bits & pieces
My husband gave me a special bottle of mead for Valentine’s Day, and I had to tell you about it — if you are near Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, it’s worth the detour to the Honeybound Meadery!
He has ordered bees from them before, and sometimes stops at the store to get some equipment on his way up to Thomas More College.
Recently, as he was buying whatever it was, the owner asked him what he thought of mead. “The truth is I really don’t like mead,” was his answer. “I love it when people say that to me! Would you try some now?”
Well, he tried it and Reader, he liked it a lot! I laughed at him for not making a purchase then and there (in a loving way of course — this is a running joke at our house that we have incredible sales resistance, sometimes against our own interest).
So it was pretty cute that he surprised me with a bottle for Valentine’s Day! (At breakfast, bless his eager heart.) (I didn’t have it until dinner time — so restrained.)
It’s not at all fizzy — the bubbles are just from me moving it around to get the picture. It’s smooth and sophisticated, like honey bourbon but not so strong, or like sherry but with honey instead of grapes. How do you describe mead? (Hmmm… maybe we should make mead…)
Their website says that they will have online orders soon. I’m really excited about this business (I have no connection with them other than as described above — just letting you know of a promising local enterprise)!
bits & pieces
President Trump proposes restoring classical architecture as the preferred style for federal buildings, causing our elites to have a conniption. City Journal:
“One thing to be borne in mind at this politically charged juncture in our national life is that classicism is not an “ideology,” as some critics are charging. It is a formal language, with a vocabulary and syntax—originating with the classical column and its superstructure—geared to the idealization of structure in anthropomorphic terms. In other words, the classical language makes its appeal to us as embodied beings. It has shown itself supremely adaptable to changing social and technological conditions, and thoroughly receptive to regional inflections. Classicism is not, and never has been, a closed system.”
If you’ve been following the case of Cardinal Pell’s conviction of sexual abuse, or if you haven’t and just think you know he’s guilty, an important read: The Crown Prosecutor’s Retraction.
Do you enjoy Antiques Roadshow? Every once in a while, I do! This episode with the rarest watch in the world…
A periodic table of the elements showing their relevance to our lives. Worth hanging up in your school room, I think!
A fun video about an old-fashioned baseball league:
Two desserts I made in the past month, both scoring high points especially considering their simplicity: Victoria Sponge and Gateau Basque. Need to get these sweets in before Lent!
This lady knits very, very small objects. Seventy stitches to the inch!
The history of the color blue.
Now, as we move into Lent, is the perfect time to begin or begin again with family prayer and personal devotion. I came across this review by Peter Kwasniewski of our book, The Little Oratory, from when it came out (affiliate link). It’s everything an author could hope for in a review — but really, it’s about you making that little place in your home, a place of beauty, so you can connect with the liturgical life that unites heaven and earth.
from the archives
Nine hospitality thoughts — as I reread, I was struck anew by how liberating and beneficial (in the sense of conferring blessings) rituals are.
Lent is coming — choose your devotionals well. It’s a season of purgation, not of feeling good about yourself! Go to the desert, go with Jesus. I would add to the suggestions I gave in this post about How to Choose a Devotional this one: Jesus of Nazareth by Benedict XVI. (affiliate link)
liturgical year
Today is the feast of St. Claude de la Colombière.
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