I just discovered Google calendar. Actually, Hannah introduced me to it. I spent a good part of Saturday morning figuring it out and putting my schedule into it. Oh my goodness! I am so impressed! You see, I am so A.D.D. that planners never worked for me. I forget to fill them in, I leave them behind when I should bring them with me, they get buried under stacks of papers and junk and are mislaid for months. I knew people were going to electronic things. I tried to do something like that a couple years ago. I forget what it was exactly but it was so onerous to plug stuff in. Maybe it was Outlook? I can't remember. Anyway, and I thought that going electronic wouldn't be for me because I do not want a smart phone or anything with internet on my phone. If I did, I feared, then I truly would never get off the internet. I'd be one of those people checking email at every meal, texting while driving down the road, etc. I'd be like a heroin addict overdosing all the time. It would be ugly. I would lose my soul, basically.
But I don't lose my laptop at home. And if my planner is on my laptop then I'll always be able to find it. And google calendar is so easy to set up and to make changes with, that even I, the computer idiot, can do it easily. And one of the best features is that I can share it with Becky and Sean, so they can see what is planned. I have to figure out how to use 'tasks.' I haven't done that yet. But I set up all of April's calendar and it rocks! I am ready for April!
Once again, hope springs eternal for a habitually disorganized mess like me! You just never know when you will stumble on something that clicks, even if the 99 things you tried before didn't. Never give up! Never, never, never, never give up! (in the immortal words of Winston Churchill!).
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Shadows on the Rock - Book 15
Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather, is a beautiful book about Quebec City in the 1600s. This was the first Cather I ever read. My mother recommended the book to me when I think I was only 12. I loved it, but many decades have passed since then, and I could barely remember what it was about. I only remembered it was about Quebec, an apothecary and his young daughter and that I had thoroughly enjoyed it. For some reason it popped into my head that it would be a good read aloud for Becky but I thought I'd better pre-read it to make sure. Well, it is just a gloriously, poignantly beautiful book.
Cecile, when she was a very little girl, and her father Euclide Auclair moved from France to Quebec to follow the Count Frontenac, their patron, when he is assigned to Quebec. The year the book opens is 1697. Cecile's mother also moved with them but has died and now 12 year old Cecile keeps house for her papa in the rooms behind the apothecary shop. Cecile loves taking care of her father and the few beautiful things they have brought with them from France. We learn of Cecile's world, her neighbors and the unique character of the city she calls home.
It is weird that Willa Cather was not Catholic because she wrote some beautifully Catholic books. This one rivals Death Comes to the Archbishop in its understanding and deep descriptive language that reveals the spiritual and moral life of devout Catholics. We follow the seasons for that one year from the sailing of the ships to France in the early fall, to their return the next July. Time is marked by the weather and by the liturgical year. First we encounter All Saints Day and then All Souls, St. Nicholas Day, Christmas Eve, Epiphany. We meet Jacques, the young six year old boy who Cecile takes special care of. He is the son of a loose woman and some sailor. We meet Blinker who has a wretched past which he escaped physically when he left France. He now works next door as the baker's assistant but he can not forget the horrors of his past. We meet other various members of the town. Especially we meet the Count himself, and we see the contrast between the two bishops, Bishop Laval and the new Bishop come to replace the old man. Bishop Laval is stern and kind; he lives in poverty so that the people of Quebec can have a glorious cathedral to pray in. The new Bishop (I can't remember his name) is younger and a product of Versailles, much concerned with a showy piety and given to making whimsical and insensitive decisions. We hear about the various martyrs Jogues, Brebeuf and especially about the lesser known Chabenel. We hear a reference to Marguerite Bourgeoys, now a saint. The whole story is just saturated with a Catholic sensibility.
Cather's writing is so good you feel you are there and know all these people. It is a very gentle, quiet book where the lives of regular people, their inners lives, are given their proper attention. Even though it is quiet there are stories of great tragedy and in the background is the unstable relationship between France and England.
Count Frontenac is hoping the king will call him back to France this year and the apothecary and daughter will return with him. But Cecile does not want to leave Quebec, the home she loves so dearly.
