purple potatoes in the Happy Meals. Could be a good place to start.

Vanessa and the Dogs

 My mother is afraid of animals, even cats and dogs. I had a puppy for a year that I treasured, but had to be given away when we moved into a house on a highway. I still remember the experience fondly, and lately a YouTube channel has been stirring things up. Girl with the Dogs features a dog groomer taking filthy, occasionally badly-behaved dogs and bringing them into a renewed charisma. You can forgive the struggle when you see them get their spray of bubble gum dog perfume. 

The dogs come in all sizes and breeds. I’m learning all about coats and nails and nervousness levels. I’m actually surprised by how little trouble she has. Vanessa is after all a stranger. Professionalism really makes a difference in every profession.

Thank you for all the fantasy dog time. My husband is seriously allergic so we have a turtle. The turtle does not require grooming. Pity.

https://www.youtube.com/@GirlWithTheDogs/videos

 

The Land of Counter Pain

 I’m a little stressed out. Raising my children was a full out juggernaut. Each night’s sleep was like a drop in the bucket of what I really needed. I assumed that the weary lack of energy would subside when the strain subsided, but here I am, generally lethargic with big ambitions and meager follow-through. It has become worrying. How much longer will this go on? I have things to do, books to read, people to meet. 

The worry has become a contributing factor to my slow recovery. Every choice and the energy with which it is greeted is noted and overanalyzed. I need a respite. Organizing my books seems to be just the thing. The wifi isn’t reliable in my office, so I haul a laundry basket full of tomes into my bedroom and gradually transfer them from basket to bed and back again. It feels like tagging birds to trace their migratory paths. Fly little books and take me with you.

Intellectual Cavities

 

As I march along entering my books into Library Thing, I am beginning to feel a little sick to my stomach. It could be that I am reentering the world of sugar after abstaining, mostly, for all of Lent. I am prone to self flagellation and either over indulgence will do. The candy, with five young people to help it along is evaporating as we speak. The books belong on my shelves even if there are more than I thought there were. 

The chocolate bunny that has me queasy is The Library of Essential Writers. I bought all of them from Barnes and Noble several years ago (except for Lovecraft. I don’t do scary). All of the included authors were touted as classics and important that I mostly wasn’t allowed to read. I thought I’d just dive in and catch up on all of it, back before I had a real understanding of how vast all of it is. Crowhook has crammed my shelves with not just primary texts, but a growing collection of secondary texts about my texts. When everyone else was choosing a specialty I was trying very hard to look stupid which is generally an easy task. I want it all, but I’m a decade or two, too late.

My library probably won’t ever sing the way I hoped it would, but it may cast enough light for someone else with greater time or talent to get started. It’s worth a little brain ache.

The Thing!

 

 I have just finished entering all my Ancient History books into Library Thing. The total for one small bookshelf is 146. These are my working books for my Crowhook History through Literature Project. It is amazing how rejuvenating a deep dive into my shelves can be. Half-formed projects step up and demand to be finished. Books you loved and thought would be crucial to the project are haughty with their feelings of abandonment. “Oh, book do not fear I will get to you someday.” Roughly a third of my ancient history books are on my “To Read” list. I was surprised by that I try to keep things within a certain tolerance and not to buy books I won’t, can’t get to, but Crowhook is a broad project. I’ve been through ancients the most, so plans change and resources are discovered and dropped. I also shop second-hand. Yes, on Amazon, but more effectively at the library store, yard sales, thrift stores, and anywhere else you can pick up books for a buck. I know what I’m shopping for, but the “weeds” that pop up at these sales are sometimes more of what I need than items I’ve carefully researched and bought online. I am prone to duplicates. I was so relieved that I could get through Plato by using The Death of Socrates that I absent-mindedly bought three copies. I will find them good homes do not worry.

I will say I am loving Library Thing. If you like to organize your books and keep track of what you’ve accrued, you will enjoy this tidy but intense organizer. It looks like and functions like the professional card catalog at my local library. It carries a significant amount of information for each entry and two systems for organizing by your preferences. My favorite bit has been that you get the exact cover of the edition you have, so you can say “Oh, there it is” whether looking through the shelf or the app. This is a grown up tool, and I’m the bookish amateur to make good use of it. 

