My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary is a continuation of her memoirs. A Girl from Yamhill told the story of her childhood and ends with her leaving for college. My Own Two Feet picks up the story at that exact point.
It is the midst of the Depression and Beverly has no idea how she is going to get to college with no money. Her mother's cousin, however, lives in Southern California, where tuition to the nearby two year state college is free, so Verna invites Beverly to come live with them for a year. From a very young age Cleary has had two ambitions, to become a children's librarian and to write children's books about ordinary kids. In order to complete the first goal, she must get a 4 year BA and then study and additional year in Library Science. With no money it takes a lot of hard work and determination and sometimes life almost overwhelms her. She winds up going to three different schools, the two year school, the University of California at Berkeley, and then finally the University of Washington. She makes lots of friends along the way, including the man whom she will marry, Clarence Cleary.
The book continues past graduation to her first job in Yakima, Washington, marriage and a move back to California, and then life during World War II, when she worked as a librarian on an Army base. And the book ends with the publication of her first book, Henry Huggins, which was more successful than she ever dreamed.
This book was a very satisfying follow up to A Girl from Yamhill and made me want to reread all the Cleary books I so loved in my childhood.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
My Marian Journey
I have been doing the 33 Days to Morning Glory retreat at a nearby parish. This is a method of Consecration to Jesus through Mary, based on St. Louis de Montfort's model, but greatly simplified for the modern person (we think we are so smart, but everything has to be dumbed down for us!).
The book is by Father Michael E. Gaitley, MIC and he is a wonderful author and a great presenter. He did a series of videos that go along with his book. He's a very charming, relaxed, down to earth kind of guy and he really makes everything very accessible.
First of all, even though my mom was a devout Catholic (and so was my father, though his alcoholism rather interfered with his being a model for us), she was a very reserved person who didn't talk much about her own faith journey, which I think at times was quite painful given all the sorrow and tragedy she had to endure. She was suspicious of anything smacking of superstition. I think because she came from an Irish background she witnessed a lot of people treating things like medals and scapulars as sort of religious rabbit's feet without any deeper understanding, so my mom tended to reject that sort of thing. It didn't help her get closer to Jesus but was an impediment in fact. So even though I went to Catholic schools and we always had a May Crowning and we said the rosary (not at home except for when I was really little) and learned Marian hymns, etc, and in fact my mother had a collection of beautiful primitive art representing Mary, she wasn't given to much Marian religious exploration. So I grew up not really feeling strongly about Mary and her apparitions.
But over the years I have come to have a greater appreciation for her. It started with the beautiful story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Then I learned about Fatima and found that really fascinating. Finally, very recently (the last 5 or 6 years) I have become fascinated with Lourdes. I am still not certain about St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal except that Mother Teresa loved that sacramental, so that makes me much more open about it.
This 33 Days to Morning Glory is a real exploration in Mariology which still feels like new territory to me. The group meets once a week to discuss their ponderings on the readings and to watch Fr. Gaitley's video. Last night I think I threw the room into a dither because I wanted to know the relationship between private revelation of Marion Apparitions and the core teachings of the Church. Most everybody misunderstood what I was trying to say and kind of came at me like I was a protestant trying to get over some mental block about Mary. And I wasn't very articulate, so I don't blame them. One lady though did get what I was driving at and said stuff that got my brain thinking through what it was I was having trouble with. I just read this page and it explains what I was puzzling over pretty well. So that was helpful. I thank God for that one lady because otherwise I would have left the room very really dismayed.
Anyway, I just thought I'd record what's been going on and I wanted to save that link that explains things so well.
The book is by Father Michael E. Gaitley, MIC and he is a wonderful author and a great presenter. He did a series of videos that go along with his book. He's a very charming, relaxed, down to earth kind of guy and he really makes everything very accessible.
First of all, even though my mom was a devout Catholic (and so was my father, though his alcoholism rather interfered with his being a model for us), she was a very reserved person who didn't talk much about her own faith journey, which I think at times was quite painful given all the sorrow and tragedy she had to endure. She was suspicious of anything smacking of superstition. I think because she came from an Irish background she witnessed a lot of people treating things like medals and scapulars as sort of religious rabbit's feet without any deeper understanding, so my mom tended to reject that sort of thing. It didn't help her get closer to Jesus but was an impediment in fact. So even though I went to Catholic schools and we always had a May Crowning and we said the rosary (not at home except for when I was really little) and learned Marian hymns, etc, and in fact my mother had a collection of beautiful primitive art representing Mary, she wasn't given to much Marian religious exploration. So I grew up not really feeling strongly about Mary and her apparitions.
But over the years I have come to have a greater appreciation for her. It started with the beautiful story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Then I learned about Fatima and found that really fascinating. Finally, very recently (the last 5 or 6 years) I have become fascinated with Lourdes. I am still not certain about St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal except that Mother Teresa loved that sacramental, so that makes me much more open about it.
This 33 Days to Morning Glory is a real exploration in Mariology which still feels like new territory to me. The group meets once a week to discuss their ponderings on the readings and to watch Fr. Gaitley's video. Last night I think I threw the room into a dither because I wanted to know the relationship between private revelation of Marion Apparitions and the core teachings of the Church. Most everybody misunderstood what I was trying to say and kind of came at me like I was a protestant trying to get over some mental block about Mary. And I wasn't very articulate, so I don't blame them. One lady though did get what I was driving at and said stuff that got my brain thinking through what it was I was having trouble with. I just read this page and it explains what I was puzzling over pretty well. So that was helpful. I thank God for that one lady because otherwise I would have left the room very really dismayed.
Anyway, I just thought I'd record what's been going on and I wanted to save that link that explains things so well.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
A Girl from Yamhill - Book 30
I saw this book mentioned on the Howling Frog book blog, one of my very favorite book blogs. It immediately caught my interest so due to the wonders of the Kindle, I downloaded it and started to read. A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary is that famous children's author's memoirs of her own youth.
Cleary was born Beverly Bunn in the midst of World War I, though that was happening in a place very distant from Yamhill. Her early years were spent on her father's farm. Her father loved farming but her mother compared it to slavery. Cleary recounts the story of her pioneer ancestors who traveled the Oregon trail to settle that territory. This bit really connected with a lot of what I had just read in Gene Stratton Porter's Laddie, which also recounted stories of the brave pioneers and childhood on a farm. Both books reflect such a natural love of flora and fauna that growing up on a farm must engender in young children.
But even when the farm was producing a lot, the money was not good, so painfully, at least for her father, they gave it up and moved to Portland. Beverly liked having neighborhood children to play with but school turned out to be a mixed experience. It was often an uncomfortable, anxiety inducing place, even though it could be interesting as well. The book recounts each grade (she's got a terrific memory! I can remember hardly anything of those years!). It explains how she came to want to be a children's writer. There's lots of lovely cultural history here too, of the fads and crazes and technological developments that happened through the teens, and twenties of the 20th century. Her parents were poor to begin with and with the crash of 1929 things became dark and desperate.
The saddest thing about this memoir is Cleary's struggles with her mother. Her mother was high-strung and couldn't adapt well to the struggles of poverty and disappointment. She was weirdly controlling of Cleary and lived vicariously through her. Her father, though remote in a way and struggling with his own depression, was sympatico with Beverly and at the end helped her escape her mother's manipulations. Cleary loves her mom but doesn't understand her, feels unaccepted by her and simply wants control over her own life.