There is quite a bit of French sprinkled throughout the story. Becky has a fascination with French, so I think we'd have fun translating those bits. I am definitely going to read it out loud to her.
A lovely, evocative novel that should be on everyone's reading list.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Cecile, when she was a very little girl, and her father Euclide Auclair moved from France to Quebec to follow the Count Frontenac, their patron, when he is assigned to Quebec. The year the book opens is 1697. Cecile's mother also moved with them but has died and now 12 year old Cecile keeps house for her papa in the rooms behind the apothecary shop. Cecile loves taking care of her father and the few beautiful things they have brought with them from France. We learn of Cecile's world, her neighbors and the unique character of the city she calls home.
It is weird that Willa Cather was not Catholic because she wrote some beautifully Catholic books. This one rivals Death Comes to the Archbishop in its understanding and deep descriptive language that reveals the spiritual and moral life of devout Catholics. We follow the seasons for that one year from the sailing of the ships to France in the early fall, to their return the next July. Time is marked by the weather and by the liturgical year. First we encounter All Saints Day and then All Souls, St. Nicholas Day, Christmas Eve, Epiphany. We meet Jacques, the young six year old boy who Cecile takes special care of. He is the son of a loose woman and some sailor. We meet Blinker who has a wretched past which he escaped physically when he left France. He now works next door as the baker's assistant but he can not forget the horrors of his past. We meet other various members of the town. Especially we meet the Count himself, and we see the contrast between the two bishops, Bishop Laval and the new Bishop come to replace the old man. Bishop Laval is stern and kind; he lives in poverty so that the people of Quebec can have a glorious cathedral to pray in. The new Bishop (I can't remember his name) is younger and a product of Versailles, much concerned with a showy piety and given to making whimsical and insensitive decisions. We hear about the various martyrs Jogues, Brebeuf and especially about the lesser known Chabenel. We hear a reference to Marguerite Bourgeoys, now a saint. The whole story is just saturated with a Catholic sensibility.
Cather's writing is so good you feel you are there and know all these people. It is a very gentle, quiet book where the lives of regular people, their inners lives, are given their proper attention. Even though it is quiet there are stories of great tragedy and in the background is the unstable relationship between France and England.
Count Frontenac is hoping the king will call him back to France this year and the apothecary and daughter will return with him. But Cecile does not want to leave Quebec, the home she loves so dearly.
There is quite a bit of French sprinkled throughout the story. Becky has a fascination with French, so I think we'd have fun translating those bits. I am definitely going to read it out loud to her.
A lovely, evocative novel that should be on everyone's reading list.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Fallen Angel - Book 14
The title of this book is a play on the hero's name, Gabriel. Because he cares very little for his obnoxious family or pleasing superficial people in society, he is often rude and cold. I wonder if the author deliberately named it this, because Gabriel reminded me of the Georgette Heyer's main character in Devil's Cub. Get it? Devil's Cub vs. Fallen Angel??? LOL. I am too clever by half! Fallen Angel is another one by Charlotte Louise Dolan. I read a couple of her books last year. She's like a lighter, quicker version of Georgette Heyer. Anyway, this book reminded me very much of Devil's Cub in that the hero seems so hard and selfish and the heroine is so practical and honest, though I do think I liked Gabriel in this Dolan book better than Vidal in Devil's Cub.
Anyhoo! It was a fun read. Gabriel, Lord Sherington, is our hero. He's been abused and alone all his life and now he has inherited money and title and he plans to keep tight reins on his power. He wants an heir so he can revenge his cousin, the current heir. While fleeing London to keep from having to spend Christmas with his hateful family and rebellious servants, he chances to meet the heroine, Verity, who is on her way home for Christmas. She has gotten stranded with no way to continue her journey home. He doesn't want to rescue her but he agrees to give her a ride and on the way his interest is piqued because she alone of all the women of his acquaintance seems completely without guile and coquetry. It occurs to him he's met his ideal wife, quiet, obedient, undemanding, practical. So he sets out to court her, this 'old maid' that no one pays any attention to. He has no clue, though, what he is doing. He simple can't understand her since a woman who is intelligent, makes the best of her situation with dignity and honesty, and is completely incapable of being self-serving is beyond his experience. After every meeting, the reader is privy to thoughts of both Gabriel and Verity. Even though there is an underlying instinctive understanding between them, they also humorously misread each other constantly. The two characters are at cross purposes the whole time; Gabriel trying to woo her as he would a mistress and Verity, who though immediately in love with him, knows she doesn't have a chance (being the wallflower she is, a role she has resigned herself to). She thinks he must just want to be friends.....
