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.)

Happy Birthday!!

The best birthday bashes are at the beach! Happy birthday, Ked, Adam, and Joe!!!!

New Computer

Well, I did it. I finally got fed up trying to de-bug my old computer and got a fancy new laptop. I am trying to figure my way around Vista...where is the file option?? How do I cut and paste?? And will the McAfee anti-virus and Windows updated ever finish downloading??? Seriously, this taking a loooong time. 71% on the Windows and....I see McAfee has crashed again and is down to 2% after a high of 73%. Sigh....this has been going on since 8:30 this morning and it is now 2:20 pm. I may have to go beg some broadband from somewhere.

4 x 10 Challenge

I haven't been blogging much lately. Spring is in the air and baseball is every night except Monday and Sunday... but I have been trying to read. It hasn't been easy! One of the reasons I took up this challenge was to read books that I might not pick up otherwise. Books that would challenge me and books from genres I don't usually choose. The surprise category has been Adult Fiction. There are a lot of books out there that are just not worth reading! One of the worst in my opinion is The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diament. Blech! Charmless characters in a charmless town engaging in banally unpleasant activities. I was warned by the librarian that no one had managed to get through this book but it looked readable and not too long. I was so appalled by it that I was driven to re-read the Father Tim-Mitford series by Jan Karon who writes about normal people in normal activities and still manages to keep it interesting. Bravo,Jan!! Coming on the heals of the vampire book I am now retreating to Patrick O'Brian and Captain Aubrey. I turn my back on new adult fiction!!!

Here are the new books on the list:
Parenting/Family category has been changes to biographies of saint with Saint Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton leading the list. At my current stage of life I am more intersted in saints than working on my partenting skills. (Not that they don't still need it!)

In World Politics: Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin This reads like a high school textbook and doesn't hold out a cheery ending for our freedoms. But a good read nonetheless and timely. Maybe it is not too late??

Fiction (Classics) Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. I hadn't read this before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The one problem is afterwards I watched the movie. There were lots of characters with the same names as the characters in this book but no resemblance to Scott's. All nobility removed and sneakiness and guile ruling the day.

And lastly in Adult fiction we have A Common Life by Jan Karon. I read four Mitford books but this is the only new read as it was written out of sequence. If you've read one you have read them all but lately I find that comforting.

Set backs on the road to Rivendell

I was doing pretty well on my trek to Rivendell considering all the snow we had this winter but a bought of the flu made walking in cold, drizzly weather unbearable and then when the weather turned beautiful I fell, hard (!) on my knees! I'm on the mend now and at the foot of the Weather Hills.

4x10 Reading Challenge

One of the benefits of having a computer virus, a flu virus, bad weather (not lately--we have been having early Spring weather) and a bad knee is I have had lots of time to read. Here is what I have added to my list---

Children's Lit (4-10)
A Necklace of Raindrops by Joan Aiken
cute but not up to her usual standard--seemed like fairy tales made up on the spot to get a child to sleep.

Lives and Legends of the Saints by Carole Armstrong
Beautiful picture book

Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne
Also beautifully illustrated and beautifully re-told

Children's Lit (10-14)
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Smart kids who work together to save the world and themselves, clever tale.

History
The Thieves of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdano
My brother recommended this one and it was a great read about the sacking of the Baghdad museum during the Iraq war. Bogdano is a master tale teller.

World Politics
The Illusion of Victory by Thomas Fleming
I had asked around for some good books on world politics and several books by this author came up. This is about WWI and the politics surrounding the war. I was pleading for mercy by the time I finished it. Note to self: never, ever, read a book about WWI during February ever again. Maybe even no more books about WWI ever again. What a bloody, brutal time.

How to Break a Terrorist by Matthew Alexander
Tegan recommended this one and it also was riveting and not one I would have picked up on my own. Alexander is one of the "new" interogaters using psychology instead of torture.

Education
Real Education by Charles Murray
A lot of statistics about public schools and why they don't work. I'm pretty sure Charlotte Mason wouldn't agree with him about students who aren't capable of college work but he does recommend a liberal education for all in elementary school.

Fiction (classics)
The Man Who was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
Brilliant! An anarchist romp written with flair!

Serendipity
Real Food by Nina Planck
I don't know why I read these foodie books. It just makes me feel bad that I don't buy raw milk, pastured beef, organic veggies...I would if I could but they are not available and/or not affordable. Alas.

