Liber Parma

2009-12-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

What can I say... I'm a senior, and life is crazy! It's been full of fun, beauty, joy, love... full of everything wonderful! (except keeping up on this blog)
One of the many activities I'm participating in this year is a Shakespeare class. We've been reading and discussing various plays (putting on short scenes at each class) and are now launching into preparations and practices for a production of Twelfth Night. And one of the assignments for this week's class was to write a sonnet. It was my first attempt at writing one, for that matter my first attempt in writing in meter at all, and I very much enjoyed it.

I cannot seem to write a good sonnet
No rhymes, no subjects to my thoughts do spring
From my mind inspiration has been let
And any creativity ta'en wing.
Though potential subjects before me lie
As numerous as sands upon the shore
Nothing concrete from thoughts can I pry
Though I upon my fogginess make war.
Mayhap my poem had waxed quite eloquent
Describing laughter, lovely friends or snow
If I had but a smudge of his talent
Oh then such sonnets from my pen would flow.
Yet none of Shakespeare's blood is in my veins
And in this poem tis foolishness that reigns.

7 Quick Takes

2009-05-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

A very brief, haphazard, insufficient and exclamatory summary of the past few months in no particular order:

1. Midnight Dancers For the past couple of months, a bunch of my friends and I have been working on a production of Regina Doman's The Midnight Dancers, and at the recent Homeschool Conference, we performed it. It was a fantastic experience! Our cast was such a fun group of people and we were incredibly blessed to have Regina Doman write the script for us AND attend our performance!

2. Homeschool Conference Celebrate the Faith 2009! Beginning with a writing intensive class with Andrew Pudewa, through the performance of Midnight Dancers, great talks, singing in the rain, meeting Regina Doman and her husband, listening to live guitar and violin at our table, having an all-around great time with everyone and finishing up with an absolutely lovely dinner party, this conference was a FANTASTIC weekend!!!

3. WCC I know I already posted on this, but it certainly deserves a place in the summary of recent events. Thanks again to all the students and faculty of Wyoming Catholic College for a wonderful visit!

4. WCYR At the end of March, my mom took a bunch of my friends and I to the Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally... it was INCREDIBLE! Spending a day with hundreds of other Catholics, mostly teens, (including many of my closest friends) singing (and occasionaly dancing to) Praise and Worship music, listening to great talks having Mass (with Archbishop Dolan) and Adoration, is a truly inspiring, beautiful, fun, friendship-deepening and Glorious experience!

5. Lit. Discussion Group This actually has been something going on throughout the schoolyear, a monthly two hour discussion on various classic books (such as Joan of Arc, Brideshead Revisited and The Song of Bernadette). These discussions are always not only fun and spirited but thought-provoking and extremely helpful in understanding the book. They are lead by Dr. Gotcher , our most recent discussion was on Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset.

6. Latin Mass Last night our Latin Club attended a Latin Mass at St. Stanislaus. It was absolutely lovely. I LOVE chant and polyphony!

7. SPRING! It's May, everything's in blossoms, the grass is unbelievably green, the weather has been, in general, somewhere in the range of 60s-80s... it's PERFECT!!!!!!!!

Now heading into Gradutions, parties, a Baptism and the end of the year dance! It may be a while till my next post :)

This is too Funny!

2009-04-29T15:09:00.001-07:00

2009-04-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Check these out! A great collection, all made by a friend of mine... do have a look!

WYOMING!

2009-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

A few quick notes

2009-04-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

I am at Wyoming Catholic College and it is SO COOL!!!!!! I and a couple friends have been learning snatches of Euclid, Theology, Thucydites, conversational Latin (it's so cool to listen to oral Latin, spoken at normal speed of speech, and UNDERSTAND IT!), Compline, history of Cardinal Neuman and plant classification. We've also been having a WONDERFUL time with the students and faculty, everyone is so friendly and welcoming!
We have probably at least a foot of snow, which sadly, cancelled star gazing tonight, but is coming in useful in the way of snowball fights (:
There are a lot of visitors here right now, including a cousin of my cousin, who I had no idea was going to be here, it's kind of cool!

My companions have made a general exodus, and I should probably follow... hopefully I'll have more soon!

The Screwtape Letters

2009-03-30T15:04:00.001-07:00

I finished it along time ago, loved it, and have not had time since to sit down and blog on it, until now.

The storyline is fairly simple, and probably pretty well know, a series of letters from an elderly and experienced devil, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, during the period of the latters first attempt at temptation. Lewis uses this rather unusual basis to produce an absolutely brilliant book. Below is one of my favorite quotes:

He (God) is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set that off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on it's own legs- to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in such a state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with the better. He cannot "tempt" to virtue as we can to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away his hand: and if only the will to walk is really there he is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be decieved Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks roundupon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.

2009-02-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Blog Header

2009-01-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, along with two birthdays, a Geography Bee and an expedition to Trader Joes we went to the Zoo. It was absolutely lovely. The cold yet gorgeous walks taken between the warm buildings created just the right mix. We visited: the monkey house, enjoying the whole rambunctious lot of them, but especially the playful Bonobos, the birds, the cows, a few seals and the big cats. My personal favorites, the pair of Lions are responsible for my new blog header. The first thing we saw upon entering the abode of the Big Cats was the Lioness inches away from the seperating glass. After ooing and aahing picture taking for quite some time, we moved on to the next window and found her mate similarly positioned. More of the same naturally ensued. Not long after, we left with cold faces, a ton of pictures and a strong resolve to return very soon.

2008-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Found in The Wisdom and Innocence by Joseph Pearce:

"...this splendid stir and thrum was to have a marked effect on Douglas Hyde during a train journey through south London:

Through my mind, in rhythm with the wheels, ran a verse from Chesterton's
Ballad of the White Horse I had re-read not long before:

Therfore I bring these rhymes to you,
Who brought the cross to me,
Since on you flaming without flaw,
I saw the sign that Guthrum saw
When he let break the ships of awe,
And laid peace upon the sea

Could there be so many Catholic Churches? I asked myself, as cross
followed cross. Why had I not seen them before? Through Herne Hill, Tulse Hill,
smug, suburban Streatham, the crosses came and went. And still the wheels
hammered out Chesterton's lines:

Out of the mouth of the Mother of God
Like a little word come I;
For I go gathering Christian men
From sunken paving and ford and fen,
To die in a battle, God knows when,
By God, but I know why.

Hyde was, at this time, a leading member of the Communist Pary and newseditor of its paper, the Daily Worker. Soon after, he resigned from its ranksand became a Catholic."

Emma

2008-11-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

From our first performance of Emma: Jane Austen (who narrates the play), with her literary creations: Mr. Knightley, Harriet Smith, Emma Woodhouse, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill.

A Slighty Random Photo

2008-11-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

GilbertGirl and I at Caddie Woodlawns house on the way back from ChesterCon!

Our Prop Table

2008-10-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

At one of our recent Emma practices.

Busyness

2008-10-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

WOW, I'm almost to three months inactivity here, tehe (:

Need I say it's been busy? But oh it's been incredible.

Grandparents 50th, CA cousins in town, ballroom dancing, preparations for the TMAH production of Jane Austen's Emma, catechism, madrigal choir, my first job, Shakespeare lit program, latin club, of course some school, John Bosco Youth Day and a thousand other things have kept me most delightedly busy, and led to a sad neglect of this blog. But stay tuned, we have TONS of pictures from the time elapsed since my last post.

Fringspield 08

2008-07-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

We just got back last night from an incredible weekend of "cousins and cousins of cousins", dancing, swimming, stories, laughter and of course an absolutely lovely wedding.

Airport Detour

2008-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

On the way to ChesterCon. Guess who we got to meet!

Happy 4th

Dancing!

2008-07-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

There has recently been something of a ballroom dancing revival in our homeschool group (hurrah!), and so my cousin and I have been dancing lately, but this is us about 10 years ago!

Happy Feast Day

2008-07-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast day of Blessed Junipero Serra, founder of the renowned California Missions. We were delighted to be able to visit ten of those missions while in California in May, it was awesome! My three favorite of those were (and still are):

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Mission Santa Inez

A quiet, charming place with an incredible view, lovely grounds and a beautiful church. Located more in the country than most of the other Missions, it's a great place to imagine yourself back into the time of it's founding.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo better known as Carmel was absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite parts was the little side chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem in which Pope John Paul II once prayed!

