I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I like to stay home, but it happens that I will head out to give a talk here and there, and offer my books. I meet with groups of ladies (and often gentlemen as well) all over the country, and I am so very filled with hope at the sheer numbers of wonderful, lively, and obviously flourishing people (babies! pregnant bellies!) who come out to spend time talking about the home and its importance.
We are going to go into a lean time, but we’re going to be good. Demographics alone are on the side of those who love life, understand that children are a sign of hope, not despair, and are willing to suffer for what is right.
It’s often not really of interest to see pictures like these, but I’m posting them anyway 
These happy gals invited and hosted me — Debbie Marco on the left and Kasey Stacey on the right… Their homeschooling/church group is vast over there in the Delaware/Pennsylvania/New Jersey (and I think even down to Maryland?) area. Do, do find others to share the journey with, and bring whomever you can along with you.
Here we have a portion of the room, with others on the other side, which is great considering how busy this time of year is! A testament not so much to me as to the wonderful desire these ladies have to go deeper into their calling as wives and mothers and grandmothers too.
I could sum up everything I said and think, and save everyone time and trouble, with this quote, which Debbie’s husband Rob sent me:
“Men will take up arms and even sacrifice their lives for the sake of this love [the love of husband and wife]….when harmony prevails, the children are raised well, the household is kept in order, and neighbors, friends, and relatives praise the result. Great benefits, both of families and states, are thus produced. When it is otherwise, however, everything is thrown into confusion and turned upside-down.” –St. John Chrysostom
Garden Corner
My lilac, that my mom gave me about a decade ago is just about to be in full bloom. (Imagine that my big New England yard had no lilacs!)
The chickens’ new home has a run now, still in progress, but the main features of nice fencing to face the house and a door to enter by, are in place. That piece of plywood in there is to offer them a little shade; it’s propped up on a tree trunk!
I had swept off the deck and furniture, but now I see that this photo displays all the maple crud that is continually falling these days!
The screen door is an old one that was in our rafters, and the posts are split black locust and should last… forever!
Also in my vegetable garden, the cilantro I planted last fall (way past our frost date when clearly no frost was in sight) came back with great vigor!
When I get back, I will plant out all my tender things that are on the seed bench inside.
Knitting Corner
I put all the stitches on a long cord and tried on the yoke. I think it will fit? Who knows… I’m not far from dividing for the sleeves and starting on the main body, which I will look forward to.
Book Corner
In the course of watching my new favorite podcast, Fruity Knitting (you will hear more about it, trust me), I have gotten obsessed with sheep, fleece, yarns, spinning, dyeing… all of it. Especially the idea of making woolens more local if possible. The hosts interview all manner of interesting people involved in these pursuits. I got this book from the library and am enjoying following the author’s adventure of exploring her bale of wool and its journey to three different mills… Vanishing Fleece by Clara Parkes.(affiliate link but maybe interlibrary loan it like I did)
Our family will get together this summer, which is such a blessing. I hope everyone will make it. We like to have a book to read and discuss together (I believe it was Habou, my mother, who suggested doing this the first time we had our little reunion*), and this year we have chosen Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol. (affiliate link, but I bought a used copy)
You might not believe it, given the title, but it’s supposed to be (and the Chief concurs) humorous! If you have read it, I would be interested to know your thoughts about the various translations. This one that I’ve chosen supposedly has the virtue of a lively rendition of the humor plus a synthesis of the two versions.
*The books we’ve read so far are these (affiliate links):
In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
bits & pieces
- St. John Chrysostom is a treasure. A few quotes of his…
- I have to start thinking about kitchen colors… I like colorful things but I think I want my actual cabinets (of which there will not actually be that many) to be a neutral color. Laurel on whites (and their duplicates for us peasants).
- People with new builds don’t often realize, as I’ve mentioned before, that no matter what color they choose, they won’t be satisfied when their trim is the lowest, cheapest kind. And paint, even from the big box store, isn’t cheap, so it makes sense to upgrade the trim. This post goes into the details and is quite informative: The Magical Entablature.
- Now that it’s up to states to regulate abortion, many clinics have closed and “chemical” abortion is way up. I think people have no idea of how different the reality is from the fantasy (“just take these two pills and poof! the problem disappears”). This article, The Abortion Pill’s Secret Money Men, somewhat inadvertently, shows the raw profiteering that went into its production. I say inadvertently because the rhetoric is all about “helping women” but the facts, when looked at with anything other than an extreme pro-abortion lens, clearly show nothing but greed and complete disdain for women’s safety.
from the archives
- It’s that time of year again: How to Hang Laundry out on the Line!
- As you plan your coming school year: What Children Ought to Learn
- A pep talk about time! As you kiss your school-year schedule goodbye, make a determined effort not to fall into the same dynamic again.
liturgical living
Our Lady of Fatima (and Julian of Norwich)
This coming Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension. Recovering these high, but almost forgotten, points in the liturgical calendar, if only for our own family and maybe a few others who would join us, is the way forward. So much has been stripped down to its bare bones that it has just expired completely, and yet, it’s these feasts that keep our faith going deeper.
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My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available now from Sophia Press! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
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