So I have decided because I am slowly reading my daily meditation and Sheen's Life of Christ every morning, which is in addition to my assigned reading for my classes, I am going to just read P. G. Wodehouse's Psmith novels at night before bed. I will work my way through them until, well either I finish them all or I get sick of them! He wrote so many of them! They are going to be my escape valve from everything! I am currently reading the first one and totally relaxing and enjoying it the moment I turn on my kindle to read. And I am learning a lot about cricket. I never knew anything about it. But now I watch videos like this:
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Getting busy! Psmith to the rescue!
Started my new term in Theology. I am excited! I feel like I've found my people. But wow am I going to be busy with homeschooling. teaching Latin at the co-op, AHG, my own theology studies, plus stuff like cooking and cleaning. PLUS we have this everlasting renovation going on! It started June 9th and it probably isn't going to finish entirely until the beginning of October. I just can't wait until I don't have workmen showing up at my door at 8 a.m. and making lots of noise!
So I have decided because I am slowly reading my daily meditation and Sheen's Life of Christ every morning, which is in addition to my assigned reading for my classes, I am going to just read P. G. Wodehouse's Psmith novels at night before bed. I will work my way through them until, well either I finish them all or I get sick of them! He wrote so many of them! They are going to be my escape valve from everything! I am currently reading the first one and totally relaxing and enjoying it the moment I turn on my kindle to read. And I am learning a lot about cricket. I never knew anything about it. But now I watch videos like this:
So I have decided because I am slowly reading my daily meditation and Sheen's Life of Christ every morning, which is in addition to my assigned reading for my classes, I am going to just read P. G. Wodehouse's Psmith novels at night before bed. I will work my way through them until, well either I finish them all or I get sick of them! He wrote so many of them! They are going to be my escape valve from everything! I am currently reading the first one and totally relaxing and enjoying it the moment I turn on my kindle to read. And I am learning a lot about cricket. I never knew anything about it. But now I watch videos like this:
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Who is My Neighbor?
One thing I just can't get on board with in conservative circles is their take on immigration reform. There are certain aspects that I understand and to a point I agree, but then at some point other considerations take over for me and in the end I just can't really side with them.
What I get:
1) I agree with the fact that countries need borders. And I am leery of global pan-governments. I think it flies in the face of the principle of subsidiarity and also I think it tends to turn into colonialization in another form. I think a government needs to know where its authority stops. Just as I, as the owner of my house, get to say who can come in and who can't, because I am ultimately responsible for what goes on here, a country should be able to do the same.
2) I get the fact that illegal immigrants defied the law in order to get into the country. That's bad. I get the fact that people resent giving illegal immigrants social services and education because it increases the burden on the tax payer. I also get the fact that since they'll take less pay, they can be perceived as taking jobs that legal immigrants or citizens could have had. I say perceive because I don't know if I buy that this is entirely true. But I get the argument. All these are good points that should be addressed without resorting to name calling. I think people can be troubled by this without being bigots.
So I am not for open borders and I get that illegal immigration can cause a lot of complex problems for the receiving nation.
Here's where things get muddled for me and I wind up deciding I can't in good conscious embrace the conservative hard-core stance against illegal immigrants. (And I am no expert on the issue at all, so these are just my musings).
1) Why is it we have this enormous border with Canada but we don't have the same porous border that we have with Mexico? Well, it is economics, plain and simple. People migrate here from the south because they are poor. We are a nation built on the backs of such people! Putting aside whether they came legally or illegally, most people came here to escape poverty or persecution.
The three stories that I know best about my own ancestors are my great-grandfather on my mother's side, a poor Irish guy from County Cork. He'd tried a stint in the British Army, got stationed in India, came down with a dread disease that had him in the hospital for months, and got discharged. Came home to zero economic opportunity in his homeland and decided to emigrate to the Boston area where he spent the rest of his working life as a janitor in a shoemaking factory in Brockton, MA supporting a wife and six children.
My grandfather on my father's side emigrated from England to work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. They were dirt, dirt poor but their children all did better than they. And my great (4x great I think) grandfather was Samuel Gompers who came here with his parents to work in cigar rolling factories. They were all low-income and came here for economic reasons. Luckily the immigration laws allowed them to come legally. Though, at the time that they were immigrating there was lots of opposition and cries that these Irish and Jewish folks were ruining the country, etc.
My husband's family fled the pograms of Russia. So they came not only because of poverty but because of persecution as well. But for the fact that the laws allowed for them to come here, we (myself and my husband) wouldn't be American citizens today. I am so proud of the fact that I live in a country with this heritage of embracing the poor. Unfortunately the people coming here from south of the border do not have the luck of living in the times of Ellis Island and other ports of entry that welcomed the tired, huddled masses. They are trapped. And sometimes they get so desperate, so caught between a rock and a hard place that they sneak over the border.
So going back to the analogy of my own house. I am allowed to say who can stay or who can't stay here. But what if my neighbor's house burns down and he has no place to stay. What if he is standing outside my house miserable and destitute and I am inside cozy and safe. Maybe I am morally called to help him? What if I ignore him and he gets so desperate he sneaks into my basement window and surreptitiously hides there. But what if while he's hiding there he also goes out and mows my lawn for me, weeds my garden and cleans my dishes. If I find him hiding there I do, as the home owner, have the right to kick him out, but isn't it pretty heartless? Shouldn't I at least try to help him? Now I understand this analogy can fall apart pretty quickly, but my point is that even though I believe in property laws and borders and all that, in the end we are talking about human beings. Suffering human beings. And this is where the hardcore anti-immigration folks start to lose me.
I am Catholic. I believe we are supposed to help, as the Pentateuch puts it, widows, children and the resident alien among us. Jesus came for the poor. My ancestors were poor. The poor need a break. They come here because there is economic opportunity and freedom to better oneself. This doesn't always work perfectly, that's for sure. We are always dealing with criminal elements, gangs, drugs, and all that nasty stuff that goes with living in a fallen world. I get that it is really complicated. I get that as a country we need to avoid importing drug dealers and murderers. I know we need to address that. But I don't think that danger releases us from basic humanitarian decency.
2) As far as I can tell, part of the Mark Shea debacle (and if you are unaware of this stay blissfully unaware; it is like a canker sore I can't stop picking at) stemmed from the fact that he, using despicable language as is his tragic flaw, disagreed with another Catholic writer, John Zmirak who among other things once wrote an article entitled Amnesty equals Abortion. In it Zmriak says that if we grant amnesty to all these illegal immigrants there will be that many more Democratic voters, and more Democratic voters means more support for abortion. Now Zmirak, as awful as he may perhaps sound, (and I really have never agreed with him on his position on immigration reform even though I do appreciate him on other issues), is not sitting in some ivory tower being a bigot. Not anywhere near that. He actively works to help people who are persecuted. But here's my problem with his position. If conservatives focused more on things like: 1) most illegal immigrants are Catholics or Christians and isn't that a good thing? Don't conservatives want more of those kinds of folks? 2) most illegal immigrants actually oppose abortion but they feel rejected by conservatives so they will likely vote liberal simply to save their own skins. In other words, conservatives themselves drive potential voters away from them. I'll never forget the eye-opening conservation I had with an African-American attorney who said that the Republican party had driven Black voters away because of civil rights. He said if you think about it, most Black Americans are Baptists and the like. Those are naturally social conservatives, but to save themselves they shifted to the Democratic party simply as a matter of survival during the Civil Rights era. Again, potential allies were driven away!
If conservatives embraced the illegal immigrant instead of maligning them, everything would be better!
1) Their policies to strengthen the border would not be seen as racism but just part of running a country which includes protecting the borders.
2) They would see illegal immigrants as resources to build up our country economically and as potential tax payers to pay into the system.
3) They would see illegal immigrants as allies in their fight against abortion and for things like traditional marriage and 1st amendment rights.
4) They would not appear heartless when it comes to people who are poor and desperate.
I know the devil is in the details and coming up with a practical way to handle this very complex problem is loaded with dynamite. But honestly, I think conservatives do themselves a disfavor by being so volubly anti-immigrant. They play right into the hands of their opponents. And, as I see it, there is just as much of a conservative basis for being merciful toward illegal immigrants as there is for rejecting them.
What I get:
1) I agree with the fact that countries need borders. And I am leery of global pan-governments. I think it flies in the face of the principle of subsidiarity and also I think it tends to turn into colonialization in another form. I think a government needs to know where its authority stops. Just as I, as the owner of my house, get to say who can come in and who can't, because I am ultimately responsible for what goes on here, a country should be able to do the same.
2) I get the fact that illegal immigrants defied the law in order to get into the country. That's bad. I get the fact that people resent giving illegal immigrants social services and education because it increases the burden on the tax payer. I also get the fact that since they'll take less pay, they can be perceived as taking jobs that legal immigrants or citizens could have had. I say perceive because I don't know if I buy that this is entirely true. But I get the argument. All these are good points that should be addressed without resorting to name calling. I think people can be troubled by this without being bigots.
So I am not for open borders and I get that illegal immigration can cause a lot of complex problems for the receiving nation.