This was a hard to put down book. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, My Own Two Feet. For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Cleary was born Beverly Bunn in the midst of World War I, though that was happening in a place very distant from Yamhill. Her early years were spent on her father's farm. Her father loved farming but her mother compared it to slavery. Cleary recounts the story of her pioneer ancestors who traveled the Oregon trail to settle that territory. This bit really connected with a lot of what I had just read in Gene Stratton Porter's Laddie, which also recounted stories of the brave pioneers and childhood on a farm. Both books reflect such a natural love of flora and fauna that growing up on a farm must engender in young children.
But even when the farm was producing a lot, the money was not good, so painfully, at least for her father, they gave it up and moved to Portland. Beverly liked having neighborhood children to play with but school turned out to be a mixed experience. It was often an uncomfortable, anxiety inducing place, even though it could be interesting as well. The book recounts each grade (she's got a terrific memory! I can remember hardly anything of those years!). It explains how she came to want to be a children's writer. There's lots of lovely cultural history here too, of the fads and crazes and technological developments that happened through the teens, and twenties of the 20th century. Her parents were poor to begin with and with the crash of 1929 things became dark and desperate.
The saddest thing about this memoir is Cleary's struggles with her mother. Her mother was high-strung and couldn't adapt well to the struggles of poverty and disappointment. She was weirdly controlling of Cleary and lived vicariously through her. Her father, though remote in a way and struggling with his own depression, was sympatico with Beverly and at the end helped her escape her mother's manipulations. Cleary loves her mom but doesn't understand her, feels unaccepted by her and simply wants control over her own life.
This was a hard to put down book. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, My Own Two Feet. For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning - Book 29
The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning by Simcha Fisher made me feel like I am not sophisticated enough about sex. It is a very well written book about the ups and downs of NFP. I'll confess we never used NFP so I have always been on the periphery of any discussion about it. I know about it generally speaking but having never been a practitioner I do not know how much it complicates things. And since I am 54 and post menopausal, I really am not in a position to actually use any of the advice that Fisher gives out so eloquently.
While reading this book I started to feel guilty that I think I've always taken this aspect of marriage for granted. Not that everything is always peachy great or anything but I always thought, you know, that's life. You go through good times, you go through bad times. Patience gains all things. I asked my husband what his opinion was about our love life and he grabbed me in a hug and said, oh honey, I love you. So I guess it is okay.
Anyway, I have never had to think as hard about sex in marriage as seems to be implied by this book. I am really truly blessed because Fisher makes it seem like it is fraught with all kinds of heartache, disillusionment, miscommunication, resentment, etc. I am sure she is giving great advice but on the other hand it made me really thankful that my husband and I never had to struggle like this.
Praise God! That said I do think I'll give this book to my daughter. She's getting married much younger than I did and she'll have a lot more money and fertility issues to deal with than we did. It might really help to keep things in perspective. Though I do think it needs to be made clear this is for people who are really struggling; she might not.
For more book reviews goes Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
While reading this book I started to feel guilty that I think I've always taken this aspect of marriage for granted. Not that everything is always peachy great or anything but I always thought, you know, that's life. You go through good times, you go through bad times. Patience gains all things. I asked my husband what his opinion was about our love life and he grabbed me in a hug and said, oh honey, I love you. So I guess it is okay.
Anyway, I have never had to think as hard about sex in marriage as seems to be implied by this book. I am really truly blessed because Fisher makes it seem like it is fraught with all kinds of heartache, disillusionment, miscommunication, resentment, etc. I am sure she is giving great advice but on the other hand it made me really thankful that my husband and I never had to struggle like this.
Praise God! That said I do think I'll give this book to my daughter. She's getting married much younger than I did and she'll have a lot more money and fertility issues to deal with than we did. It might really help to keep things in perspective. Though I do think it needs to be made clear this is for people who are really struggling; she might not.
For more book reviews goes Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Laddie; a true blue story - Book 28
Laddie, a true blue story is by Gene Stratton-Porter. She wrote A Girl of the Limberlost which I thought had been a TV miniseries but it seems it was just a movie out in 1990 so I don't know what I am remembering. Anyway, I did read A Girl of the Limberlost a long time ago and alway thought I'd read more of Gene Stratton-Porter but haven't until now.
The story is told from the point of view of a young girl, the youngest of 12 children in loving family who began as homesteaders in the midwest. They are now very successful farmers. Laddie is one of Little Sister's brothers whom she adores. He is everything: handsome, strong, virtuous, playful, loving and smart. She is especially close to him because while everyone else in the family really thought they didn't need a 12th baby in the house, he, the story goes, loved her immediately. The rest of the family eventually came around though!
Little Sister has to finally go to school. The family hasn't bothered to send her even though she should have begun 2 years earlier. But they couldn't bear to make their youngest go when she so obviously was happy wandering the farm and the countryside watching her beloved birds and all the teeming life that surrounded her. The story is mostly about love. The love between her parents, the love that each of her remaining older siblings find as they grow up and move out into their own lives. First we have the wedding of Sally and Peter, then we have the love story of Laddie for the Princess. The Princess' family is mysterious and new to the area. They are from England and are not neighborly. Something is bothering Mr. Pryor the father of Princess, and Princess's mother is an invalid. Princess herself is seen as remote and haughty, but Laddie sees through this. She is beautiful and spirited and he falls in love with her. Shelley is an older sister who goes away to music school and has her own heartache. Leon is a mischievous and bright brother who is full of pranks and unexpected bits of wisdom. He already knows who he is going to marry, Susie Falls from a neighboring farm.
The book is charming in that old fashion Victorian way. Lots of adventures happen, a new school teacher arrives, we heard stories of mother and father's homesteading adventures, a thief steals their money one night, there is a fox hunt, this is all besides all the romance going on. The tone of the writing is very high in terms of poetry, romance, nostalgia and preaching virtues at you from every page. It is kind of like a Louisa May Alcott book turned up another notch. There is a lot of praying and church going too which was refreshing. The young girl, Little Sister, knows that God is love and she knows He loves her.
The book's approach to education really supports the idea of unschooling in many ways. You can see that John Holt wasn't the first to think schools cramp the expansive world of childhood learning.
This book is a slice of Americana! If you want to read a well told, emotional tale of bygone times, this is the book for you! I must admit though it got a tad bit too saccharine for me, especially all the talk about how looks don't matter but then everyone in the book is so handsome or beautiful. Or how man's dignity stems from his own worth and efforts, except it is nice to confirm this by finding out you really are of noble birth. God is the only real goal except it sure is nice that we own all these wonderful things. So, in other words, I found the moral tone of the book a bit contradictory.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
The story is told from the point of view of a young girl, the youngest of 12 children in loving family who began as homesteaders in the midwest. They are now very successful farmers. Laddie is one of Little Sister's brothers whom she adores. He is everything: handsome, strong, virtuous, playful, loving and smart. She is especially close to him because while everyone else in the family really thought they didn't need a 12th baby in the house, he, the story goes, loved her immediately. The rest of the family eventually came around though!
