“In the dark I rest,
unready for the light which
dawns
day after day
eager to be shared.
Black silk, shelter me.
I need
more of the night before I open
eyes and heart
to illumination. I must still
grow in the dark like a root
not ready, not ready at all.”
~Denise Levertov
New year, new books ~ fresh, white dusting of pages. 🙂 Firstly, I want to share my favorites of 2020! I’m not including my short reviews as I reviewed everything I read monthly. These are all 4/5 star reads for me! I have categorized them so you can zoom on through to what may interest you. Secondly, I will lay out a few ideas I have for my reading year in 2021. Here is what I wanted to do with my reading in 2020 and all in all, I did do much I what I had wanted to! I wanted to focus on classics, poetry, middle grade, and non-fiction.
~Classic Favorites of 2020~
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)
One of Ours by Willa Cather
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Holy Bible 😉
~Poetry Favorites of 2020~
The Other Kind of World: Poems by Jeff Hardin
In the Salt Marsh by Nancy Willard
Jane Kenyon poetry
~Non-Fiction/Memoir Favorites of 2020~
Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten Readings by Henri J. Nouwen
Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children’s Picture Books by Clare Pollard
Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori
Heidi’s Alp: One Family’s Search for Storybook Europe by Christina Hardyment
Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carlson
Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free by Susan Pierce Thompson
~Middle Grade Fiction Favorites of 2020~
The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson
Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury {very strange, but probably my overall favorite book of the year! Strange year, strange favorite. 😉 }
~Adult Fiction Favorites of 2020~
The Country of Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
The Child from the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge
Crystal Cave and Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart
~Books about Writing/Creativity Favorites of 2020~
War of Art by Steven Pressfield
A Hundred White Daffodils by Jane Kenyon
Tree & Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien (read this collection twice!)
~Lucy Maud Montgomery Favorites of 2020~
Anne’s House of Dreams (reread)
Anne of Ingleside (reread)
The Blue Castle (reread)
Christmas with Anne
~Reading Ideas for 2021~
I’d love to keep the same categories from last year (Memoir/Non-fiction, Middle Grade, Classics, Poetry) , but in Non-Fiction, I’d like to try to read a few Biographies. I’m very interesting in Lighthouses and Lighthouse Keepers currently, do you know of any good ones in this area? I’m eyeing one about the Stevenson family, but we will see, as that leads into the next part of my challenge. READ MY SHELVES. I’m blessed to have a large home library and want to do a better job reading what I have! It’s SO hard for me not to buy new books or check books out from the library. But I’d love to grow in this area. The next thing I’d love to do which started unconsciously in 2020, is reread or read Lucy Maud Montgomery more. She really was a boon to me, a sweet delight, and I haven’t read all of her extensive list yet. She is after all my favorite author! Also I love rereading all my favorites from her…the Anne books, Emily, and The Blue Castle, Jane of Lantern Hill, so on so forth. So, I declare a Maud Montgomery Category!
A big change that I’m going to make is that I won’t be doing monthly recaps/reviews of what I’m reading here. I may just list them, include them in a different post, or I’m not sure yet. I will do a Yearly Favorites post, though!
Happy New Year of Reading! Any thing you are looking forward to reading this year?
Happy New Year, friends! Another year of books, stories, and beauty! Here’s what I read in December. I’ll be back soon to do my big favorites wrap up for the year and my ideas for my 2021 reading!
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber (***) – This was a creepy, sobering, dsytopian-ish, sci-fi story that I saw recommended on BookTube. Peter is an English pastor who is chosen to travel light years away to reach out to the alien natives whose former pastor is missing. Earth begins to collapse and Peter and his wife Bea are only thinly connected by a primitive email system. The Book of Strange New Things is the Bible which the alien race seem to love. I’m not sure what to think exactly about this one, but it was a weird look at missionary work through the eyes of the alien race and those not of faith. Also as Earth is collapsing, the work on the planet seems fruitful and like Peter is making headway. I feel there were major underlying themes in this book and I may have missed something. I am still thinking about it. This left me a little uneasy and it wasn’t a fav. The idea and writing were well done, otherwise this is a 2.5 stars for me.