Paging Nate Morrow

 The fist time I walked down the diaper aisle at Sam’s Club and knew I didn’t need to buy anything, I raised my fists in the air and quietly said, “I’m going to Disney World.” Now we had six children by then, and other priorities for family funds, but it was the right feeling even if I wasn’t going to fulfill it literally.

We are coming up on another family milestone. Soon three more of my children will graduate college leaving only one fellow left. Five down, one to go, and once again my heart says, “I’m going to Disney World!” But we won’t they’re all grown up.

So I found another way to visit Disney World, YouTube Disney dedicated content creators. I can’t imagine Disney having any secrets left as the property is scoured by YouTubers. I like them all, but my favorite is “Paging Mr. Morrow.” Nate wanders the park he has chosen for his new vlog and while there is a plan it’s loose and easy. You feel like you’ve met up with a friend who knows Disney World inside out, whether it’s the rides or food or holiday theming, Nate knows his stuff. If you want to relax at the happiest place on Earth, but you don’t have the time or cash, crash with Mr. Morrow he’ll make you feel like an annual pass holder. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_tAHinw-M

The Floral Hatter

 My Easter “dress” is actually a rather casual split-skirt jumper. Exuberantly floral, it makes up in enthusiasm what it may lack in formality. I will get a lot more use out of it than I would a traditional church dress. The thing is, can you wear an Easter hat with a less formal outfit even if it is exuberantly floral. I’m leaning towards yes, but the next issue comes up. Can you wear an Easter bonnet to Vigil Mass? I love attending the evening Vigil Mass that is celebrated on Saturday. You get extra goodies in the liturgy, and you can sleep in Sunday. I have seen a hat or two in years past. I’ll just have to see how I feel.

Cross Stitcher

 

It’s been a while since I posted any cross stitch. This piece is going slowly because I keep making mistakes and having to pull things out. I found my feet again today and made some good progress, but I’m trained to be cautious in my optimism. The piece is The Mad Hatter by Mrs. Pegotty on Etsy. I think when I get rolling this will be a fun piece. It’s been a little stubborn so far.

Uzzein Sheerah

Well I remember the way my mother laughed when I asked her to give me an afro. The beautiful ball of hair that framed women’s faces captivated me, but alas my hair was coarse, thick and stick-straight. More quietly I began to nurse other hair dreams that also proved unrealistic, the most persistent of which was Shera hair. I didn’t really like the cartoons, but the flowy hair surrounding her face and trailing behind her seemed a reachable goal. Yet again my stick-straight hair would defeat me. It hung like a heavy curtain on either side of my face. It flowed nowhere. I would pin it up with barrettes. For a few minutes after I removed them there I’d be with Shera hair, but only long enough to ruefully watch them flop down on either side of my face again.

With age comes lots of surprises. I couldn’t find anyone to cut my mom bob when I moved to Saline. Butchered hair cut after butchered hair cut finally led to just letting it grow. The thing is I’m going grey, but more than the color has changed, my new hair is finer and wavy. It’s Shera hair! All these years and now here at the beginning of the end Shera hair.

Sheerah is a little known Bible character. A woman who during the settlement of Caanan built three cities. There are no complaints or aspersions about her gender just the simple facts of her accomplishments. Her moment is small, but not forgotten. Her cities held up well over time.

If you’d like to know more about this sparkling life from ancient times, here is an inspirational and informative post.

https://www.wilgafney.com/2012/05/20/she-built-a-city-sheerah-the-biblical-city-builder/

Claire Fenby-Warren, Book Maven

 

When I was trying to restart my reading habit I set aside my foray into Book Tube. I was overwhelmed by the books I already own and want to read, all these other choices flooding in made it feel impossible. I’m back on track partly due to my triple TBR lists, the hint of spring in the air and my new zettelkasten, so it was time to try again.

It helps to go with a friend and Ariel has been friends with Claire for many years and hairstyles. Claire’s taste in books is similar to mine which keeps the exploding Goodreads list at bay. She doesn’t mind repurchasing books in new editions, something I don’t do because I always have so many books that I want but don’t have. It is nice though to be caught up on the stylish editions. When I get better organized I might do a small collection for fancy’s sake. Something like John Donne in tobacco leather would be good or Enheduanna in gold leaf.