This woefully inadaquate summary of some of the most beautful missions will have to do for now. Stay tuned for ChesterCon, the Love2Learn gathering and hopefully more regarding our California trip.

San Juan Capistrano

2008-05-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little behind on this blog. (: We've been to California and back, jumped right back into craziness and have had a marvelous time. In CA we visited (among many other things) ten missions. And one of my favorites was San Juan Capistrano, as seen in the two pics. The ruinous church is absolutely breathtaking, and the grounds are delightful. Plus, we got to meet a delightful family there, and so, in case you can't tell, I absolutely loved it.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to post more extensively soon, but for now... a picture's worth a thousand words right? (:

Happy Birthday!!!!

2008-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

To my mom and to Pope John Paul the Great!

2008-05-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

"Don't cry over broken glass".... take pictures of it!

An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered, and an adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
-G.K. Chesterton

Spring!

2008-04-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Robe

2008-04-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Having seen the movie of The Robe numerous times and reading a script adaptation, it seemed high time to read the book. I loved it.

It's a story about the centurion who oversaw the crucifixion of Christ, and who won His robe while gambling. The robe, after driving him mad for several months, ends up bringing him back to Palestine. Touring the area around the Sea of Galilee, he hears many stories of the strange doings of Jesus. The journey culminates beautifully in his conversion to Christianity. The story goes on, but I have no wish to spoil the ending.

Oddly enough (especially odd if you know me) the romance in this story was one of my least favorite elements. The part I loved was in Israel. The centurion, Marcellus, begins as something of a sceptic and manages to find "realistic" explanations of the first couple of miracles of which he is told. But then he hears the story of Lydia. His change of mind and heart is exquisitely handled, and the outsiders point of view through which the reader hears of Jesus creates a story well worth reading.

2008-04-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

2008-04-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

The people this Beatitude (Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied) describes are those who are not content with things as they are and refuse to stifle the restlessness of heart that points man to something greater and so sets him on the inward journey to reach it- rather like the wise men from the East, seeking Jesus, the star that shows the way to truth, to love, to God. The people meant here are those whose interior sensitivity enables them to see and hear that God sends into the world to break the dictatorship of convention.

- Pope Benedict XVI Jesus of Nazareth (Chapter Four, page 91)

Break the Conventions, Keep the Commandment

-G.K. Chestertion Manalive

Lit Discussion material

2008-04-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Our monthly lit discussion group today took on The Ballad of the White Horse. Contrary to typical procedings we made our way through the epic in a fairly methodical fashion. Of course tangents are unavoidable which explains our brief discussion of Enchanted. A few points that stick out in my memory are:

Book I: The question which Alfred asked Mary, and the answer he recieved.

Book II: The contrast between the reactions of the chiefs whom Alfred recruits

Book III: The Danish lords who sang, the varying types of hopelessness which their songs expressed and how different Alfred's song was from their's.

Okay, there was a lot more... GilbertGirl? Algernon? Anybody else who came? Help!?!? (:

Frank's Toes

2008-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

2008-04-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

JOHN PAUL II, WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

I think I'd be better with lit. (: Geography still needs some work.

Hat-tip: Studeo

Resurrexit sicut dixit!

2008-03-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!

Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor,
for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever,
and the Dark Tower is thrown down.

Sing and rejoice, ye people of the Tower of Guard,
for your watch hath not been in vain,
and the Black gate is broken,
and your King hath passed through,
and he is victorious.

Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West,
for your King shall come again,
and he shall dwell among you
all the days of your life.

And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed,
and he shall plant it in the high places,
and the City shall be blessed.

Sing all ye people!

-- J. R. R. Tolkien: The Return of the King

P.S. I did try a Chesterton Easter Egg again, no, you probably don't want to see it (trust me, it did not turn out very well) but if you must, you must. It's here.

HE IS RISEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALLELUIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is hope for Hollywood!

2008-03-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

I just found out that all the people listed below were married only ONCE!!!!!!

Jim Caviziel
Mel Gibson
Alfred Hitchcock
Colin Firth
Jennifer Ehle
James Cagne
Sir Alec Guiness
(hat tip to Mamselle Duroc for the last two)

And (these two really made my day)...

Jimmy Stewart
Gary Cooper! (I actually did jump up and cheer when I heard those two :)

And those were only of the handful of actors and actresses we looked up.

Coolness

2008-03-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

Calendars through all of AD!

2008-03-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2008-03-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

This Morning

So True

2008-03-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

If the crowns of all the kingdoms of the empire were laid down at my feet in exchange for my books and my love of reading I would spurn them all.

-Francois Fenelon

"Do you think Friday unlucky?"

"No, I think Friday lucky," answered Gale. "All Christian people, whatever their lighter superstitions, have always thought Friday lucky. Otherwise they would have talked about Bad Friday instead of Good Friday."

and

Did they (certain tribes who worshiped various elements) not in fact sing more songs, and dance more dances, and drink wine with more real merriment? That was because they believed in evil. In evil spells, perhaps, in evil luck, in evil under all sorts of stupid and ignorant symbols; but still in something to be fought. They at least read things in black and white, and saw life as the battlefield it is. But you are unhappy because you disbelieve in evil, and think it philosophical to see everything in the same light of grey.

-both by G.K. Chesterton from The Poet and the Lunatics

If you follow the will of God, you know that in spite of all the terrible things that happen to you, you will never lose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One that loves you.

-Pope Benedict XVI from Jesus of Nazareth

2008-02-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

Good gracious, I've been neglecting this blog. I've been having an utterly marvelous time... the Wilderness, Washington DC, The Latin Convention, The Stations of the Cross... And those were only some of the major events. Well here are some pics, in a very hap-hazard fashion, to give you some idea (all though you can't get a very full one) of what life has been like.

The Stations of the Cross, put on by a group of homeschool teens which I recently became involved with. It was awesome.
The view from our hotel room in DC. I was, to say the least, pleased.
What my dad and I did with the snowbanks on either side of our driveway

My cousins and I at Mt. Vernon, overlooking the incredible view of the Patomic. You can have no idea of how awesome it was from this picture. Mt. Vernon was really incredible, hopefully I'll get a chance to post more fully on it.
Our group at the March for Life. 'Twas a combonation of Rock for Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin as you can probably see from the signs.

Your humble servant enjoying the beauty of the Fransiscan Monastery in DC.

I do not at the moment have any particularly iconic pictures of The Wilderness or of the Latin Convention. If I get ahold of some I will try to post them.

One other reason for the major neglect here was ChesterTeens. Believe it or not, I've been posting on it!!! Discussions and things, what fun, go take a look.

Tolkien and Beowulf

2008-02-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Well, we're having a discussion of Beowulf on Sunday. Due to a brief mention of Tolkien's interest in this book in a DVD lecture on Beowulf, we have been hunting "high and low" for more references and our search has not been fruitless. Although I have to warn anyone planning on browsing the indexes of Tolkien: Man and Myth, Letters to Tolkien and Tolkien: A Celebration, they are very distracting. With references such as Alice in Wonderland, Chesterton and The Ballad of the White Horse, it is virtually impossible to focus on the topic in hand. Following some of these references I learned that although, when he was younger, Tolkien was a big fan of the Ballad, later on he became critical. I found this bit from a letter to his son Christopher in 1944, quite fascinating:

Priscilla... has been wading through the Ballad of the White Horse for the last many nights; and my efforts to explain the obscurer parts to her convince me that it is not as good as I thought. The ending is absurd. The brilliant smash and glitter of the words and phrases (when they come off, and are not mere loud colors) cannot disguise the fact that G.K.C. knew nothing whatever about the "North", heathen or Christian.

I also learned that drumroll please C.S. Lewis knew much of the Ballad of the White Horse by heart! And that (this I heard in a different place) Tolkien had memorized all of Beowulf in Old English!

And actually, believe it or not, I did follow the Beowulf references as well. On page 89 of Tolkien: A Celebration I found this:

Tolkien's remarks in his classic essay Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics are the best I have seen on the 'Germanic' vision, but he considered Beowulf's author to be a Christian who was looking back at a heathen heroic past, and his theme, 'man at war with the hostile world, and his inevitable overthrow in Time' is one 'no Christian need despise.'