Here's where things get muddled for me and I wind up deciding I can't in good conscious embrace the conservative hard-core stance against illegal immigrants. (And I am no expert on the issue at all, so these are just my musings).
1) Why is it we have this enormous border with Canada but we don't have the same porous border that we have with Mexico? Well, it is economics, plain and simple. People migrate here from the south because they are poor. We are a nation built on the backs of such people! Putting aside whether they came legally or illegally, most people came here to escape poverty or persecution.
The three stories that I know best about my own ancestors are my great-grandfather on my mother's side, a poor Irish guy from County Cork. He'd tried a stint in the British Army, got stationed in India, came down with a dread disease that had him in the hospital for months, and got discharged. Came home to zero economic opportunity in his homeland and decided to emigrate to the Boston area where he spent the rest of his working life as a janitor in a shoemaking factory in Brockton, MA supporting a wife and six children.
My grandfather on my father's side emigrated from England to work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. They were dirt, dirt poor but their children all did better than they. And my great (4x great I think) grandfather was Samuel Gompers who came here with his parents to work in cigar rolling factories. They were all low-income and came here for economic reasons. Luckily the immigration laws allowed them to come legally. Though, at the time that they were immigrating there was lots of opposition and cries that these Irish and Jewish folks were ruining the country, etc.
My husband's family fled the pograms of Russia. So they came not only because of poverty but because of persecution as well. But for the fact that the laws allowed for them to come here, we (myself and my husband) wouldn't be American citizens today. I am so proud of the fact that I live in a country with this heritage of embracing the poor. Unfortunately the people coming here from south of the border do not have the luck of living in the times of Ellis Island and other ports of entry that welcomed the tired, huddled masses. They are trapped. And sometimes they get so desperate, so caught between a rock and a hard place that they sneak over the border.
So going back to the analogy of my own house. I am allowed to say who can stay or who can't stay here. But what if my neighbor's house burns down and he has no place to stay. What if he is standing outside my house miserable and destitute and I am inside cozy and safe. Maybe I am morally called to help him? What if I ignore him and he gets so desperate he sneaks into my basement window and surreptitiously hides there. But what if while he's hiding there he also goes out and mows my lawn for me, weeds my garden and cleans my dishes. If I find him hiding there I do, as the home owner, have the right to kick him out, but isn't it pretty heartless? Shouldn't I at least try to help him? Now I understand this analogy can fall apart pretty quickly, but my point is that even though I believe in property laws and borders and all that, in the end we are talking about human beings. Suffering human beings. And this is where the hardcore anti-immigration folks start to lose me.
I am Catholic. I believe we are supposed to help, as the Pentateuch puts it, widows, children and the resident alien among us. Jesus came for the poor. My ancestors were poor. The poor need a break. They come here because there is economic opportunity and freedom to better oneself. This doesn't always work perfectly, that's for sure. We are always dealing with criminal elements, gangs, drugs, and all that nasty stuff that goes with living in a fallen world. I get that it is really complicated. I get that as a country we need to avoid importing drug dealers and murderers. I know we need to address that. But I don't think that danger releases us from basic humanitarian decency.
2) As far as I can tell, part of the Mark Shea debacle (and if you are unaware of this stay blissfully unaware; it is like a canker sore I can't stop picking at) stemmed from the fact that he, using despicable language as is his tragic flaw, disagreed with another Catholic writer, John Zmirak who among other things once wrote an article entitled Amnesty equals Abortion. In it Zmriak says that if we grant amnesty to all these illegal immigrants there will be that many more Democratic voters, and more Democratic voters means more support for abortion. Now Zmirak, as awful as he may perhaps sound, (and I really have never agreed with him on his position on immigration reform even though I do appreciate him on other issues), is not sitting in some ivory tower being a bigot. Not anywhere near that. He actively works to help people who are persecuted. But here's my problem with his position. If conservatives focused more on things like: 1) most illegal immigrants are Catholics or Christians and isn't that a good thing? Don't conservatives want more of those kinds of folks? 2) most illegal immigrants actually oppose abortion but they feel rejected by conservatives so they will likely vote liberal simply to save their own skins. In other words, conservatives themselves drive potential voters away from them. I'll never forget the eye-opening conservation I had with an African-American attorney who said that the Republican party had driven Black voters away because of civil rights. He said if you think about it, most Black Americans are Baptists and the like. Those are naturally social conservatives, but to save themselves they shifted to the Democratic party simply as a matter of survival during the Civil Rights era. Again, potential allies were driven away!
If conservatives embraced the illegal immigrant instead of maligning them, everything would be better!
1) Their policies to strengthen the border would not be seen as racism but just part of running a country which includes protecting the borders.
2) They would see illegal immigrants as resources to build up our country economically and as potential tax payers to pay into the system.
3) They would see illegal immigrants as allies in their fight against abortion and for things like traditional marriage and 1st amendment rights.
4) They would not appear heartless when it comes to people who are poor and desperate.
I know the devil is in the details and coming up with a practical way to handle this very complex problem is loaded with dynamite. But honestly, I think conservatives do themselves a disfavor by being so volubly anti-immigrant. They play right into the hands of their opponents. And, as I see it, there is just as much of a conservative basis for being merciful toward illegal immigrants as there is for rejecting them.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Positive Start Up Week!
Even though this week has been chaotic, it has wound up being a great start up week. The workmen coming at 8 each morning and making lots of noise has been hard. Can't wait until all this is over!
Monday
S started his community college classes of Music Theory. He feels really confident about it. He was really excited about the Honors English class though, the one I complained about here. It is taught seminar style which is cool and the teacher seems to be really good. The theme of course is how literature depicts people dealing with tragedy, hence the list of dark books. I still thing it sounds pretty depressing, but S is excited about it. He didn't realize that being in the honors program at the school means you are in your own subset of students with all kinds of perks, etc. He is going to a special orientation/party Friday for the honor students. The teacher talked it up and now he's really enthusiastic about it all.
Spent much of day trying to get him registered for applied voice class with no success.
B is excited that she got into Little Women. She isn't playing Beth but she is in the dance ensemble and will be working backstage. That all starts up next Monday.
T
We started working on Latin. We are focusing on taking the NLE 2 in March. The first three weeks will review/finish up our first book - so instead of doing the wonderful copy work of copying over the Gospel of Mark in Latin - we are going to copy over all our vocabulary from that book. We are also reviewing all paradigms. B started working on Algebra again.
Started reading aloud Way to Happiness by Sheen.
Seems the voice teacher is not available to teach S when he is available - may have to postpone until next semester.
W
B did more Algebra homework, went out to see friends at Chipotle, then went to math tutor. S hung out all day. Worked out with Physical Trainer at 4. We did some more Latin.
Th
S went to his community college classes. Called me very excited because the music folks are looking for a piano player for their chamber ensemble. So we re-enrolled for that as applied music instead of the voice. S is super happy about it. He's intimidated too because he knows he is weak in reading music. So he's been using an app to study up. We got the idea that if he got a copy of the music he needs to play, his piano teacher could coach him on it.
B worked on Algebra and went to voice lesson. In the evening we worked a bit on Latin, not much though.
F
Late-ish start, B worked on Algebra. I took S to his orientation - he only stayed about an hour, J took B to math tutor, I picked her up. We came home and did some Latin and read chapter 2 in Way of Happiness. B went out to party with friends from the community theater group.
All in all, it was a good week. Lots got done and the kids have a good attitude.
Monday
S started his community college classes of Music Theory. He feels really confident about it. He was really excited about the Honors English class though, the one I complained about here. It is taught seminar style which is cool and the teacher seems to be really good. The theme of course is how literature depicts people dealing with tragedy, hence the list of dark books. I still thing it sounds pretty depressing, but S is excited about it. He didn't realize that being in the honors program at the school means you are in your own subset of students with all kinds of perks, etc. He is going to a special orientation/party Friday for the honor students. The teacher talked it up and now he's really enthusiastic about it all.
Spent much of day trying to get him registered for applied voice class with no success.
B is excited that she got into Little Women. She isn't playing Beth but she is in the dance ensemble and will be working backstage. That all starts up next Monday.
T
We started working on Latin. We are focusing on taking the NLE 2 in March. The first three weeks will review/finish up our first book - so instead of doing the wonderful copy work of copying over the Gospel of Mark in Latin - we are going to copy over all our vocabulary from that book. We are also reviewing all paradigms. B started working on Algebra again.
Started reading aloud Way to Happiness by Sheen.
Seems the voice teacher is not available to teach S when he is available - may have to postpone until next semester.
W
B did more Algebra homework, went out to see friends at Chipotle, then went to math tutor. S hung out all day. Worked out with Physical Trainer at 4. We did some more Latin.
Th
S went to his community college classes. Called me very excited because the music folks are looking for a piano player for their chamber ensemble. So we re-enrolled for that as applied music instead of the voice. S is super happy about it. He's intimidated too because he knows he is weak in reading music. So he's been using an app to study up. We got the idea that if he got a copy of the music he needs to play, his piano teacher could coach him on it.
