{bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Starting the fall cleanup, in a most desultory way, despite the glorious weather that judges anyone who isn’t outside from dawn to dusk! I don’t know what my issue is, but it’s not easy for me to get out there. I have to trick myself all sorts of ways…
I want to plant a cover crop, and I have the seeds all ready to go — that I bought last year, sigh. Maybe it’s too late now to plant, but I think I will anyway. It’s buckwheat and I think it will help my soil. So even though things are still sort of going along out there (we’ve only had one light frost!), I tried to do a little cleaning out to get ready.
I do have this issue with pulling out a plant that might still have some life left in it (which explains how my beds get so overcrowded — I just hate foregoing a plant, even though obviously it’s not going to thrive all stuck in together). But enough!
E. g. green tomatoes. I am as we speak processing 36 cups of chopped green tomato (into chutney and ketchup — the latter a first for me, so here’s hoping). But I can’t bear to pass over these stragglers I pulled out yesterday:
I mean, what if the reason we don’t make it through the winter is that we were seven green tomatoes short?!? I can read the headlines in the spring right now! “Family found not to have survived — pantry bare — compost forensics show rashly tossed apparently viable veggies from the fall!”
I know, we’ll have fried green tomatoes. Okay!
On to our links!
One good teacher. I encourage you to read this article! It’s more about appreciating the good people we meet in our lives who challenge us, and about being challenging to those we love, than about school or anything like that. But, I will say, in a good world, there would be schools with teachers like “Pop” Shaver. (The post also has great ideas for poems to get your children to memorize.)
Interesting game theory and medieval inside ball: Why the trial by ordeal was actually an effective test of guilt. Huge, if true!
Richard Wilbur, poet, died last week. May his memory be eternal! It’s worthwhile to recall this excellent essay about his life and writings, God’s patient stet. (Stet for those who don’t know is the proofreader’s mark conveying “let it stand”; most often, “actually, don’t delete.”)
It’s so terrible and narcissistic when people only talk about themselves! But… in this week’s mini-essay about friendship, John Cuddeback does a little examination of conscience.
As you know, I love C. S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man. A short essay (actually series of talks) that packs a huge wallop in terms of philosophical thought. Justin Dyer writes on The Abolition of Mad Men and the importance of “nursery-like belief in objective values,” or what I like to call “givens.”
The story of the conversion of Joy Lewis, C. S. Lewis’ wife, in her own words and with one of those fun doodles (if you are in your email, come to the site to see this video or click here) (the second part loads after the first):
Two weeks ago the Chief and I went to Hillsdale, MI to give talks. Mine were kindly recorded. If you are interested, here you go! I will also post them on my Speaking page (where you can also see what talks I give and ponder asking me to speak to your group!). These talks were for a ladies’ retreat, so they went a bit longer than usual. Actually, I have no idea how long I spoke and would probably prefer not to know, as I am sure it was way too long, oops, sorry! Such patient ladies!
The first talk was Praying in the Home, Saving the World:
http://likemotherlikedaughter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Leila-Lawler-Hillsdale-1017-Praying-in-the-Home-Saving-the-World.m4a
The second was on the Four Secrets to Destruction-Proofing Your Family. If that title triggers you, give a listen!
http://likemotherlikedaughter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Leila-Lawler-Hillsdale-1017-Four-Secrets-to-Destruction-Proofing-Your-Family.m4a
(In the essay above, on friendship, that I linked to, John Cuddeback charmingly resolves to do better in the listening department, especially with his wife. That is the sort of advice I give when I give this talk to men as well as women, but it didn’t make it in this time, as I was addressing only women! Well, there were two men, but about 80 women! So I went with that. Oh my gee, imagine how long the talk would have been… )
I have never posted audio files this way before. I think you could download and save for later listening by right-clicking? I hope you can listen at all!
Today we commemorate Sts. Ursula and Companions.
From the archives:
I suppose the weather will get cold at some point: How to dress your children when it does.
Getting the house ready for winter and staying warm.
Children bickering? Here are some strategies.
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