Little Sister has to finally go to school. The family hasn't bothered to send her even though she should have begun 2 years earlier. But they couldn't bear to make their youngest go when she so obviously was happy wandering the farm and the countryside watching her beloved birds and all the teeming life that surrounded her. The story is mostly about love. The love between her parents, the love that each of her remaining older siblings find as they grow up and move out into their own lives. First we have the wedding of Sally and Peter, then we have the love story of Laddie for the Princess. The Princess' family is mysterious and new to the area. They are from England and are not neighborly. Something is bothering Mr. Pryor the father of Princess, and Princess's mother is an invalid. Princess herself is seen as remote and haughty, but Laddie sees through this. She is beautiful and spirited and he falls in love with her. Shelley is an older sister who goes away to music school and has her own heartache. Leon is a mischievous and bright brother who is full of pranks and unexpected bits of wisdom. He already knows who he is going to marry, Susie Falls from a neighboring farm.
The book is charming in that old fashion Victorian way. Lots of adventures happen, a new school teacher arrives, we heard stories of mother and father's homesteading adventures, a thief steals their money one night, there is a fox hunt, this is all besides all the romance going on. The tone of the writing is very high in terms of poetry, romance, nostalgia and preaching virtues at you from every page. It is kind of like a Louisa May Alcott book turned up another notch. There is a lot of praying and church going too which was refreshing. The young girl, Little Sister, knows that God is love and she knows He loves her.
The book's approach to education really supports the idea of unschooling in many ways. You can see that John Holt wasn't the first to think schools cramp the expansive world of childhood learning.
This book is a slice of Americana! If you want to read a well told, emotional tale of bygone times, this is the book for you! I must admit though it got a tad bit too saccharine for me, especially all the talk about how looks don't matter but then everyone in the book is so handsome or beautiful. Or how man's dignity stems from his own worth and efforts, except it is nice to confirm this by finding out you really are of noble birth. God is the only real goal except it sure is nice that we own all these wonderful things. So, in other words, I found the moral tone of the book a bit contradictory.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Friday, July 25, 2014
In the Middle of Things
I am in the middle of reading five different books. I hate it when I get out of control like this because I wind up not finishing a lot of the books. It is a bad habit I revert to, I think because I am actually ADD. So unless a book is all consuming, it takes real discipline on my part to finish it. And I am okay with trying out a book and realizing that I just don't care enough about it, or there is something bothersome about it, that makes it not worth completing, but when I start not finishing books that I actually do want to finish - that is a different story.
So right now I am reading:
Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter - a charming Victorian/homesteader novel based on Stratton-Porter's own childhood.
33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael Gaitley - this is a wonderful book I'm reading with a church group.
The Element by Sir Ken Robinson - this is a thought-provoking book that really examines what education could and should be. I don't always quite agree with Sir Ken but he is thoughtful, refreshing and funny to read. I keep pecking away at the book though even though I should have finished it by now. For some reason, I can only read a bit at a time. I definitely feel ADD when I am reading it.
Unschooling Rules by Clark Aldrich - I've heard this book mentioned a million times by unschooly people. I finally got a copy - but again, I peck at it now and again. It isn't the type of book you sit and read from cover to cover in a linear fashion. Or at least to me, it isn't that type.
The Sinner's Guide to NFP by Simcha Fisher - ok, first I can't get over my astonishment at the 'balls' that it took to write this book when you have had nine children in 15 years of marriage. So whenever I start this book I have trouble with the premise that the author (who is hysterically funny) ever really practiced any NFP at all. I keep starting this book and then my astonishment rises up and I think, I can not take this seriously! I understand being a sinner but writing a guide about something you were to all appearances a complete failure at just strikes me as a little too absurd. I admit, I have not gotten very far at all into the book, so my initial reaction could be all wrong. I was actually thinking of maybe giving this book to Hannah possibly but would that be icky? What is appropriate when your daughter is about to get married? I asked Rick and he said no don't give it but he has always been more squeamish in terms of talking about sex than I have (even though he's the more liberated non-Catholic who doesn't mind sex in movies whereas I am the more 'prudish' one because I adhere to Catholic teaching and don't like movies that exploit sex.)
In addition to this I've started two Teaching Company lecture series. One is called The Rise and Fall of the British Empire with my favorite professor, Patrick Allitt. However, Rick wanted to watch it with me. When we watch together, usually we watch at night in bed before we fall asleep. However, Rick is into Game of Thrones big time right now. So he's always reading that. We've only seen the first two lectures and that was at my request. So I think I have to be patient and wait until he is finished the books before we can continue watching with any regularity.
The other lecture series is call Medical Myths, etc which tries to examine all the many medical ideas that are floating around in popular culture like homeopathy, the anti-vaccine movement, etc. etc. I started out really enthusiastic about it, because I have been so inculturated into the ideas of Weston Price and gluten-sensitivity and that sort of thing that I have stopped really questioning things as I should. However, I've gotten to some lectures where I've thought, the trouble is that science hasn't solved or even begun to solve certain problems. In fact it is pretty lame in some areas, so no wonder people have resorted to counter measures or folk remedies. Nature abhors a vacuum. You have no idea why autism is suddenly a burgeoning occurrence but you are sure that x, y and z don't cause it? That is no comfort to the parents at all. I think it is because medicine/science is presented in our culture as so powerful and knowledgeable and in many ways it is but it is also very limited and takes a very long time to figure things out. And speaking of limitations, the truth is scientists get stuff wrong and doctors who went to the same medical schools this guy did are promoting things that this teacher says are wrong. Things are always evolving and reports of the most recent studies often contradict previous studies. So in other words it is impossible for the layman to distinguish truth from fiction. Dr. Novella keeps saying you have to look at the consensus of opinion among all the studies that have been done right which makes perfect sense, except that there is a lot of politics going on within those studies. We'll hear about one study for years only to find that some other scientist says it turns out it was wrong due to such and such factor. I thought his lecture on ADHD was especially weak. Rick was listening to part of one lecture where the teacher was explaining confirmation bias and he laughed out loud and said this guy has confirmation bias all over him! So now I am having trouble working up enthusiasm to finish the lecture series. Actually, I might listen to the next lecture right now - it will discipline me to keep my mind open at least a little bit.
So right now I am reading:
Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter - a charming Victorian/homesteader novel based on Stratton-Porter's own childhood.
33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael Gaitley - this is a wonderful book I'm reading with a church group.
The Element by Sir Ken Robinson - this is a thought-provoking book that really examines what education could and should be. I don't always quite agree with Sir Ken but he is thoughtful, refreshing and funny to read. I keep pecking away at the book though even though I should have finished it by now. For some reason, I can only read a bit at a time. I definitely feel ADD when I am reading it.
Unschooling Rules by Clark Aldrich - I've heard this book mentioned a million times by unschooly people. I finally got a copy - but again, I peck at it now and again. It isn't the type of book you sit and read from cover to cover in a linear fashion. Or at least to me, it isn't that type.