Claire is frequently joined by her husband Ben who is charming and seems perfectly suited to her. The bookish adventures they go on are enticing. Bath, York, London she is always at home. You might feel at home on her channel.

http://www.youtube.com/@Claire_Fenby

A Little More Global

 This is the latest addition to my collection of books about books. I’ve been particularly looking for books that recommend a course of reading for those of us who wish to be well-rounded. Choosing texts for my history through literature curriculum has been greatly aided by these books, but they fell short, generally when I expanded my interest out to the wider world wanting all cultures to be represented as much as is possible. Somehow I was connected with The Library of Humanity, and it has a much broader base especially of Asian books. The selection loses it’s inclusive flavor in the middle, but regains it, splendidly, in the modern sections.

I have expanded my list of books I want to read, and discovered many books I hope to recommend. This is a practical, direct resource. Each book or poem gets a page and then we roll on. If you are looking for a great books list that works hard to include Asian texts this will open many doors. If you just like to see what's out there, it’s a great window. This book will not waste your time.

Might read again.

Zettelkasten Castle

 Some things are meant to be. Two days ago I bumped into a short video about Zettlekasten. It basically outlined the types of cards. It instantly made sense to me, and it is so compatible with how I work. You tuck a 4x6 card in the book you are reading as you underline and make marginalia you note that on the back of the card. The basic information about the book goes on the front. I am recording the ISBN so that if I ever lose my marked up copy I can buy a replacement of the exact edition. You then wait a few days and transfer the items you feel will have lasting relevance onto cards of their own that will go into the permanent section grouped by topic.

I’ve only made twelve or so cards and my Crowhook lesson is hugely improved. It’s amazing. The only thing is now I want to reread everything to get it all into the box.

Darren does a good job of explaining things here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2zY7l2tzoQ

Prepare to be Captivated!

 Captivating the King is one of the most beautiful shows I have ever watched. The characters, the actors, the period sets and costumes, the plot twists all come together to make the most soothing world in which to live for 16 episodes. Bad things happen, truly bad things, but everything comforts you with a certainty that things will be made right. 

It even made me think about learning baduk aka “go”.

Greg Cohen: Muggle Wonka

 I’ve watched and watched Greg make his image candy, and it amazes me every time. Starting with a boiling cauldron of death sugar, he adds colors and flavorings, and then works it to the right consistency and temperature. Using giant, metal scissors he cuts apart the mass and then fashions the parts into a cylinder. The cylinder gets pulled smaller and smaller into rods which are then broken into pieces. Inside each piece is an image, roses, flags, Frankenstein. 

He also makes other forms of candy as well using antique machinery he has restored himself. Watching that happen is fascinating and fun, especially when he drops the sheets at the end and they fall into individual pieces. 

If I’m ever in Tallahassee, I’m stopping in at Public Displays of Confection, and I hope I catch Greg making magic.

https://www.youtube.com/@LoftyPursuits

To Infinity and Beyond

I feel a strong sense of loyalty to Nabisco, particularly their immortal Oreo cookies. In my childhood they were fancy treats enjoyed with order and respect. I have spent decades developing the best protocol for eating an Oreo cookie, but that is a tale already told. I am a Double Stuff girl, but when Oreo comes out with a new flavor I am inclined to give it a try. The tombstone version was beyond perfect for dirt pudding. My children like to indulge in specialty flavors now and then particularly mint and lemon, so when I saw the new “Space Dunk” Oreos it was a slam dunk right into my grocery basket.

The cookies are fun to look at with their peek-a-boo cut outs and colored cream. Taking them apart to eat the cream separately, while generally a good idea, fails here. The vanilla has been increased in the cookie portion in order to meet the cream, and while the experience isn’t unpleasant it isn’t one I’d seek out. Eating the cream separately also seems to dampen the experience of the pop rocks, yes, Pop Rocks, exploding in your mouth. This is one Oreo which is better together. 

Overall it’s a fun experience I recommend. 
 

Stop Calling Them Heroes!

 I’m re-reading Christine de Pisan’s The Book of the City of Ladies, and I was surprised to find that one of the characteristics she endorsed in a leader was the ability to subdue all the surrounding communities. Perhaps the peace of power was truly all that could be bought in the medieval time period and so being able to secure it was a necessity, but my other reading suggests that those who pursued total domination were simply out for power at any cost and for its own sake.

