{bits & pieces}

Old Testament, New: How the Bible det... Covering the last settee on the deck.

{bits & pieces}

The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

pretty happy funny real ~ Like Mother, Like Daughter

Still painting bathrooms (oh, old houses are so charming with their quirky walls and odd angles!). Trying to keep newly planted plants alive in the gasping heat (what happened here, May?). And thinking about The Spirit of the Liturgy (won’t you read along? I have some encouraging words for you at the start of the post, and you will likely have lots of time to catch up!).

On to our links:

The other day would have been Frankie Manning’s 102nd birthday, I was informed by Google, and so I had to watch a video of this joyful Lindy Hop dancer’s dancing —

Very different, but still swing: the Carolina Shag

Look up some instructional videos and have your kids learn to dance swing. Trust me, this is the way to go!

Do you have a child who has entered the “why” stage? Sukie passes along this Elizabeth Mitchell song to help you when you have simply run out of answers.

The finding of Aristotle’s tomb.

If you’ve been reading Planet Narnia or the Narnia Code (both highly recommended!), you and the children might be interested in this video that pairs the music of Gustav Holst’s The Planets with images of the planets. C. S. Lewis loved this music and wrote in his letters about going to hear it performed. I confess that I do not share Lewis’ taste in music at all, but maybe you will! Perhaps viewing some medieval images and reading about the planets the way Lewis saw them would be interesting as well.

An interview with David Hicks, who wrote the excellent book Norms and Nobility (probably best to try to find it at the library), on how to assess a college for your child.

Another interview about education, with Karen Glass. I haven’t read her book, but I enjoyed this interview, in which she discusses Charlotte Mason’s methods, very much. (I would perhaps take exception to one point, in which she unfairly interprets Dorothy Sayers’ characterization of the “poll parrot” and “pert” stages of development in children. Sayers didn’t at all subscribe to a “child as data-machine” view. People forget that “The Lost Tools of Learning” was an essay, not a fully developed book. In a somewhat breezy manner Sayers seeks to encapsulate a whole rich history of education. She was merely remarking that working with a developmental stage in a child makes more sense than working against it; encouraging memory work when a child is receptive to it and, importantly, most takes delight in it, makes more sense than prematurely requiring what belongs to a later stage, namely, synthesis of subject matter. In any case, the rest of the interview gave satisfaction.)

Rosie says, “Nothing like living in tornado country to turn you into a weather nerd. Explanation of a heat burst (a mini-heat burst was recorded near us the other night).” (Seems like it’s a sudden and dramatic hot burst of wind? — Ed.)

Is it compassionate to hasten the end of a person’s life? Even if that person is seriously ill and suffering? Rosie’s friend Adrienne’s father is a Catholic doctor in Oregon. He is a strong and compassionate witness to the evils of assisted suicide. His beautiful wife recently died of cancer, so he’s walked the walk. Read his testimony (it begins on page 6 of the issue — scroll down).

Of course, this hoax begs the question of what is art then, but never mind that.

Enjoy the feast of St. Bernard of Montjoux!

From the archives:

People do enjoy this birthday cake.

Also, very seasonal right now: Strawberry-rhubarb pie, my favorite.

And if you have a bumper crop of rhubarb, make a nice beverage for the adults: Rhubarb shrub!