The Sinner's Guide to NFP by Simcha Fisher - ok, first I can't get over my astonishment at the 'balls' that it took to write this book when you have had nine children in 15 years of marriage. So whenever I start this book I have trouble with the premise that the author (who is hysterically funny) ever really practiced any NFP at all. I keep starting this book and then my astonishment rises up and I think, I can not take this seriously! I understand being a sinner but writing a guide about something you were to all appearances a complete failure at just strikes me as a little too absurd. I admit, I have not gotten very far at all into the book, so my initial reaction could be all wrong. I was actually thinking of maybe giving this book to Hannah possibly but would that be icky? What is appropriate when your daughter is about to get married? I asked Rick and he said no don't give it but he has always been more squeamish in terms of talking about sex than I have (even though he's the more liberated non-Catholic who doesn't mind sex in movies whereas I am the more 'prudish' one because I adhere to Catholic teaching and don't like movies that exploit sex.)
In addition to this I've started two Teaching Company lecture series. One is called The Rise and Fall of the British Empire with my favorite professor, Patrick Allitt. However, Rick wanted to watch it with me. When we watch together, usually we watch at night in bed before we fall asleep. However, Rick is into Game of Thrones big time right now. So he's always reading that. We've only seen the first two lectures and that was at my request. So I think I have to be patient and wait until he is finished the books before we can continue watching with any regularity.
The other lecture series is call Medical Myths, etc which tries to examine all the many medical ideas that are floating around in popular culture like homeopathy, the anti-vaccine movement, etc. etc. I started out really enthusiastic about it, because I have been so inculturated into the ideas of Weston Price and gluten-sensitivity and that sort of thing that I have stopped really questioning things as I should. However, I've gotten to some lectures where I've thought, the trouble is that science hasn't solved or even begun to solve certain problems. In fact it is pretty lame in some areas, so no wonder people have resorted to counter measures or folk remedies. Nature abhors a vacuum. You have no idea why autism is suddenly a burgeoning occurrence but you are sure that x, y and z don't cause it? That is no comfort to the parents at all. I think it is because medicine/science is presented in our culture as so powerful and knowledgeable and in many ways it is but it is also very limited and takes a very long time to figure things out. And speaking of limitations, the truth is scientists get stuff wrong and doctors who went to the same medical schools this guy did are promoting things that this teacher says are wrong. Things are always evolving and reports of the most recent studies often contradict previous studies. So in other words it is impossible for the layman to distinguish truth from fiction. Dr. Novella keeps saying you have to look at the consensus of opinion among all the studies that have been done right which makes perfect sense, except that there is a lot of politics going on within those studies. We'll hear about one study for years only to find that some other scientist says it turns out it was wrong due to such and such factor. I thought his lecture on ADHD was especially weak. Rick was listening to part of one lecture where the teacher was explaining confirmation bias and he laughed out loud and said this guy has confirmation bias all over him! So now I am having trouble working up enthusiasm to finish the lecture series. Actually, I might listen to the next lecture right now - it will discipline me to keep my mind open at least a little bit.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Eating rules
Well, I am going to try, once again, for the one millionth time, to try to get handle on establishing healthy eating habits.
So here's reiteration of my general guidelines. I know if I do this I lose weight. I know when I abandon this, my weight goes up and I feel lousy.
So here's reiteration of my general guidelines. I know if I do this I lose weight. I know when I abandon this, my weight goes up and I feel lousy.
Eating Rules:
Refined sugars only 1x a week (Sunday morning)
Eat fruit, use honey or syrup if I have a sweet craving
1 glass of wine per week (Friday nights?)
Remember to drink lots of water - so important!
Eat at least fruit 2x a day and veggies 3x a day
1 salad and two veggies
Breakfast:
Yogurt with fruit and honey
Oatmeal with a little syrup, nuts, fruit
Eggs, fruit
Lunch
Chicken broth or
Soup
Salad with protein, sesame crackers
Snack:
Nuts
Fruit
Veggies
Dinner:
Eat veggies first and fill up plate
Protein
Starch
Reduce bread intake – only whole grains
Drink coffee black
Eat healthfully - lots of veggies
When I plan dinner, think of the veggies first
Portion control
Do not let certain foods in the house (pies, cakes, cookies)
Record what I eat
Avoid fast and processed foods
Exercise – walk, yoga, elliptical - Record what I do
Weigh once a week on Saturday morning
Goal 1 lb per week
To get started, I need to clean out my fridge and plan groceries and get my kitchen organized a little bit to make all this easier. On Wednesday I took Guille into D.C. and we walked for hours through both the Air and Space Museum and the National Art Gallery. Today I'll either walk outside since it isn't too hot or I'll try the elliptical while listening to a Teaching Co. course.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
What We've Been Up To - 7/15/14
Life is rollicking along! Becky just finished her 3.5 week theater camp, putting on the musical Peter Pan, Jr. I think it will always be a highlight she'll remember in her life. It was one of those times where everything came together beautifully. They had 65 kids in the cast. All the staff were seasoned community theater people with the biggest hearts you ever saw. It was just one loving, supportive, full of life team. The guy who was the MC, a older man, maybe in his seventies, who obviously had spent his life in theater, wrote a beautiful moving poem about how sad everyone was that it was over. It was amazing! People in their 70s right down to 8 year olds, all worked together joyfully, some Christians, some not Christians, various ethnic groups and it was all about unity!
Becky was a mermaid and she was the best best mermaid. She really was! I can not find my charger for my camera of course. And my cell phone broke. When I can figure out how to put photos that someone shared with me on email. I will post them!
And what was really fun was Becky turned 13 on Saturday. The day she had two shows to do. It was a busy day. It started Friday night after the first performance. All the kids were so excited. So we wound up going to an IHOP. The cast members who were still there at midnight sang happy birthday to her. She slept in on Saturday morning, but then had to get up and go to rehearsal by noon. The show was at 2:00 and Granddad, Peggy, Tom, Susan, Theo, Andrea, Rick and Sean all went to see her. They came home and we had an early supper and cupcakes and sang happy birthday. She got some presents and then off she went again for the next show. I was there at the Friday night show and I also went to the Saturday night one. Hannah, Peter, Guille (our Argentina student) and then much to my surprise and delight, my sister Lisa joined us too. And as another nice surprise a group of girls from Becky's AHG troop were there as well.
We went right home after that performance, so Becky could get some sleep (though sleeping is hard when you are on such a high!). We got up and went to 10:00 Mass (which was beautiful! The choir outdid themselves). Then Becky and I grabbed a quick early lunch and off she went again to her last performance. She didn't want me there, for some reason. But her friend Stephanie came to the show.
In the midst of all this, Guille, our student from Argentina arrived. He's been here one week now. He is really nice and pleasant. I didn't know it, but in his school, they give a free trip to the U.S. for the student with the highest GPA. Actually, Guille, said there were 3 students with the same GPA so the principal chose him! I can see why. Nicest guy in the world! So far with Guille we've taken him to Great Falls, taken him to several grocery stores, a nice trip to Target, Chick fil a (to witness people dressed as cows to get free meals; it was dress as a cow day), 7-11 - to get that quintessential American drink: a slurpee. It was free slurpee day too. I think he thinks the U.S. is just full of gimmicks to get free food. I took him to Trader Joe's and there was free coffee and they were giving taste tests for their ice cream. America is great! LOL! He just likes to get in the car and drive around too. He saw Becky's play and Hannah and Peter took him bowling once. I do think he's a little bored because during the down time, Sean isn't especially friendly. It is a bit of a strain suddenly having to live with another person 24/7, especially if that other person doesn't speak very good English. Today though, I am taking the boys to Bull Run while Becky goes to cupcake camp. Then tomorrow I plan to take him into Washington to see Ford's Theater among other sites. The weather is supposed to be a good bit cooler. Rick is hoping to get off work on Thursday and wants to take Guille out on the boat. Josh is going too and maybe Hannah.
