Dappled Things

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“Oh, you who lounge on your divans and sofas, and sleep on your fine luxurious beds know nothing of the life of a settler! Here we are sitting on a pine block, a log, or a bunk, sleeping in beds with either a quilt or a blanket as a substitute for sheets. I can tell you it is very aristocratic to have a bed at all.”


–Mrs. John Berry, settler, in a letter to a friend “back east”

Surveys, surveys, all over the internet. Who makes them, and why, and why can’t The Equuschick, she wanted to know. She could not discover why, and therefore she decided she would entertain herself with such an activity.

Okay, dear Equuschick, I am up for the challenge. Here are my answers:
Favourite Animals: Dogs and Banjos

Favourite Bad Habit (You know, that one that you like too much to even try to break. You like being addicted.): Napping

Favourite Cookie: Raspberry Coconut Tarts

Favourite Drink: Vanilla Malteds or Eggnog (non-alcoholic, of course)

Favourite Egg Style: Fried (I, too, like a good egg sandwich with cheese melted on top of the egg, lots of mayo, lettuce, salt, and pepper. Tomato is acceptable only if it is fresh from the garden.)

Five Favourite Fiction Books: How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Favourite Gadget: My camera, of course!

Favourite Hymn: Unto Thee, Oh Lord

Favourite Ice Cream: Rum Raisin or Eggnog

Favourite Jam: Raspberry

Favourite Kid’s Books: Peter in Blueberry Land and other books by Elsa Beskow, The Root Children and other books by Sibylle Von Olfers, The Tomten books by Astrid Lindgren, the Flower Fairy books by Cicely Mary Barker, Tales from Grimm and More Tales from Grimm by Wanda Gag

Favourite Love Song: Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison

Favourite Memories: I have too many precious memories to just choose a couple of random ones. Memories are like precious stones that I like to turn over and over in my head. Some of them are more polished from time and constant handling and some are sharper and have clear facets. Some are so sharp they are almost too painful to handle and remain so no matter how much time seems to pass. Favorite memories aren’t the same as memories of important events. The day I was baptized, the day my husband was baptized. The days my husband baptized each of our daughters. Those are important days. My wedding. The days I gave birth to my babies. These are all precious and important. My heart, however, is often drawn to the moments that weren’t nearly as important in the grand scheme of things. The summers I spent with my grandmother. Playing in the yard as a child and smelling Thanksgiving dinner coming from my house. Sledding down the snow-covered drive with my mother’s arms wrapped around me. Curled up on a snowy, winter day in New Hampshire, reading Little Women. That summer evening on the beach when my husband-to-be told me he wanted to take care of me for the rest of his life. Nursing my babies. These are the memories that I savor.

Favourite Nonfiction Books: The Bible (I really do not enjoy reading for information. There are very few non-fiction books that I would call favorites. There are some biographies and autobiographies that I have read over the years that I’ve enjoyed, but nothing I would call a favorite. I am very much an auditory learner and a pleasure reader.)

Favourite Operatic Song: When I have one, I will let you know.

Favourite Piece of Music at the moment: If by ‘piece of music’ you are implying that I am cultured enough to know how to play a musical instrument or even read music, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. Well Tempered Clavier by M. Ward will have to make do.

Favourite Quiet Spot: I long for a quiet spot, but have yet to find one.

Favourite Reading when you’re sick: I’m very blessed in that I don’t often get sick. However, when I am sick enough to retire to my bed, I am not usually well enough to read. The one time I can think of that I was bed-ridden, I tended to reach for my Bible for comfort.

Favourite Song that you want played at your funeral (Obligatory weird question, sorry. It isn’t a real survey if it doesn’t have at least one very strange question.): I’ll Fly Away

Favourite Task: Laundry. Albeit it’s not the task it once was; I love taking dirty clothes and making them clean again.

Favourite Ugly Animal: The Platypus

Favourite Vintage Book:

Favourite Writing of C.S Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia

Favourite Word That Starts with X: Xylography

Favourite Yellow Wildflower: Japanese Honeysuckle




Favourite Zoo: The Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Ed. #6
Thirteen Pictures From Our Field Trip

The girls and I went on a field trip this Tuesday to a “frontier settlement”. Here are our thirteen pictures from the year 1725.