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (****) – This was something I was waiting on to read in October, but didn’t get it until November and finished in December. This was an amazing look at facing fear, Halloween, life & death, different cultures, and friendship. Very creepy, not for everyone, but just so amazing in it’s own eerie way. We aren’t big on Halloween here, but I love Bradbury’s writing style, soooo….
Mistborn (#1 in a Series) by Brandon Sanderson (***.5) – This was my first Sanderson and I can see why fantasy/sci-fi fans rave about him. I thought his magic system was unique and interesting. I loved the character Saazed, in a mentor-type role, and I found the villian, the Lord Ruler, and his henchmen, the Inquistors fascinating. The main two characters were a little annoying to me, but I will try the other two in the series.
Fierce Bad Rabbits by Clare Pollard (****) – Non-fiction about the history of children’s picture books. I really, really enjoyed this bookish memoir. I especially loved her reflections on memories with her father. I bought this as a Christmas gift!
Alyesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (***) – This was light, fun modern Muslim-spin retelling of Pride & Prejudice. My daughter and I enjoyed it!
The Last Atlantean by Emily Hayse (***.5) – this was written BEAUTIFULLY. An unique reimagining of the legend of Atlantis. I found the beginning part, a lighthouse on the coast of Maine, to be my favorite of the whole story. Hayse really has a way with descriptions. The middle slowed quite a bit down for me, but I enjoyed the ending and this was very different and creative from what I’ve read recently. I’m going to try more of this author’s work.
In the Salt March by Nancy Willard (*****)- gorgeous, haunting poetry. Highly recommend!
Across the Miles: Poems of Fantasy, Faith, & Fun by Annie Douglass Lima (***) – lovely, introspective, traditional rhyming poetry.
When the Heart Sings by Vesper Stamper (*****) – Heart-wrenching, unique look at the death camps of the Holocaust, through the eyes of a teen girl and survivor. Very neat illustrations!
Cinderella’s Dress by Shonna Slayton (****) – I was pleasantly surprised by this retelling. Very unique with Polish royalty and New York City during WWII playing into this. It was very fun and intriguing!
Christmas with Anne by L.M. Montgomery (*****) – a lovely collection of short stories with two from the Anne books and other random heart-warming seasonal stories.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (*****) – I did it. 806 pages. It took me a few months. The last 50 pages were my favorites. This was an amazing book. How our uninformed consciences or out of order affections can lead to terrible consequences or despair. How jealousy and guilt can tear us apart. Marriage. Questions about what is life really about and death. About faith and God. Motherhood’s {how did Tostoy write this so well?} questions and worries. I really felt most of all for Dolly and I loved getting an insider look into Levin’s thoughts, doubts, and life. Levin was my favorite because he came across so human and real. The characters were amazingly drawn here, albeit the names/titles a bit confusing. I loved Tolstoy’s writing and the picture he painted especially of the Russian countryside and domestic beauty. Much of the Russian history, I’m woefully ignorant about and that was the only thing slightly difficult about this. Otherwise, it was surprisingly readable. This is my first Russian classic and I really enjoyed it. What a way to wrap up a great reading year.
The Holy Bible (*****) – James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, Jude, Revelation, and got a good start into Isaiah.
Happy 8th Day of Christmas, friends! What are you reading? 🙂
What is bringing you joy currently? There are so many things that ring joy to me if I take the time to peel back the layers and peer in the cracks. One joy that has filled me consistently over my adult years has been poetry. Today, I’d like to highlight two poetry books that I’ve really enjoyed.
Across the Miles: Poems of Fantasy, Faith, & Fun by Annie Douglass Lima – I just finished this delightful and sweet collection of poems this week. Annie graciously gifted me the ebook of this lovely traditional rhyming poetry which brings to mind memories of growing up, imagination, the journey of Christian faith, and adds a delicious soaking in her glorious nature poems. I found myself especially drawn to her nature descriptions and delighted in the immersive feelings she gave me in the poems like “Grand”, bringing me back to a trip I took with my husband and new baby to the Grand Canyon, “God’s Metronome”, taking me to the edge of the ocean, and the haunting, lovely “The Bloodstained Moon.” I loved her deep honesty in “Ashes”, in which she shares of how she says goodbye to someone through memories put to flame. I shared a lovely Christmas themed poem, “Two Kings” with my children this week as part of our Advent readings. There are so many others I really enjoyed, “Song of the Star”, “In the Forest”, and “The Campfire” were lovely. My favorite probably though were her lovely ones on writing and especially “Poetry Graveyard.” Where does our writing go when it just dies? Annie made this collection very accessible with her poems grouped topically and also with little descriptions of her inspiration for a poem or defining an obscure poetry form. I found that extremely helpful. I plan on using these lovely poems with my children in our home school. Check out the link to this book and make a connection with Annie below!
