A Wee Bit of Merriment

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While my bread is baking, I jumped online to see how some big happenings went with my online friends.  Oh my!  Between Cindy’s son’s wedding, Donna’s daughter’s graduation and Janie’s 30th anniversary, I’m limp from emotion.

My older daughter-in-law and I had a funny phone conversation about weird stuff people eat.  She hadn’t known about my not-so-secret weirdness: I eat non-instant dry milk powder.  Put some in a mug, get a spoon and lick away while I read.   When I was a child that was all we could find to nosh on one day and it just stuck.  Weird, huh?

We talked about people who eat butter: take a stick from the fridge and start taking bites.  Ewwwwh!

But my DIL had the best story:  a friend of hers used to eat bananas dipped in mayonaisse! 

What’s the weirdest thing you eat?

Summer Reading Challenge

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Finish:

Divine Comedy, Dante
Scarlet Music, Hildegard of Bingen, Joan Ohanneson
The Autumn of the Middle Ages, Johan Huizinga
The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
Ascent to Love, Peter Leithart
Leepike Ridge, N.D. Wilson
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott

I Sure Hope I Can Squeeze These In:

A Distant Mirror, The Calamitous 14th Century, Barbara Tuchman
Going Somewhere, George Grant (a reworking of Dante’s Inferno)
The Figure of Beatrice, Charles Williams
Mysteries of the Middle Ages, Thomas Cahill

Pleasant Diversions:

Kristin Lavransdatter, The Mistress of Husaby, Sigrid Unset
Shroud For A Nightingale, P.D. James
A Place on Earth, Wendell Berry
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, Alexander McCall Smith

For Such a Happy Reason*, I’m Reading:

anything by Ursula LeGuin

* Ha!  Double Ha!  Ursula LeGuin is coming to our small town and giving a reading at our public library in July.  Ursula LeGuin!! I must prepare.  I’m hoping that you will give me suggestions.

Every time I type a list I have to thank Janie.  This time, I’m grateful for having a master list for the year.  Although I’m not slavish in my compliance to the list, it is very helpful in making seasonal goals.  I’m thankful for summer because  I have so much more to read in my medieval  studies; I know that come late August I will Have To Move On.  Usually I look forward to fiction in the summer – and boy do I have some jewels on the shelf waiting.  But they will have to wait a little bit longer. 

There are no metaphors that can appropriately capture how blessed, how filthy rich I feel when I look forward to my reading in the future.  I am in the line of the most sumptuous smörgåsbord that has every delicacy you could dream of: prime rib, shrimp, lobster, pork tenderloin, chicken in a succulent sauce not to mention the salads, vegetables and sweets.  Alas, my friend, the plate is only so big.  I could let myself go and get drunk on words.

Clothe Mine Affections

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Old Lady with a Distaff
c. 1642
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

~     ~     ~     ~     ~  

Huswifery
by Edward Taylor (1642-1729)

 Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning wheel complete.
     Thy Holy Word my distaff make for me.
Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat
    And make my soul Thy holy spool to be.
    My conversation make to be Thy reel
    And reel the yarn thereon spun of Thy wheel.

Make me Thy loom then, knit therein this twine:
    And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills:
Then weave the web Thyself. The yarn is fine.
    Thine ordinances make my fulling mills.
    Then dye the same in heavenly colors choice,
    All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise.

Then clothe therewith mine understanding, will,
    Affections, judgment, conscience, memory,
My words, and actions, that their shine may fill
    My ways with glory and Thee glorify.
    Then mine apparel shall display before Ye
    That I am clothed in holy robes for glory.

* distaff = a staff that holds on its cleft end the unspun flax, wool, or tow from which thread is drawn in spinning by hand
*wind quills = fill spools with thread or yarn
*web = cloth
* fulling mills = mills where cloth is beaten and cleaned
* pinked = adorned, shining

Does this stop you in your tracks with its stunning beauty
as it does me?
I. AM. memorizing. this. poem.
A conversation as a reel…
The soul as a spool…
Clothe my understanding…
The yarn is fine.

 

May’s Simple Pleasures

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~ Homemade hamburger buns. 
My mom made the best. 
I wish I had lessons from her.
Do you see the baby’s breath and greenery in the pitcher? 
They are lovely remnants of my Mother’s Day bouquet;
I’m eager to use the pitcher as a pitcher!

~ Pansies.  They grow where other plants die.
This box at the foot of our driveway lives
under our neighbor’s pine tree.
My SIL Val laughs that every space needs a ‘little splash of yellow.’

~After years of waiting, the hostas have filled in the north side of the house.