B worked on Algebra and went to voice lesson. In the evening we worked a bit on Latin, not much though.
F
Late-ish start, B worked on Algebra. I took S to his orientation - he only stayed about an hour, J took B to math tutor, I picked her up. We came home and did some Latin and read chapter 2 in Way of Happiness. B went out to party with friends from the community theater group.
All in all, it was a good week. Lots got done and the kids have a good attitude.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Guilt
 |
| Mea culpa |
Anyway, I participated in the discussion about these two writers. Some commenters were reasonable, some angry, some trollish, the usual catastrophe when it comes to on line comments. Yesterday by happenstance, I found out these two writers have been fired, apparently because so many people were complaining. I feel terrible. I never wanted them fired! I just wanted them to not be nasty in their chosen roles as representatives of Catholicism to the public.
I am sorry this happened to them. I hope somehow it works out for the best. I hope they can get income some other way; somehow new doors open to them. I am sorry I participated in that discussion. But then there is a tiny part of me that thinks: well, they had it coming. That's the petty part. I need to go to confession. I have been pretty wracked with guilt since last night.
As usual, Father Longenecker wrote a really reasonable, balanced, intelligent piece about the whole thing. Please, Father, never go wiggy on me. My fragile self couldn't take it. I need someone steady out there in internetland to give me some good Catholic solace.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
You Can Share the Faith - Book 24
Karen Edmisten has written another wonderful, faith-filled book about what evangelization really means. It doesn't necessarily mean standing on street corners or becoming an official missionary to go out and win converts, rather she argues that just living one's Christian faith authentically and joyfully will evangelize plenty, whether you get to see the fruits of it or not.
In You Can Share the Faith, Reaching Out One Person at a Time, Edmisten (or should I say Karen?) tells the story of her own conversion from atheist to theist and then to questioning Christian who finally found a home in the Catholic Church. She details how this affected her marriage to an atheist and how he slowly followed her into the Church. She relates all the stumbling blocks, fears and misunderstandings that go into each person's conversion experience.
She talks about what it means to truly live one's faith, how art and literature often ask deep questions about life's meaning that parallel the deep questions of faith, and thus can be a sort of inadvertent opportunity for evangelization.
This book is so honest. For me it is a wake up call, yet another one. I need constant, constant wake up calls! I need a wake up call every minute of every day! It also made me a tad uncomfortable because I have taken a different approach to living in a marriage where we do not share the same beliefs. I am not even sure what my husband believes or if he knows exactly what he believes. I have always suffered a terrible shyness about pushing him to convert. I feel somehow that my way of loving him unconditionally means leaving his faith journey up to him and God. And trusting in that. Part of this is that I am such a very weak Christian and in many ways he is a better person than I am.
Another thing that disturbed me a bit was the focus on 'personal relationship' with Jesus. I think it is partly just the lingo there. I had some bad experiences with some other types of Christians. It sounds so very alien to me, a cradle (revert) Catholic. I think Pope Benedict calling it a 'personal encounter' works better for me. That personal encounter is easily witnessed in every saint's life. But my real problem with it is that I know people who have a very hard time with personal relationships, people with Asperger's and other mental or emotional deficits. I think too much stress on personal relationship can be discouraging for some. I think such a focus on personal relationship can sometimes really make spiritually dry times hard. It's like a friend broke up with you or something. Whereas if your faith is based on the fact that your job is to loyally do your duty, knowing that God is huge and beyond your comprehension, well, I think there is merit in that, and it is okay if you can't get to the level of feeling a personal relationship. God meets us where we are.
Also, even though we can relate to Jesus in a way we can't with God the Father or the Holy Spirit, I do think that some people's faith life naturally moves toward those other two manifestations of the Trinity. Not that they reject Jesus or anything, but just for some reason the majesty of God the Creator or the intuitive guidance and spiritual strength of the Spirit fuel their faith life more potently. I don't think Jesus would be jealous!
I found this book to be a burst of fresh air. It made me think. It is realistic, down-to-earth, honest, intelligent, written with love and deep perception. Thank you Karen, for writing such lovely, profound, helpful books! Thank you for sharing your faith!
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Friday, August 19, 2016
The Sandwich Artistry of Eli Roberts
Will, aka Eli, released an album! They do it differently these days. It is like a self-published kindle book, only it is music that you can download for $7.00 buckaroos.
It is basically Will fooling around on the guitar. Sometimes he is serious, sometimes silly, and sometimes a little bit of both. I think he's a really good guitar player.
He says a bad word on #3. I wish he hadn't but he is 24 and living in Boston. Not much I can do about it!
Some of the pieces he wrote himself, some are covers and some are just made up on the spot.
Anyway, if anyone is interested and wants to part with $7.00, here's the link:
http://elirobertsmusic.bandcamp.com/releases
It is basically Will fooling around on the guitar. Sometimes he is serious, sometimes silly, and sometimes a little bit of both. I think he's a really good guitar player.
He says a bad word on #3. I wish he hadn't but he is 24 and living in Boston. Not much I can do about it!
Some of the pieces he wrote himself, some are covers and some are just made up on the spot.
Anyway, if anyone is interested and wants to part with $7.00, here's the link:
http://elirobertsmusic.bandcamp.com/releases
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Lake Vacation Journal
My stream of consciousness journal:
Sunday:
We left yesterday right at 11 a.m. We celebrated Grandad's 85th birthday on Friday. He, Peggy, Tom, Susan, Theo and Andrea all came over for fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cole slaw (Thank you Harris Teeter!) and a lovely white and chocolate mousse cake from our delicious local bakery. Then we all went off to see B in Oliver! Me for the 4th time. Grandad was very proud of her, when he finally could spot her on the stage! His eyes aren't so good and then she was wearing a costume!
Anyway, because we'd have a late night not actually getting to bed until midnight, we got a late start on Saturday. We couldn't get into the house until 3 anyway. The trip down took a bit longer than we thought and we didn't get here until almost 5. I drove, S, V and little D who hardly cried a peep. Rick drove his dad and Peggy in Grandad's car.
The funny thing was that I didn't realize we'd be driving through Lynchburg (well, I did it by accident. I didn't get on the bypass by mistake) but we drove right by Lynchburg College which is were Tracy Lee Simmons teaches and I am currently reading a book by him! So that was kinda cool.
Smith Mountain Lake is beautiful and our house is so big, quirky and charming. I can't wait for J, B and H to get down here. J is coming today and H and B tomorrow. Grandad and Peggy are leaving Tuesday though. We ate out at a nearby marina which was crowded and noisy and had good food. Sunday, I got up at 6:30 and went shopping for breakfast food and other staples. Got back and put away all the stuff. Then I made coffee and sat outside looking out at the lake. I got super sleepy and have been feeling really sleepy and lethargic all day. R and V made pancakes and eggs. I don't know what S has been up to. Tonight we go to 4 p.m. Mass which is the only Sunday mass they have in this town. J just called. He hasn't left yet.
Josh got here. We wound up going to the 4 p.m. Mass at the little Catholic church here. Then we got take out at Subway. There are not a lot of restaurants, etc like at the beach. S and V went swimming, they took the little guy but he wasn't too happy after a few minutes. V never learned to swim so she was nervous at first but then relaxed, but she said the fish kept biting her. I think maybe because it was at night? R was watching the Olympics. I just stopped caring about it. I think it was too many doping incidents. Whenever anyone wins I think, wonder if they'll take the medal away eventually.
Monday:
I got up and drank my coffee looking out over the lake Then I took a walk up the lane. It was nice because I could glimpse the lake through the trees and see all the houses built along the shores. It wasn't too hot yet. I took Grandad, P, V and the little guy to see the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford. It was amazing. They saw Grandad's walker and set us up with a free cart tour. Our tour guide was 86 years old, one year older than Grandad. He was amazing! He knew everything. He was a paratrooper during the Korean conflict. I was so absorbed in his tour I completely forgot to take pictures! If you ever are anywhere near Bedford, like Lynchburg or Roanoke, go see this Memorial. It is huge! Every single thing in it has been thought out and has symbolic meaning. The reason the memorial is in the tiny town of Bedford, VA is that this town lost more of its young men per capita on D Day than any other place in the U.S. Peggy was really pleased to see it because June 6th is her birthday and she turned 11 years old on D-Day. She still has what she wrote in her diary, where she noted that it was an very important day in history.
The worse thing is Grandad is absolutely obsessed with hating Trump and watches CNN all day long at a loud volume. He alternately laughs at him or gets so upset he has to walk outside to cool down (except it is really hot outside!). We tried suggesting that he could just not watch CNN all the livelong day but he looked at us like we were crazy.
Went shopping at the Food Lion to get the next couple days' meals. We determined that we actually weren't required to go to Mass today, the feast of the Assumption.
H arrived. Very stressed from stressful week of stressing in laws visit. Also sad that P couldn't join us due to work. She brought B. R rented a boat but then we had thunderstorms so we couldn't go out in it. Rain is very pretty on the lake. He was able to grill hamburgers and hotdogs before the rain. The rain did cool things off.