When I first started my history through literature journey I reflexively put the writings of “great men” on my list of books to explore. The thing I discovered is that their writings greatly damaged my idea of these men as great leaders. Julius Caesar had no reason other than he wanted to control Gaul for decimating and destroying the people and cultures of Gaul. His treatment of the Gallic people who cleverly, desperately opposed him as traitors stretches the idea of human loyalty. How dare he expect people to abandon their native culture and tribes for an arrogant invader. What a jerk.

Columbus was a favorite of my childhood, and I was told reading his journals would be faith building. His journals were hard to secure and the internet did not exist in my childhood, so it was with great anticipation that I cracked open a rather extravagant book about Columbus that included his journals. What a jerk! Yes, his journey was courageous, but his treatment of the people he discovered on the land he “discovered” is the worst of human behavior. He was greeted with great kindness, fed, resupplied, provided with materials to repair his ships. How does he repay this kindness? He immediately writes about how they will make great slaves and captures three to take back like specimens in a jar.

Unfortunately, I could go on and on, but just because someone does something historic doesn’t mean they did something good. Have a good think about some of these people and stop calling them heroes.

Think Like a Mother

Having six kids guarantees a fascination with motherhood, so much happens and changes as you go through the process of connecting with and nurturing children. Sometimes you see a cover across a crowded Barnes and Noble and you know it’s meant for you. Mother Brain was such a book for me.

It lived up to its advertising. The book is cram jam with fascinating research about how we bond with our children, and how they change us. Did you know that your child’s DNA is still floating around in your body and potentially doing good things? Some psychologists are beginning to think of becoming a parent as another stage of human development for both men and women. 

The book isn’t perfect. I wish it had more and shorter chapters. Sometimes in an effort to be as careful as possible with drawing conclusions, she leaves us with bare evidence. A chart with all the terms used for parent with an explanation for each application would also be helpful.

I was eager to read Mother Brain. I feel it was worth the time and money, especially if you are going to give birth any time soon. It is also helpful if you found your birth experiences confusing or difficult.

Cats and a Dog

 Furniture restoration is so meditative. I watch a lot of it, and I found two artisans who belong together. They are Mayfield Restorations and Flipping Drawers. Both are very competent at restoration surpassing even the idea of refinishing. They take on interesting, unusual pieces of furniture and occasionally challenge each other with the odd duck piece off of Facebook Marketplace. 

They also love their pets. The proprietor of Flipping Drawers stocks snacks for the neighborhood cats who visit regularly. David of Mayfield Restorations takes breaks to play with his darling dog Daisy who loves corks. Both distractions can be heartily endorsed as worthy additions to the regular videos.

https://www.youtube.com/@Flippingdrawers

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl1-RB3CtuRDNv3jAY1eUkQ

Mister Rogers Said I Could

 If binge watching tv had been a thing when I was a child I would have cycled through Mister Rogers Neighborhood over and over again. My shorter self thought there was nothing better. I loved the music, crafts, how things get made segments, all the characters human and puppet. There was no flaw. I also loved Mister Rogers because he loved everybody and he said we could too. In my imagination that meant all those little kids in the international outfits could be my friends. It was a very exciting prospect.

I kept waiting for those international friendship moments to begin happening, but Western Maryland isn’t terribly cosmopolitan. On our regular visits to D.C. to soak up some culture I would look around and hope for some obvious foreigners and some pretext for talking to them. I never had any good luck. Lately my luck has been better. The Detroit area has healthy communities of several kinds, and I’ve found my own way of saying hello. 

Loving everybody is harder than I thought. Things that are all nailed down in the community I call home are up in the air for others. Things I didn’t think I could tolerate, must be tolerated if I’m going to make friends. And I do want to make friends. It’s worth the strain. Hopefully I’ll get better at it as I practice. Mister Rogers said I could do it.