How these two finally get together and all the complications that happen before they do, makes for a funny, enjoyable romance. There's a mystery involved too, about Gabriel's past.
If, like me this past week, you are spending your time fending off a sore throat and caring for sick offspring and want a pleasant escape, Fallen Angel might just do the trick. It's cheap on the kindle.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Anyhoo! It was a fun read. Gabriel, Lord Sherington, is our hero. He's been abused and alone all his life and now he has inherited money and title and he plans to keep tight reins on his power. He wants an heir so he can revenge his cousin, the current heir. While fleeing London to keep from having to spend Christmas with his hateful family and rebellious servants, he chances to meet the heroine, Verity, who is on her way home for Christmas. She has gotten stranded with no way to continue her journey home. He doesn't want to rescue her but he agrees to give her a ride and on the way his interest is piqued because she alone of all the women of his acquaintance seems completely without guile and coquetry. It occurs to him he's met his ideal wife, quiet, obedient, undemanding, practical. So he sets out to court her, this 'old maid' that no one pays any attention to. He has no clue, though, what he is doing. He simple can't understand her since a woman who is intelligent, makes the best of her situation with dignity and honesty, and is completely incapable of being self-serving is beyond his experience. After every meeting, the reader is privy to thoughts of both Gabriel and Verity. Even though there is an underlying instinctive understanding between them, they also humorously misread each other constantly. The two characters are at cross purposes the whole time; Gabriel trying to woo her as he would a mistress and Verity, who though immediately in love with him, knows she doesn't have a chance (being the wallflower she is, a role she has resigned herself to). She thinks he must just want to be friends.....
How these two finally get together and all the complications that happen before they do, makes for a funny, enjoyable romance. There's a mystery involved too, about Gabriel's past.
If, like me this past week, you are spending your time fending off a sore throat and caring for sick offspring and want a pleasant escape, Fallen Angel might just do the trick. It's cheap on the kindle.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Harry Dee: Or Working It Out - Book 13
This is the third in the Tom Playfair trilogy by Father Francis Finn S.J. It is basically a murder mystery woven into the life and adventures of a new boy at St. Maure's, Harry Dee. Harry's rich uncle is mysteriously murdered on Christmas Eve and Harry's beloved nanny, Mrs. Raynor has disappeared along with $50,000, but Mrs. Raynor wouldn't have done such a thing, would she?
After the trauma, Harry gets sent to St. Maure's and immediately takes up with Tom and his gang. The story revolves around studying for a great intercollegiate Latin competition, the 'Dodger' boys (nicknamed after the Artful Dodger) who are always pranking a new gentle prefect, Mr. Auber, and trying to solve the mystery of the murder. And other things happen too. These books are nothing, if not action packed with lots of drama where the boys get to be heroic.
Father Francis ties up the loose ends at the end of the book. The boys are all grown now and must go off to find their way in the world. Several go into the seminary and others decide on other prospects. And beloved Latin magister, Mr. Middleton, finally makes his Jesuit vows and becomes Father Middleton.
I really enjoyed reading these old fashioned children's novels. They really reminded me of Louisa May Alcott's books like Jo's Boys, etc.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
After the trauma, Harry gets sent to St. Maure's and immediately takes up with Tom and his gang. The story revolves around studying for a great intercollegiate Latin competition, the 'Dodger' boys (nicknamed after the Artful Dodger) who are always pranking a new gentle prefect, Mr. Auber, and trying to solve the mystery of the murder. And other things happen too. These books are nothing, if not action packed with lots of drama where the boys get to be heroic.