They have an ice cream boat! It plays the same music as a good humor truck. I can't figure out how people actually get their ice cream from it though. After dinner everyone went swimming except me and Rick, Grandad and Peggy. Lots of fun. Wish Will was here.
Right after I wrote that I didn't care about the Olympics, I wound up putting on the TV and watching it. And I started to get into it. Watched a lot of running and gymnastics. Don't think it's exactly sportsmanlike to dive over the finish line like that.
Tuesday:
Woke up with a darn headache. It is muggy and cloudy out. I think it's the weather. Grandad and Peggy left around 8:30. Peggy has a bar mitzvah to go to on Friday in Atlanta. I hope they get home safely. I admire them for being such intrepid travelers at their ages, but it also worries me them driving all that distance. Went for a walk, walked twice as far as I did yesterday. Was feeling intrepid myself so I asked R to take me out on the boat. It was lovely. It started out overcast with hardly anyone else out on the lake. We just went at idle speed up the little creek by our house which went surprisingly far. I liked the little pontoon boat. R said it was like going on a kiddie amusement park ride with me. LOL. I just don't like speed boats! By the time we got back, suddenly everybody was out in their speed boats and jet skis. R called J to come down and help us dock.
Went to see the birthplace of Booker T. Washington. First, on the way there we stopped at a pizza place. This was a whole boardwalk type plaza with lots of gift shops, a putt-putt golf place, arcade and climbing wall. We ate looking out over a marina. A storm came in but we were under a big awning. It was fun watching the ducks and especially the big fish that would jump out of the water. I'd never seen fish jumping like that in real life. Then we drove to the Booker T. Washington park, just a few minutes down the road. It was very interesting. I think I got Washington mixed up with George Washington Carver. It was very interesting learning about his life. We saw the movie and went through the little museum which is mostly aimed at school children. Then we walked around a bit. They have the farm set up like it would have been when Washington lived there. He, his mother, and two siblings left after the Emancipation Proclamation and went to live with his step father who'd run away to freedom in West Virginia. Booker was a salt and coal miner for a while before he left to go study at the Hampton Institute. Even though the rain cooled things down considerably it is still incredibly muggy out. Everything feels damp to the touch. We stopped and got ice cream on the way home. Once again, forgot to take photos!
Once home, didn't do much. All the others except H went out boating/swimming. H and I watched little D. Then we all decided to just scrounge for food and eat leftover or whatever was in the fridge. While everyone else watched Edward Scissorhands, I watched Gran Torino the beginning of which I had seen several years ago. I just caught it on TV and it picked up pretty much where I had left off before. It was an edited version so not too much cussing. Good movie. I have never really liked Clint Eastwood, but I kind of forgot it was him as the main character.
Wednesday:
Do nothing day today. Got up read, blogged, puttered around. Rick and I took a walk around 9:30. We walked over 2 miles but it felt like more because of the humidity and the hills. Everything is so damp to the touch. Nothing dries out completely. Came home, wound up talking a long time with H. Then everyone got hungry so I ran to Food Lion and got stuff to eat. H made grilled ham and cheese and we had fruit salad and iced tea. Then the others all went out swimming but I was sleepy. Now a thunderstorm is rolling in so they are getting out of the lake. Poor R rented fishing stuff. I do hope someone goes fishing with him! He wanted to go out in the boat but between everyone sleeping late, H wanting to swim before she leaves at 4 and the thunderstorms, I don't think he'll get out today. And he has to return it tonight. Wait. How does he do that in a thunderstorm???
So, yes R and J took off on the boat in a thunderstorm. I had to go pick them up at the marina. I kept thinking well I haven't actually seen any lightning. But then the minute I got in the car and started driving I saw this big streak of forked lightning. I prayed the whole way, thinking of all the worse case scenarios. But they were fine when I got there, just a little wet. They said it was kind of fun zipping over the water in a storm. Came home, said good bye to H. Then we sat around a while, decided we were hungry again and went back to the plaza with the marina to eat at a sandwich/burger place there.
S and B decided to go kayaking. S took to it like a duck to water. B was a little more intimidated but was not to be outdone by her brother.
I went in for a swim. I don't think I've been swimming for several years. The water was warm. S is like a fish and B was having a good time. R got his fishing rod and tried to fish, with not much success. V and little D just hung out on the dock. V didn't feel like swimming and the little guy was getting fussy. Maybe sleepy. As I was going in, J came out to swim. If I had a backyard pool, I was swim all the time. It is really relaxing and at the same time good exercise. The problem with pools is you have to get into your bathing suit and all the paraphernalia to with that, drive there, deal with yucky bathrooms and other people. If you have a pool in your yard, it is so much easier. We've actually looked into building a pool but because we are on a Chesapeake watershed run off (it isn't exactly a stream) we'd have to get all sorts of exemptions from ordinances, etc. Too many hurdles to jump through with no guarantee of success.
Thursday:
While sipping my morning coffee, looking out at the view, who do I see come out of the house but my beloved husband, with his fishing rod. He fished, again unsuccessfully. I went for a morning walk. Didn't go as far as we did yesterday. My knees were feeling creaky. But it is a bit cooler and dryer today.
Went to Smith Mountain Lake Dam. Fifty minutes of driving narrow roads that got narrower and narrower and turned into gravel roads at one point. We were in the boonies. I could hear Deliverance playing in the background as I passed old broken down homes with rusted pick up trucks and Trump signs on the front lawn. I felt very vulnerable with my #nevertrump bumper sticker on. But when we finally arrived at the dam, it was extremely cool. No one was there at the visitor center, so we took ourselves through the exhibit and then out to climb the long ramp to the look out.
It was very cool to look down on this enormous dam. This is what created Smith Mountain Lake. They ended construction on the dam in 1963 but the lake didn't fill up until 1967! You can see in the second photo how high the water was on the one side. While we were looking down at all this, suddenly an air raid type horn sounded. We wondered what was happening. After a couple minutes of that, suddenly chimes sounded, like the ones you'd hear on a train telling you the doors were closing. Then suddenly water rushed out of the dam!
Some other random photos, since I remember to actually take pictures.
This was really cool. As we were driving away a huge bird flew in front of us and landed on the roof of a shed. We knew it wasn't a hawk. I looked it up and I am pretty sure it was an immature Bald Eagle.
Came home, everyone was famished, so I went to Subway and got subs. We ate and then I took a nap. The others went swimming and kayaking. D woke from his nap too, so I watched him a bit.
Boy, V sure is helpful. We decided to leave a day early because we want to be sure to get back in time for B to audition for Little Women and for S to get to his piano lesson Saturday. So now comes the dreary part of cleaning up the rental, but V has been doing it all! Tonight we are just going to eat what we can that is left in the fridge/freezer, take home what we can in the little cooler R bought and throw out the rest.
Tomorrow we hope to leave early, take a detour to see Appomattox where Lee surrendered to Grant and then get home in time to get B to her audition.
Sunday:
We left yesterday right at 11 a.m. We celebrated Grandad's 85th birthday on Friday. He, Peggy, Tom, Susan, Theo and Andrea all came over for fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cole slaw (Thank you Harris Teeter!) and a lovely white and chocolate mousse cake from our delicious local bakery. Then we all went off to see B in Oliver! Me for the 4th time. Grandad was very proud of her, when he finally could spot her on the stage! His eyes aren't so good and then she was wearing a costume!
Anyway, because we'd have a late night not actually getting to bed until midnight, we got a late start on Saturday. We couldn't get into the house until 3 anyway. The trip down took a bit longer than we thought and we didn't get here until almost 5. I drove, S, V and little D who hardly cried a peep. Rick drove his dad and Peggy in Grandad's car.
The funny thing was that I didn't realize we'd be driving through Lynchburg (well, I did it by accident. I didn't get on the bypass by mistake) but we drove right by Lynchburg College which is were Tracy Lee Simmons teaches and I am currently reading a book by him! So that was kinda cool.
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| Our view of the lake |
Smith Mountain Lake is beautiful and our house is so big, quirky and charming. I can't wait for J, B and H to get down here. J is coming today and H and B tomorrow. Grandad and Peggy are leaving Tuesday though. We ate out at a nearby marina which was crowded and noisy and had good food. Sunday, I got up at 6:30 and went shopping for breakfast food and other staples. Got back and put away all the stuff. Then I made coffee and sat outside looking out at the lake. I got super sleepy and have been feeling really sleepy and lethargic all day. R and V made pancakes and eggs. I don't know what S has been up to. Tonight we go to 4 p.m. Mass which is the only Sunday mass they have in this town. J just called. He hasn't left yet.
Josh got here. We wound up going to the 4 p.m. Mass at the little Catholic church here. Then we got take out at Subway. There are not a lot of restaurants, etc like at the beach. S and V went swimming, they took the little guy but he wasn't too happy after a few minutes. V never learned to swim so she was nervous at first but then relaxed, but she said the fish kept biting her. I think maybe because it was at night? R was watching the Olympics. I just stopped caring about it. I think it was too many doping incidents. Whenever anyone wins I think, wonder if they'll take the medal away eventually.
