Wedding Photos!!

The bride


The wedding party


The cake


The first dance.

Wedding Cake

We had a wedding here this summer. Still no pictures from the wedding (alas, some coming soon I hope) but here is one of the cake. Made by the Maid of Honor!

Best Handcream

I bought a jar of this hand cream at the local harvest festival. I love it. I even use it on my face (but I'm not fussy about that sort of thing). It works great on my hands which tend to react badly to dish soap. And it smells like honey!

Time flies...

Wow! It really has been a long time since I have posted something here. Hopefully, I will get into a reasonable schedule now that summer's diversions are nearly over. Meanwhile, here is the last rose of the season...

4x10 book

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (10 - 14 Children's lit.) I discovered this sitting on the library shelf and it is delightful. 11 year old Callie is the only girl in a family of seven children. The story starts in Texas during the blisteringly hot summer of 1899. Callie wants to cool off and frequently sneaks off to swim in the river. She slyly cuts an inch off her hair every week to fool her mother who won't hear of her getting a crew cut like her brothers. And she takes to exploring with her grandfather, an amateur naturalist. Every chapter is headed by a quote from Darwin's Origin of the Species but this book doesn't delve into controversy. It shows how Callie discovers the scientific process and dreams of being a naturalist when she grows up. One caveat...the grandfather describes some of his Civil War experiences in a matter of fact but somewhat graphic way. These are not sensationalized but could be upsetting for a sensitive reader.
Here's Callie on books..."One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in shining armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home."

Book List

While I haven't been blogging much I have added a few books to my 4 x 10 book list:
I finished the Children's Lit (age 4-10) category with The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. This was a very hopeful book, a great glimpse of medeaval life but also showing how persaverence will win the day!


I added Saint Thomas Aquinas by G.K.Chesterton to the saints category. Chesterton obviously sympathized with the "Dumb Ox' and this book is brilliant. I never really knew much about St. Thomas and this was a great introduction.

In the history category I read The Forgotten Man by Amity Shaeles. This is about the Great Depression and the Forgotten Man is the guy who is stuck footing the tax bill.
Also, The Pirate Coast by Richard Zack about Barbary pirates during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Or why the "Shores of Tripoli" are a part of the Marine Anthem.

I also finished off the adult fiction with Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian. Okay, I'll admit it. I love a good Napoleonic War sea adventure and this series is the best! In this one Aubrey and Maturin are shipwrecked on their way to Australia to rescue Captain Bligh. (Yes, THAT Captain Bligh) Ripping yarn!

Hungry Little Kennypillar

Yesterday at the baseball picninc the hungry little kennypillar ate one hotdog, many chips, cheese blocks, pepperoni,one brownie, one rice krispie treat, a lemon bar, a cupcake, chocolate pudding, and lemonade. After that he had a tummy ache. But today he is mostly back to his old self. (He did refuse a donut for breakfast.)