NEW poetry book:Â Across the Miles
Connect with Annie: http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com/
In the Salt Marsh by Nancy Willard – Ever since I was introduced to Willard through her Anatole stories I was intrigued. My children and I have since read and loved many of her picture books and this was my first of her many poetry collections. Through modern verse, Willard’s metaphors and beauty are subtle and strange at first and she brings things to life through her use of specifics with a twist. However, if you sit a bit with her pieces you began to see and feel truly how many layers you cut sink your heart into. She is AMAZING at looking at the most simple commonplace things in a new way. I highly recommend checking into this short volume and I can’t wait to read more of hers.
“How faithfully grass holds the shape of the sea it loves…“
That line is from her title poem and it just thrills me…
Have you read anything by Annie Douglass Lima or Nancy Willard? These books would make lovely Christmas gifts! Any poets that you have been loving lately? What is bring you a bit of joy?
Hello, Dear Friends! Forgive me for catching up a wee bit, the days fly by in a beautiful blur and I’m so thankful for them. Here’s what I’ve been so grateful in these autumnal drenched days of October…
:: beautiful trips away :: belated anniversary celebrations :: stern wheel paddle boat chain of lakes tour :: cabin-living :: steak, asparagus, and cheese dinners :: sweet & spicy tea sipping while watching a sappy, but sweet film called “Song of the Heart” ::
How can Love lose doing of its kind Even to the uttermost?
~ E. Arnold, The Cloud of Witness
:: early mornings with coffee and soaring pines at the cabin :: resurrecting writing dreams :: Amy Harmon’s Instagram videos, so lovely, poetry and encouragement :: gorgeous, still, pine-drenched smelling heaven outdoors :: a day shopping thrift and bookstores in big city with hubby, something we rarely do :: Cost Plus World Market, I love just window-shopping there :: Half-Price Book pursuing :: going out for Mexican food with my brother and sister-in-law and their two sweet girlies ::
Happy is he, Of whom (himself among the dead
And silent) this world shall be said:
– That he might have had the
world with him,
But chose to side with suffering Men,
And had the World against him!
~Elizabeth Barret Browning, The Cloud of Witness
:: Anna Karenina and Edith Wharton Ghost Stories :: late breakfasts :: mural admiring in a little town :: small local book store I visit every year :: coffee and stroll on enchanting covered bridge, admiring fiery and gold- drenched leaves next to the river :: an after dinner bonfire and tea :: chuckles at cheesy Nicholas Cage film that I love, “National Treasure” :: huge gathering of Great Egrets in a little wood as we drove, stopping to observe them ::
:: reading new-to-me Susan Cooper, Boggart, on way home :: orchard stop for big boxes of apples to bring the children :: new fresh month, with no mistakes in it :: devotions, Macbeth enjoyment with the kids :: teaching three of the children to make apple pie from scratch :: watching lovely gnome crafting videos on youtube ::
:: drying out my devotional materials after half a cup of coffee got dumped into them – they survived! Yay! :: visiting grandparents and bringing them a homemade apple pie :: getting to plant my mom some daffodils for spring :: ham and mash potatoes dinner well-received by hungry children :: planting 100 white daffodils with my 6 yo in honor of a line from a beautiful Jane Kenyon essay, the anticipation and tangible act of ‘practicing resurrection’ :: hubby and older children to a friend’s graduation party :: reading afternoon, fun book I won on Instagram ::
:: stopped to see and admire a stone angel headstone at a cemetry on our way to church, she is so sweet and represents something intangible to me. I couldn’t read the inscription except the year of 1912 :: a Sunday evening bonfire with hotdogs and smores for the children, singing, and admiring the stars :: wearing my huge, thrifted pink parka, getting a laugh out of the family for my coldness and weird 😉 style :: baby boy looking darling in his hat and flannel, he and the Saber-Toothed Tiger cat enjoyed one another ::
But when that which is perfect has come,
then that which is in part will be done away.