Friday we might do more sightseeing, if he isn't too tired and this weekend, we are planning to meet up with Lisa and her son at Harper's Ferry for some tubing fun. So this coming week should be good!
Josh is still happy in his work at the marina. He is a good boy. Seano hangs out with Guille, until he can't anymore, LOL. Then he practices his yo yo tricks, is teaching himself to juggle, or he watches all his favorite youtube channels and reports back on what he has learned, he's also been into revisiting an old game he hasn't played for a while: some Castlevania one. He's also been into poker and figuring out odds. He has played games with Guille but he wins all the time. I've played chess with him several times lately. I never, ever win against him.
Hannah addressed all her wedding invitations! Peter has a new temp job; don't know the details though. Will seems to be doing well up in Boston. He calls every day which is wonderful. Rick was incredibly busy up until Friday. Now things have settled down a bit, so that's nice. I was worried about all the stress and lack of sleep for him. We are not getting any younger!
And today I really must finish filling out Becky's forms for AHG camp. She's going away the last week in July.
Becky was a mermaid and she was the best best mermaid. She really was! I can not find my charger for my camera of course. And my cell phone broke. When I can figure out how to put photos that someone shared with me on email. I will post them!
And what was really fun was Becky turned 13 on Saturday. The day she had two shows to do. It was a busy day. It started Friday night after the first performance. All the kids were so excited. So we wound up going to an IHOP. The cast members who were still there at midnight sang happy birthday to her. She slept in on Saturday morning, but then had to get up and go to rehearsal by noon. The show was at 2:00 and Granddad, Peggy, Tom, Susan, Theo, Andrea, Rick and Sean all went to see her. They came home and we had an early supper and cupcakes and sang happy birthday. She got some presents and then off she went again for the next show. I was there at the Friday night show and I also went to the Saturday night one. Hannah, Peter, Guille (our Argentina student) and then much to my surprise and delight, my sister Lisa joined us too. And as another nice surprise a group of girls from Becky's AHG troop were there as well.
We went right home after that performance, so Becky could get some sleep (though sleeping is hard when you are on such a high!). We got up and went to 10:00 Mass (which was beautiful! The choir outdid themselves). Then Becky and I grabbed a quick early lunch and off she went again to her last performance. She didn't want me there, for some reason. But her friend Stephanie came to the show.
In the midst of all this, Guille, our student from Argentina arrived. He's been here one week now. He is really nice and pleasant. I didn't know it, but in his school, they give a free trip to the U.S. for the student with the highest GPA. Actually, Guille, said there were 3 students with the same GPA so the principal chose him! I can see why. Nicest guy in the world! So far with Guille we've taken him to Great Falls, taken him to several grocery stores, a nice trip to Target, Chick fil a (to witness people dressed as cows to get free meals; it was dress as a cow day), 7-11 - to get that quintessential American drink: a slurpee. It was free slurpee day too. I think he thinks the U.S. is just full of gimmicks to get free food. I took him to Trader Joe's and there was free coffee and they were giving taste tests for their ice cream. America is great! LOL! He just likes to get in the car and drive around too. He saw Becky's play and Hannah and Peter took him bowling once. I do think he's a little bored because during the down time, Sean isn't especially friendly. It is a bit of a strain suddenly having to live with another person 24/7, especially if that other person doesn't speak very good English. Today though, I am taking the boys to Bull Run while Becky goes to cupcake camp. Then tomorrow I plan to take him into Washington to see Ford's Theater among other sites. The weather is supposed to be a good bit cooler. Rick is hoping to get off work on Thursday and wants to take Guille out on the boat. Josh is going too and maybe Hannah.
Friday we might do more sightseeing, if he isn't too tired and this weekend, we are planning to meet up with Lisa and her son at Harper's Ferry for some tubing fun. So this coming week should be good!
Josh is still happy in his work at the marina. He is a good boy. Seano hangs out with Guille, until he can't anymore, LOL. Then he practices his yo yo tricks, is teaching himself to juggle, or he watches all his favorite youtube channels and reports back on what he has learned, he's also been into revisiting an old game he hasn't played for a while: some Castlevania one. He's also been into poker and figuring out odds. He has played games with Guille but he wins all the time. I've played chess with him several times lately. I never, ever win against him.
Hannah addressed all her wedding invitations! Peter has a new temp job; don't know the details though. Will seems to be doing well up in Boston. He calls every day which is wonderful. Rick was incredibly busy up until Friday. Now things have settled down a bit, so that's nice. I was worried about all the stress and lack of sleep for him. We are not getting any younger!
And today I really must finish filling out Becky's forms for AHG camp. She's going away the last week in July.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Chip the Dam Builder - Book 27
Don't judge me! I read a children's chapter book called Chip, the Dam Builder. Let me tell you how it happened. I was flipping through channels one day and I stumbled upon some news station (C-Span?) covering a National Press Breakfast or something like that. Their featured speaker was Dr. Ben Carson. I have a special fondness for Dr. Carson. Part of the time I lived in Baltimore, I was down the street from the Johns Hopkins Campus. Dr. Carson is a local celebrity in those parts. I remember going to the Baltimore City library and seeing his books and a picture book about him displayed there. Then a few years ago I watched the movie Gifted Hands which was quite good.
Anyway, I only caught the very last question asked to Dr. Carson. Someone asked him the single most influential book in his life, after the Bible. And he answered the funniest answer right away, like he didn't even have to think about it, but he was a little embarrassed: Chip the Dam Builder. He gave a quick reason why in the 20 seconds he had left. He said that he read the book in 5th grade and that was the one that opened up science to him. The book is a story about a beaver colony led by Chip. It explains the beaver's life and hardships without anthropomorphizing them too much. He said that book made him look into other books about science. Soon he discovered geology and became fascinated by that subject. Then one day in 5th grade, his teacher began a lesson on rocks and Dr. Carson, who had been a shy, quiet and scared kid up until that moment, suddenly got animated and forgot to be shy. He happily told the teacher everything about geology that he knew with great enthusiasm. When Dr. Carson looked around the classroom he saw the kids looking at him with admiration, like, wow that quiet kid knows stuff! And this is what inspired Dr. Carson to really take school seriously.
Well, I immediately went and looked up Chip the Dam Builder and to my happy surprise it was written by one of my favorite authors as a child, Jim Kjelgaard! I loved his Big Red and other dog books. I don't remember reading Chip, but if it was in my local library growing up, I probably did as I think I read every book they had by Kjelgaard. Suddenly I just had to have Chip myself. So I bought a copy used through Amazon.
Do they write children's books like this anymore? The book assumes the child is intelligent and can handle literary language. There is no talking down to them, no cutesy stuff. There are hardly any pictures, except some simply but lovely black and white illustrations. It explains what life is like as a beaver: lots of danger and instinct that drives the beaver to protect his family while also changing the landscape around him. We learn about all sorts of river and stream life and also the bad and good encounters with man.