So anyways... just a few interesting tidbits, after the discussion I may very well have more

Judith of France By Margaret Leighton

2008-02-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

On the reccomendation of Algernon and his sister I recently read two books, the titles of which are Judith of France and Journey for a Princess. They were both very good, although I am still unable to decide which I like better, and I shall hereby attempt to write a post about them. Judith of France first, Journey for a Princess, hopefully to follow soon.

Judith of France was the great-granddaughter of Charlemagne the Great. However that magnificent king's line is no longer great. The sons of Charlemagne now wage petty wars between themselves, and it is for this reason, and for the pursuit of wealth and prestige, that Judith's father arranges a marriage for her. Heartlessly, he betrothes high-spirited, still teenaged Judith to the sixty year old king of England, Aethulwulf. Already weighed down with this news, Judith is told by the Archbishop of Reims that it is his belief that she is irrevocably doomed to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother, that is to cause strife and even war; "father against son, brother against brother". Frightened, confused and disheartened she brings the story to her tutor, bringing about one of my favorite scenes, where the latter tells her in much better words then mine that no man's future is set in stone, that choices can and must be made and that, with God's help, she can do what is right. Vastly relieved, she makes a vow never to be the cause of strife between family or friends. This vow leads her to many tough decisions and, which shape her story into an unusual, thought-provoking and satisfying tale.
WARNING: due to Judith's vow the story contains some slightly mature content.

I've Been Tagged

2008-01-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

A. Lynch tagged me for this meme. What fun!

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

"Of which he was the patron. I was there
From college visiting the son- the son
A Walter too with others of our set,"

(From Poems of Tennyson the poem is The Princess; A Medley)

I Tag:

All of the ChesterTeens.

D.C. March for Life Trip

2008-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to think of a nice well-written opening to this post and, having utterly failed, I shall proceed to make my point in as few words as possible....

I'm in D.C.! Having no internet access readily available, I shall confine myself to a fairly short post, however, when I get back home I will try to write a long (or several) and probably boring post. So for now, I'm merely checking in and providing a brief list of our activities.

Scenery in Maryland and Virginia
Although I unfortunately have no pictures of the scenery through which we drove on the first couple of days, it was gorgeous. Thanks to the audio book "Mount Vernon Love Story", my mind was already in a revolutionary war mentality and the forests, hills and fields that surrounded us, under the light of a setting sun, made a perfect backdrop for imagining scenes from that time. It was incredibly easy to see a band of revolutionary soldiers walking through that field, or hiding in that wood, fighting on that hill. Unfortunately my writing skills are such that you can have no idea of how cool is was, unless you have gone there yourself.

Mt. Vernon

The Franciscan Monastery (in D.C.)

Bus Tour of the City

For an hour-long bus tour of the city, we joined our Pro-Life Wisconsin Group. Among other things, we saw the Iwo Jima statue and the Lincoln Memorial (we got to get off the bus and walk around at both places). Also, we saw the Ford Theatre (in passing) and the National Air Force Memorial.

Pro-Life Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Funny Story...

While ordering breakfast at a restaurant this morning, we ran into my mom's roommate from college! Surprisingly, she recognized ME because I look like my mom and she's probably seen me in Christmas photos. Wow!

The March for Life itself

It was cold, but it was also cool. We began with walking to a preparatory rally at which a number of people (including presidential candidate Ron Paul) gave brief speeches. Unfortunately, due to our distance from the stage and the many distractions by which we were surrounded, I was not able to listen properly to the speeches. Luckily, EWTN offers post-march replays of the rally, so I hope to see it later. Before many of the speeches were over, our group (Pro-Life Wisconsin) departed in order to get an early place in the march. After standing on the sidewalk for about an hour, the march finally began. During that time, we prayed the rosary and my cousin sang a lot of ridiculous songs. There were a lot of groups around us and our group was standing with Rock for Life (with which we have been doing many activities).

Many people chanted: "Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Roe v. Wade has got to go!"

The number of people was astoundingly large. I've heard several different numbers on how many - somebody said half a million, somebody said a quarter of a million, somebody said 200,000, so I don't know, there were a lot! It was a somewhat squishy day in D.C. :)

The vast majority of them were young people - all very enthusiastic - smiling, jumping, chanting. It was fun being part of the group. I found it inspiring and hopeful, to put it mildly. Once we reached the Supreme Court, many people gathered around to hear testimonies of women and men (belonging to the group "Silent No More") who had had an abortion and since greatly regretted it. The stories were sad and bittersweet.

After that we went back to our motel room and rested. We were outside and on our feet for about five hours.

More details to be added later. I'm off to dinner...

2008-01-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

Happy Birthday Tolkien!

December in Pictures

2007-12-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

(unfortunately I have no pics of Midnight Mass at Holy Hill which was absolutely incredible)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone."

"The hands that made the sun and stars were too small to reach the huge heads of cattle."

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

"Rejoice! For unto us a Child is born! Unto us a Son is given! And the government shall be upon His shoulders and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace!"

From Art Class

2007-12-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Free Rice

2007-12-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ameliorate your vocabulary, and donate rice to the poor, without leaving your seat or spending a nickel, click here.

Thanksgiving

2007-12-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Well in case you didn't guess from the title, or from my recent neglect of the blogsphere, I have been rather busy lately. Thanksgiving week in particular was rather hectic, and absolutely wonderful. Beginning on tuesday with Library Tree set-up and our second performance of Alice in Wonderland, the week was off to a great start. This performance far surpassed our earlier production, especially in clarity of speach. Yet, the marvelous events of the day did rather retard our ability for quick packing.

Thus by late Wednesday morning, our estimated time of departure was rapidly progressing later and later in the day. This, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for we were better equipped for picking up my cousin and her boyfriend at the mn. airport from a late flight. Naturally our arrival at our destination was slightly later then was planned, 2:30 AM to be precise. However, we survived, and I, for one, greatly enjoyed the experience, having at my disposal a small flashlight and the books Waking Rose and Jane Eyre (the latter I mostly read while there was still natural light, for that book had smaller print, the former I devoured once sundown made necessary artificial light), and the lateness of the hour made for a quiet car. Needless to say, our sleeping schedules were slightly thrown off.

For the rest of the weekend we enjoyed:

my uncle's incredible cooking (gourmet on paper plates, with a few china plates mixed in),

three games of Monopoly, three of Ticket to Ride, two of Settlers of Cataan,

Jane Eyre and Waking Rose

and the company of cousins and friends, from whom we are normally seperated by large distances.

To my great joy, the company included my cousin, mystical_rose84, whose residence being many hundreds of miles away, lessens frequent communication.

What a wonderful week!

Alice In Wonderland

2007-11-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

During this past fall, a number of my friends and I have been getting together weekly, organizing, practicing and perfecting our presentation of Alice In Wonderland. On this past thursday evening, the fifteen of us put on our first performance at a local nursing home. So far so good! This is one of my favorite pics from the evening, but there are a few more here for any who are interested.

My Shoes- Frank and Kate

2007-11-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

If you say so

2007-10-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Manalive

2007-10-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

Chesterton's ability to weave astonishing paradoxes, marvelous truths and perfect humor into a engaging, educating and incredible story is astounding, and in Manalive he certainly puts his gifts to work.

Innocent Smith is a mystery. Literally blown in to the story by a great wind, he begins climbing trees, spouting nonsensical English, retrieving hats and creating a general feeling cheerfulness as soon as his feet touch ground. In the course of the next few pages, this atmosphere becomes more pronounced and by the middle of chapter four all of the principle characters are engaged to one and other. Thus a happily-ever-after ending seems just around the corner. However before that can become a reality we meet several crime-specialists who introduce a startling series of accusations which question the Innocence of Inoccent. In a makeshift courtroom, the charges of murder, burglary, desertion and polygamy are brought to the doorstep of Mr. Smith. His freedom seems, to put it midly, lost. But, as one of my friends once said, "surprises are the hallmark of the Sage of Beaconsfield*", and as someone who I would greatly like to call my friend once said "things are not always as they seem." Although none of the evidence against Smith is false, he is indeed as blameless as his name suggests. As we learn near the end of the book "he has broken the conventions but he has kept the commandments."