~The Holy Bible
:: laughs and improvising as we forgot to get our gas filled with the unseasonably warm temperatures, thinking up meals for cooking on griddles, grills, and in the Instapot was fun, in hindsight 😉 :: meeting up with my sister and chatting for hours :: crockpot chicken nachos for the save :: friend’s bonfire for some of our crew, volleyball included :: beautiful morning walk with children, talking about some of the themes in Macbeth :: Charlotte Mason online Zoom class with other moms talking, so refreshing :: late night film with my oldest daughter :: leaf prints by older children for our homeschool community group :: snuggles with baby boy :: You’ve Got Mail w/baby when he felt a bit sick :: gorgeous, warm weather :: library trips with oldest daughter surprising others with ice cream ::
:: older boys and dad on church retreat together :: hearing the news that precious one is ok after a medical scare :: hanging out with friends with my younger four :: continuing on a health journey for 10 months now (!), December will be my 1 year anniversary, so very grateful for the weight loss, better habits, and mental clarity :: gorgeous wind in leaves and sunlight dappled over afternoon :: watching a new version of “The Secret Garden” with my daughters, mom, and sister, enjoying my sister’s delicious chicken tacos together ::
:: butternut and spaghetti squash :: rereading The Hobbit weekends :: rollerskating with friends :: tennis matches for oldest :: rainy, drippy breakfast dates out for hubby and I :: big, fluffy, cream-ish 😉 colored sweaters :: hot, tasty decaf late at night :: two glorious hours of working on ACTUAL writing of my children’s story :: pouring over notes and dipping into lovely, inspiration from my stacks :: muted browns and golds shivering in the wind and rain :: glorious swirl of leaves in rearview mirror, I always look back :: going through a shower of leaves under a tree :: a beautiful autumn season to relish in ::
Be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
~The Holy Bible
I am so thankful these past two weeks…
~autumnal mystery & magic in the air here the last few weeks ~ busy weeks, but little bits of margin to also soak it all in ~ rollerskating nights for older children, my husband, and their uncle ~ playing on deck with our dog, Zoey and enjoying the last, fading morning glories ~pork stir fry with brown rice that everyone enjoyed, so satisfying to create a delicious meal ~bittersweet farewell to the barn swallows, they bid their goodbyes, we will wait in hope and anticipation for you next year, our friends! ~
~golden hues around every corner chasing awhile the inner blues ~ deck schooling in the sunshine , laughs with my oldest son that felt so good ~ wild little baby boys to keep me on my toes ~ delicious sausage with cabbage lunches ~ older children helping with younger children’s maths~ our dear homeschooling community group’s first meeting of the year, Excelsior Guild is a bright spot in our school days ~ our dog doing well after a mishap with a horse, such a relief after worrying about her ~ new fresh mornings after bad dreams ~ the hug of a husband, prayers together ~
~long walks hedged in by Staghorn Sumac tinged, dipped in blood red gorgeousness~ hubby singing from his office ~ safe trips to get farm equipment, the relief of him coming home again ~ our favorite stream, the “Withywindle”, the bubbling, happiness of it ~ Gideon’s delight in our neighbor Elaine’s big black cows, all of us having a “mooing” fest with him, to his utter delight ~ baby boy’s overly long blond hair flopping up and down in little wispy tendrils as he’s carried in the Ergo on our outdoor adventures by myself or a big kid ~ popcorn and hot chocolate tradition started back up for Elevensies, our folksong “Country Roads” by John Denver, ringing out regularly now ~ rereading The Little Prince with the children ~
~beautiful tidbits from the Parables on Nature each morning during our meditations over Scripture and poetry ~ deliciously hot sun baking us, cool wind cooling us, as we read together outdoors, basking in the crisp, gorgeous September weather, leaves drifting down around us, and sharp, brilliant blue sky sheltering us ~ Ella and Ben helping me make homemade chicken noodle soup and homemade whole wheat crackers ~ Amos and I curling up to watch “Young at Heart” with Doris Day and Frank Sinatra ~ hubby borrowing juice making thingy 🙂 to make grape juice from our grapes, his joy as he enjoyed glasses of it!~