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| Rick and Dylan on the boat |
I got up and drank my coffee looking out over the lake Then I took a walk up the lane. It was nice because I could glimpse the lake through the trees and see all the houses built along the shores. It wasn't too hot yet. I took Grandad, P, V and the little guy to see the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford. It was amazing. They saw Grandad's walker and set us up with a free cart tour. Our tour guide was 86 years old, one year older than Grandad. He was amazing! He knew everything. He was a paratrooper during the Korean conflict. I was so absorbed in his tour I completely forgot to take pictures! If you ever are anywhere near Bedford, like Lynchburg or Roanoke, go see this Memorial. It is huge! Every single thing in it has been thought out and has symbolic meaning. The reason the memorial is in the tiny town of Bedford, VA is that this town lost more of its young men per capita on D Day than any other place in the U.S. Peggy was really pleased to see it because June 6th is her birthday and she turned 11 years old on D-Day. She still has what she wrote in her diary, where she noted that it was an very important day in history.
The worse thing is Grandad is absolutely obsessed with hating Trump and watches CNN all day long at a loud volume. He alternately laughs at him or gets so upset he has to walk outside to cool down (except it is really hot outside!). We tried suggesting that he could just not watch CNN all the livelong day but he looked at us like we were crazy.
Went shopping at the Food Lion to get the next couple days' meals. We determined that we actually weren't required to go to Mass today, the feast of the Assumption.
H arrived. Very stressed from stressful week of stressing in laws visit. Also sad that P couldn't join us due to work. She brought B. R rented a boat but then we had thunderstorms so we couldn't go out in it. Rain is very pretty on the lake. He was able to grill hamburgers and hotdogs before the rain. The rain did cool things off.
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| Lake swimming |
They have an ice cream boat! It plays the same music as a good humor truck. I can't figure out how people actually get their ice cream from it though. After dinner everyone went swimming except me and Rick, Grandad and Peggy. Lots of fun. Wish Will was here.
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| Moonrise over the lake |
Tuesday:
Woke up with a darn headache. It is muggy and cloudy out. I think it's the weather. Grandad and Peggy left around 8:30. Peggy has a bar mitzvah to go to on Friday in Atlanta. I hope they get home safely. I admire them for being such intrepid travelers at their ages, but it also worries me them driving all that distance. Went for a walk, walked twice as far as I did yesterday. Was feeling intrepid myself so I asked R to take me out on the boat. It was lovely. It started out overcast with hardly anyone else out on the lake. We just went at idle speed up the little creek by our house which went surprisingly far. I liked the little pontoon boat. R said it was like going on a kiddie amusement park ride with me. LOL. I just don't like speed boats! By the time we got back, suddenly everybody was out in their speed boats and jet skis. R called J to come down and help us dock.
Went to see the birthplace of Booker T. Washington. First, on the way there we stopped at a pizza place. This was a whole boardwalk type plaza with lots of gift shops, a putt-putt golf place, arcade and climbing wall. We ate looking out over a marina. A storm came in but we were under a big awning. It was fun watching the ducks and especially the big fish that would jump out of the water. I'd never seen fish jumping like that in real life. Then we drove to the Booker T. Washington park, just a few minutes down the road. It was very interesting. I think I got Washington mixed up with George Washington Carver. It was very interesting learning about his life. We saw the movie and went through the little museum which is mostly aimed at school children. Then we walked around a bit. They have the farm set up like it would have been when Washington lived there. He, his mother, and two siblings left after the Emancipation Proclamation and went to live with his step father who'd run away to freedom in West Virginia. Booker was a salt and coal miner for a while before he left to go study at the Hampton Institute. Even though the rain cooled things down considerably it is still incredibly muggy out. Everything feels damp to the touch. We stopped and got ice cream on the way home. Once again, forgot to take photos!
Once home, didn't do much. All the others except H went out boating/swimming. H and I watched little D. Then we all decided to just scrounge for food and eat leftover or whatever was in the fridge. While everyone else watched Edward Scissorhands, I watched Gran Torino the beginning of which I had seen several years ago. I just caught it on TV and it picked up pretty much where I had left off before. It was an edited version so not too much cussing. Good movie. I have never really liked Clint Eastwood, but I kind of forgot it was him as the main character.
Wednesday:
Do nothing day today. Got up read, blogged, puttered around. Rick and I took a walk around 9:30. We walked over 2 miles but it felt like more because of the humidity and the hills. Everything is so damp to the touch. Nothing dries out completely. Came home, wound up talking a long time with H. Then everyone got hungry so I ran to Food Lion and got stuff to eat. H made grilled ham and cheese and we had fruit salad and iced tea. Then the others all went out swimming but I was sleepy. Now a thunderstorm is rolling in so they are getting out of the lake. Poor R rented fishing stuff. I do hope someone goes fishing with him! He wanted to go out in the boat but between everyone sleeping late, H wanting to swim before she leaves at 4 and the thunderstorms, I don't think he'll get out today. And he has to return it tonight. Wait. How does he do that in a thunderstorm???
So, yes R and J took off on the boat in a thunderstorm. I had to go pick them up at the marina. I kept thinking well I haven't actually seen any lightning. But then the minute I got in the car and started driving I saw this big streak of forked lightning. I prayed the whole way, thinking of all the worse case scenarios. But they were fine when I got there, just a little wet. They said it was kind of fun zipping over the water in a storm. Came home, said good bye to H. Then we sat around a while, decided we were hungry again and went back to the plaza with the marina to eat at a sandwich/burger place there.
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| See S there just beyond the dock? |
S and B decided to go kayaking. S took to it like a duck to water. B was a little more intimidated but was not to be outdone by her brother.
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| Here's B after she'd just gotten into the kayak, still trying to figure out how to use the oars. |
I went in for a swim. I don't think I've been swimming for several years. The water was warm. S is like a fish and B was having a good time. R got his fishing rod and tried to fish, with not much success. V and little D just hung out on the dock. V didn't feel like swimming and the little guy was getting fussy. Maybe sleepy. As I was going in, J came out to swim. If I had a backyard pool, I was swim all the time. It is really relaxing and at the same time good exercise. The problem with pools is you have to get into your bathing suit and all the paraphernalia to with that, drive there, deal with yucky bathrooms and other people. If you have a pool in your yard, it is so much easier. We've actually looked into building a pool but because we are on a Chesapeake watershed run off (it isn't exactly a stream) we'd have to get all sorts of exemptions from ordinances, etc. Too many hurdles to jump through with no guarantee of success.
Thursday:
While sipping my morning coffee, looking out at the view, who do I see come out of the house but my beloved husband, with his fishing rod. He fished, again unsuccessfully. I went for a morning walk. Didn't go as far as we did yesterday. My knees were feeling creaky. But it is a bit cooler and dryer today.
Went to Smith Mountain Lake Dam. Fifty minutes of driving narrow roads that got narrower and narrower and turned into gravel roads at one point. We were in the boonies. I could hear Deliverance playing in the background as I passed old broken down homes with rusted pick up trucks and Trump signs on the front lawn. I felt very vulnerable with my #nevertrump bumper sticker on. But when we finally arrived at the dam, it was extremely cool. No one was there at the visitor center, so we took ourselves through the exhibit and then out to climb the long ramp to the look out.
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| This is what we saw. |
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| The water was a gorgeous green. |
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| Here is the water rushing under the dam. |
Some other random photos, since I remember to actually take pictures.
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| The power lines above the dam |
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| Bad photo of everybody on the look out platform: Rick, Viviane (Dylan's in the stroller), Josh and Becky. Sean chose not to come with us. |
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| B shot this photo of the eagle |
Came home, everyone was famished, so I went to Subway and got subs. We ate and then I took a nap. The others went swimming and kayaking. D woke from his nap too, so I watched him a bit.
Boy, V sure is helpful. We decided to leave a day early because we want to be sure to get back in time for B to audition for Little Women and for S to get to his piano lesson Saturday. So now comes the dreary part of cleaning up the rental, but V has been doing it all! Tonight we are just going to eat what we can that is left in the fridge/freezer, take home what we can in the little cooler R bought and throw out the rest.
Tomorrow we hope to leave early, take a detour to see Appomattox where Lee surrendered to Grant and then get home in time to get B to her audition.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Yo Yo Ma Meme
Remember when blogs (and I think I even saw this on facebook) first started people would have these questionnaire memes and then tag other people to also do them? Well on vacation here at the lake there are lots of magazines. I picked up one, a Vanity Fair, a magazine I never read. On the very back page they had one of the questionnaire type memes for Yo Yo Ma. I've always liked Yo Yo (who doesn't?), so I enjoyed reading his. But then I started thinking about how I would answer the questions. I am sitting here sipping coffee staring out at the lake while everyone else is asleep, so I thought I'd go ahead and write out my answers:
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Spiritual answer would be heaven, but in terms of every day life here on earth, I think it would be those fleeting moments of contentment.
What is your greatest fear?
Dying in a horrible car accident. It really is and is why I am such a nervous driver.
What historical figure do you identify with the most?