I was sad to see that Kjelgaard killed himself in 1959. How sad. I would love to know more about him.
Two thumbs up for both a nice nostalgic return to childhood and just a quality book about nature.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Anyway, I only caught the very last question asked to Dr. Carson. Someone asked him the single most influential book in his life, after the Bible. And he answered the funniest answer right away, like he didn't even have to think about it, but he was a little embarrassed: Chip the Dam Builder. He gave a quick reason why in the 20 seconds he had left. He said that he read the book in 5th grade and that was the one that opened up science to him. The book is a story about a beaver colony led by Chip. It explains the beaver's life and hardships without anthropomorphizing them too much. He said that book made him look into other books about science. Soon he discovered geology and became fascinated by that subject. Then one day in 5th grade, his teacher began a lesson on rocks and Dr. Carson, who had been a shy, quiet and scared kid up until that moment, suddenly got animated and forgot to be shy. He happily told the teacher everything about geology that he knew with great enthusiasm. When Dr. Carson looked around the classroom he saw the kids looking at him with admiration, like, wow that quiet kid knows stuff! And this is what inspired Dr. Carson to really take school seriously.
Well, I immediately went and looked up Chip the Dam Builder and to my happy surprise it was written by one of my favorite authors as a child, Jim Kjelgaard! I loved his Big Red and other dog books. I don't remember reading Chip, but if it was in my local library growing up, I probably did as I think I read every book they had by Kjelgaard. Suddenly I just had to have Chip myself. So I bought a copy used through Amazon.
Do they write children's books like this anymore? The book assumes the child is intelligent and can handle literary language. There is no talking down to them, no cutesy stuff. There are hardly any pictures, except some simply but lovely black and white illustrations. It explains what life is like as a beaver: lots of danger and instinct that drives the beaver to protect his family while also changing the landscape around him. We learn about all sorts of river and stream life and also the bad and good encounters with man.
I was sad to see that Kjelgaard killed himself in 1959. How sad. I would love to know more about him.
Two thumbs up for both a nice nostalgic return to childhood and just a quality book about nature.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Monday, July 7, 2014
The Conservative Tradition
One reason I have fallen behind in my reading (only finished book 26 when it is week 28! Horrors) is that I have been binge watching a Teaching Company course called The Conservative Tradition taught by one of my favorite lecturers, Professor Patrick Allitt. Professor Allitt, as always, comes off as genial, really smart, and objective. He traces the history of what political conservatism means from the Glorious Revolution in England up to about the year 2000. He switches back forth between British history and U.S. history so that there is a certain element of comparing and contrasting going on, which is quite illuminating.
Professor Allitt's schtick is that he doesn't want you to know how he personally thinks of things but attempts to give an objective account of his subject matter. He lays it all out- the good, the bad and the ugly. He begins by defining conservatism. Some of that definition includes a reverence for tradition and the past, a disinclination to believe policies that smack of utopian ideas - for instance the belief that humans will always war because they always have and therefore it makes sense to provide for that. And also the idea that conservatism is always in reaction to what is going on in society. It isn't that conservatives don't want to change, change is part of nature, but they want to change very cautiously.
Sometimes conservatives get it all wrong, like slavery, or not allowing women the right to vote, but other times their fears of what will happen if certain policies are put into place, really do come true, like with contraception or abortion. Sometimes, economically they prove to be right as well, as in the case of England's socialized industries that became more and more inefficient and placed a greater and greater tax burden on her citizens in the 1970s. Thatcher, unafraid of being unpopular, denationalized the industries and even though Britain went through a terrible short-term period of high unemployment, they came through it with a stronger economy. But not all conservatives believe the same things!
Allitt goes points out that the original conservatives were the landed gentry who thought Adam Smith was an upstart. Now, of course, conservatives are those who are seen to really embrace the idea of the free market economy. There are different sorts of conservatives - the traditional conservative, perhaps William F. Buckley might embody that line of thinking. Then there are the agrarian conservatives who look back to the farming culture with a decentralized government. Neo-conservatives are ex-liberals who maybe don't have a problem with big central government as long as it is promoting certain ideas, like a strong military. Then there are the isolationist conservatives. Paleoconservatives also revere tradition but they are anti-big government and frankly, I don't quite know how they differ from traditional conservatives. Theoconservatives are people who think we are going to hell in a handbasket because we've abandoned our Judeo-Christian roots.
I am all and none of the above!
One thing that really surprised me is that Allitt refers to not one, but two professors from the University of Dallas. The first one was Frederick Wilhelmson who was a Catholic political commentator and writer. He was friends with Marshall Mcluhan who spent time at UD as well! I never knew that! The other professor Allitt mentions is Mel Branford. This guy made me mad! So he was the one who promulgated the idea that Abraham Lincoln was a bad guy who broke the law, brutally enforced the suspension of habeas corpus, etc. I had never heard of this perception of Lincoln until I started hanging with conservative, states rights people. It still sticks in my craw! And then there are the Libertarians who don't quite fit into the conservative mold, except when they do.
All this is just the American development of conservatism. The English development is different because England faced different challenges.
Since I watched this whole lecture series so quickly, I really need to go back and re-watch it to really get a fuller understanding of the particulars.
I think because I am a practicing Catholic and a lover of classical education, I am naturally conservative in that I look to the Ancients, both pagan and Christian to understand life's meaning. On the other hand I seriously question but maybe remain somewhat indecisive about the best course of action on certain contemporary issues. For instance, is gun ownership really more important than protecting innocent people from murder? Is it wrong to think that people are people first and not care that much about illegal immigration, especially when anybody can see those who are illegal immigrants are escaping a desperate situation in their own countries? Also, I am socially conservative in that I think abortion is murder and that sex is for marriage between a man and woman. I'd be for national healthcare if I could bring myself to trust an obviously untrustworthy government. So I guess I am in the conservative camp, except that I find an awful lot of what conservatives spout obnoxious. I am not a total free market person. I think we need to alway be balancing the freedom with sensible regulation.
Anyway, it is a complex political camp, that has some real noble inclinations and wisdom that I have natural admiration for, but it also has a lot of backward thinking and extremism as well.
I really like Professor Allitt. He wants to teach both liberals and conservatives the history of an important political force in human history. Since I grew up not even realizing how biased my education was towards all things liberal, even now I experience dissonance when I hear a point of view that I had always been taught to disdain, and realize that it is actually a reasonable position, that I may or may not agree with. Prof. Allitt stops the course at about the year 2000 because he says, he is an historian not a journalist, though he does mention the election of 2008. He says for those who might be despairing over the results of that election, they should be comforted in the fact that conservatism is a natural human impulse that is never going to go away.
A really excellent course by an excellent professor!
Professor Allitt's schtick is that he doesn't want you to know how he personally thinks of things but attempts to give an objective account of his subject matter. He lays it all out- the good, the bad and the ugly. He begins by defining conservatism. Some of that definition includes a reverence for tradition and the past, a disinclination to believe policies that smack of utopian ideas - for instance the belief that humans will always war because they always have and therefore it makes sense to provide for that. And also the idea that conservatism is always in reaction to what is going on in society. It isn't that conservatives don't want to change, change is part of nature, but they want to change very cautiously.