Father Francis ties up the loose ends at the end of the book. The boys are all grown now and must go off to find their way in the world. Several go into the seminary and others decide on other prospects. And beloved Latin magister, Mr. Middleton, finally makes his Jesuit vows and becomes Father Middleton.
I really enjoyed reading these old fashioned children's novels. They really reminded me of Louisa May Alcott's books like Jo's Boys, etc.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Trying to Plan for Summer
One has to plan ahead of course. Stuff that is going to be going on:
May 7th is Josh's last day of college - so I'll be bringing him home that day.
May 22nd is the last day of Aquinas Learning.
June 7th - AHG camping for badge work (not sure if this is overnight or not.)
Josh, hopefully will be starting up summer classes at the community college. These start up the week of June 14th.
Will's birthday is June 29th - he'll be 22. That's a Sunday. I hope he can come home for that weekend.
Becky auditioned and got into the play Peter Pan at a local community theater. She is going to be a mermaid. The way the theater works the kids attend a three week summer camp and at the end of the three weeks they give three performances. So that starts on June 23rd and ends on July 13th. July 12th is Becky's 13th birthday! We'll have to postpone her birthday party until the next weekend.
July 7th, if all goes according to plan, we'll have a young gentleman from Argentina staying with us for 4 weeks. July 7th - August 8th.
July 14th is when the parish Vacation Bible School is held. I'm thinking that I will volunteer for that and I think I'll rope Becky and Sean (and maybe the Argentinian) into helping too. That's July 14th-18th.
July 19th or 20th we should celebrate Becky's birthday and do something special.
Between July 20th and August 7th we should try to take our foreign guest sightseeing and do fun things with him.
Things like: seeing Washington D.C., Mount Vernon, Annapolis, going out on the boat with Rick, seeing a movie or two, visiting a couple shopping malls, maybe a trip to Luray Caverns and Harper's Ferry, visiting a water park or two, going along on St. Mark Youth group trips, attending a free concert or two in the area.
Josh should be getting a part time job and going to school.
Sean wants to volunteer to help the handicapped. He also wants to take a class on flash because he wants to start designing his own computer games.
In the midst of all this, wedding plans will be going on.
I hope we can go away for a long weekend somewhere near water. It's unusual that we aren't taking a vacation. We decided to do that after the wedding in October.
May 7th is Josh's last day of college - so I'll be bringing him home that day.
May 22nd is the last day of Aquinas Learning.
June 7th - AHG camping for badge work (not sure if this is overnight or not.)
Josh, hopefully will be starting up summer classes at the community college. These start up the week of June 14th.
Will's birthday is June 29th - he'll be 22. That's a Sunday. I hope he can come home for that weekend.
Becky auditioned and got into the play Peter Pan at a local community theater. She is going to be a mermaid. The way the theater works the kids attend a three week summer camp and at the end of the three weeks they give three performances. So that starts on June 23rd and ends on July 13th. July 12th is Becky's 13th birthday! We'll have to postpone her birthday party until the next weekend.
July 7th, if all goes according to plan, we'll have a young gentleman from Argentina staying with us for 4 weeks. July 7th - August 8th.
July 14th is when the parish Vacation Bible School is held. I'm thinking that I will volunteer for that and I think I'll rope Becky and Sean (and maybe the Argentinian) into helping too. That's July 14th-18th.
July 19th or 20th we should celebrate Becky's birthday and do something special.
Between July 20th and August 7th we should try to take our foreign guest sightseeing and do fun things with him.
Things like: seeing Washington D.C., Mount Vernon, Annapolis, going out on the boat with Rick, seeing a movie or two, visiting a couple shopping malls, maybe a trip to Luray Caverns and Harper's Ferry, visiting a water park or two, going along on St. Mark Youth group trips, attending a free concert or two in the area.
Josh should be getting a part time job and going to school.
Sean wants to volunteer to help the handicapped. He also wants to take a class on flash because he wants to start designing his own computer games.