~kettle merrily on most afternoons, different teas being tried ~ rocking early riser baby blondie sweetheart back to sleep, curled together in blanket ~ lovely devotions and lazy afternoons after school books put away to read ~ started Macbeth with the older children ~ oldest out and about with friends for soccer and ice cream ~ errand dates, just nice to be in silence together, enjoying the rolling hills and changing leaves ~
~laughs after the fact, big boy relieved after finding escaped pigs ~ disasters making for good stories, atv tracks, dog herding type of stories ~ early morning walks down our gravel road, stories, dew drops on pine, and love radiating through the whispering corn cobs ~ sunlight flickering through the rustling of trees, corn, and all things autumn, autumn has a crackling, rattle-y sound to it, does it not? ~ children enjoying pie and ice cream ~ candlelit dinners are back, so relaxing after long days, there’s just something about the Light ~
~bird seed, candles, and new tea purchased ~ beautiful hike with church friends, gorgeous hints of color yet to come, new butterfly and flower sightings ~ picnics, delicious apples, that first juicy bite ~sweet corn stands to pick up dinner ~ little children shucking all the corn on the kitchen floor, messes and mayhem, but the giggles, oh the giggles ~”Little House on the Prairie” episode with dad before bed and 7 Wonders game played ~
~ last day of summer celebrations, donuts and an arboretum together, Ginko and River Birch enchant me ~ rolling down hills, grass in hair, belly laughs, hot sweaty faces ~ little blond urchling truddling through the towering trees ~ started an AMAZING trilogy on Merlin by Mary Stewart, just so lovely to escape to the early days of Britian ~ lovely reading time of The Children’s Crusade by Geoffery Trease and we all crowded around our Holland map and Google images after reading a bit in The Young Traveller’s Holland. Maps and books go so well together, it’s really magical ~ some children remember some lovely tie ins to Hans Brinker and we were excited to talk about that ~ Miranda Mill’s lovely BookTube channel has been something to look forward to with delight ~
~ our second homeschool meeting snuck up on us and was a delight as usual ~ dissections of cow hearts was fascinating (!!!) ~ discussing Prince & the Pauper by Twain with seven teenagers was a highlight ~ the drive to and from our friend’s home was truly gorgeous, the way home the children slept and I was suspended in silence and sunshine as I drove ~ the colors and beauty flashed out at me around every bend, what an amazing gift from God ~ stopping at a farm stand, admiring all the pumpkins, autumn treat for the children ~ mists, a bit of rain, golden corn and soy beans all melding into a real impressionistic painting ~ Earl Grey decaf tea and Anna Karenina evenings, sigh ~ fresh bread hot out of the oven and our “Narnia” meal resurrected, roasted veggies and sausage~
~chiropractors for hubby’s neck, hot coffee after long sleepless nights ~the quarter moon staring at me, welcoming and chilly all in the same glance in a deep night moment at the big, oval window at the top of our staircase, feels literally like a stairway to the stars, I love it so ~ a boy’s narration of The White Stag, so fascinating ~ wet hike around our corn field, secret, enchanting little wood hide-y-holes, mushrooms and flowers ~ a bower of color overhead, color all around bursting forth, autumn truly is for the refreshment of our soul ~ color storing deep inside for the barrenness of the coming cold ~ chicken nachos, tea, and a two boys banding together to make loaves of banana bread ~ finishing a book that was recommended to me in one afternoon, Amy Harmon’s characters in Where the Lost Wander gripping me ~
~ long Saturdays filled with coolness, wild wind, and forts in the barn ~ bubbly lavendar baths for boys ~ hot showers ~ corn shock and pumpkin deck decor ~ copious coffee and more Merlin magic ~ dearest daughter excitedly making Rock Cakes from the Redwall cookbook, checked out from the library, inviting her siblings to tea ~ Peter & the Wolf listened to and gorgeous picture book looked at, rush to finish chores, after which some video games get to be played ~ the sigh and the hush in the afternoon ~
What an wonderful, messy, exhaustingly, beautiful fortnight! Oh good, gracious, Lord, THANK YOU.
How was your last few weeks? I’d love to hear!~
Beauty for you…
The Clothespin
How much better it is
to carry wood to the fire
than to moan about your life.
How much better
to throw the garbage
onto the compost, or to pin the clean
sheet on the line
with a gray-brown wooden clothes pin!