Sometimes conservatives get it all wrong, like slavery, or not allowing women the right to vote, but other times their fears of what will happen if certain policies are put into place, really do come true, like with contraception or abortion. Sometimes, economically they prove to be right as well, as in the case of England's socialized industries that became more and more inefficient and placed a greater and greater tax burden on her citizens in the 1970s. Thatcher, unafraid of being unpopular, denationalized the industries and even though Britain went through a terrible short-term period of high unemployment, they came through it with a stronger economy. But not all conservatives believe the same things!
Allitt goes points out that the original conservatives were the landed gentry who thought Adam Smith was an upstart. Now, of course, conservatives are those who are seen to really embrace the idea of the free market economy. There are different sorts of conservatives - the traditional conservative, perhaps William F. Buckley might embody that line of thinking. Then there are the agrarian conservatives who look back to the farming culture with a decentralized government. Neo-conservatives are ex-liberals who maybe don't have a problem with big central government as long as it is promoting certain ideas, like a strong military. Then there are the isolationist conservatives. Paleoconservatives also revere tradition but they are anti-big government and frankly, I don't quite know how they differ from traditional conservatives. Theoconservatives are people who think we are going to hell in a handbasket because we've abandoned our Judeo-Christian roots.
I am all and none of the above!
One thing that really surprised me is that Allitt refers to not one, but two professors from the University of Dallas. The first one was Frederick Wilhelmson who was a Catholic political commentator and writer. He was friends with Marshall Mcluhan who spent time at UD as well! I never knew that! The other professor Allitt mentions is Mel Branford. This guy made me mad! So he was the one who promulgated the idea that Abraham Lincoln was a bad guy who broke the law, brutally enforced the suspension of habeas corpus, etc. I had never heard of this perception of Lincoln until I started hanging with conservative, states rights people. It still sticks in my craw! And then there are the Libertarians who don't quite fit into the conservative mold, except when they do.
All this is just the American development of conservatism. The English development is different because England faced different challenges.
Since I watched this whole lecture series so quickly, I really need to go back and re-watch it to really get a fuller understanding of the particulars.
I think because I am a practicing Catholic and a lover of classical education, I am naturally conservative in that I look to the Ancients, both pagan and Christian to understand life's meaning. On the other hand I seriously question but maybe remain somewhat indecisive about the best course of action on certain contemporary issues. For instance, is gun ownership really more important than protecting innocent people from murder? Is it wrong to think that people are people first and not care that much about illegal immigration, especially when anybody can see those who are illegal immigrants are escaping a desperate situation in their own countries? Also, I am socially conservative in that I think abortion is murder and that sex is for marriage between a man and woman. I'd be for national healthcare if I could bring myself to trust an obviously untrustworthy government. So I guess I am in the conservative camp, except that I find an awful lot of what conservatives spout obnoxious. I am not a total free market person. I think we need to alway be balancing the freedom with sensible regulation.
Anyway, it is a complex political camp, that has some real noble inclinations and wisdom that I have natural admiration for, but it also has a lot of backward thinking and extremism as well.
I really like Professor Allitt. He wants to teach both liberals and conservatives the history of an important political force in human history. Since I grew up not even realizing how biased my education was towards all things liberal, even now I experience dissonance when I hear a point of view that I had always been taught to disdain, and realize that it is actually a reasonable position, that I may or may not agree with. Prof. Allitt stops the course at about the year 2000 because he says, he is an historian not a journalist, though he does mention the election of 2008. He says for those who might be despairing over the results of that election, they should be comforted in the fact that conservatism is a natural human impulse that is never going to go away.
A really excellent course by an excellent professor!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Celia Garth - Book 26
Celia Garth, by Gwen Bristow, was published in 1959 and apparently is a great favorite of those who love historical romances, which is why it is being republished in the Rediscovered Classics series. I had never heard of it nor the author before. It is set in Revolutionary America during the siege of Charleston and is about 19 year old Celia, a poor relation, who must work for a living. She sews for the fashionable dress shop in Charleston, Mrs. Thorley's. She is a gifted seamstress but she can not show her talents for Mrs. Thorley is very rigid about what new girls will be allowed to do in her shop. Celia is sure she can sew the most fashionable dresses out there in Charleston society. The American Revolution has been going on for some time now but Celia was out in the country when the last local skirmish happened which ended in a British defeat. The war seems to be happening to other people and the people in Charleston are barely inconvenienced and only dimly aware, that is, that is how Celia sees things.
But then things start heating up. The British are getting ready to lay siege to Charleston. Just as this happens Celia finds herself in love with Jimmy Rand, a kind, intelligent young man of a fairly well to do family; a warm and loving family, which is something Celia has never known and for which she longs. Her own parents died when she was very young and she was raised quite resentfully by an Aunt. She doesn't get along at all with her aunt's son with whom she grew up.
Celia is a courageous girl who we can see maturing during the course of the book. She faces terribly tragedy, becomes a spy for the rebels, struggles with despair and loneliness and well, I won't tell you the ending!
The book is written in a very straightforward way. The plot is well developed and the characters are well developed as well, in a young adult novel sort of way. I can see this being a favorite of young ladies who love historical novels. For me, I found it a little plodding and simplistic. I wished for deeper language. The wording often struck me a bit anachronistic as did Celia's character, though the details of everyday life and all the military happenings seemed very accurate to me. But you would never have known that slavery existed or was a bad thing. The 'Negro' help were all warmly bound to their white masters and bravely fighting the British for them. That part did not strike me as realistic. And right at the climax when a certain gentleman (who works under General Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox), who you know has a thing for Celia, reveals his feelings, well, it struck me as a little creepy. So that just didn't work for me.
I'd give this book a B. It is better than average, very clean, but not excellent.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
But then things start heating up. The British are getting ready to lay siege to Charleston. Just as this happens Celia finds herself in love with Jimmy Rand, a kind, intelligent young man of a fairly well to do family; a warm and loving family, which is something Celia has never known and for which she longs. Her own parents died when she was very young and she was raised quite resentfully by an Aunt. She doesn't get along at all with her aunt's son with whom she grew up.
Celia is a courageous girl who we can see maturing during the course of the book. She faces terribly tragedy, becomes a spy for the rebels, struggles with despair and loneliness and well, I won't tell you the ending!
The book is written in a very straightforward way. The plot is well developed and the characters are well developed as well, in a young adult novel sort of way. I can see this being a favorite of young ladies who love historical novels. For me, I found it a little plodding and simplistic. I wished for deeper language. The wording often struck me a bit anachronistic as did Celia's character, though the details of everyday life and all the military happenings seemed very accurate to me. But you would never have known that slavery existed or was a bad thing. The 'Negro' help were all warmly bound to their white masters and bravely fighting the British for them. That part did not strike me as realistic. And right at the climax when a certain gentleman (who works under General Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox), who you know has a thing for Celia, reveals his feelings, well, it struck me as a little creepy. So that just didn't work for me.
I'd give this book a B. It is better than average, very clean, but not excellent.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Just a few things - cleaning, etc.
I changed the template for this blog (if you haven't noticed)!. Something summery. I am just into housekeeping all over.
My house still has deep pockets of clutter though. I just move so very slowly through all this. It's like torture to me to do this stuff. But I truly am slowly making progress. The big thing I have to concentrate on is getting stuff out of the house. I have now donated three different times since the beginning of June. But I have a lot more to go through. Still, it is slowly getting done. I have now resigned myself to the fact that it is going to be a summer long project, instead of just the month of June.