In the midst of all this, wedding plans will be going on.
I hope we can go away for a long weekend somewhere near water. It's unusual that we aren't taking a vacation. We decided to do that after the wedding in October.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Fr. Coulter's Website
I just stumbled on this great resource. It lists lots of books and Latin resources. Looks like it is a treasure trove for the likes of me!
http://frcoulter.com/index.html
http://frcoulter.com/index.html
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Tom Playfair and Percy Wynn - Books 11 & 12
Inspired by Willa at Take Up and Read,* I downloaded Tom Playfair on my Kindle a couple weeks ago. Long time ago, probably ten years maybe, I had somehow gotten ahold of an audio recording of Tom Playfair and the kids and I listened to it maybe about half-way through the book. The kids lost interest, I think because it was not a professional type of recording. While the woman reading tried her best, it didn't have the smooth sound that professionally produced books do. That irritated the kids.
Anyway, Tom Playfair is by Father Francis Finn, S.J. and was published back in 1891. Tom is a lively young man who is growing a bit wild because his indulgent, soft-hearted aunt lets him get away with too much, plus he's great at getting out of trouble. His father, worried about Tom's character and future, decides to send him to a Catholic all boys boarding 'college' called St. Maure's. Tom goes off to make wonderful friends and have some quite dramatic adventures. The book reminds me a little of Louisa May Alcott novels in their concern for the moral development of the characters.
I found Tom, St. Maure's and the story line delightful. The minute Tom Playfair ended, I immediately downloaded Percy Wynn. This book details the adventures of Percy, another boy at the school and good friend of Tom's. One thing I loved about this book was how much we learned about a good Catholic education at the time. The book goes into detail about the boys' Latin lessons especially. Tom is a boy after my own heart, for he loves to learn Latin.
I am now in the middle of reading the third book in the trilogy, Harry Dee, which is a little different in that it is told in the first person as a reminiscence of his time at St. Maure's with his good friends Tom and Percy.
Anyway, I've completed the first two of the trilogy and found them utterly engrossing. Children seemed to have been given much freedom and adults had very high expectations of them back then. These are deeply Catholic books with a lot of food for thought and theology woven into the storyline.
Two thumbs up! For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
*This link is to a post by Willa about the Harry Dee book. I can't find where I saw the reference to the actual Tom Playfair book. They talk about Latin lessons in Percy Wynn (not just Harry Dee) too because Tom tutors Percy in Latin when he is laid up at the school infirmary.
Anyway, Tom Playfair is by Father Francis Finn, S.J. and was published back in 1891. Tom is a lively young man who is growing a bit wild because his indulgent, soft-hearted aunt lets him get away with too much, plus he's great at getting out of trouble. His father, worried about Tom's character and future, decides to send him to a Catholic all boys boarding 'college' called St. Maure's. Tom goes off to make wonderful friends and have some quite dramatic adventures. The book reminds me a little of Louisa May Alcott novels in their concern for the moral development of the characters.
I found Tom, St. Maure's and the story line delightful. The minute Tom Playfair ended, I immediately downloaded Percy Wynn. This book details the adventures of Percy, another boy at the school and good friend of Tom's. One thing I loved about this book was how much we learned about a good Catholic education at the time. The book goes into detail about the boys' Latin lessons especially. Tom is a boy after my own heart, for he loves to learn Latin.
I am now in the middle of reading the third book in the trilogy, Harry Dee, which is a little different in that it is told in the first person as a reminiscence of his time at St. Maure's with his good friends Tom and Percy.
Anyway, I've completed the first two of the trilogy and found them utterly engrossing. Children seemed to have been given much freedom and adults had very high expectations of them back then. These are deeply Catholic books with a lot of food for thought and theology woven into the storyline.
Two thumbs up! For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
*This link is to a post by Willa about the Harry Dee book. I can't find where I saw the reference to the actual Tom Playfair book. They talk about Latin lessons in Percy Wynn (not just Harry Dee) too because Tom tutors Percy in Latin when he is laid up at the school infirmary.
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