~Jane Kenyson
This week I’m thankful for…
~a few days at the cozy cabin, beating the surprise heat wave ~ gorgeous drive and rereading The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery ~ baby’s happiness to be out of the van and running up and down the hall, his short, stubby legs tooling around ~ children building in the sand, burying one another, and swimming ~ napping ~ dropping off Amos and some children for a tubing run, driving in silence to the pick up point, gorgeous sun and quiet, riverside ~ seeing a Kingfisher twice! ~ bonfire smell and crackle ~ delicious peaches with my breakfast ~ rainy, but cool, romance-tinged air in-between rain showers ~ canoeing on a lovely little lake…so peaceful ~ wooden bridges and pines ~ glass-like lakes reflecting the sky and treeline~ green everywhere ~ lilypads ~ oldest son dragging us through a shallow connecting inlet, laughs all around ~
~ hard days that drive us to our knees, humbling this mama ~ catching up on piles, so satisfying ~ new Christmas book arriving in the post, can’t wait to share it with the children ~ early morning prayer and reflection time ~ commonplacing quotes that I’ve read for further reflection and meditation ~ picking a bouquet of flowers and weeds for the table with my Ben ~ a library poetry book and CD listened to over and over again, delighting us all ~ library pickup again, checking out The Mouse Mansion yet again and may need to make our own mouse house, a good autumn/winter project possibly ~ Ella, Phoebe, Benjamin, and Gideon helping me make homemade pizza and zucchini pizza, candle lit, and little hands shredding cheese so chubby and sweet ~ my husband’s invitation to go out and watch the lightening with him, he knows I love the wild and windy approaching of a storm, just what I needed to blow away a case of cobwebbys! ~ last dates to local drive-in cafe before it closes for the season, love their coleslaw~
~a morning thunderstorm welcoming Friday in ~ some older children not going to work and helping me purge, rearrange, and spruce up our homeschool supply closet, living room, and library a bit ~ encouraging vlogs and little tidbits I’m reading here and there, preparing my heart and mind for school beginning next week ~ the way the wind whipped my sunflowers and the apples in the orchard, the black willows gorgeous in the sunlight ~ cooler weather rolling in today ~ Ella and Phoebe getting to spend time with a beloved grandma and friends, swimming and playing games ~ haircuts for three of my boys, so good to see their eyes again 😛 ~ Louis Armstrong and blog perusing ~ and look at this lovely mug on sale! ~ continued regular afternoon tea set up by my Ella ~ barn swallows still swishing and swooping my spirit up, up, and up ~ goldenrod bouquets on my book table ~
How was your week? I’ll leave you with this lovely quote that I jotted down in my commonplace journal ~
“As August comes to her slow and dreaming end, the air has a special smell, the smell of ripening, the smell of drying hay, the smell of the piney woods in the cool of the evening. The strange rusty smell of marigolds and the prickling odor of zinnias, and so exciting to breathe it all in! I do not, ever, like ends. I like beginnings and rich plump middles, but ends are always sad. Of all the ends in this old unquiet world, though, the end of summer is one of the best. For the first small throb of color in the swamp maples in September is a fine thing to behold. And the first nip of the air on a golden morning is heavenly to feel after the languor of summer’s heat.”
~ Gladys Taber
“The Generosity” ~ by Luci Shaw
What well-chosen small presents arrive almost every day,
wrapped in the newspaper of the ordinary.
No ribbons. No gift cards.
Just the coin of the sun glinting behind a gray broth of clouds.
A knuckle of dark rock exposed asÂ
a freeze lets go and the snow settles in its own melting.
Trees showing off their good bones, skeletal, naked –Â
their fractual structures echoingÂ
the repeating patterns of atoms.Â
Yesterday a tender rain came and went,
and the grass drank and was refreshed.
And today, a raven feather on the sidewalk
and wings in the sky,
memos from heaven everywhere.
~
{a pen pal friend, Bonnie, sent this to me recently
and it touched me greatly. Hope it does for you, too.
Happy Monday!)
“Only the waters which in perfect stillness lie
Give back an undistorted image of the sky!”Â
Trench, p. 260
“Wisdom is oft-times nearer when we stoop
Than when we soar.”
Wordsworth, p. 343
~The Cloud of Witness
I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered. And when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.
