“We’re having a contest,” he said, smiling.
One eyebrow arched, I mentally reviewed recent communications and asked, “We are?”
“Yep.” Still smiling.
Wow. I must have missed the memo. I cocked my head and smiled back, quizzical. What are you talking about?
Silence.
“We’re both trying to outlove each other.”
Well, then.
Let the contest continue!
I can’t imagine the boys will be impressed with Degas’ ballerinas.
I’m guessing Henri Rousseau’s sailboats, jungles, monkeys and deer
will wow them. And Van Gogh is especially lovely.
photo courtesy of Diane Wheeler
my beloved coworker’s quiche.
She left her desk.
I snatched the quiche, but I did not snitch.
I held it close to my nose and sniffed.
I wafted waves of fragrant bacon.
And then I walked away.
My friend came back and I confessed,
“I snatched your quiche, but I did not snitch.”
But still, it was a transgression to waft without permission.
My friend was kind and she replied,
“You can caress my quiche whenever you wish.”
My next door neighbor has the seasonal thing
down pat.
Hanging pots of fuchsias,
pumpkins,
hay bales,
wreaths,
and a pair of white skates I’ve always admired.
So when this artificial skate went on 75% off
clearance, I snatched it up.
I should keep my eyes out at garage sales
for a real pair of skates.
Did you ever ice-skate?
We skated at a pond up the road from us
and at the Lombard Lagoon on Grace Street.
The one on West Road wasn’t smooth,
but it was fun and close.
The lagoon had a concession stand.
But we always brought thermoses
filled with steaming hot chocolate.
Ah, the sweet pleasure of childhood memories.
So you get a stack of cards, photos, letters from friends near and far. Now it’s January. What do you do with them? Huck the whole stack into the trash? (ouch! It hurts just to type that!) Toss the letters and cards and put the pictures on the front of your fridge? Start a photo album devoted to friend’s Christmas pictures? Bundle them up to read next Christmas? (But eventually you have to dispose them, one would think.)
This question has haunted me.
You see, I inherited my father’s DNA, which means I like to capture information by cataloging or categorizing it.
So I developed a system. An address book system. It isn’t simple, it takes time, but I find it hard to deviate from the plan. Even, as I recently discovered, when I’m three years in arrears.
I bought a plain lined journal with pages that are 8 x 5½. I put the alphabet in the top right corner of several pages. Sure enough I did not leave enough room for B’s, C’s and H’s. I transferred my addresses in pencil including phone numbers and emails. Two addresses to a page is about right. Leave the left page blank.
To the right of the addresses I put names of kids, pets (if the pet’s names are important) and birth dates, if I know them. In the margin at the left I write in when I mail (or give) our Christmas letters: 05, 06, 08, 10.
One day my brother called to tell me that my girlfriend’s mom had died. How did you find out? I asked. My girlfriend’s husband had taken the deceased’s address book and called everyone in the book. From that anecdote, I added another feature: I note the relationship in the column. Online friend, former pastor, Carol’s friend from Lombard, Klamath Falls neighbor, college friend. If we share last names I think that is obvious enough. Some addresses are old and stale. Rather than erase them, I note Archive in the column. I hope my kids know not to call the Archives when I die.
Now we’re ready to process Christmas cards and letters.
We need: address book, eraser, scissors (I use plain and deckled) pencil, pen, scotch tape or glue stick, recycle bin, wastebasket.
1. Christmas card with printed signature: check address, recycle.
2. Christmas card with photo enclosed or a Photocard. Check address, trim photo and tape to address book on page across from address. If there are many photos, I start stacking them (tape one above the other).
3. Letter and photo. Check address, read letter, make notes next to people’s names in address book. John (ASU), Ariel (horses), Mandy (swim team). Trim photo, attach to address book.
4. Christmas letter with photo embedded. Same as above; after notes are made, trim photo and attach to address book.
When all the Christmas cards are processed, I usually have a stack of photos for my cork board, a thicker address book, and notes in my prayer journal.
In theory, I am ready for the next round of letter sending.
How do you do it? Any tips to share?
But it’s a brave old house, Hugh.
And the name is Gaelic, not English:
‘fear’ is spelled ‘fir’ or ‘fhir,’
sometimes, and it means ‘man.’