So many to choose from. I am going to arbitrarily pick one: Jane Austen
Which living person do you most admire? Bishop Robert Barron
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I get can get anxious over anything even ridiculously stupid stuff.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty
What is your greatest extravagance?
Having our bathrooms remodeled.
What is your favorite journey?
The journey of faith. (Ma said the journey of the mind so I am imitating him on this one)
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Consistency
On what occasion do you lie?
When telling a story I sometimes exaggerate and then realize later that I did! Must be the Irish in me.
What do you dislike about your appearance?
My weight
What living person do you most despise?
I am not supposed to despise anybody. But I guess Trump bothers the heck out of me the most right now.
Which word or phrase do you most overuse?
I don't know the answer to this. I'll have to ask someone.
What is your greatest regret?
I wish I hadn't let my kids watch so much screen growing up. I really used that as a babysitter way too much.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Earthly life would be my husband, eternal life though would be God.
When and where were you happiest?
So many different times. I could say right now. But a time I remember as gleaming with happiness was last year after Will's graduation, when we went to Stockbridge, MA. It was an amazingly stress-free visit where we all relaxed and got along happily. We were utterly charmed by everything there.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Stamina. I don't know if that is a talent though. But I've always been a low energy kind of person which gets in the way of what I want to accomplish. (one reason why I let my kids be in front of screens so much!)
What is your current state of mind?
Worried because my laptop is on low battery, but I don't want to walk downstairs to retrieve the power cord!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To be more courageous.
If you could change a thing about your family, what would it be?
I wish I could promise them golden futures.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having five children and being happily married for almost 28 years so far.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
A cat. Then I could nap all the time.
What is your most treasured possession?
My antique books.
What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery?
When people are inexplicably cruel to each other.
Where would you like to live?
Some place with a beautiful view that I can look at while sipping my morning coffee!
What is your favorite occupation?
Reading a good book.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I don't know this one either. Have to ask someone.
What is the quality you like most in a man?
Integrity.
What is the quality you like most in a woman?
Integrity.
What do you most value in a friend?
A good sense of humor.
Who are your favorite writers?
Austen, Heyer, Wodehouse, Sayers, C. S. Lewis
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Elizabeth Bennet (to stay with the theme here.)
Who are your heroes in real life?
I admire my oldest son because he helped to start up a ministry for the homeless. He really tries to live his faith. So people like that, who don't let doubts get in the way but just start something they think will help others. The woman at our church who started her own program to help homeless families is another hero.
What are your favorite names?
Hannah, Elijah, Joshua, Sean and Rebecca. I am fond of the name Richard too.
What is it that you most dislike?
Laziness
How would you like to die?
In grace, ready to meet my Maker. At home, in bed, with loved ones nearby would be good too!
What is your motto?
Live Jesus! from St. Francis de Sales Or maybe Jesus, I trust in you. Saint Faustina.
I am not going to tag anyone. But if anyone happens by here and feels like doing this meme, please let me know! I'd be happy to read it!
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Spiritual answer would be heaven, but in terms of every day life here on earth, I think it would be those fleeting moments of contentment.
What is your greatest fear?
Dying in a horrible car accident. It really is and is why I am such a nervous driver.
What historical figure do you identify with the most?
So many to choose from. I am going to arbitrarily pick one: Jane Austen
Which living person do you most admire? Bishop Robert Barron
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I get can get anxious over anything even ridiculously stupid stuff.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty
What is your greatest extravagance?
Having our bathrooms remodeled.
What is your favorite journey?
The journey of faith. (Ma said the journey of the mind so I am imitating him on this one)
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Consistency
On what occasion do you lie?
When telling a story I sometimes exaggerate and then realize later that I did! Must be the Irish in me.
What do you dislike about your appearance?
My weight
What living person do you most despise?
I am not supposed to despise anybody. But I guess Trump bothers the heck out of me the most right now.
Which word or phrase do you most overuse?
I don't know the answer to this. I'll have to ask someone.
What is your greatest regret?
I wish I hadn't let my kids watch so much screen growing up. I really used that as a babysitter way too much.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Earthly life would be my husband, eternal life though would be God.
When and where were you happiest?
So many different times. I could say right now. But a time I remember as gleaming with happiness was last year after Will's graduation, when we went to Stockbridge, MA. It was an amazingly stress-free visit where we all relaxed and got along happily. We were utterly charmed by everything there.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Stamina. I don't know if that is a talent though. But I've always been a low energy kind of person which gets in the way of what I want to accomplish. (one reason why I let my kids be in front of screens so much!)
What is your current state of mind?
Worried because my laptop is on low battery, but I don't want to walk downstairs to retrieve the power cord!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To be more courageous.
If you could change a thing about your family, what would it be?
I wish I could promise them golden futures.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having five children and being happily married for almost 28 years so far.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
A cat. Then I could nap all the time.
What is your most treasured possession?
My antique books.
What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery?
When people are inexplicably cruel to each other.
Where would you like to live?
Some place with a beautiful view that I can look at while sipping my morning coffee!
What is your favorite occupation?
Reading a good book.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I don't know this one either. Have to ask someone.
What is the quality you like most in a man?
Integrity.
What is the quality you like most in a woman?
Integrity.
What do you most value in a friend?
A good sense of humor.
Who are your favorite writers?
Austen, Heyer, Wodehouse, Sayers, C. S. Lewis
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Elizabeth Bennet (to stay with the theme here.)
Who are your heroes in real life?
I admire my oldest son because he helped to start up a ministry for the homeless. He really tries to live his faith. So people like that, who don't let doubts get in the way but just start something they think will help others. The woman at our church who started her own program to help homeless families is another hero.
What are your favorite names?
Hannah, Elijah, Joshua, Sean and Rebecca. I am fond of the name Richard too.
What is it that you most dislike?
Laziness
How would you like to die?
In grace, ready to meet my Maker. At home, in bed, with loved ones nearby would be good too!
What is your motto?
Live Jesus! from St. Francis de Sales Or maybe Jesus, I trust in you. Saint Faustina.
I am not going to tag anyone. But if anyone happens by here and feels like doing this meme, please let me know! I'd be happy to read it!
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Mere Motherhood - Book 23
Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins might be the best book I've ever read on homeschooling. It is brimming with wisdom, practicality, love and honesty. The full title is: Mere Motherhood; Morning Times, Nursery Rhymes & My Journey Toward Sanctification. This is her memoir of over 30 years of homeschooling her nine children (8 boys, 1 girl). Rollins kind of stumbled into a Charlotte Mason/classical way of doing things. It all stemmed from her love of reading aloud. She read and read and read. Then she decided to put a little memory work into things - so her children memorized Bible verses and poetry. Eventually she added in math and Latin and set times for the kids to read independently. Her morning time though was when they read and they read a lot. While doing this they also did copy work and nature drawing. She read Shakespeare and Plutarch, though it took her a while to screw up courage for tackling those two. Eventually she did, and was very happy about it.
But this book is not about method. It's about family and the wisdom gleaned from motherhood, marriage and homeschooling. It's about looking back at mistakes and successes. It is about the mystery of love and family. It is chock full of quotable lines. A lot of this book echoed my exact experiences. The author takes the words right out of my mouth. If you are an old hand at homeschooling, you will recognize so much in this book. If you are new to it, you will derive so much inspiration and sound advice from it. If you are burnt out, it will offer you hope.
My advice is: read this book! You will not regret it!
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Contrasting English Courses
My high schoolers are taking outside English courses this year. B, my rising 10th grader is taking online courses with Homeschool Connections. My rising 12th grader, S, is dual enrolled at the local community college. He tested into an honors class there and he is kind of excited about that. In spite of the fact that he is dyslexic, he has a gift for writing.
Yesterday I found the books each course would need. The class for Homeschool Connections is entitled Mythology in Literature (a semester long course). The two books required (I think the other readings might be works like essays the teacher will give them on line) are Dante's Purgatory and C. S. Lewis' Til We Have Faces. I was thrilled with that. We happen to have both those books already. Even the right translator for Dante.
Then I checked out what my 12th grader would need to read. Everything is the bleakest kind of writing ever. What is it with English teachers that they are always assigning the most sordid, depressing literature they can find? I just don't get it! The books are:
Metamorphosis by Kafka - we all know this one. Bizarre, disorienting, leaves you with a feeling of how absurd life is.
Fight Club - I haven't read this one. The reviews do make it sound interesting. Still depressing, violent, etc. though.
Monster Calls - about a child, his mentally ill mother and a monster who visits the child. I mean this could be good, but it sounds pretty bleak!
Things They Carried -I started to read this one but I couldn't control my blubbering through the darn thing so I stopped. It is about young 18 year old boys drafted to fight in Vietnam - most depressing book ever. The first quarter of the book that I did read still haunts me.
Civilization and Its Discontents by Freud - One of the reviews said that this is a seriously depressing book and not good for people who are easily depressed because of the Nietzschean world view so eloquently espoused.