Adult Fiction
Blood and Ice by Robert Masello
I thought this was going to be a thriller detective story. It turned into a vampire story. Yuck!

Testing

I'm testing to see if I've conquered the bug that has kept me from blogging (and a lot more).......

Happy Birthday, Sam!

CPAC

If you are in the D.C. area Tegan will be speaking at CPAC tomorrow at 10:00 on the Freedom of Information Act and how to use it. I'm sure it won't really be necessary in the new political climate of openness but it's always a good idea to be prepared. Just two years ago Tegan attended CPAC as a young college student and now she is a speaker! I am so proud of her!

Hunkering Down

I'm feeling like this poor heron, wishing I'd gone south for the winter. The first couple of weeks of February went quickly with a combination of sun and enough warming to melt some of the prodigious snow we had piled up but now it is cold and snowy again and the end of February seems far away...

Rest in Peace

John Kanzius lost his battle with cancer and his funeral was today. Rest in peace Mr. Kanzius and know that the battle continues. Hopefully, human trials will start soon. One of the doctors who worked closely on this project is speaking in Washington today to get FDA approval for the trials. Since their have been no side effects in the animal trails (and a 100% success rate in eliminating tumors) this could mean quick approval. I pray so.

More babies

I was bemused by the reaction to the mom who gave birth to octuplets recently. Gasp! She now has 14 kids and no visible means of support!! Is this woman mad!?! Well, probably. But when I read that four of the 8 are identical twins I realized it was with a divine madness. Watching the press go haywire with their "ethical" questions raised by these births makes me realize God wants to highlight a few things here. First, babies are a blessing. Even premature and expensive ones. Next, invitro fertilization is a bad thing. Really. Fetus reduction should be a crime not having eight babies. Fathers are a good thing, even necessary. The father of these babies should step up and shoulder some responsibility. And ultimately, who really cares how much these babies are going to cost? Estimate: $1.5 million and rising. This country is bleeding money everywhere. What would happen if we gave this woman $500,000 (suggested pay cap for failed Wall Street bankers) and let her hire a nanny or two. Look! Job creation! Or perhaps she could be encouraged (but not forced) to consider adoption. There are many people who would loved to raise these babies. I repeat, babies are a blessing. I know times are hard and money is tight or at least that is what I'm told every time I turn on the news but can't we afford 8 more babies? Is this the straw that will sink our economy? This is not the most responsible woman on the planet but I'm not prepared to stone her because she craves babies. Someone set up a donation site, please! Send in Extreme Makeover Home Edition. She needs an addition. And maybe some support. God allowed her these babies, perhaps to see how we will react to them.

My new favorite book

I picked this one up at the library , intrigued by the title but didn't really have any intention of reading it. (Ask my librarian and she will tell you I read about a tenth of what I cart home) But once I got into the story I couldn't put it down. What a charming book! It is written as a series of letters in 1946. The letters have several authors and it takes awhile to figure out who is who, but the heroine of the story is Juliet who wrote columns for a newspaper during the war and they have been put into a book and she is on a book tour at the beginning of the story. I was totally hooked when she hurls a teapot at an impudent interviewer who asks her why she broke off her wartime engagement the day before the wedding. Drink? A bit of the "ol' Oscar Wilde??" We are left hanging until a few letters later it is revealed that she broke it off because of....books! She came home to find him moving some things into her flat and he had boxed up all of her books (eight boxes!) and replaced them with his sports trophies! Obviously they had nothing in common and it was good to find out now and not tomorrow!! I loved this book. I wont give away any more of the plot but it is a much richer story than you would expect from a series of letters.

Book Quote about Books

I've come across several good quotes about books lately. Here's one from Inkheart by Cornelia Funke----"Stacks of books were piled high all over the house---not just arranged in neat rows on bookshelves, the way other people kept them, oh, no! The books in Mo and Meggie's house were stacked under tables, on chairs, in the corners of rooms. There were books in the kitchen and books in the lavatory. Books on the TV set and in the closet, small piles of books, tall piles of books, books thick and thin, books old and new. They welcomed Meggie down to breakfast with invitingly opened pages; they kept boredom at bay when the weather was bad. And sometimes you fell over them."