Old House of Fear is Old House of Man.
meets John Buchan
. (Not exactly: Northanger is a parody of Gothic novels. But I have an extremely limited supply of Gothic references.) Russell Kirk’s Old House of Fear
, set on an island in the Outer Hebrides (Scotland) has all the necessary ingredients for a modern Gothic thriller: a Scottish castle, mist, mysteries, death, secrets, romance, a dying octogenarian, a beautiful maiden, an evil tyrant physician, and, of course, a brave daring hero who rescues the maiden.
Kirk does an excellent job of pacing this page-turner. I admit to being late to work one morning because I had to know what happened next. Hugh Logan, our hero, reminds me of Buchan’s spy, Richard Hannay: intelligent, shrewd, tough, daring; an excellent foe for the evil Dr. Edmund Jackman. Mary MacAskival, the twenty-year-old captive of Dr. Jackman, is spunky, steady, fierce, spritely, loyal. She is a girl with gumption.
Old House is well-written and a clean Gothic: the thrill of the chase minus vampires, werewolves, sex, demons and skeletons.
Time Magazine’s 1961 review
With apologies to my city-dweller friends–on Chicago’s northwest side, in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco’s Mission District and Seattle’s U District–not to mention you suburbanites, I must write an ode to small-town life.
Often I walk to the bank, chat up the tellers while they process my merchant bag of tricks. Onward to the post office where we know names, notice haircuts, chuckle. A quick trip to the grocery store never takes five minutes. Eating out inevitably means seeing friends across the room. Connections cross over and under the stream of daily life. Each foray out the front door involves another point of contact.
For everyone in this town of 10,000 I know by name, there are five I know by sight. Nodding acquaintances, I believe they are called.
This morning, with our car in the shop, my husband dropped me off at Joe & Sugars at 7:00 a.m.. Outside it was cold, dark, wet and vacant. The downtown café was full of men gathering for breakfast. A lamp in the window glowed as groups of guys huddled around tables, pulling up chairs, crowding in two more. No laptops, no iPods, no TVs suspended from the ceiling, just a steady stream of masculine murmurs and laughs. The male camaraderie was more pleasant to me than the smell of fresh-baked scones and the blast of warmth when the ovens opened.
There is something profound about a daily/weekly breakfast with friends. The architecture of friendship begins with sharing meals, sharing stories and opinions, sharing time. As I sipped my tea and wrote in my commonplace book, I tried to suppress a silly grin. I’m living in a Jan Karon novel!
“We have a B.
And next to it is a C.
It is the job of the C to make the B sad.”
Not since Robert Greenberg of The Teaching Company (How to Listen to and Understand Great Music) have I enjoyed such a passionate appeal to the power of music.
Of course, “the choir” will gladly listen. But. If you have this idea that classical music is just not your thing, you are precisely the person for this video. Benjamin Zander will make you care.
“I think of all the joy reading has given me,” she said. “It is not just because it is good for you, but because it is good.” ~ Katherine Paterson
After the work is read, attention must be given.
This is the time for serious reflection
that goes beyond the act of good reading
to the broader acts of good living.
~ James W. Sire
Love is a great beautifier.
~ Louisa May Alcott
If you are tired of parties, you ‘re going to the wrong church. ~ Matthew Barley (speaking of our church!)
I have not yet witnessed
a spontaneous recovery from incompetence.
The purpose of music can be nothing else
but the glory of God
and the restoration of the heart.
~ Johann Sebastian Bach
It is easy to lean over the parapet at these points,
not nearly so easy to stop doing it;
the leisurely flow of the stream beneath
laughs at the scruples which would forbid you
to spend another five minutes in doing nothing…
another ten minutes…
another quarter of any hour,
so as to make it a round number by the clock.
~ Ronald A. Knox
Travel Memoirs
A Year in the World Frances Mayes, 2006 // fascinating, well-written, a definite re-read in the future Review
Where Nights Are Longest Colin Thubron, 1983 // Thubron captivated me with his ten thousand mile car ride across Russia Review
The Lost Heart of Asia Colin Thubron 1994 // All I know about those nations ending in -stan (e.g. Uzbekistan) I learned from this book. Not an easy read, but rewarding. Review
Travel Essays
Locations Jan Morris, 1993 // Morris has been called the best living travel writer. This is my first taste. A collection of magazine articles on the familiar (Vermont, London, West Point, Texas, Chicago) and unfamiliar (to me!): Norfolk Island (now I want to visit it), Trieste, and Oaxaca. I want to read more Morris.
How to Travel with a Salmon Umberto Eco, 1994 // a few cogent commentaries; most of Eco’s satire fell flat.