Thanks English teacher! Gee, how many student suicides/attempts are influenced by the depressing reading teens/young adults are forced to do? I wanna do that study! I mean I can see having one or two books assigned that are heavy and depressing, but every single freakin' one! As examples of good writing?
Did I mention my 12th grader struggles with depression and anxiety?
Yesterday I found the books each course would need. The class for Homeschool Connections is entitled Mythology in Literature (a semester long course). The two books required (I think the other readings might be works like essays the teacher will give them on line) are Dante's Purgatory and C. S. Lewis' Til We Have Faces. I was thrilled with that. We happen to have both those books already. Even the right translator for Dante.
Then I checked out what my 12th grader would need to read. Everything is the bleakest kind of writing ever. What is it with English teachers that they are always assigning the most sordid, depressing literature they can find? I just don't get it! The books are:
Metamorphosis by Kafka - we all know this one. Bizarre, disorienting, leaves you with a feeling of how absurd life is.
Fight Club - I haven't read this one. The reviews do make it sound interesting. Still depressing, violent, etc. though.
Monster Calls - about a child, his mentally ill mother and a monster who visits the child. I mean this could be good, but it sounds pretty bleak!
Things They Carried -I started to read this one but I couldn't control my blubbering through the darn thing so I stopped. It is about young 18 year old boys drafted to fight in Vietnam - most depressing book ever. The first quarter of the book that I did read still haunts me.
Civilization and Its Discontents by Freud - One of the reviews said that this is a seriously depressing book and not good for people who are easily depressed because of the Nietzschean world view so eloquently espoused.
Thanks English teacher! Gee, how many student suicides/attempts are influenced by the depressing reading teens/young adults are forced to do? I wanna do that study! I mean I can see having one or two books assigned that are heavy and depressing, but every single freakin' one! As examples of good writing?
Did I mention my 12th grader struggles with depression and anxiety?
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Plans for Starting Up Again
This summer we schooled right through June and July. We had exactly one month off before having to start up again. I was so hoping that all the construction would be done before we began, but things are not looking good for that. Looks like we'll still be in construction mode into September. Argh!
Well, I must be cheerful about it, since it can't be helped! This week there are many last minute fires to put out. Next week we go on vacation (God willing and the crick don't rise!). The Monday after we get back, we start up again. This is mostly driven by Sean enrolling at the community college which starts classes 8/22.
Monday 8/22
S starts Music Theory and College Composition
I will be focusing on uploading Latin 2 curriculum to co-op website
S has Physical Trainer
S has Dr. appt (need to check on this)
Tuesday 8/23
Breakfast school
I think we'll start back up with Latin since we didn't get as far as we had hoped
Upload Latin
Wednesday 8/24
Breakfast school - Latin
Upload Latin
B starts back up with math tutor
S Physical Trainer
Thursday 8/25
Sean has Music Theory and College Composition again
B has voice lesson
Upload Latin
Friday 8/26
Upload Latin
Becky math tutor
Saturday 8/27
Upload Latin
S Physical Trainer
S Piano lesson
Monday 8/29
My classes begin in Theology
Breakfast school
Latin
Sean - classes
Upload Latin (hopefully, I am done with this by now!)
Other dates:
9/6 - 1st high school classes - Biology and Government
9/8 - B's Mythology on line course begins (1 to 2 p.m.)
9/8 - AL orientation
9/12 - 1st AHG meeting
9/15 - 1st Latin 1 class @ AL
Well, I must be cheerful about it, since it can't be helped! This week there are many last minute fires to put out. Next week we go on vacation (God willing and the crick don't rise!). The Monday after we get back, we start up again. This is mostly driven by Sean enrolling at the community college which starts classes 8/22.
Monday 8/22
S starts Music Theory and College Composition
I will be focusing on uploading Latin 2 curriculum to co-op website
S has Physical Trainer
S has Dr. appt (need to check on this)
Tuesday 8/23
Breakfast school
I think we'll start back up with Latin since we didn't get as far as we had hoped
Upload Latin
Wednesday 8/24
Breakfast school - Latin
Upload Latin
B starts back up with math tutor
S Physical Trainer
Thursday 8/25
Sean has Music Theory and College Composition again
B has voice lesson
Upload Latin
Friday 8/26
Upload Latin
Becky math tutor
Saturday 8/27
Upload Latin
S Physical Trainer
S Piano lesson
Monday 8/29
My classes begin in Theology
Breakfast school
Latin
Sean - classes
Upload Latin (hopefully, I am done with this by now!)
Other dates:
9/6 - 1st high school classes - Biology and Government
9/8 - B's Mythology on line course begins (1 to 2 p.m.)
9/8 - AL orientation
9/12 - 1st AHG meeting
9/15 - 1st Latin 1 class @ AL
Monday, August 8, 2016
Jamaica Inn - Book 22
This was a fun, absorbing read, though I was a little disappointed in the ending.
Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier is a gothic romance, full of mystery and foreboding. I had only ever read Rebecca by this author (I think I've read it two or three times) which is indeed her masterpiece, but I'd never ventured into any of her other novels.
Mary Yellan is the heroine of this story. Her mother dies and she goes off to live with an aunt she barely knows who is married to the landlord at Jamaica Inn on the moors of Cornwall. Even on her journey there she realizes something is not right. When she arrives she finds her aunt a shadow of her former self and her uncle a boorish, violent, and cruel man. But Mary has pluck. She wants to run away but she can't leave her aunt. So she looks for a way to save her. The story takes place over maybe six or eight months. During that time Mary begins to perceive just how horrible things are. She befriends a local vicar who is strange but whom she thinks she can trust. And she falls in love with Jem, her uncle's much younger brother, who is a horse thief.
There are many scary, surprising moments and the book is a quick read because it is hard to put down. I know these type of stories are always a bit contrived and the author's skill is in not letting you, the reader, notice how contrived they are. I thought Du Maurier did a great job up until the very end.
Still, I highly recommend this book. I'd call this a thumping good read!
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
It's Dangerous to Believe - Book 21
It's Dangerous to Believe; Religious Freedom and Its Enemies by Mary Eberstadt is an incisive analysis of the growing hostility toward religious freedom in modern society in the wake of the sexual revolution. Her premise is that this conflict between progressive sexual understanding and traditional sexual understanding does not reflect a mere non-religious vs religious approach, but rather progressives have adopted a new religion of sorts, which has its own first principles that must be followed if one is a believer in this new 'faith.' These first principles are pleasure and self-will and anyone who denies these is a 'hater' or a 'bigot.'
The first part of the book traces the history of this rise in hostility. The author cites case after case to illustrate her point. The evidence is pretty damning.
Eberstadt compares the hysteria to impose these new beliefs on everyone to the moral panic of the Salem Witch Trials or McCarthyism. The enemy is everyone and the mob rushes to protect itself from the imagined dangers. This accounts for events like the hounding out of Brendan Eich from his company because years before he'd made a modest contribution to the Proposition 8 campaign. Or, even more concerning, the shutting down of Catholic social services in various cities because of the Church's teachings on marriage. The poor here are carelessly disregarded, since Christian work with the poor is an enormous part of our safety network. Forcing these organizations out of business (often through exorbitant fines or long drawn out lawsuits) places an unrealistic burden on the government and the taxpayer. But the poor are ignored casualties in this ideological battle.
Eberstadt points out that the progressive sexual ideologues have a long battle ahead of them. For example, during the first 300 years of Christianity every single pope was martyred. And still the church persisted. She looks at the failure of communism to stamp out faith. It turns out a remnant (and often many more than a mere remnant) of people are always willing to sacrifice for their faith rather than give in and this willingness makes it very hard to ever get rid of religion.
The end of this pretty bleak book does hold out some hope. The author takes comfort in the fact that moral panics do not last long. They tend to burn out fairly quickly (albeit with lots of violence and destruction). Once they do, people look back in bewilderment at what has passed. So even in the worst case scenario, things will eventually get better.
But she also points out something that should be common to both religious believers and sexual progressives: our common heritage of tolerance given to us by the founders our country, who themselves were scarred by the intolerance of the Reformation wars. The founding principle they arrived at in order for disparate people to get along peacefully is: to agree to disagree.
Fortunately, in this country we have a tradition of constitutional law that usually, though far from perfectly, finds the a way to balance conflicting points of view. Hopefully, this tradition, grounded in the very foundation of our national self-perception, eventually will triumph over oppression. We are in the thick of the moral panic right now and we have no idea how high the hysteria will swell, but for future generations, we hope that both sides will at some point come to the conclusion that people should be allowed to disagree on their understanding of human sexuality.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Catholic Unschooling Videos
I am passing these links along from a yahoo group. These feature Karen Edmisten and Suzie Andres.
Karen Edmisten
How Prayer Life can Happen in the Midst of Homeschooling
Creating a Read Aloud Legacy
Suzie Andres
Increase Your Joy Right Where You Are
Homeschooling with Gentleness (with Anthony Andres)
Anthony Andres:
Homeschool Dads
I've only listened to snippets so far, but when I have a bit of time I plan to listen more closely. They seem full of wisdom and inspiration.