However, the basic storyline can only give you the faintest of ideas of how hilarious and how true and thoughtful this marvelous book is. If you don't own a copy, you can read it here. Just read a few paragraphs whenever you have a spare minute, it is well worth your time.
*Chesterton

For Writing Class this Week

2007-10-20T12:32:00.001-07:00

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

In 1873 in Liseux France, Louis and Zelie Martin gave birth to a ninth child and named her Mary Therese. When Therese was only four, her mother died. Choosing Pauline as her "little mother" after her own mother's death, Therese became very close to her older sister. When Pauline joined the cloistered Carmelite order, Therese was understandably devastated, and soon fell ill. Terrified by hallucinations and burning with fever, Therese lay in danger of death. Her anxious family, in an almost constant state of prayer, moved the statue of the Lady of the Smile into the sickroom. Suddenly instead of the monsters that had been tormenting her for weeks Therese saw a beautiful woman, smiling gently. Therese was miraculously cured. Despite her sadness at Pauline's departure, Therese was drawn to the Carmelite order, and when another sister Marie also entered the order, Therese was drawn even closer. As a young teen Therese began her quest to enter Carmel, but over and over, she was refused. Finally at the age of fifteen Therese’s peaceful battle was won and she entered the convent. A number of years later, after her sister Celine had also joined the Carmelites, Therese contracted tuberculosis. She tried valiantly to conceal her sickness and played her part well enough that to some it seemed that she was faking her illness, but in 1897 tuberculosis took her life. Thanks to the numerous miracles attributed to the Little Flower, her beatification took place much earlier then was usual, in 1923, and canonized only two years later.

The Little Flower’s spiritual beauty did not mature in one simple spurt, but slowly bloomed over the course of her life, as the Great Gardener watched over her and gently guided her to Sainthood. Therese learned to pray at the age of two and to perform sacrifices at three. By the age of eleven frequent prayer at ordinary tasks had become a habit. Yet Therese was still very much a child. Then at fourteen she experienced what she called her Christmas Conversion, and the childish teen became a woman. Although Therese wanted to be a missionary and a martyr, after entering Carmel she realized this calling was not readily available for cloistered nuns. So she prayed instead. She prayed for the missionaries whom she could not join, she did her chores without complaining, and with these and other small sacrifices she earned her way to heaven. Outwardly she was plain, she did nothing that seemed exceptional to anyone, but her soul was growing more and more beautiful with each tiny chore. It is this little way of hers that shows us holiness is within our reach, and tells us, with more then just words, that anyone can be a saint.

In 1929, the young woman who considered herself so weak, and whose dream of becoming a missionary and martyr was never fulfilled, was proclaimed Patroness of Foreign Missions. She shared this high honor with St. Francis Xavier. Eighteen years later in 1947, this same young woman was made Patroness of her country of France, along with the saint she had always looked up to so much, St. Joan of Arc.

Great deeds are forbidden me. I cannot preach the gospel nor shed my blood- but what does it matter? My brothers toil instead of me and I, a little child, keep close by the throne of God and I love for those who fight. Love proves itself by deeds. I will scatter flowers, perfuming the Divine Throne, and I'll sweetly sing my hymn of love. These flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least of actions for love.

99 balloons

2007-10-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still wiping my eyes.

90th Anniversary of The Miracle of the Sun at Fatima

2007-10-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's today!!! Happy Anniversary!

A Little Literary Math

2007-10-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Frequent rereading of The Ballad of the White Horse, especially of the third book, in an attempt at memorization + reading through the script of Alice in Wonderland (combined with Through the Looking Glass, our drama groups' first performance) numerous times= the rather odd combination, which you see below, running through the head:

How swiftly and with peril
They gather all good things,*
Shoes and ships and sealing wax
Of cabbages and kings*

*The high horns of the forest beasts,
Or the secret stones of kings.
-From book three of The Ballad of the White Horse By G.K. Chesterton

*And why the sea is boiling hot
and whether pigs have wings
-From Through the Looking Glass By Lewis Carrol

The Battle of Lepanto

2007-10-07T16:37:00.001-07:00

Since today is the 436th anniversary of the battle of Lepanto and since I am a Chesterton lover, obviously I must post part of Chesterton's poem on that rightly famous battle. So voila, the actual battle scene from the poem you see below your current eyelevel, assuming you are reading this. The earlier part of this poem is well worth your time (my mom and I just read it outloud together, and it sounded amazing) and you can read it here. Oh and the Wikipedia Lepanto page is quite interesting as well. Anyways, time for the poem.

The Pope was in his chapel before day or battle broke,
(Don John of Austria is hidden in the smoke.)
The hidden room in man's house where God sits all the year,
The secret window whence the world looks small and very dear.
He sees as in a mirror on the monstrous twilight sea
The crescent of his cruel ships whose name is mystery;
They fling great shadows foe-wards, making Cross and Castle dark,
They veil the plumèd lions on the galleys of St. Mark;
And above the ships are palaces of brown, black-bearded chiefs,
And below the ships are prisons, where with multitudinous griefs,
Christian captives sick and sunless, all a labouring race repines
Like a race in sunken cities, like a nation in the mines.
They are lost like slaves that sweat, and in the skies of morning hung
The stair-ways of the tallest gods when tyranny was young.
They are countless, voiceless, hopeless as those fallen or fleeing on
Before the high Kings' horses in the granite of Babylon.
And many a one grows witless in his quiet room in hell
Where a yellow face looks inward through the lattice of his cell,
And he finds his God forgotten, and he seeks no more a sign--
(But Don John of Austria has burst the battle-line!)
Don John pounding from the slaughter-painted poop,
Purpling all the ocean like a bloody pirate's sloop,
Scarlet running over on the silvers and the golds,
Breaking of the hatches up and bursting of the holds,
Thronging of the thousands up that labour under sea
White for bliss and blind for sun and stunned for liberty.

Vivat Hispania!
Domino Gloria!
Don John of Austria
Has set his people free!

Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath
(Don John of Austria rides homeward with a wreath.)
And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain,
Up which a lean and foolish knight for ever rides in vain,
And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade....
(But Don John of Austria rides home from the Crusade.)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

2007-10-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Jefferson Smith is an idealistic, small-town young man who suddenly finds himself a United States senator. Placed in his position by a rich, power-hungry man, Mr. James A. Taylor, Smith is not supposed to do anything but vote on a bill, allegedly constructed as a relief bill, but actually concocted to fill the pockets of Taylor. When Smith uncovers the plan and tries to tell the senate the truth, he finds himself engaged in an overpowering battle against the unbelieveably powerful Taylor. But against overwhelming odds, Smith keeps fighting, and the quote below is from the climax of this fight, and actually the whole movie. Ahem I quote from memory, so it's not quite word for word.

I guess this is just another lost cause Mr. Payne. All you people don’t know about lost causes, Mr. Payne does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for, and he fought for them once, for the only reason that any man does. Because of just one simple rule; Love thy Neighbor. And in this world today full of hate a man who knows that rule has a great trust, you know that rule Mr. Payne, and I loved you for it just like my father did. And you know that you fought for the lost causes harder then any others, you even died for them, like a man we both knew.
You think I’m licked, you all think I’m licked. Well I’m not licked. I’m gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause, even if this room gets filled with lies like these. And all the Taylors and Paynes come marching in. Somebody will listen to me.

Starring James Stewart (in what I personally think is his finest performance) this is an incredible movie, and I VERY highly reccomend it.

JBY 07

2007-10-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

I attended John Bosco Youth Day for the third time this year, and I have to say, it keeps getting better. Archbishop Dolan, Steve Angriasino, Martin Doman, Andy Meier... and so much more, it was incredible. The Archbishop began the day with an opening prayer and short address, and led a decade of the rosary. One of the coolest things about JBY is the atmosphere (the best word I can think of for it) created by so many people united with one purpose, the atmosphere that can turn such mediocre songs as Open My Eyes Lord, into beautiful hymns. And since the rosary is already such a great prayer well: rosary+ archibishop Dolan + JBY atmosphere + the communion of saints, whose presence it was not difficult to feel= One amazing 15 minutes.

Directly following the archibishop's departure, Steve Angriasino gave his talk. His stories of courage in the Columbine high school shooting in his town, a girl who refused to deny her faith and survived eight bullets and a boy who gave up his life for his friend made for a very moving talk.

After him there was a drama called "ropes" performed by several members of the Holy Hill Youth Group, but I can't tell you much about how it looked from the audience since I was on the stage.

Then came lunch including a very crowded trip up the Holy Hill tower and time to chat with a few of the dozens of friends who were also there. Following that was a brief talk by a few Dominican nuns from Nashville.