~Proverbs 4:11-13
~
This week I’m thankful for…
 ~a drive through dappled, morning sunlight, through hills, fields, woods, rereading Miss Read’s delightful Village School, a perfect pre-autumn school-ish inspirational read ~New Life Lavender’s Organic Shea Butter w/Lavender Essential Oil, soothing my eczema ~ wind chimes donging and tinkling peacefulness through the open window ~ a new, pale periwinkle type color of Morning Glory blooming Sunday morning ~ country drive with my husband that took us through new-to-us Amish homesteads ~ cool, almost autumn-ish feel to a brand, spanking new dewy morning ~ playing Schliech animals (a favorite toy here) with my 1 yo, Gideon ~ reading some timely and encouraging things in the Book of Numbers ~ crisp, buttery, whole wheat pancakes for the kids ~ reciting “Be Not Afraid” at breakfast with everyone, so inspiring ~ beginning the first Redwall book all over again with a new bunch of children ~ My daughter Ella and I finishing up the wonderful historical fiction book, Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit ~ nodding Queen Anne’s Lace and pale blue Chicory on the roadsides ~
~morning walks with whatever kids are available and my husband ~ visiting a lavender farm, lavender ice cream, and lemon lavender tea, rosemary lavender soap purchased – a surfeit of lavender! ~ Zoom book study, looking at the Habits are Ten Natures section of Charlotte Mason’s Volume 1 with friends, wonderful discussions ~ 4:00 afternoon tea parties with the “Queen” ~
~driver’s education test preparation, my 15 yo son’s gratitude for my help ~ library book pick up stacks with my middle son, uninterrupted conversation for a wee bit ~reading outdoors, under the Honey Locust~ chemistry books trickling in via the post, so thankful for living book recommendations from friends ~swinging baby and boy every afternoon in the balmy breeze ~ my 6 yo arranging the garden tomatoes beautifully ~
~errand date with son, little free library, pig feed pickup, drive-in ice cream, and Amish veggie stand for sweet corn ~ staying up late to watch an Avenger movie with two oldest ~ finishing The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel ~ broiling fresh sliced tomatoes with basil and a little cheese ~ clouds, black swallowtails, zinnias, hollyhocks, cosmos, barn swallows, and every other small bit of natural beauty gifted to us this week ~
What a blessed week ~ Thank You, Lord Jesus!
How was yours?
~
{I hope to make this a regular post on my blog as I want to live in a posture and attitude of gratitude, a form of ‘practicing resurrection’. These don’t mean my life is perfect and trouble free, but I’m choosing to focus on the good as a way to give thanks. Please join me on your blogs, in the comments, or on your own.}
{My younger children enjoy Tortuga}
Hello, friends! July was a good month of reading for me! Did you read anything great?
The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson (*****) – A friend recommended this title and I wasn’t disappointed. Short, gorgeous reflections on sharing nature with children and keeping wonder alive. I highly recommend this one! I’m sad I waited so long as I tried to read her Silent Spring and found it a bit dry. I will be looking for her books about the sea soon.
Heidi’s Alp: One Family’s Search for Storybook Europe by Christina Hardyment (*****) – This was a funny and heartwarming account of an English family and their friend’s trip through six countries in Europe in a camper-van (RV), searching for bits of their favorite stories. Hardyment’s beautiful writing lends magic to every page of this fascinating memoir as we walk along with some of the world’s beloved classics. We especially get to see things through the eyes of Hans Christian Anderson. The author does a wonderful job with the tension between the reality of travel with children and the simultaneous enchantment. I love how the accidental and mundane often beat out the super planned or touristy spots. So true! This is so lovely and inspirational and Hardyment’s extensive knowledge on the history of many fairytales, lore, origins of story, and details of different author’s lives are just the icing on the cake. Highly recommend this one!
Selected Poems of Helen Goodhue Ploeger edited by Phyllis Miller (***) – I received this as a birthday gift from a dear friend and I really enjoyed it. The simple, rhyming poems revealed the poet’s love of place, especially the desert and her eye for small bits of beauty were lovely. I enjoyed her desert and other nature poems the best. This book also had a beautiful, aged-feeling paper and luxurious cloth cover.
“Night Magic”
There’s magic in the summer night for me
In California deserts
High in the mountain tops
Or down along the peaceful sea.