Normalizing Disaster

 Disasters are unpleasantly normal. We always hope we will outgrow the human disasters of war and terrorism, and we pray that Mother Nature will be kind. But we don’t and she isn’t. The only thing to do is plan for disaster, an ancient idea. I’d like to put forward a revised, ancient idea from the Bible, Numbers 35:11-28, the cities of refuge. The ancient idea was to provide protection for the person guilty of manslaughter from the avenger of blood. The cities were populated by priests, a specialized group qualified to judge a killer’s guilt or innocence. The modern version would be more about sheltering those displaced by war or natural disaster. We could populate the cities with people who are trained to meet disaster head on offering emergency services for which they would be stocked and prepared. There would also be people trained in repatriating or rehoming people as the crisis allows. Those who wanted to help a refugee would buy them a ticket to a city of refuge. When the nearest city filled to capacity, the next city would open. We would professionalize caring for the displaced.

The Book Thief: Forgotten Pleasure

 

The Book Thief made me remember those long, summer, adolescent days of reading. Whether it was in my room or sprawled on a blanket in the backyard, a good book was all I needed to be perfectly content. There are so many good books around when you are a teenager that it is easy to take for granted the ease with which you conquer them. This is a book like that, to be read like that. Everything is easy, rich and good for you. The voice of death who is far from intimidating with his business like appointments. The characters you love, and somehow know you will lose them. The deft plot work and characterizations you just flow through. If you are looking for something that is both pleasurable and meaningful this is such a thing. Two thumbs up.

The book is much, much better than the movie.

Max Miller: Tasting History

 

I love history, and all things that get me closer to lost times. Max Miller puts us right there by recreating the food from other times and places. His channel goes deep into recipes from almost any era you can imagine. He is pleasant to listen to as he provides background for the food and the history. He then makes the food, often simplifying it for average cooks. He rounds out the video with a tasting and brief wrap-up.

If you like history at all you will like this. I can see it also being a handy reference for school history projects. Max has also written a Tasting History cookbook that is on my list of books to acquire. He’s just all around educational and entertaining.

Pot of Cheer

 Our neighbors gifted us an Amaryllis for Christmas. I’d never had one before, but it proved to be as simple as setting it in the dirt, plopping it in the sun and watering it when it was dry. The resulting bloom is delicate yet flashy. I’m rather enamored with it.

TBR Three Ways

 This year I went through my book stash and filtered out the ones that weren’t likely to be read soon, then I went to Barnes and Noble with my Christmas money and seriously increased my stash. I piled most of the books I want to get to in a pile on my dresser, so I can see it’s bulk. I’m hoping seeing it shrink will motivate me to keep going.

I also make a TBR in my bullet journal by printing out mini versions of the book covers. Whenever I finish a book I mark it with a gold star. I posted all the titles randomly hoping that getting Bingos will make extra pressure to read everything.

My wildest TBR is my goodreads list. Any book I come across or is recommended to me goes in the goodreads app for later. It is a long list. I’ll probably have to cull it periodically in order to keep it functional.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152266324?shelf=to-read&sort=date_added&order=d

That would never happen now…

 

Modern women often feel complacent about horror stories from the past. They reassure themselves that that would never happen now, and they leave it to others to fight for women’s rights. For the sake of not disrupting their communities they accept bad rhetoric and degrading teaching. They don’t speak up, because they think it could never happen now.

I love Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale for a lot of reasons. She has a great sense of humor for one, and she creates a palpably real world where we get a glimpse of what it might be like if it happened now and how it might happen. It is a difficult book to read and walk away saying “It would never happen now.” 

We can’t sit down when we are halfway there and feel assured that our daughters’ future is safe. Many groups harbor old-fashioned ways that could set us all back if the women in those communities don’t speak up. They are enjoying the fruits of others’ labor while doing none of the work themselves.

Homesteading with the Zimmermans: The Rhythm of Life

 I’ve never been super drawn to the homesteading life. I like to read too much, but the grand mothering life is one of my fondest ambitions. I had terrific grandparents who knew how to dial it down to my rhythm. They were my favorite people in the world.

When I am so blessed as to have grandchildren, I want to remember the special patience and loving attention so I can live that with my little ones. Homesteading with the Zimmermans lives in that gentle patience. I can be a little frenetic, and Ruth Ann’s pacing is a steadying gauge. She teaches old time skills, sometimes directly to the viewer, sometimes to her children. Her home and farm are beautiful in a completely non-fussy way. I need to remember children are curious and they break things. 