Next (as you see to your right) Andy Meier came and played percussion with Martin Doman and his band. I think the song was God of Wonders, but I can't remember for sure. If it was, it certainly would have made sense. For about a week earlier this year, doctors were doubtful that Andy would live, and now he's back playing percussion. It was awesome.

Unfortunately I had to leave after this ): so I can't tell you much more, however I hear that Andy stayed and played percussion for adoration and mass as well. Well I have a number of friends who did stay, perhaps I can get one of them to write about the rest of the day.

Oh, the pictures I have aren't very good, but I'm hoping there will be some published somewhere from a better photographer that I can at least link to in the near (or far) future.

The Wide Horizon

2007-09-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

In this second installment of the Texas Panhandle saga, Loula Grace Erdman tells the story of the middle girl, timid, artistic Katie.

Melinda is recently married and living in Amarillo 30 miles away with Dennis Kennedy, a name familiar to those who have read the first in this series, The Wind Blows Free. Before Katie can quite accustom herself to life without Melinda, word comes that grandmother has been seriously injured in a fall, and mama must go back to East Texas to care for her. This leaves Katie in charge, Katie, who had always relied on these two for initiative and now must take the lead. Keeping house for papa, her two older brothers and her younger sister, is not an easy task. And besides this arrangment has delayed Katie's entrance into the highschool back in East Texas, the school that will perfectly fit her interests. But despite these difficulties, the year progresses, and so does Katie's ability. Overcoming her baking troubles with the help of her younger sister, taking care of two small children in addition to her own family and fighting her way through a fierce blizzard are but a few of the difficulties Katie must try her hand at. But, like her older sister Melinda, Katie doesn't give up and finally conquers her fears and inablilities in this story of pioneer life in the Texas Panhandle.

Frank's recorder

2007-09-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the tenor recorder I'm borrowing, and the recorder lessons that Terri and Bernie have started recently, the dulcet (and sometimes very squeaky) tones of recorders have been echoing through the house. Just now upstairs, I was playing Danny Boy with music spread around me, and Frank, who had just got out of the bath, plopped down beside me and began to "play" on a water recorder, with his eyes firmly fixed on his "music", a.k.a. a Cherokee clothes tag.

Fabre's Book of Insects

2007-09-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

After an approximately year long endeavor, I finally finished reading Fabre's Book of Insects. Jean Henri Fabre chronicles the lives and adventures of a number of different types of insects. His reader will become acquainted with the scarab beetle who rolls his one and only kind of fare in a perfectly shaped ball before him as he traverses difficult terrain then stores it in his lair. The reader will follow out most learned and interesting guide into the nests of bees of numerous descriptions and into the wonderfully crafted, and actually used home of the locust. He will explorethe secrets of the lives of murderous parasites and the mysterious burrowings of Capricorn grub. These and many more adventures await he who reads Fabre's Book of Insects.
Written by a French Catholic Naturalist, I found this book rather slow, but still very interesting.

Sunset Light

2007-09-10T15:55:00.001-07:00

Frank

2007-09-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

A Simplified Timeline

2007-09-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Of my summer, and also my excuse for exactly twelve posts over the course of three months.

JUNE:
Finishing up school
ChesterCon
Love2Learn reunion is SD

JULY:
Short notice trip to Springfield IL
A retreat at Schoenstatt
Left for Oklahoma

AUGUST:
Spent a few days with 19 cousins, 3 aunts, 3 uncles, grandparents and hundreds of animals on hundreds of acres in Oklahoma
A very brief visit with a friend from SD
Saying farewell to a very dear friend who is now at WCC
Had a whole family of South Dakotians visit for a week, which included a visit to Six Flags Great America

SEPTEMBER:
A Labor Day party yesterday
Back to School tomorrow

And this doesn't even include all of the parties, discussions etc. with people who, luckily, don't live so far away.
Perhaps I'll have a few (or maybe a lot) of pics to share later, we shall see... What an incredible summer!!!!!

One more...

2007-09-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

... then I really, really, really want to go read this so no elaborate, or even relatively lengthy descriptions of this one, I will only say that I did this at the same time and from the same book, listening to the same CD as the other one.

Abraham Lincoln

2007-09-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

From "Draw Real People", the office floor, The Shadow of the Bear audiobook and some spare time comes... Abraham Lincoln! (and another face to follow very shortly).

BTW I haven't stopped doing artwork, I just joined this blog, and have had a ridiculously full, yet incredibly fun summer. And maybe, if my schoolyear doesn't turn out to be as crazy as my summer was, I will have a chance to post on some of the goings-on which have so sadly deprived this blog of posts.

Thank You

2007-08-22T17:25:00.001-07:00

To my parents who, in their fifteen years of marriage, have given to me and my siblings; life, love, faith, home and everything else; and who have taught us to love all good things, Thank you. Thank you a thousand times and more.

Happy Fifteenth Anniversary!!!

Ask Sister Mary Martha

2007-08-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

On this delightful blog I just discovered, Ask Sister Mary Martha, the Harry Potter question just came up, thanks to my friend and fellow ChesterTeen, Lucia. It's a great response, not to mention a hilarious one, do read it, you won't be sorry.

Old Friends

2007-08-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Allow me to introduce mysticalrose84, myself (the baby) and our mutual friend and cousin, fourteen years ago. These two now live in Oklahoma along with 13 other cousins, and I had a superb time visiting them and their families a few weeks ago (that's part of why my blogging has been so scanty lately).

How to waste time on a Saturday morning

2007-08-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere.
Kunst, wie Sittlichkeitsgefühl, besteht, wenn sie irgendwo die Linie zeichnet. (German)
L'art, comme la moralité, consiste en traçant la ligne quelque part. (French)
Искусствоо, как morality, состоит в рисовать линию где-то.(Russian)
藝術, 像道德, 包括在劃清界線某處。(Chinese)
Η τέχνη, όπως την ηθική, συνίσταται να σύρει τη γραμμή κάπου. (Greek)
L'arte, come la moralità, è costituita nel disegno della linea in qualche luogo. (Italian)
芸術は、道徳のようなラインをどこかに引出すことで、成っている。(Japanese)
예술은, 도덕 선을 어딘가에 인출하기안에, 이루어져 있는다. (Korean)
A arte, como o morality, consiste em extrair a linha em algum lugar. (Portuguese)
El arte, como moralidad, consiste en el dibujo de la línea en alguna parte. (Spanish)
De kunst, zoals ethiek, bestaat uit ergens het trekken van de lijn. (Dutch)

I'm sure it's evident that I don't like translators, or languages for that matter, and never spend to much time translating Chesterton quotes on them. (: How do you waste time on a Saturday morning (or any morning really)? Just click on the word translators above.

To Kill a Mockingbird- Study Questions

2007-07-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

It is not the main point of this post to tell you why this blog has been so sadly neglected. But a brief explanation should be given. The past week and a half or so has been crazy. Springfield, Schoenstatt, Youth Group, Harry Potter 5 (the movie) and Harry Potter 7 (the book) have made blogging rather lighter then usual. Speaking of Harry Potter 7, there is a very interesting discussion going on here, and at Flying Stars another can be found, but be warned all ye who have not yet read the book, spoilers are brought up numerous times.

That said 'tis time for study questions. To Kill a Mockingbird was one of our teen discussion books about three months ago, and just today I finally finished answering the study questions for this book. Nota Bene, a number of my answers come from our discussion group, not all of them are my own.

1. From whose point of view is this story told?
The story is told from the point of view of Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout.

Who do you think the author chose this character instead of Jem?
In Scout's narrative there is a childlike simplicity that gives the book a character which would be much less evident in Jem's less childish story.

2. How does Jem look on his father early in the book? (give at least one example)
Although Jem loves his father, he thinks that he is not very good at anything, as in the incident of Jem's annoyance with Atticus for not playing football.

Does his view seem to change by the end?
Yes

If so, how?
In the course of the story, Jem sees his father doing things, e.g. the mad dog incident and the court scene, which show him that his father is good, very good, at many things, things that are actually more important then football and such. Many times throughout the book Jem sees more of his father's character, and learns that it is strong and very good, thus Jem comes to respect and admire his father.

3. Who is Mrs. Dubose?
Mrs. Dubose is the cranky neighbor lady who is always hurling insults at passersby.

Why do the children hate her so?
The children hate her because of the insulting things she says about them and especially the nasty comments concerning Atticus and his court case.