There was a time when nights seemed sad & lonely
And all the gleaming stars
A gentle, patient moon.
Seemed not for hope, but sadness only.
Why is it now, that there is only magicÂ
And musical harmony
In the summer night?
‘Tis I who changed, night is not tragic.
~Helen Goodhue Ploeger
The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel (****) – This was a fascinating look at libraries throughout history. Manguel looks at them through the lenses of myth, order, space, power, shadow, chance, workshop, mind, island, survival, oblivion, imagination, identity, and home. Aren’t those chapter titles intriguing? This is academic while being conversational. A book really about books by looking at how we store and collect them. Manguel had some very interesting ideas, quotes, and unique ways of looking at why books and libraries are so important to us. He intertwines this with little stories of his own library’s creation in the French countryside. Each chapter opens out with thought provoking quotes, which I loved and jotted a few down. The importance of reading really comes home in that we become a world citizen through the eyes of the world’s books. I recommend this book!
Those who read, those who
tell us what they read,
Those who noisily turn
the pages of their books,
Those who have power over
red and black ink,
and over pictures,
Those are the ones who lead us
guide us, show us the way.
~Aztec Codex from 1524
Vatican Archives
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard (***) – This Pulitzer-winning title is sort of inexpiable. Lines of extreme beauty mixed with stream-of-conscience nonsense understood possibly by only Dillard herself. This book is a woman’s rambles through the natural world around her home and local creek as she examines deep questions on death, life, faith, humanity, the natural world, and our souls. Her writing takes deep concentration and sometimes it still doesn’t make a lot of sense. It reminds me of a prose sort of Gerald Manley Hopkins. This title literally took me YEARS to finish, but I’m so glad I did, as reflecting back on all the time with this, I feel I was richly rewarded in ideas and beauty. Definitely not a quick read, but I recommend for the beauty seeker who doesn’t want to loose their sense of wonder in the infinitely small miracles of this world. It may be one I might try to reread someday.
The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith (**) – I was looking for fiction that has a certain feeling to it and this was recommended to me. Do you ever try to find a story based on the stories you’ve loved the feel of or atmosphere? I really enjoy home-y, cozy type fantasy or regular fiction with elemental magic or at least a nod to the spiritual world. This book follows the story of Elena, a vine witch. The idea that each vineyard has a special witch that is connected to the earth and vines was uniquely and creatively done. This book was well-written and fast paced, good setting and character development. Just way too dark for my tastes, the occultism themes being very heavy. The romance was so stereotypical and too focused on the sexual for me. I liked the story idea in theory, but in the end this wasn’t what I was looking for. I don’t recommend this one.
Fawkes by Nadine Brandes (****) – Last month, I read Romanov by this author of YA fantasy. This one I liked better! It was a fast paced unique retelling of the historical Guy Fawkes Gunpowder plot set in 17th century London. Thomas Fawkes has the stone plague and finds himself expelled from his school. He travels to London to find his long absent, infamous father and gets involved in the plot to blow up the King. I found Brandes use of magical color power very creative and changing the political and religious tensions into color/magic tensions was brilliant. Only one small quibble was that I wasn’t clear on who to root for at times. The White Light was so mysterious it confused me. Overall, I enjoyed this story better than the first I read by this author.
The Holy Bible (*****) – Leviticus, almost finished with Isaiah, and slowly meditating on John.
What a wonderful month of feeding my soul! 🙂 Hope your reading has been fantastic lately! Let me know!
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The Caged Skylark
As a dare-gale skylark scanted in a dull cage
Man’s mounting spirit in his bone-house,
mean house, dwells –
That bird beyond the remembering his free fells;
This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life’s age.
Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage,
Both sing sometimes the sweetest, sweetest spells,
Yet both droop deadly sometimes in their cells
Or wring their barriers in bursts of fear or rage.
Not that the sweet-fowl, song-fowl, needs no rest –
Why, hear him, hear him babble and drop down to his nest,
But his own nest, wild nest, no prison.
Man’s spirit will be flesh-bound when found at best,
But uncumbered: meadow-down is no distressed
For a rainbow footing it nor he for his bones risen.
~ Gerald Manley Hopkins
Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets : Hopkins, p. 17
{This is missing the accent marks needed for reading this well out loud! I apologize as I’m not sure how to get those without searching and just copying and pasting them?}
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