Places Hilaire Belloc, 1942 // I read the last essay, About Wine, and loved it. Then I started at the beginning and trudged through this book, hoping for something else as sparkling.
Cultural Studies
The Abolition of Britain Peter Hitchens, 1999 // you could call this book Twilight of British Culture. Cultural analysis from a conservative viewpoint. Review
Twilight of American Culture Morris Berman, 2000 // spot on analysis of American culture from a liberal viewpoint; my biggest gripe is his love of the Enlightenment. Review
The Geography of Nowhere James Howard Kunstler, 1993 // excellent, highly recommended, a book that replays thoughts in my mind Review
Wanderlust, A History of Walking Rebecca Solnit, 2001 // pleasant read, many great quotes, and a phrase I want to steal for a blog title: The Mind at Three Miles an Hour
The Disappearance of Childhood Neil Postman, 1994 // Postman delivers more perceptive writing on the changes industrialization and television have brought on children. Excellent thoughts on shame. Review
Africa
Out of Africa Isak Dinesen, 1937 // Elisabeth Elliot quotes from this book a lot; she spurred me on to read it. A classic book that has velcroed itself to my conscious thoughts. Review
Shadows on the Grass Isak Dinesen, 1960 // great stuff on human relations, not as striking as Out of Africa
Zarafa, Michael Allin, 1994 // A charming book about the gift of a giraffe from the Grand Vizier of Egypt to the king of France. I learned history, zoology, and geography from this little book. Review
The Flame Trees of Thika Elspeth Huxley, 1959 // worthy memoir of a childhood in Africa Review
Facing the Congo Jeffrey Taylor, 2001 // a thrilling story with a flat ending Review
Hand on My Scalpel David C. Thompson, 2001 // a surgeon’s stories of practicing medicine with limited facilities
Land of a Thousand Hills Rosamond Halsey Carr, 1999 // Life on a plantation in Rwanda
Memoir
Safe Passage Ida Cook, 1950 // loved these opera-loving sisters who rescued many people from Hitler’s grasp Review
The Apprentice Jacues Pépin 2003 Ω // A delicious story of the great cook, complete with French accent.
If I Perish Esther Ahn Kim, 1977 // Christian persecution in Korea, told by a “failed martyr”. Review
My Life if France Julia Child, 2006 Ω // Perfect companion book to The Apprentice Review
Home Julie Andrews, 2008 Ω // Julie reads this book about her early years. Her accent alone melts me.
Twenty Years A-Growing Maurice O’Sullivan, 1933 // Musha, if it’s Ireland ye be loving, get this book! Review
The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls, 2005 // Poignant story from a survivor of wacky/dsyfunctional parents
Facing East Frederica Mathewes-Green, 1997 // if you are interested in (big O) Orthodox Christianity, Frederica will guide you through the church calendar lived out in her family/parish. Review
Seasons of Grace Donna Farley, 2002 // Like Facing East, not as engaging
A Fortunate Grandchild Miss Read, 1983 // I enjoy Miss Read’s fiction, but this book drug on. Boring.
Ireland/Scotland/England
Some Tame Gazelle Barbara Pym, 1950 Ω // This is Pym’s first published book. I loved hearing the audio book and must get the print version. I howled through parts of it, but I’m not sure its appeal is universal. If you like to laugh at Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, you will love this book.
Crampton Hodnet Barbara Pym, 1940 (publ posthumously) // spinsters, Oxford…amusing tale from the author called the modern Jane Austen Review
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand Helen Simonson, 2010 // poignant and perceptive, this novel that underscores how the mores of England have changed…but really? The only way a Christian-Muslim romance will work is if both parties aren’t practicing.
The Morning Tide Neil Gunn, 1930 // authentic Scottish fiction, warms and breaks the heart Review
The Lost Art of Gratitude Alexander McCall Smith 2009 Ω// I prefer Mma Ramotswe to Isabelle Dalhousie, but McCall Smith makes me laugh and muse at the same time
The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday Alexander McCall Smith 2008 Ω// see above
An Irish Country Village Patrick Taylor, 2009 Ω // Not up to Herriot’s series, but fun listening
An Irish Country Christmas Patrick Taylor, 2008 Ω // see above
An Irish Country Girl Patrick Taylor, 2010 Ω // Kinky (Mrs. Maureen Kincaid, the housekeeper) tells her story
The Fields of Bannockburn Donna Fletcher Crow, 1996// Ancient Scotland through 1980 eyes. Too much cheese. Review
Devotional
A Godward Life Book Two John Piper, 1999 // like a collection of blog posts; short essays on everything
The Crime of Living Cautiously Luci Shaw, 2005 // Shaw beckons us to take off our fear and dive into life’s adventures. Great thoughts on writing, friendship, art, grief. Her poems season the prose.