When Atticus realizes how angry Jem is over Mrs. Dubose's comments, he says: "You just hold your head high and be a gentlemen. Whatever she says to you, it's your job not to let her make you mad." What does this comment tell you about Atticus's children?
I think it illustrates, as is seen in other places as well, that Atticus is rather passive ordinarily yet can make up his mind and stick to it remarkably well. I think that is largely because he doesn't get angry and stubborn about every little thing. The question of how Atticus tries to raise his children comes up in another question so I won't go into it again.

How did the children end up helping Mrs. Dubose?
The children helped Mrs. Dubose by reading to her and thus distracting her from the pain that ensued when she stopped taking drugs.

4. In chapter 11, Atticus and Scout briefly discuss why he feels he must defend Tom Robinson. Atticus says, "The one thing that doesn't abide by a majority rule is a person's conscience." Explain what he mans by this and how this belief causes conflict for him within the community.
Atticus means that although everyone else may be against what's right, a person's conscience (if it is well formed) will still tell you the what it right, although it may conflict with what the others say. Since Atticus followed his conscience, thus following God, rather then the popular prejudice, some of the people of his town were very angry, in a few cases, violent.

5. How was the Finch's family life different than others they knew?
Atticus let his children have a pretty free rein to do a good deal of what they wanted to, not whatever they wanted to. Also the lack of a mother in the household made their family life different then the typical one.

How did other people view the way their father was raising them?
Most other people viewed Atticus's methods with a critical eye, they thought he was far to lenient with his children.

What do you think of Atticus Finch as a father?
I think Atticus Finch is a wonderful father. He taught by example as well as by telling his children what is right and so he provided them with a better sense of right and wrong.

6. Why was Tom Robinson's case so hopeless?
Tom Robinson's case was so hopeless because of the great prejudice against Negroes in the south at that time.

What did it say about the judge that he asked Atticus Finch to represent Tom Robinson? The fact that the judge chose Atticus Finch to represent the man who was sure to be condemned shows that the judge cared about justice, and Tom Robinson and wanted to be sure that he had a fair trial.

7. What is the meaning of the title of the book?
To put it simply the meaning of the title of the book is that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird as we see in the story so named.
Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?
It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because a mockingbird does no harm to anyone, but merely sings its beautiful song.

Who is the mockingbird in the book? (Feel free to mention more than one if you think it appropriate).
Tom Robinson is the most obvious example but Arthur (Boo) Radley also illustrates the characteristics of the mockingbird.

Given this title, what do you think the author would consider to be the most important point of the book?
I don't know that I can pinpoint one particular most important point among the many themes present in the book including: love, hope, justice (shown partly through an excess of injustice) and courage.

8. What do you think this book might teach parents about raising children in difficult times and under difficult circumstances?
To Parents raising children under difficult circumstances To Kill a Mockingbird would show them, and hopefully inspire them to teach their children by their actions and not just their words. It might also show them that while they can't shield their children from everything, they can help them to overcome the difficulties thrust at them.

From Orthodoxy By GKC

2007-07-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

The whole secret of mysticism is this: that man can understand everything by the help of something he cannot understand.

(Chap. 2 The Maniac)

Happy 4th

2007-07-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

I would like to write a long(er) post with at least some poetry, but I just returned from a 24 hour 4th of July party, and would really like to curl up on the couch, so I'll just say go here for some photos and.....

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

St. Paul

2007-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Since today is the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul, and since Paul one of my favorite saints, I think a post is in order. So, St. Paul's conversion story, in his own words (Acts 22:3-21):

I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gameliel, taught according to the truth of the law of the fathers, zealous for the law, as also all you are this day: Who persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, As the high priest doth bear me witness and all the ancients. From whom also receiving letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus, that I might bring them bound from thence to Jerusalem to be punished. And it came to pass, as I was going and drawing nigh to Damascus, at mid-day, that suddenly from heaven there shone round about me a great light: And falling on the ground, I heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered: Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light: but they heard not the voice of him that spoke with me. And I said: What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me: Arise and go to Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things that thou must do. And whereas I did not see for the brightness of that light, being led by the hand by my companions, I came to Damascus, And one Ananias, a man according to the law, having testimony of all the Jews who dwelt there, Coming to me and standing by me, said to me: Brother Saul, look up. And I, the same hour, looked upon him. But he said: The God of our fathers hath preordained thee that thou shouldst know his will and see the Just One and shouldst hear the voice from his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness to all men of those things which thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? Rise up and be baptized and wash away thy sins, invoking his name. And it came to pass, when I was come again to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance, For thou shalt be his witness to all men of those things which thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? Rise up and be baptized and wash away thy sins, invoking his name. And it came to pass, when I was come again to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance, And saw him saying unto me: Make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: because they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said: Lord, they know that I cast into prison and beat in every synagouge them that believed in thee. And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I stood by and consented: and kept the garments of them that killed him. And he said to me: Go, for unto the Gentiles afar off will I send thee.

Photo by: mharrsch

What a Trip!

2007-06-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

On Monday we returned from our ten day excursion through Minnesota and South Dakota. From Caddie Woodlawn's house to ChesterCon, from Mt. Rushmore to the Badlands, from friend's house to another friend's house and all the way back home this trip has been incredible.

ChesterCon: I met: Dr. Thursday, Dale, Laura and Julian Ahlquist, Aidan Mackey, Geir Hasnes, Robert Moore-Jumonville, Kurt Griffen.... and dozens of other wonderful people whose names I unfortunately do not know. I also had the opportunity to spend time with old friends such as Mrs. Brown and the Daly family. And the talks were wonderful too! As was getting a standing ovation after I recited my piece from the Ballad of the White Horse, I still can't believe it. Wow what an amazing conference, I really, really, really, really, really hope to go next year.

South Dakota: We saw Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, De Smet, the Geology Museum, EROS, The Air and Space Museum.... and had a simply marvelous time with friends whom we VERY seldom see.

I will probably post with more details later, but that's all for now folks.

Meet John Doe

2007-06-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

A spur-of-the-moment publicity stunt turns into a nationwide movement for simple things like loving your neighbor. And people who were just in it for the money learn the necessity of these things and become better in the process. It culminates in a dramatic and moving (I was crying) climax which leaves us with the challenge that faces everyone trying to not only lead a good life but also to make the world a better place to live in. Starring Gary Cooper, I highly recommend this movie.

Frank and a Football

2007-06-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

Franciscan E-Cards

2007-06-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

They have lists of saints on most days of each months and e-cards to go with each of them, check it out.
Hat-Tip- Lucia

The Very Little Miracles

2007-05-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

After I have said a quick prayer-

~I was finally able to pull a particularly difficult bed sheet out from where it was stuck
~someone stopped on a quite busy street to let me cross
~we made it to Mass with a few minutes to spare before hand, when that did not seem at all possible
~and all the others that I have forgotten

They happen everyday, they aren't always life changing (although many definitely are), they are usually not accompanied by a bolt of lightning, they're just little reminders that Someone's up there and He loves you.

The Rose Round By Meriol Trevor

2007-05-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

I finished this wonderful book a while ago, but I have neglected to post on it (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa:). So now the time has come to post.

Thirteen year-old Matt and his grown-up sister Caroline (Caro) are orphans. Therefore Caroline must work, that is she must work until her rich fiance plucks up enough courage to ask his father's permission to marry her. Matt, still in school, spends most of his time with his cranky Aunt, since she lives in a convenient location. But when Caro begins to work at Woodhall, a very old mansion, he spends his holidays with her. During his stay, Matt becomes acquainted with high-spirited Alix Ayre, grandaughter of cold, proud Madame Ayre, and Theo, Madame's crippled son. Through the eyes of Matt, we see Madame's bitter personality and cold disapproval of Theo, the seclusion which she forces upon Alix, and many other tense relationships at Woodhall. When Theo decides to bring his St. Raphael school for crippled children to Woodhall the tension rises. Alix is forced by Madame to stay away from the children, and in a foolish attempt to visit Matt, she endangers Theo's life.

Theo's character, patient, loving yet firm when he sets his will, and the conversations regarding the four Evangelists among other things, give this book many interesting quotes, and make this book a wonderful read. Beautiful and thought-provoking, like all of Meriol Trevor's works that I have yet read, I highly recommend this book.

