Busy Bee

Okay, now that I have typed the phrase busy bee, all I can think of is that scene in Gladiator where Commodus has reached a-place-that-is-beyond-creepy and he calls Lucillia a busy bee. I always want to scream at Lucillia to just grab her kid and leave the palace.

But I wanted to pop in for a minute to once again apologize for not posting and to assure you that I am still alive and well! I’ve been in over my head in events, planning and projects. The picture above shows the sewing project I’ve been working on – 20+ Shakespearean shirts for a middle school production of Taming of the Shrew. Ooo, ooo, that Shakespearean rag. . .

And to add to the randomness of this post, here is a poem for you:

MORNING AT THE WINDOW

by: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

THEY are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,

And along the trampled edges of the street

I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids

Sprouting despondently at area gates.

The brown waves of fog toss up to me

Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,

And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts

An aimless smile that hovers in the air

And vanishes along the level of the roofs.

What’cha Read’n?

Here are a few books I’ve recently finished:

Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger: Loved it! It’s a really quick read. My favorite line being “there isn’t anyone out there who isn’t Seymour’s fat lady.” Read it and find out why!

West With the Night by Beryl Markham: An autobiographical piece about a young woman who is a bush pilot in Africa during 1920′s + 30′s. It’s really interesting, well written, and enjoyable! I would love to teach a class that compares West With the Night with Wind, Sand, and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The book being Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s experiences as a pilot. I think they are both around the same time period.

Bridge to Terabithia by Thomas Crowell: Granted this one is a juvenile fiction, but I wanted to read it. It was so depressing. It’s about two friends and the imaginary kingdom they create. I won’t spoil the end, but it is really sad.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt: I loved this one, but also found it bittersweet at the same time. This is another piece of juvenile fiction – it’s about a family that never ages and a little girl who discovers their secret.

The Glory of Hera by Caroline Gordon: This book was awesome. It’s the story of Hercules retold.

The Mystery of Joseph by Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, OP: This is a phenomenal look at St. Joseph and the role he plays in life of Jesus and Mary, and the Church. Very well thought out, very well written. If you can only read one of these books, read this one.

Oh, Night More Lovely Than the Dawn

Another great feast day! Happy feast of St. John of the Cross – his poetry is so beautiful! Enjoy! (Plus with a poem about the night like this, doesn’t it seem appropriate that there is a meteor shower sheduled on St. John’s feast?)

On A Dark Night by St. John of the Cross  On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings –oh, happy chance!– I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest. In darkness and secure, By the secret ladder, disguised –oh, happy chance!– In darkness and in concealment, My house being now at rest. In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me, Nor I beheld aught, Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart. This light guided me More surely than the light of noonday To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me – A place where none appeared. Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn, Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved! Upon my flowery breast, Kept wholly for himself alone, There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him, And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze. The breeze blew from the turret As I parted his locks; With his gentle hand He wounded my neck And caused all my senses to be suspended. I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.

Brideshead Revisted

Dearest Charles–
I found a box of this paper at the back of a bureau so I must write to you as I am mourning for my lost innocence. It never looked like living. The doctors despaired of it from the start…
I am never quite alone. Members of my family keep turning up and collecting luggage and going away again, but the white raspberries are ripe.
I have a good mind not to take Aloysius to Venice. I don’t want him to meet a lot of horrid Italian bears and pick up bad habits.
Love or what you will.
S.

Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh

What’cha Read’n?

I haven’t been reading anything new for a while, a combination of excuses – to busy to find something, all the somethings I did find were boring and depressing, John Muir’s Wilderness Essays have been sitting on my nightstand and feel like I should finish them before I pick something else up but they are just so dull.

But while I was in Poland I read two books, one on a train and one on a plane.

Lancelot by Walker Percy, I read on a train. Like most of Percy’s stuff it was Southern, dark, and disturbing, but it was fascinating. (As a rule I don’t read Southern literature in the winter months, I just can’t handle it, but I made an exception for this.) It is about a man, Lancelot, who discovered the infidelity of his wife and subsequently goes crazy. But then again the main character may be the Percy, the man who Lancelot tells his story too. Read it and find out. CAUTION: this book is for mature audiences only, don’t hand it to your teenager.

The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse, I read on a plane. A lovely bit of silly, witty fluff involving Bertie Wooster and his man Jeeves. If you’ve never read anything by Wodehouse I suggest you find anything by him and read it. All his work makes me laugh out loud – which can be embarrassing when you are on the Metro surrounded by other people.

Rory Gilmore’s Book Pile

Check it out! A list of all the books that are mentioned by Rory Gilmore  in the TV series Gilmore Girls! I lined through the ones I have read . . .

Writer’s Block

And now an appropriate quote for the moment:

“A facility for quoteation covers the absence of original though.” ~Dorothy L. Sayers, Lord Peter Wimsey in “Gaudy Night”

Ithaca

Cheese alert: what you about to see includes spacy-kinda-weird music, and cheesy filming of nature and buildings. But, what you are about to hear is Sir Sean Connery reciting the poem Ithaca by C.P. Cavafy. It is pretty awesome.

In Our World . . .

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Books I Have Read

I am ashamed to admit that I have fallen behind on my reading, I only read one book in the whole month of July. But I did read another one this week and have a few more waiting in the wings. . .

July’s book was Captivating Revised & Updated: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by by John Eldredge and Stasi Eldredge. (I found it on my coffee table, I think I might have stole it from one of my roommates, sorry roommate!) It was entertaining, but poorly written and lacking in “meat.” Often the bones of an argument were presented, but they failed to flesh is out. On more than one occasion I wondered why they weren’t quoting Edith Stein or Alice von Hildebrand, or at least referencing their work. In the end, I think the only reason I enjoyed reading it was because I am a woman and I like reading about relationships and how people relate to each other, etc.  

The book I most recently finished was amazing! A Short Autobiography  a collection of essay written by F. Scott Fitzgerald compiled to give a window into his life. It’s not an autobiography in the strict sense, he didn’t sit down and write out his life. But in every writer’s work there is a little bit of himself and his life. My favorite was a piece he wrote on living on $36,000 a year. And I am pleased to announce that even in this modern age, I spend less on clothes each month than Fitzgerald did. I think my economy merits a new pair of shoes. . .

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