Today, the floor cleaners are coming. I still have tons to do to prep for them, plus I have to get myself showered, Becky up and to camp and other little things. I am actually nervous about them coming. Not sure what I'll do with the dog, except that she is scheduled to have a bath and nail clippings, etc at noon.
I am jamming a lot of junk into the study and mud room. Then the rest of the house will be clean, except those two rooms. And I'll work on them throughout the rest of the summer.
We still have a huge hole in our basement ceiling. That won't be taken care of until 7/14 or so. Depends on when the guy actually shows up. Plus, the dining room wall has holes in it too. Still trying to decide if it is really necessary to re-wallpaper. Probably it is at some point, anyway.
I had lawn people come (who seem to do everybody else's yard in the neighborhood). They spent so long weeding. I kept telling myself - just gotta get there and get started, but man, if it took 4 guys that long to do it, there wasn't a chance in hell for me. They did an excellent job though. The yard looks so good. And they cleaned the gutters!!!
Window cleaners are also coming in 7/14. I can't wait until my sunroofs in my porch aren't a muddy brown anymore!
And on July 5th, guys are coming to vacuum out our air ducts. Woot!
Clean, clean, clean.
Two more big projects: clean garage, and get chimney sweeps to clean fireplaces
Josh has gotten so tan from working at the marina. He really, really likes it. He now knows how to open up the marina and get everything set up for customers. He's really learning his boating lingo. He comes home so caked with dirt and sweat the first thing he does is take a shower. My Josh, who was so oblivious to how he looked, now shaves regularly and went and got his own hair cut before I said anything! And he's decided he needs to work on his abs. So I've found him doing sit ups and stuff. He's really opening up (for Josh) too. He just wasn't happy in school. He needed to get out and work, I think. I am trying to talk him into checking out land surveying as a possible career. You can apprentice for it in Virginia. It means he'd be working outdoors (which he likes) and it means using a lot of math (which he likes). To me it sounds like the perfect job for him.
Sean is also getting fit. He has been biking a lot lately. Combining that with his workouts with Noel, he's getting really strong. There are some really steep hills around here, but lately Sean hasn't had to get off and walk his bike. He's been able to peddle right up them. Noel was saying how much stronger he is this year compared to last. But Sean says he needs to work on his arms. I think maybe both Josh and Sean would be into weight lifting. At least a little bit. Sean was saying he needs gym so he can bench press.
Becky loves, loves, loves her theater camp. She's in heaven basically and made a new best friend (actually a girl she was friendly with a couple years ago and now it is has been reignited because they happened to be at the same theater camp.)
Will had a big concert on his birthday. He said it was fun and everything, but they didn't even break even on the snacks they provided. No one donated anything. Lots of M.I.T students were there. Tightwads! LOL. Will is all excited because he is helping his friend from the Sudan fund raise for opposition to the Sharia government there. His friend has been jailed by the government. His crime was he was playing music after the 11:00 nationwide curfew. Crazy evil people.
Hannah is busy as usual working, going to school, planning a wedding, looking for an affordable apartment, helping out around here, socializing, etc. She's busy!
Poor Rick is so busy too. I am a little worried about him. But hopefully, with the 4th coming up, he'll get a day to really relax and sleep. We aren't planning anything big for the 4th. Josh has to work though, but he gets the best view of the fireworks they say. I want him to take pictures, if he can.
Ok, that's it . Gotta get ready for the cleaners!
My house still has deep pockets of clutter though. I just move so very slowly through all this. It's like torture to me to do this stuff. But I truly am slowly making progress. The big thing I have to concentrate on is getting stuff out of the house. I have now donated three different times since the beginning of June. But I have a lot more to go through. Still, it is slowly getting done. I have now resigned myself to the fact that it is going to be a summer long project, instead of just the month of June.
Today, the floor cleaners are coming. I still have tons to do to prep for them, plus I have to get myself showered, Becky up and to camp and other little things. I am actually nervous about them coming. Not sure what I'll do with the dog, except that she is scheduled to have a bath and nail clippings, etc at noon.
I am jamming a lot of junk into the study and mud room. Then the rest of the house will be clean, except those two rooms. And I'll work on them throughout the rest of the summer.
We still have a huge hole in our basement ceiling. That won't be taken care of until 7/14 or so. Depends on when the guy actually shows up. Plus, the dining room wall has holes in it too. Still trying to decide if it is really necessary to re-wallpaper. Probably it is at some point, anyway.
I had lawn people come (who seem to do everybody else's yard in the neighborhood). They spent so long weeding. I kept telling myself - just gotta get there and get started, but man, if it took 4 guys that long to do it, there wasn't a chance in hell for me. They did an excellent job though. The yard looks so good. And they cleaned the gutters!!!
Window cleaners are also coming in 7/14. I can't wait until my sunroofs in my porch aren't a muddy brown anymore!
And on July 5th, guys are coming to vacuum out our air ducts. Woot!
Clean, clean, clean.
Two more big projects: clean garage, and get chimney sweeps to clean fireplaces
Josh has gotten so tan from working at the marina. He really, really likes it. He now knows how to open up the marina and get everything set up for customers. He's really learning his boating lingo. He comes home so caked with dirt and sweat the first thing he does is take a shower. My Josh, who was so oblivious to how he looked, now shaves regularly and went and got his own hair cut before I said anything! And he's decided he needs to work on his abs. So I've found him doing sit ups and stuff. He's really opening up (for Josh) too. He just wasn't happy in school. He needed to get out and work, I think. I am trying to talk him into checking out land surveying as a possible career. You can apprentice for it in Virginia. It means he'd be working outdoors (which he likes) and it means using a lot of math (which he likes). To me it sounds like the perfect job for him.
Sean is also getting fit. He has been biking a lot lately. Combining that with his workouts with Noel, he's getting really strong. There are some really steep hills around here, but lately Sean hasn't had to get off and walk his bike. He's been able to peddle right up them. Noel was saying how much stronger he is this year compared to last. But Sean says he needs to work on his arms. I think maybe both Josh and Sean would be into weight lifting. At least a little bit. Sean was saying he needs gym so he can bench press.
Becky loves, loves, loves her theater camp. She's in heaven basically and made a new best friend (actually a girl she was friendly with a couple years ago and now it is has been reignited because they happened to be at the same theater camp.)
Will had a big concert on his birthday. He said it was fun and everything, but they didn't even break even on the snacks they provided. No one donated anything. Lots of M.I.T students were there. Tightwads! LOL. Will is all excited because he is helping his friend from the Sudan fund raise for opposition to the Sharia government there. His friend has been jailed by the government. His crime was he was playing music after the 11:00 nationwide curfew. Crazy evil people.
Hannah is busy as usual working, going to school, planning a wedding, looking for an affordable apartment, helping out around here, socializing, etc. She's busy!
Poor Rick is so busy too. I am a little worried about him. But hopefully, with the 4th coming up, he'll get a day to really relax and sleep. We aren't planning anything big for the 4th. Josh has to work though, but he gets the best view of the fireworks they say. I want him to take pictures, if he can.
Ok, that's it . Gotta get ready for the cleaners!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)