If you are interested in more books similar to this one I would also recommend Sun Slower, Sun Faster, another great book by the same author. Both The Rose Round and Sun Slower, Sun Faster are available from Bethlehem Books.

Red Falcons of Tremoine By Hendry Peart

2007-05-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

At fifteen Leo, living at the Abbey of St. Michael in England in the 13th century, knows nothing about his past or parentage. The Abbot of the said Abbey alone knows the boy's history but tells him nothing until the heir of the house of Wardlock is killed in the crusades. Then after receiving permission from Sir Maurice (the current lord of Wardlock) the Abbot tells Leo that he is the heir not only to the house of Wardlock but also the heir to their traditional enemy the house of Tremoine. He is the child of a Romeo and Juliet sort of marriage, his father killed by his brother in law, Rolf and his mother dead soon after entrusting her son to the care of the Abbott. Much excited by this news, Leo leaves the Abbey and goes to live with his kind grandparents, Sir Maurice of Wardlock and his wife. Several happy months pass in the company of his grandparents. Then Leo visits the Abbey. Finding the Abbot absent he travels on to the place where his parents were married. There he is forcefully captured by his Uncle Rolf and forced to become heir to the lands of Tremoine. The Tremoine Temper is strong in both Leo and Rolf and clashes of will are frequent. Yet Leo's gentle side, prominent when not provoked, soon makes him friends among the castle residents and perhaps it is softening Rolf as well. In Rolf's castle unfolds an engaging tale of courage and forgiveness.

Unsharpened Colored Pencils can accomplish a good deal

2007-05-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy "impromptu" or "lazy" colored pencil drawings. I have sat down at a table or at the top of the stairs and found within a very short distance (since I was to lazy to go search for better materials) hardly sharpened pencils and paper already drawn on on one side but the results are often better then some others I have drawn with much more preparation. The other day I did such a "lazy" drawing, and it turned out pretty well considering.

More Acrylics

2007-05-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

I did an acrylic painting in art class of the chapel we visited last June when we went to the Minnesota Homeschool conference. I am posting both the picture I copied from and my acrylic so that you can compare the two. There are many flaws and differences from the original in my acrylic, but it was fun to do and I learned a lot in the process.

Back to Liber, Parma or whatever you want to call a book

2007-05-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well I finally got myself into Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott and finished it rapidly, enjoying every minute of the time spent on it. This delightful story chronicles the entrance (and the time of about a year following it) of a shy orphan, Rose, into her large extended family, whom she had had virtually no contact with in her past life. The family she soon becomes acquainted with includes six lovable and attentive aunts, three kind uncles and seven delightful and rather rowdy boy cousins. After several weeks of unsuccessful attempts by the aunts to cheer up the downcast Rose, her uncle, Dr. Alec arrives. His prescription is many fold but includes no pills, but rather plenty of exercise and other unladylike activities. However odd it seemed to the aunts his method bore increasingly marked and marvelous results, including a wonderful story which I highly recommend.

Thus her health increases rapidly as does her good character. From sacrificing a day of fun for the pleasure of a maid or her precious earrings in order to keep her cousins from bad habits to being peacemaker and encourager to the seven boys Rose's adventures are sure to be interesting, amusing, touching, teaching or any mix of the above. A number of thought-provoking ideas and theories are held within the 200 and more pages in the form of very quotable utterances of the characters or commentary on the scene. To illustrate my point I quote "... in helping seven lads you are unconsciously doing much to improve one lass... "

Okay, enough blabbering for now... I don't want to bore you too badly.

Playing with Acrylics

2007-04-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Since we have been doing acrylics in art class I have also been expirementing with acrylics at home. I am having so much fun with them, I love mixing colors on and off the page. This is of a castle in Germany... at least I didn't trace it (:

Happy Birthday again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you...

2007-04-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Pope Benedict XVI
Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!

We have been discussing and loving two of his writings lately, Deus Caritas Est and Sacrumentum Caritatis, and so I can quote him for his birthday. This is is from Deus Caritas Est:

Charity, furthermore, cannot be used as a means of engaging in what is nowadays considered proselytism. Love is free; it is not practised as a way of achieving other ends.[30] But this does not mean that charitable activity must somehow leave God and Christ aside. For it is always concerned with the whole man. Often the deepest cause of suffering is the very absence of God. Those who practise charity in the Church's name will never seek to impose the Church's faith upon others. They realize that a pure and generous love is the best witness to the God in whom we believe and by whom we are driven to love. A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak. He knows that God is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8) and that God's presence is felt at the very time when the only thing we do is to love. He knows—to return to the questions raised earlier—that disdain for love is disdain for God and man alike; it is an attempt to do without God. Consequently, the best defence of God and man consists precisely in love. It is the responsibility of the Church's charitable organizations to reinforce this awareness in their members, so that by their activity—as well as their words, their silence, their example—they may be credible witnesses to Christ.

Isn't that cool?????? So again,
Happy 80th Birthday Pope Bendedict XVI!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is Risen, Alleluia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Do watch this, it's awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Good Friday

2007-04-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

We adore Thee oh Christ and we praise Thee

Because By Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Pope John Paul the Great

2007-04-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Seeing as tomorrow is the second anniversary of the death of our beloved Holy Father John Paul II and I absolutely love him, I'm going to try to pull together some kind of post. Be warned, if you actually plan to read this thing, prepare yourself for a discombobulated and crazy conglomeration of interesting facts, stories etc. That said, let us begin.

To begin with, for anyone interested in learning more about JPII, anyone who knows nothing about him but wants to learn something, or anyone who wants to see an incredible movie, find some way of seeing this, it is more then worth your time. It made me laugh, cry... and love Pope John Paul II. In fact it was mostly this movie that put him on my list of confirmation names. And I now am completely stuck trying to decide between him and St. Paul.
Anyways I also enjoy attempting to draw him as you may have noticed in these two previous posts. This evening I drew another picture of him, as you can see on the left.
Lastly I can't go without mentioning two years ago when he died. Not that I have incredible stories to share, but I watched hours of news coverage that did share incredible stories.

His life story is amazing, but I'm not the one to tell it, there is the movie that I mentioned above and there are dozens of books to explore.

Okay I warned you it was going to be a discombobulated mess, but there you have it.

Playing with Watercolors

2007-03-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

This my attempt to draw a picture of me from the Roman Holiday party. It didn't work. I traced it before I did the watercolors so everything is in the right place, but it still doesn't look at all like me (:

Underground Church

2007-03-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday after co-op I accompanied two of our homeschool friends to their parish to participate in an event known as the underground church. It was a lot of fun. We got there early to set up. That included taping plastic on windows and doors, stringing rope lights through the stairwells, having a " duct tape war", watching a number of my friends play basketball (and they are really good) and enjoying some pizza before the main event began. The game is meant to emulate to some extent the experiences of the early Christians and it works like this.

Once the rules are explained and everyone has been taken over the school (the scene of the event) all the lights are turned out, and it is really dark. Then the kids wander over the school in search of first the "priest", who will give you a very short bible quote on a piece of cardboard to memorize, then the "church", who will give you a ticket, both of which are represented by adults. Once you have both your memorized bible quote and a ticket you bring them to a certain room, turn them in, recite your quote and get two points for your team. But when you have your bible you can get arrested by the adults who represent cops. If you are arrested then you are taken to the kindergarten room where you must stay for five minutes. At the end of two hours the team with the most points wins.

It was fun, even if it was very hot, and I'm definitely hoping to go next year.

Mirror Lake

2007-03-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

On our way back from Duluth way back in June we stopped in a little town called Mondovi and admired the view on a small lake there called Mirror lake. While there we took numerous pictures and I drew what you see on the left from one of those shots. It is supposed to portray one of my cousins sitting with Frank, but it didn't quite succeed. (:

The Bat and the Nightingale

2007-02-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

This was our assignment from this past week; to use the same techniques I mentioned earlier to rewrite the Chinese fable: The Bat and the Nightingale. My version titled "An Uncooperative Concert" is shown below.

On the majestic banks of the River Li, which flows through China, there was once a great forest in which resided many creatures. Although any of these creatures might make very interesting subjects, this tale tells of only two of them, of a bat and a nightingale.