~ My girlfriend’s 12 year old son, whose last day of school was last Friday.
He showed up on my doorstep and said,
“I have a critical, desperately important question. 
Do you have any books on ancient history,
particularly on the Romans?”
I gave him Genevieve Foster’s Augustus Caesar’s World.
He’s also reading through my collection of Oxford
and Cambridge edition Shakespeare plays.

~ A new poet: Edward Taylor.  Come back tomorrow for a taste!

Spring Reading Challenge Wrap

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Completed:

The Discarded Image, C.S. Lewis
Civilization of the Middle Ages, Norman Cantor
An Anthology of Old English Poetry, trans. Charles W. Kennedy
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, trans J.R.R. Tolkien
Sword and the Circle, Rosemary Sutcliff
Light Beyond the Forest, Rosemary Sutcliff
Road to Camlann, Rosemary Sutcliff
The Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris
Life is So Good, George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
The Famous Five, Five Get Into a Fix, Enid Blyton
Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
Too Small to Ignore, Dr. Wess Stafford with Dean Merrill
An Irish Country Doctor, Patrick Taylor
Getting Serious About Getting Married, Debbie Maken
Kristin Lavransdatter, The Bridal Wreath, Sigrid Undset
Mornings on Horseback, David McCullough
That Distant Land, Wendell Berry

Halfway There:

Divine Comedy, Dante
Scarlet Music, Hildegard of Bingen, Joan Ohanneson
The Autumn of the Middle Ages, Johan Huizinga
The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
Ascent to Love, Peter Leithart
Leepike Ridge, N.D. Wilson
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott

On the Headphones, with thanks to The Teaching Company and my brother David:

How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, Prof Robert Greenberg
King Arthur and Chivalry, Professor Bonnie Wheeler
Augustine, Philosopher and Saint, Professor Phillip Cary
Medieval Europe: Crisis and Renewal, Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz
The High Middle Ages, Professor Philip Daileader
Medieval Heroines in History and Legend, Professor Bonnie Wheeler
Great Masters: Brahms – His Life & Music, Prof. Robert Greenberg
Great Masters: Robert & Clara Schumann – Their Lives and Music, Prof. Robert Greenberg
Great Masters: Liszt – His Life & Music, Prof. Robert Greenberg
Great Masters: Tchaikovsky – His Life & Music, Prof. Robert Greenberg
Great Masters: Stravinsky – His Life & Music, Prof. Robert Greenberg

My oldest son was at our house for dinner last night and with quiet excitement he told us that he had hit a personal best in bench pressing: 335!   He has been lifting and working out diligently and is now seeing results.  My bench pressing is pathetic (I was thrilled when I got five notches down) but I feel the same quiet thrill that I’m gettting stronger intellectually. 

A sea change has occurred through a series of barely perceptible increments.  My taste, my preference, my enthusiasm in books has swung from Janette Oke romances (yes, I read them in the 80’s) to college history texts and classic literature.  This has taken place over decades and was greatly enhanced by the challenge of educating my children.  What has been encouraging has been that upon completion of a challenging book, I am motivated and excited to read and learn more.  Yesterday I just ordered Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century and I hope I can find time to read it. 

There are Wendell Berrys, David McCulloughs, Anthony Trollopes, Jeff Shaaras and Frances Mayes books beckoning to me from my shelves.  I used to view them as a Frango mint waiting in the freezer as a reward for loosing five pounds.  But now they are more like certificates of deposit gaining in value and waiting for their maturity date.  Oh I feel like an heiress with riches beyond comprehension.  I have books of excellence, books of renown, books full of delights hanging there, ripening, waiting for the first delicious juicy bite. 

One last thing:  I have experienced a bit of loneliness in that much of what I’m reading is of no interest to the general public.  I sent my Latin teacher (a great medievalist) and his wife an SOS email yesterday.  They have moved across the country and are settling into their new home and environment.  But we. need. to. talk.  I miss our weekly dinners where we had the leisure to talk and visit and I could glean from their knowledge and wisdom.
My husband is in his own orbit of study and preparation.  I’m certain he would appreciate someone with whom to process and bounce and talk over stuff.  So I am going to ask him which book he’d like me to read so our pursuits can intersect. 




Life is Strange

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I’ve been listening to several Teaching Company musical biographical courses…The Life and Music of [fill in the blank].  Today on my walk and at other odd and sundry moments of the day I listened to two lectures from Great Masters: Stravinsky – His Life and Music.  One entire lecture was devoted to The Rite of Spring and its infamous premiere which caused a riot to break out.  It is considered one of the seminal moments in the history of modern music, but it was, all the same, A Scandal.