1. Off to do chores!

2. Fetching Water

3. Hauling Wood

4. Home Sweet Home

5. Building a Pen

6. Pig Pen?

7. Playing Quoits

8. Bartering

9. Caught napping!

10. The Desk & Chamber Pot

11. Drying Flowers or Herbs

12. The “Kitchen”

13. The Fireplace

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If you are anything like me your stack of purchased to-be-read books is teetering over. So for this challenge we would be reading 5 books that we have already purchased, have been meaning to get to, have been sitting on the nightstand and haven’t read before. No going out and buying new books. No getting sidetracked by the lure of the holiday bookstore displays.
The bonus would be that we would finally get to some of those titles (you know you picked them for a reason!) and we wouldn’t be spending any extra money over the holidays.

I just read about this over at Bona Vita Rusticanda Est this weekend. Tim’s Mom, in turn, had read about it over at Krakovianki. Thus I have decided to post about the From The Stacks Winter Reading Challenge myself. Here are the books I have chosen:
1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
2. My Antonia by Willa Cather
3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
4. The Willty of Modesty: Cultivating Virtue in the Face of a Vulgar Culture by David J. Vaughan
5. Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America by Jeff Pollard
If anyone else decides to join in the fun, let me know. I’d love to see what others are reading!

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“Making the decision to have a child is momentous.


It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”


Elizabeth Stone

Blogger Friend School Assignment # 6

Currently in our world today, there is still of lot of persecution. I believe that most of us, blogging here, are enjoying our freedoms, to not only believe what we choose to believe but more importanty we can do it openly and without fear that we will be made a public disply and tortured. We can write our thoughts and feelings and even quote scriptures freely. We can go to a library and choose a book to read of our choice. I am very grateful to all those who have served or are currently serving in any military to protect these freedoms.
This week’s assignment is taking a deeper look into our spiritual lives and the warfare that we are individually facing. I’d like everyone to seriously think and then blog about a situation in your life where you know that the enemy is attacking you and challenging your spiritual growth. What area in your life are you feeling burdened or challenged? The purpose of the assignment is to use this as a tool to arm ourselves better for this battle not to make you uncomfortable. If this is too personal for you, share an area in your life that you have perservered in a spirtual battle or share your feelings on freedoms in general.
ARM YOURSELVES and take time this week to thank our past battles that have created and protected our freedoms that we enjoy today. Try to visit at least one fellow Blogger Classmate and leave a comment to encourage them in this battle.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

When I first read this assignment, I thought immediately of my clever title. I had visions of light sabers in my head. Sadly enough, though, I couldn’t remember what the sword in the armor of God referred to. I had to look it up online. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ouch. The word of God. My Bible is lying near the door where it was left when I came home from Wednesday night Bible class.
There are many spiritual battles that I am faced with each and every day. Is it any wonder I have been faltering? I may have my helmet on, but I certainly am not going to get anywhere without my sword. Just last night I was brought down by my own gluttony and greed.
I keep finding myself glaringly aware of my shortcomings and equally determined to work on these things in my life. Unfortunately, I am like a new cook without a cookbook. Except, of course, I do have a cookbook. I just keep thinking I can do it on my own. I am only too ashamed of the recipes I have come up with. Even more so of the results of putting those recipes into practice.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12

When did I decide I was so full of God’s word that I didn’t need it anymore? I know that you can hide His word in your heart, but I’m afraid I was not masterful enough to get the entire conversation into mine. He’s still trying to talk to me and I am off trying to do it on my own. Babbling to myself.
I am going to commit this day to reading my Bible each and every day, searching out His will for me in His word. I am tired of stumbling around without the one thing that can stay me through the battle.

Ed. #5
Thirteen Things about Me

1. My wardrobe used to consist of blue jeans and various shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts, but I started wearing dresses exclusively about two years ago. I feel more comfortable and more feminine since I have made the change in my wardrobe. When I was growing up, I went to a Catholic school and was required to wear a jumper-style uniform. When I had to attend public school, my mother had me wear dresses. I hated wearing pants. Now I am comfortable once again.

2. During the winter, I wear thick cotton tights with my dresses. I also dress in layers. I won’t list any unmentionables, but suffice it to say there are very warm underthings available out there for layering. This actually keeps me warmer than wearing pants. And this is very good for someone who considers herself cold all the time.

3. I am five foot ten inches tall and wear a size twelve shoe. I also weigh twenty pounds more than I did when I got married. Yeah, I was too skinny back then.

4. I have been married for over eighteen years. My husband is very, very handsome and opens the car door for me. One of the things that attracted me to him was that he was probably the first man who knew how to say ‘no’ to me.

6. I have two good-hearted daughters. They are three years apart and are ordinarily very kind to one another which makes my heart glad. I always thought I would have many more children, but I am entirely content with the two God has blessed me with.