Psallite Richard W. Patt, 1976 // Psallite is the command to sing! in Latin. Devotions for singers in the choir.
Telling the Truth: Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale Frederick Buechner, 1977 // didn’t meet my expectations
Whistling in the Dark Frederick Buechner, 1988 // some nuggets here and there
Non Fiction
Evening in the Palace of Reason James R. Gaines, 2005 // A dual study of Bach and Frederick the Great and the worldviews they represented. This is my non-fiction book of the year. Review
How to Read Slowly James W. Sire, 1978 // I expect to read this book at least three more times. Excellent! Review
Fierce Conversations Susan Scott 2002 // Excellent assistance in learning how to deliver the message without the load. If you find yourself equivocating and dodging honest talk, you need to read this book.
The Art of Romantic Living Susan Wales, 2003 // The book is twee, but I gleaned pages and pages of great quotes
Letters to An American Lady C.S. Lewis, 1967 // Never did I dream I would rate a C.S. Lewis book under The Art of Romantic Living, but it annoyed me. There are gems from Lewis’ pen, but there are easier ways to read them. Review
Fiction
Island of the World Michael D. O’Brien 2007 // This story of Josip, a Croatian lad, is my book of the year. Simply astounding writing and story. Review
Hannah Coulter Wendell Berry 2004 // Perhaps the fourth time I’ve read/heard Hannah’s story.
Crossing in Safety Wallace Stegner, 1987 // Literary lusciousness; lives of two academic couples Review
Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston, 1937 Ω // Gritty, compelling, heartbreaking (mature themes) The audio performance of this book was highly excellent.
Playing for Pizza John Grisham, 2008 // loved the cultural bit of an NFL player adjusting to the Italian way of life; not so much the references to casual sex
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Winifred Watson, 1938 Ω // a female counterpart to Wooster and Jeeves; wickedly funny in places, exposes the hollowness of a glamorous actress’ life, not a difficult task
Big Stone Gap Adriana Trigiani, 2001 // quick read, forgettable
The Diary Eileen Goudge, 2009 Ω // When I tell folks about Elizabeth Goudge I always warn them not to confuse her with Eileen Goudge, who appears to write what we call bodice-rippers. Eileen is a distant relative of Elizabeth and I decided to do a comparison. The Diary is based on Goudge’s parents’ story. It is not sanitized, but engagingly written. The ending completely took me by surprise. While I hope to read several more of Elizabeth’s English fiction, I don’t plan on any more Eileen.
Big Cherry Holler Adriana Trigiani, 2002 // see above
Children’s Book
Rose in Bloom Louisa May Alcott, 1876 // sequel to Eight Cousins, a classic contest between an exciting, naughty boy and a plodding, nice guy. Who will get Rose?
Mystery
A Certain Justice P.D. James, 1997 // Review
The Private Patient P.D. James, 2009 Ω // James understands human nature. Great writer.
The Murder Room P.D. James, 2003 Ω // another Adam Dalgliesh mystery
The Footsteps at the Lock Ronald A. Knox, 1928 // wry, dry British humor comes out in this mystery. I liked it.
Poetry
Words to God’s Music, Laurance Wieder, 2003 // He did what Isaac Watts did, but I wasn’t thrilled Review
77 Love Sonnets Garrison Keillor, 2009 Ω // The author reads his sonnets. So so. Some were great, others not.
Local History
Home Below Hell’s Canyon Grace Jordan, 1954 // modern pioneer raises a family in a remote, rugged ranch Review
Pan Bread ‘n Jerky Walter L. Scott, 1968 // rustic account of life in Eastern Oregon, a trudging book (hard to read because it is poorly written) Review
It Happened in Washington James Crutchfield, 1995 // tasty bits of information. Nez Perce = Pierced Noses; the Kaiser settled a border dispute between USA and Canada in 1872; Alki (state motto) means “By and by”
I love comments and recommendations.
If you see a title and your mind flies to another title,
as in, if she likes A, she should read B,
I would consider it a friendly gesture to tell me.
How is it I read almost exclusively (other than the Bible)
from the twentieth and twenty-first century?
Must fix that.
A Living Pencil 