Karen Edmisten
How Prayer Life can Happen in the Midst of Homeschooling
Creating a Read Aloud Legacy
Suzie Andres
Increase Your Joy Right Where You Are
Homeschooling with Gentleness (with Anthony Andres)
Anthony Andres:
Homeschool Dads
I've only listened to snippets so far, but when I have a bit of time I plan to listen more closely. They seem full of wisdom and inspiration.
Friday, August 5, 2016
I got my textbooks!
Eager beaver that I am, I already ordered my textbooks, even though my first class isn't until August 29th. And then I got them today! I am thoroughly intimidated. I haven't heard of one of these books before.
First, for Latin 501 I got:
Latin Grammar And Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin
For my theology course, Faith and Revelation, I got
The Shape of Catholic Theology
The Size of Chesterton's Catholicism
Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith by Pope Benedict (only written back when he was Cardinal Ratzinger).
I think this was a recommended optional book:
Consecrated Phrases: A Latin Theological Dictionary
Yikes!
First, for Latin 501 I got:
Latin Grammar And Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin
For my theology course, Faith and Revelation, I got
The Shape of Catholic Theology
The Size of Chesterton's Catholicism
Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith by Pope Benedict (only written back when he was Cardinal Ratzinger).
I think this was a recommended optional book:
Consecrated Phrases: A Latin Theological Dictionary
Yikes!
Thursday, August 4, 2016
1941 African American Film - Blood of Jesus
TCM was showing old African-American movies this July (not sure how long this theme goes on. Is it just a July thing or a whole summer thing?) Anyway, I have caught a few minutes here and there, but last Sunday night they showed this amazing movie called Blood of Jesus. It is very low production quality and amateurish in acting, but the story is interesting enough and the music especially grabs you right into it. Apparently the director went on to play in Amos and Andy. I am not familiar with Amos and Andy except I know I've heard of it.
Anyway, the movie is amazing. It is a no holds barred Christian morality tale. A woman is accidentally shot by her not very nice husband. She's a Baptist. She dies and the movie goes into this weird story about what happens to her as she tries to get to heaven. It is chalk full of old time Gospel singing, heartfelt praying, and symbolism of an especially Catholic variety which shocked me because I always thought Baptists tended to be pretty anti-Catholic. For instance, the woman has a picture of Jesus exposing His Sacred Heart in her bedroom and when she is shot the bullet goes through her and hits the picture. Then at another point she runs into a crossroads where the sign post turns into a crucifix, you know, with the corpus and everything! She crawls under it and the blood of Jesus drips on to her face, healing her and basically raising her from the dead. (Sorry for the spoilers!).
The woman who was introducing the movies (along with Ben Mankiewicz), who I think is a professor of film at the University of Chicago was really informative. She said that this film is remembered for its faithful depiction of rural, Southern Black spirituality.
You can see the whole thing on youtube. It's less than an hour.
Anyway, the movie is amazing. It is a no holds barred Christian morality tale. A woman is accidentally shot by her not very nice husband. She's a Baptist. She dies and the movie goes into this weird story about what happens to her as she tries to get to heaven. It is chalk full of old time Gospel singing, heartfelt praying, and symbolism of an especially Catholic variety which shocked me because I always thought Baptists tended to be pretty anti-Catholic. For instance, the woman has a picture of Jesus exposing His Sacred Heart in her bedroom and when she is shot the bullet goes through her and hits the picture. Then at another point she runs into a crossroads where the sign post turns into a crucifix, you know, with the corpus and everything! She crawls under it and the blood of Jesus drips on to her face, healing her and basically raising her from the dead. (Sorry for the spoilers!).
The woman who was introducing the movies (along with Ben Mankiewicz), who I think is a professor of film at the University of Chicago was really informative. She said that this film is remembered for its faithful depiction of rural, Southern Black spirituality.
You can see the whole thing on youtube. It's less than an hour.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Wise Words from St. Gregory
This is from my morning meditation:
This is taken from a wonderful book I've been reading all year: A Year with the Church Fathers by Mike Aquilina.
Love the purity of a chaste life, because Christ is the Son of a virgin. "Abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11), as we are urged by the blessed Apostle, who is here with us in his words as we read. "Be babes in evil" (1 Corinthians 14:20), because the Lord of Glory made himself a mortal babe. Pursue that humility that the Son of God condescended to teach to each of his disciples. Put on the power of patience, and gain your souls by it, since he who is the redemption of all is also the strength of all. "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). Walk firmly on the path of truth and life. Do not let earthly things hold you back when heavenly things are prepared for you through our Lord Jesus Christ.St. Gregory the Great, Sermon 31, 3
This is taken from a wonderful book I've been reading all year: A Year with the Church Fathers by Mike Aquilina.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
The Little Charmer Who Has Stolen Our Hearts
Dylan trying to master the art of sippy cup.
Showing off his new teeth. He got those lower two a couple months ago. And then three top ones and another lower one decided to erupt at the same time. So he's been a little grumpy and running a low fever at times.
 |
| He isn't quite where he can hold the cup up enough to actually get water out of it on his own. |
Showing off his new teeth. He got those lower two a couple months ago. And then three top ones and another lower one decided to erupt at the same time. So he's been a little grumpy and running a low fever at times.
 |
| Not grumpy here! |
Politically Homeless
Jesus replied: Foxes have dens and birds have nests but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Luke 9:58
Not that I am anywhere near being like Jesus, but I do want to conform my life to His, so being unhappy with both the Republicans and the Democrats, the Left and the Right, might be a good sign. Perhaps if one is too comfortable one place or the other, it means there is something wrong.
But the truth is everybody just pisses me off! I can't stand the right and its hawkish, anti-immigrant stance. I still can't get over the shock of Trump's nomination. As a pro-lifer I feel utterly betrayed by them. I can't stand the constant Pope Francis bashing in uber-conservative Catholic circles.
I can't stand the left with its insistence on forcing the sexual revolution down everyone's throat and their almost complete dismissal of basic constitutional rights. They are like an unthinking mob bent on destruction, giddy with their own victories in the cultural war.
I think I am going on a news fast. I might check headlines at the Washington Post once a day and watch EWTN at 6, if I am around to do so (often I am not) but that's it. No more political blogs, etc.
I am weary. I want to be like the beloved disciple who leans on Jesus at the Last Supper. I am going to try to spend the next four years leaning on Jesus. My job is to try to love and serve my family as best I can. I need to constantly be reaching out trying to help others in need. I need to work on feeling real gratitude for all the blessings God has showered on me.
In other words I am in retreat. But not surrender, just going on a retreat for as long as it takes (the rest of my life).
Monday, August 1, 2016
Photos of almost but not quite complete bathroom!
I am having the darnedest time with my phone. For some reason it no longer lets me send photos to my gmail account? Weird. So instead I tried using google drive and then downloading that way. So let's see how that works!
Well. that wasn't too bad. A tiny bit more cumbersome, but not bad.
So here are our new built ins in our bedroom as you walk in the door. This area used to be a blank wall with an aquarium on a stand in front of it. Made it a bit crowded. Now I've got these lovely bookshelves just waiting for books and we have a nice shelf to put the aquarium on. Can't wait until later this week when we can move the tank and shelve the books.
Then as you turn to your right you see this:
One funny thing about having all the tile in the bathroom is that everything echoes! I think once the blinds go up and if I get another little rug for in front of the toilet it will soften things a tiny bit. I am thinking maybe a plant or two? Do they help with echoes?
This is our new shower, sans the glass doors. That unfortunately takes a couple of weeks to come in, so we are still without a shower. This is our new steam shower, which Rick has been coveting for several years now.
I was so nervous about choosing the tile colors and everything, but I like it a lot. I wanted something low key and calming. Every time I walk in I feel a pang of guilt for having such luxury. But then I tell myself we are employing lots of people directly or indirectly by doing this and work feeds families!
Well. that wasn't too bad. A tiny bit more cumbersome, but not bad.
So here are our new built ins in our bedroom as you walk in the door. This area used to be a blank wall with an aquarium on a stand in front of it. Made it a bit crowded. Now I've got these lovely bookshelves just waiting for books and we have a nice shelf to put the aquarium on. Can't wait until later this week when we can move the tank and shelve the books.
Then as you turn to your right you see this:
We still need to put the blinds up. We seem to have misplaced the brackets though in all the chaos.
We still need a little hand towel ring up on the wall here. For now the knob of the medicine cabinet will do.
 |
| I want to put another cabinet up on the wall behind the toilet. |
One funny thing about having all the tile in the bathroom is that everything echoes! I think once the blinds go up and if I get another little rug for in front of the toilet it will soften things a tiny bit. I am thinking maybe a plant or two? Do they help with echoes?
This is our new shower, sans the glass doors. That unfortunately takes a couple of weeks to come in, so we are still without a shower. This is our new steam shower, which Rick has been coveting for several years now.
I was so nervous about choosing the tile colors and everything, but I like it a lot. I wanted something low key and calming. Every time I walk in I feel a pang of guilt for having such luxury. But then I tell myself we are employing lots of people directly or indirectly by doing this and work feeds families!
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