7. I am in my tenth year of homeschooling. And, yes, I am counting from kindergarten, when my eldest was five years old, and not from birth. You can refer to the ‘home education’ links in the right sidebar for some of the more useful things I have found. I truly feel, though, that you need very little “curriculum” to educate your child properly. I will go so far as to say you really needn’t buy any prepared curriculum materials at all.

8. I love to collect old books. Really, really old books. I especially love old books illustrated with beautiful engravings. I like to use the engravings to create graphics for my blog. I just got a new book in the mail today. It is called The Young Folk’s Book of The Heavens and was published in 1925. That doesn’t make it too terribly old, but it is such an interesting book! Pluto wasn’t even discovered yet! It wasn’t discovered for another five years. Now we have decided it is not a real planet, after all, and have designated it as #134340, a minor planet. Did I tell you I love old books?

9. I’d like to say I am a photographer, but I merely take pictures.

10. When I was little, I thought I would grow up and be an artist or a writer. I also thought I wanted to work with children, be a veterinarian, and become a nun. I’m glad this life affords me the ability to be a little bit of everything I wanted to be when I was a child.

11. My favorite colors are green, purple, blue, and brown.

12. This coming Tuesday is my birthday!

13. And, finally, just in case you were curious, I am no longer Catholic. I was merely raised Catholic.


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It is not an easy thing to lose your mother. Once, when I was three, I lost my mother in a grocery store. I remember looking at a row of canned food and then looking up for my mother and she was gone. She was there and then she was not. I can’t tell you how I felt at that moment because there are no words adequate for the feeling a three-year-old has at the loss of her mother. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to get any easier with age.

For the past year or so now, I have felt that three-year-old curled up inside of me crying inconsolably, “I want my mommy.” I do, too. I want my mommy. I want her so bad and I can’t find her anymore. And, this time, she’s not looking for me.

When I go to her house, I open her drawers and find things arranged just as she left them. Her neat, little address book tucked away in a drawer with her pens and pencils and envelopes. I read the entries in her address book written in the neatest handwriting you have ever seen. Some addresses or phone numbers carefully erased with new ones penciled in. I try to find the most recent changes. I realize what seems like yesterday was actually several years ago. My mother. Always so neat and organized. I feel like I am peering into a time capsule. Like I am being ricocheted back and forth in time. Just a few years in time, but seemingly a lifetime apart.

I run, crying out for my mother, but she is not there. She was just there a minute ago. I just looked away and she was gone. Somebody help me find my mother. I want my mother. I want her now. I run up and down the wide aisles and I can’t find her anywhere. She is not rearranging her pantry. She is not busy decorating a wedding cake. She is not sitting quietly on the couch tatting. She’s not sitting at the dining room table carefully writing a letter to an old friend. She’s not out in the yard talking across the fence to a neighbor. She’s not bringing the clothes in from out on the line or ironing shirts or watering her plants…

When I was five, I watched my mother leave me. I was the oldest of her four children and we all had pneumonia while my father was away on a business trip. When he came home, she told him that she couldn’t take it anymore and she was leaving. And she left. I watched her from the kitchen window as she walked down the side street and away from our house. Away from me. I don’t know where she went. I don’t remember when she returned.

I’m looking out that same window now. I know where my mother is going. I know she won’t be returning to me. I want to cry out and bang on the glass, but she is too far away now.

It is not an easy thing to lose your mother.

Gentian
SO all day long I followed through the fields
The voice of Autumn, calling from afar;
And now I thought: “Yon hazel thicket yields
A glimpse of her,” and now: “These asters are
Sure sign that she of late has passed this way;
Lo! here the traces of her yellow car.”
And once I looked and seemed to see her stand
Beneath a golden maple’s black-drawn boughs;
But when I reached the place, naught but a band
Of crickets did perform their tuneful vows
To the soon fading grass, and through the leaves
The quiet sunlight, falling, blessed my brows.
Till, as the long rays lengthened from the west,
I came upon an altar of gray stone,
O’er which a creeper flung with pious zest
Her flickering flames. About that altar lone,
The crowding sumac burned with steady fire;
Before it, stately, stood a priestess; one
Who turned to me her melancholy eyes.
I saw her beauty, ripe with color’s breath,
Yet veiled, as when on wood and hill there lies
A mist, a shadow, as of coming death.
And while I gazed she faded; swift I clutched
Her fringed cloak, which rent, my grasp beneath.
And she was gone. As fluttered to the ground
Its many fragments, I with sudden fears,
Stooped, vainly seeking them, when all around
The blue fringed gentian smiled up through my tears,
As one who knows his welcome will be warm,
Although sad news to his beloved he bears.
~Elizabeth Green Crane~

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