Homesteading with the Zimmermans is a reset for busy lives. There are good things to learn, beautiful things to see and a quiet reminder that God is good. 

I Am Asking in the Name of God

 Pope Francis isn’t messing around with his new book. A call to prayer he focuses on the real issues destroying the world today. He asks…

1. In the name of God, I ask that the culture of abuse be eradicated from the Church.

2. In the name of God, I ask that we protect our Common Home.

3. In the name of God, I ask for the media to fight fake news and avoid hate speech.

4. In the name of God, I ask for Politics that work for the common good

5. In the name of God, I ask that we stop the madness of war.

6. In the name of God, I ask that doors be opened to immigrants and refugees.

7. In the name of God, I ask that greater participation of women in society be promoted and encouraged.

8. In the name of God, I ask that the growth of poor countries be allowed and encouraged.

9. In the name of God, I ask for universal access to health services.

10. In the name of God, I ask that the name of God not be used to incite wars.

I’m asking that too.

Gotta Get Peggotty!

 

I watch a lot of Floss Tube, which concerns itself, mainly, with cross stitch. I do so because I like cross stitch, and I hope to become more proficient and more diligent in its production. I have discovered that I am not a fan of confetti, meaning when there are six colors for a leaf and they are all mixed up with each other. It’s beautiful what designers achieve with confetti, but I prefer sizable chunks of the same color that are easy to count. The Prairie Schooler design shop was the main shop I knew of for this kind of thing, but I like brighter colors

Wandering around the cross stitch world I found Mrs. Peggotty and I loved the lack of confetti, the bright colors and the fact that most all of her designs come from books I have read and enjoyed. I have committed to The Mad Hatter, and I can’t wait to get started. I am surprised that Mrs. Peggotty’s designs are not being stitched by Floss Tubers. I’d love to be stitching along with an expert. I’d also like to buy three or four more patterns, but my stash is as large as I can cope with now.

Browsing at Mrs. Peggotty’s Etsy shop is like leafing through a library. Jules Verne, Edgar Allen Poe, Louisa May Alcott, Lewis Carrol and Agatha Christie to name a few. The pieces are full-coverage, but of a manageable size with all those easy to stitch puddles of color. Do as you will I just feel a talented designer is being overlooked. 

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=mrs%20peggotty%20arts&ref=auto-1&as_prefix=mrs%20pegg

In Ad

 Ept

Connie Clark: Faffing About

 

Normally I prefer my furniture to be finished with a wood stain rather than painted. There are some exceptions, but not often. That said, watching Connie smear, slather, smoosh and swoosh paint on furniture is fascinating. I’d like to see what she would do on a proper canvas, but I’ll keep watching her work on furniture. There is a cheerfulness about Connie as she works, a gleeful journey of discovery, that stretches my limits on what makes a good furniture flip.

She is a representative for Dixie Belle paint products. She really seems to know her stuff about getting the best from their products. The colors she pulls usually have me drooling. I don’t think I’d care about Dixie Belle if it weren’t for Connie.

This is a creative adventure channel. It inspires dreams of transforming furniture with wild abandon, nothing held back. There is no prescribed ending only more and more and more. This is maximalism in paint.

Bossy Boots

I was having some trouble with blanking out, enough to go looking for solutions. Someone, somewhere on You Tube suggested listening to my body. It was a simple, doable solution, unlikely to cause harm, so I tried it. Surprisingly it has been very effective, so effective I wondered how I’d stopped listening in the first place. Upon reflection it seems it was a seemingly small decision based on the idea that my goals were spiritual and intellectual, therefore I didn’t need to listen to my body. 

What I am discovering in this new era of attentiveness is that the body has a lot to say and can be rather bossy. How I managed to hold her under all these years I do not know. Water, restrooms, movement, they are more important now. I still fight habits of “Can’t it wait a little longer?” I’m used to trampling over my bodily needs, but the rewards of giving in and focusing now are breaking those entrenched patterns. My body is riding in to save the day, at last.

Mushroom

 

A leper needs no armor

To keep the world at bay

When Francis kissed the narcissist 

He blew his sins away

The taint of Love lay patrimony bare

The contagion of the good, the right and the fair