The bat was a nocturnal animal, that is he slept the daylight hours away and patrolled the banks by night, in search of mosquitoes. The other was a nightingale. Although she also was nocturnal, it was just about the only thing she had in common with the bat. Singing was her main occupation, and she sang beautifully, so beautifully that the emperor himself came every night with his royal entourage to hear this tiny bird sing. Unfortunately all this attention made the nightingale quite vain and her neighbor the bat, who was a sensible if unattractive creature, began to feel the effects of it.

After her nightly concert for the emperor she always delighted in insulting and nagging the bat. "You lazy bat!" she would say "I sing nightly for the emperor and his court, and all you do is laze around and eat mosquitoes. You are of no real importance, you should learn to make yourself useful." The bat said nothing. Unhindered, the nightingale' s monologue flowed on, the bat however remained silent, because he was unwilling to engage in argument with such an overly loquacious creature. On the quiet dark banks, later that night, he concocted a clever plan, which would show the nightingale the necessity of talents other then that of singing.

As usual, the emperor came with his typical company to hear the nightingale sing. Seemingly the concert would be the same as it always was, but in reality there was a difference. The bat had stayed at home, comfortably waiting to view the upcoming spectacle. In the branches above the audience mosquitoes swarmed. Unabated by the bat, hungry, called together by the presence of a group of humans, or in their minds food, they pounced. Havoc quickly ensued. Singing on, the nightingale did not notice the courtiers backing away and then running for cover. As the first mosquito pounced on him the emperor jumped, because he was a very small and very thin man his jump was quite astoundingly high, squealed and took off as fast as he could. He was a nervous excitable being and his movement consisted in a cross between a series of nervous jumps and frantic running, he reminded one of a very short grasshopper.

The nightingale then realized she no longer had an audience and seeing the bat hanging lazily on the branch of tree guessed the reason. Humbly she said to the bat "I'm sorry, I should have realized your importance in the forest instead of bragging about my talent. Will you forgive me?" Since the nightingale was really sincere and
because the bat was a kind creature, he did forgive her and from then on they acted in cooperation with each other and thus lived happily ever after.

The Fox and the Crow

2007-02-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

For our co-op writing class we have lately been rewriting stories, which includes note-taking from the original, so called "dress-ups" (good adjectives, strong verbs, who/which clauses etc. etc.) and "sentance openers" (using various techniques to begin sentances). Over the past few weeks we have been working on "The Fox and the Crow". This is my rather overloaded retelling of this old fable.

The Seizing of the Cheese
As many of us know, nearly all foxes are sly and tricky creatures. A fact as plain and simple as this, however, can be easily forgotten by one who has been blinded by flattery. Assuming you will continue reading, you shall soon see the truth of that statement.

In a small clump of forest once stood a great, old, twisted oak. A contented crow rested there one day. The tree which held the crow, also had presented the opportunity of shade, because it was a very hot day, to a wily fox. Craftily he now gazed at the crow, and more specifically her cheese.

"Beautiful raven," he began, thinking that raven sounded more endearing then crow " You are so lovely, gorgeous... ahem fabulous! I am almost overcome with your beauty, yet you sit there and have not even glanced at me." While the crow stared back at him lovingly, completely taken in by his trickery, the fox carefully crafted his next speech. Pleased with his sucsess so far, which was indeed worthy of some pride, he continued quite cleverly. "If, since your beauty splendid as it is has been so underestimated, then your voice which I have heard so highly praised must be incredible indeed." "Raven dear, won't you sing?" Her voice, it should be noted, had never been praised by anyone, because it was not by any amount of imagination worthy of praise, it was all part of the fox's clever scheme. Since all he wanted was the cheese and cared not about the crow, he was willing to go this far at least to achieve his goal.

The crow, who wasn't the brightest of creatures, was most willing to sing; because of the fox's flattery she was too pleased to remember that foxes are crafty and that she had cheese in her mouth. Singing terribly, she dropped the cheese. While the crow stared forlornly at the rapidly disappearing cheese, the fox dropped his flattery. " Your sense must be nearly as small as your singing ability, and your feathers are really very plain, but you provided me with a delicious if belated lunch, and I thank you. I wouldn't believe everything you're told next time if I were you." With that the fox strolled away with an infuriating swagger, consuming the last bit of the cleverly seized cheese.

Lab Report-- DNA Extraction

2007-02-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

Supplies:

Blender,

plastic bowl,

toothpick,

strainer,

measuring utensils,

coffee filter,

small glass,

meat tenderizer (must be fresh),

clear dishsoap,
water,

salt,

medium sized onion

rubbing alchohol

flashlight

Object: To extract DNA from onions.

Procedure:

1. Coarsely chop the onion including the skin.

2. Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt into 1/4 cup water, and put both onions and salt water in the blender. Blend for 15-25 seconds.

3. Pour the concoction into the bowl and add 1/4 cup of clear dishwashing soap. Mix everything together for at least 5 minutes. Try not to make a lot of bubbles.

4. Drain about 1/4 inch of the mixture through the coffee filter and the strainer into a small glass.

5. Then mix in (to the small glass) 1/4 tsp. meat tenderizer and about as much alchohol as you have liquid.

6. You should see white strands floating in the water, these are the DNA. You can use a flashlight to aid you in seeing these. If the strands are long enough you may be able to twist them onto a toothpick.

Result:

The experiment worked quite well for me, I saw the DNA clearly and was able to catch one on a toothpick.

Trees

2007-02-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

Trees
By Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts it leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Random Anne Facts

2007-02-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Over the past week or so I have spent all my available time (almost) with the Anne of Green Gables series. Previously I had not got past the first book!! Now I am on the fifth and am loving it (how could it be otherwise?)!!!! Perhaps one of these days, maybe when I'm done with the seventh, I'll write a real post on them but now I just wanted to mention a few random things in and about the books that tickled my fancy.

First, on the covers of Anne of the Island and Anne's House of Dreams, she is wearing a pink dress!!!!!! Unfortunatly I couldn't find the exact location, but I know there is a place in the first book where Anne laments that although pink is a lovely color she can never wear it due to her red hair! Hmmm, I wonder if the illustrator actually read the books.

Secondly, Mark Twain apparently was a fan of this series. He described it as "the sweetest creation of child life yet written."

Finally, from the actual book. The background doesn't matter much, Sally is a friend of Anne preparing for her wedding and her meddlesome Aunt is having a conversation with the two of them. My mom, brother and I had a good laugh over this:

"The quality of mercy is not strained." giggled Sally, wriggling into her dinner dress.
"Don't quote the Bible flippantly" rebuked Aunt Mouser "You must excuse her Miss Shirley, she just ain't used to being married yet."

Narnian Quiz

2007-02-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

You are 90% a Loyal Narnian!

Congratulations Loyal Narnian! You are an exceptional student of Narnian history. Dr. Cornelius would be proud of you!

Are You a Loyal Narnian?
See All Our Quizzes

I think this is greatly thanks to the dramatized Narnia audio books that are heard quite frequently at bed-time here, thanks to my younger sisters.

hat-tip: Studeo

Latin Convention results!

2007-02-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the complete list of our team's results from our Latin weekend (in case it seemed like we spent all our time jumping around screaming):

1st Place Team Spirit for Small Schools
1st. Place Team Spirit for Friday morning
1st Place Team War machine contest (with help from Coyote's dad.)
1st Place N.G. (The only guy on our team) Costume Contest
1st. Place GilbertGirl Mythology test (Hurray, GilbertGirl!!!!!!! Although I can't say it's too much of a shock knowing her:)
2nd Place Coyote Costume Contest (it included two additional "heads" since Hecate, the required costume for girls, is often pictures as looking three ways and a very cool looking sign post, used as a staff, since Hecate is the godess of the crossroads.)
2nd Place Team Spirit for Friday afternoon
3rd Place GilbertGirl Poster (That which was pictured in my post on the Roman party.)
3rd Place N.G. Greek History
3rd Place N.G. Latin Lit
3rd Place N.G. Latin Vocab
4th Place Me Latin Derivatives
4th Place N.G. Latin Derivatives
5th Place GilbertGirl Pentathelon
5th Place N.G. Greek Derivatives
Hon Ment. Girls Door Contest

Well it was a ton of fun, I think we did pretty well and I definitely plan to go next year.

Bible Quiz

2007-01-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
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Me a biblical scholar???? Yeah right. They're all multiple choice!

Oh well, I liked the quiz anyway.

Hat tip- Studeo