Professor Robert Greenberg, a wonderful and lively teacher, explained the asymmetrical rhythm patterns and then dubbed his voice on top of the Dance of the Adolescents with the numbers of the pulsing beat: 1-2-3-4-5-6-1-2 –1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-1-2-3-4-5-1-2-1-2-3…

It’s most bizarre sounding.  Further, Professor Greenberg reminded me of a word I barely knew: ostinati,  constantly repeated melodic patterns (in contrast to a melody which has a destination and gets to said destination).

Just a minute ago, I was skimming through my email and gave a quick glance at The Writer’s Almanac.  Oh my!

Literary and Historical Notes:

It was on this day in 1913 that The Rite of Spring premiered at the Théâtre des Champs–Élysées in Paris, a ballet with
choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky and music by Igor Stravinsky.

How strange it is that the day I learn about this event is the anniversary of the very day on which it was held!  With the time change between Oregon and Paris when I walking and listening is about the time the curtain would have gone up. 

That being said, I don’t care for the jarring cacophony and dissonance of this piece.  My son said, Stravinsky might have been a nicer person than Tchaikovsky (who was a pedophile), but I like Tchaikovsky’s music better. 


To the Class of 2007

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“My concluding charge is this: First, love and honor your parents in all areas of life.  You graduates are going to be leaving home, but do not let your heart leave your parents….

Second, love God in all areas and corners of your life. You graduates will be leaving your homes, but do not let your hearts leave your God.“

         ~ from a graduation speech given May 26, 2007
             used by permission from Mr. Boyd, emphasis mine

Here’s a question: do you ever have standard gifts that you give for special occasions? 

I’m looking for new ideas for graduations, weddings and baby showers.  I used to buy five copies of The Joy of Cooking at a time, so it was handy and available whenever I got a wedding invitation.  There is something serendipitous  when you find the perfect item, on sale, and pick up several for the future.  I’m a little low on serendipity these days….

Fine Art Friday

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A Music Party
Arthur Hughes, 1864

This painting makes me laugh today. 
What music can be playing that is putting them all into a stupor? 
I just heard a most glorious concert of
Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto
which was thrilling in its vigor and virtuosity. 
The boy in the back of A Music Party reminds me of my son
during certain poetry readings…giving in to a languid, ‘this will eventually be over’ state.

Happy Friday, all.

Kitchen Project

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My deep cleaning project for the next few months is my kitchen.  I’m taking absolutely everything out of each drawer and cupboard and cleaning with bleach before I put it back in beautiful array. I wrote in this post that “I’m convinced if I don’t love a clean house I won’t be consistent in keeping it clean.”  I attacked the silver ware drawer first.  And after I’d taken out the knives, forks and spoons I was aghast at how ghastly it really was. YIKES!

I made a conscious decision to go with wood as much as possible and get rid of the plastic crap.  Sorry folks, but that’s how I feel. 

My husband about croaked when I bought stainless steel measuring spoons that cost five times what the plastic ones cost.  Ya know, if we can’t splurge once in a while when we are almost 50, then when will we, I ask you? 

My 16 year old son bets that I won’t keep it clean, with a wee bit of cynicism in that tone.  Thank you, my laddie.  You have just given me the right kind of inspiration. I’m still at the stage of perfect stacks of forks and spoons.  Hah!  This too shall pass.  Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.  It’s a good start that I love to keep this drawer clean!

~  La bella vita  ~

Vegetable Stir Fry

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This is for you, Dana.  I can never repay you for the most delicious black bean salad ever, but here’s a down payment.

Put one glug (~ 1 T) of olive oil to a heated pan. Add chopped onions.
Red onions give a lovely color, but sweet Walla Wallas or Vidalias work just as well.

 

While the onions cook are cooking, chop up a pepper or two.
Any color is great: I love red.

These two jars are staples at my house.  I get them from Costco.
They are on the splurgy side of life, but my husband just loves both.
It’s quite an easy way to make my man happy. 
And since he keeps me warm (in many ways) I love to keep him happy.

This isn’t looking real purty right now,
 but those sun dried tomatoes are bursting with flavor.
At this point last night I went to get the ingredient that makes a difference:
frozen sugar snap peas.
Horrors!! 
What I thought was peas was lima beans!! 
Do I substitute limas and hope no one notices?  Yikes!
What’s this?  Oh, frozen cubes of pesto  from the garden: let’s try them.

 

At this point I added some cooked morel mushrooms, which are very dark.
While it tasted divine, I refused to take a picture.
Fortunately I had taken a picture last week so let’s substitute it:

Isn’t that a beauty?

I only add salt for seasoning.
If it’s a special day you could add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

I vary this according to what veggies are in the house.

You could add:

Cubed potatoes (add them first and cook them well)
Broccoli or Cauliflower
Fresh tomatoes in place of the sun-dried tomatoes
Zucchini
Thinly sliced carrots
Green beans
Corn
Mushrooms
Asparagus