Babies

I'm double posting but wanted to link this on both my blogs. I think Tegan makes a very good point here about contraception and babies. (And Pelosi's ability to govern!)

Happy Birthday!

Not Beethoven, his was last month.

4 x 10 Challenge--January

The List so far:

Children's Fiction (6-10)
1.The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling


Children's Fiction (10-14)
1.Inkheart by Cornelia Funke I liked this and wanted to read before going to see the movie (Brendan Frasier--do I need to say more?)But it did bog down in a couple of places and I was glad to finish it. Reading the next two in the trilogy is unlikely.

Science/Nature

Parenting/Family

History

World Politics

Adult Fiction

Education
1.Wild Days by Karen Skidmore Rackliffe
(I wasn't sure if this should go here of Nature but as she writes a lot about using a nature journal in all areas of the curriculum I decided here.)

Fiction (classics)

Personal Improvement changed to Social Issues (I'm too old for personal improvement, I'm afraid...)
1.On the Shortness of Life by Seneca (Personal improvement works for this one.) I've had this on my shelf for over a year but once I started it I couldn't put it down. Great! Seneca is sort of a proto-monk. I looked him up on wikipedia and found out that the book of Golden Legends says that he was converted to Christianity by St. Paul.I believe it. Here is a sample,"By the toil of others we are led into the presence of things which have been brought from darkness into light. We are excluded from no age, but we have access to them all; and if we are prepared in loftiness of mind to pass beyond confines of human weakness, there is a long period of time through which we can roam. We can argue with Socrates, express doubt with Carneades, cultivate retirement with Epicurus, overcome human nature with the Stoics, and exceed its limits with the Cynics. Since nature allows us to enter into a partnership with every age, why not turn from this brief and transient spell of time and give ourselves over wholeheartedly to the past, which is limitless and eternal and can be shared with better men than we?" This book also included Consolations to Helvia and On Tranquility of Mind. I devoured them all!
2. Guilty by Ann Coulter. Miss Coulter is always controversial but I like her anyway. This one is how liberals play the victim and then use their victim hood to push their own agenda. An example--(from the dust jacket)"Brave" liberals: In addition to being beautiful, compassionate tribunes of the downtrodden, liberals are brave. I know that because they're always telling me how brave they are. Why, five nights a week, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann courageoulsy books guests who completely agree with him. It doesn't get any braver than that.

Adult Fiction

Screaming Death Mountain

We don't just shovel snow, sometimes we play in it! Here are my band of Merry Boys on top of Screaming Death Mountain AKA: the snow hill at the Community Center.

4x10 Book Challenge

I can't turn down a book reading challenge and here is one that will make me read a broader spectrum of books than I might choose on my own. (Something more than Chesterton!). I'm not going to select books now but see what I find as the year progresses but here are the categories:
1. Children's Fiction (ages 6-10)
2. Children's Fiction (ages 10-14)
3. Science/Nature
4. Parenting/Family
5. History
6. World Politics (Chesterton here?)
7. Adult Fiction
8. Education
9. Fiction (classics)
10. Personal Improvement

The idea is to read four books for each category. To further challenge myself I am only going to count books I haven't read before. So even thought I am re-reading Vanity Fair I am not going to count it for the list.

Resolutions

I thought I had resolved to lose weight (36 lbs.) and walk more last year. I did lose weight but only 16 lbs. (alas) and I did walk more (179.5 miles which puts me in the middle of Midgewater Marsh on my walk to Rivendell). But re-reading my post, I see that what I actually resolved to do was lose weight and read more Chesterton! And I did! I down-loaded The Greybeard and The Wild Knight (any one with an annotated version of this one? I was confused!) I also read The Defendant, Varied Types, Robert Browning, Napoleon of Notting Hill (loved this one!), Heretics, Orthodoxy (3rd time) and The Club of Queer Trades. I've slowed down a bit but only because I find, materialist that I am, that I no longer want to check Chesterton out of the library (inter-loan) but I want to OWN a Chesterton library! I want to high light, dog ear, and have at my fingertips all those Chesterton quotes! Next on my list is The Everlasting Man and the biographies (commentaries?) of St. Frances and St. Thomas Aquinas. Oh, and another 16lbs. wouldn't be bad either.

Happy New Year!

I wish everyone a happy and blessed 2009! Here are the boys performing We Three Kings for relatives. They also did a very credible Ave Maris Stella.