Vicki Lane's Blog, page 31

Mourning in America

                                                                         

Reading for the Apocalypse

In trying times, for me there's nothing quite like sinking into Jane Austen's calm, rational world where the greatest worry is whether the heroine will marry the right man (spoiler: she will.) So, to counteract the political uncertainty ahead. I've been listening as I paint--doubly soothing. 
I've read and reread Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma multiple times. Now I'm delving into the rest of her works--read long ago and mostly forgotten. Mansefield Park was enjoyable, but Northanger Abbey is exceeding my expectations as Jane's sly humor is at its best here. It's a witty spoof of the popular Gothic novels of the time. I'm very much enjoying this audio version from Audible.

Sapiens, on the other hand, is not soothing at all. But it's an important read, and relevant to the times we find ourselves in. 
For example, in the chapter about money, its usefulness in commerce and cooperation between strangers, the author warns of its dark side.
Quoting "Human communities and families have always been based on belief in 'priceless' things, such as honour, loyalty, morality, and love. These things lie outside the domain of the market and shouldn't be bought or sold for money. . . . Parents mustn't sell their children into slavery; a devout Christian must not commit a mortal sin; a loyal knight must never betray his lord; and ancestral tribal land shall never be sold to foreigners.
"Money has always tried to break through these barriers, like water seeping through cracks in a dam. Parents have been reduced to selling some of their children into slavery in order to buy food for the others. Devout Christians have murdered, stolen, and cheated--and later used their spoils to buy forgiveness from the church. Ambitious knights auctioned their allegiance to the highest bidder, while securing the loyalty of their own followers by cash payments. Tribal lands were sold to foreigners from the other side of the world in order to purchase an entry ticket into the global economy."
And here we are. Our presidency bought by billionaires and our democracy devolving into an oligarchy. Hard times ahead, except for the 1%.
"As money brings down the dams of community, religion, and state, the world is in danger of becoming one big and rather heartless marketplace."
And then, as the Orange Felon eyes Greenland and the Panama Canal, I turn to the next chapter on the building of empires . . .
Back, I think, to Jane.


 

More Ordinary Things

 

Unpleasant News

                                                               

Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors, has been very credibly accused of a variety of non-consensual sexual encounters with a number of young women. The details are sickening.  
I'm not likely to stop reading or listening to his works, but it's deeply saddening to think that an author I've let whisper in my ear (via audiobook) as I fall asleep, is capable of such nastiness.
Perhaps he can get a job in the forthcoming administration.

Etching the Sky

 

Icy Days

Days of school cancellations or delayed starts. Our driveway is passable with 4WD--the tricky part is getting down to the icy walkway to the car.

But we have hay and fuel oil; the water is still running, and the power is still on. 

Seeing the scenes of the fires in California and being aware of the ongoing misery of so many recovering from Helene, I am reminded daily of our good fortune, as well as the fragility of our existence.





 

Warts and All

 

In Praise of Beauty

 

Oh, Deer!

John looked up from his computer to see three deer, not twenty feet away on the slope directly behind the house.

They were munching on the ground cover--a mix of ivy, houttuynia, periwinkle, and weeds.

This is the best I could do--shooting through screens and embarrassingly dirty windows.

After the plague that wiped out so many deer a few years back, it's nice to see these pretty critters--though come summer I'll be cursing them if they eat my hostas. 

 

More Ordinary Things

Okay, it was childish of me, ten years ago, to buy the Spotted Dick pudding just because of the name. And probably even more childish to have saved the tin.  And now, to memorialize said childishness . . . 

But I'm really enjoying drawing (though not very well) and painting ordinary things.

Hit don't matter how lop-sided the end result is. What matters is the peaceful feeling I get, as I concentrate on a familiar object and attempt to really see it.
Maybe I should get stoned to further enhance the experience. . .