This and that
Raise your children to take disruptions in stride, and they will grow up to come visit you when you don’t even have a kitchen and have to grill food in the drizzle and make your tea and toast in the dining room amidst the temporary shelving! “Are you sure? You know we don’t have a kitchen.” “Is it okay for us to descend when you don’t have a kitchen? We are happy camping with you.”
The important thing is — we are together!
Yesterday we went to The Garden in the Woods. If you are in the area, it’s a wonderful little nature trail just west of Boston (and east of us) that’s well worth a visit.
Garden in the Woods began in 1931 when Will C. Curtis, a self-trained botanist and landscape architecture graduate of Cornell University, purchased 30 acres in north Framingham. He began clearing, planting, and sharing his garden with others. When he opened the garden to the public in 1934, Curtis wrote: “I am bringing together all the Wild Flowers and Ferns hardy in this latitude and establishing them in natural environments where they can easily be reached and enjoyed by the interested public.”
“Although the plantings look spontaneous, most of the plants were raised from seeds cultivated at the Society’s Nasami Farm nursery and meticulously placed in the landscape.” (from the Enchanted Gardens blog)
Nestled into a hill is a fun little playground made to delight children and keep them busy building with big blocks and saplings, and exploring a hobbit tunnel and little woodland library!
The kitchen is getting some framing for walls and ceiling!
Since we don’t have AC, I am thinking of installing big ceiling fans. I think it would work to have one in each spot marked by red, the larger dot for a larger fan. Then I wouldn’t need a fan/light fixture over the kitchen table, but could just have a chandelier. This is the sort of thing I would rather decide when everything is completely finished, but of course the electrician needs to be able to set it up! Thoughts?
I probably won’t be posting next Saturday! See you after that!
Knitting Corner
I set aside my Altheda sweater and my little airplane project of a pair of socks (don’t think I’ve shown those to you yet) to make a little something for an impending grandchild! I will show more later! (Clearly I am not a focused knitter!)
Book Corner
Do you know about Slightly Foxed? I came across this publishing company somehow, and have been enjoying it.
The independent-minded quarterly magazine that combines good looks, good writing and a personal approach. Slightly Foxed introduces its readers to books that are no longer new and fashionable but have lasting appeal. Good-humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it’s more like having a well-read friend than a literary review magazine subscription.
The newsletter has delightful articles (I think I have shared at least one with you, on P. G. Wodehouse) and has been offering books that have fallen out of circulation but are worth rediscovering.
The nice lady there sent me a few review copies and I love that they are produced with old-fashioned care — the Letters book has a ribbon, which you know I love! The cloth covered hardback books open flat and are bound sturdily.
One of my granddaughters, Eva, snatched up Down the Bright Stream from my stack and made off with it! She wrote a little review that I think shows that she probably should have started with the first book, The Little Grey Men; but she did enjoy it. She reports, “It is about 4 gnomes… [their] home is ruined by humans. They have to flee to Ireland… Over all it is a very charming book,” though “the only part I did not like is that a once good gnome who turned bad died. I think he should have reformed.”
They have a book club for children! I have not read these books, so you will have to proceed under your own steam (and advisement).
I will say that when I wrote for review copies, I put my cards on the table:
I am wondering if you would be willing to send me review copies of anything you think would appeal to my readers, who are generally book collectors and searchers for solid content. Specifically, we are always in search of publications that are not tainted with identity politics, especially for children. It has become almost impossible to find a children’s magazine or book (let alone curriculum) of any kind that is free from an agenda. My hunch is that your publications for children are old-fashioned (I don’t know another way to put this — I just want books and magazines aimed at delighting and edifying the child rather than indoctrinating him). If that is correct, I would be thrilled to share them with my readers.
Mrs. Jess Dalby responded quickly, with a heartiness that encourages me, and I encourage you to see if there is anything over at Slightly Foxed’s many offerings that would prove a good addition to your library!
bits & piecesMy newest podcast is up! I talked about how to teach children about beauty. In a way you could say it’s the whole telos or end of education.
View this “Safety School” video before showing your children, to see if you think it would be helpful. It’s about being safe out and about. I’m a big believer in children running around, going to the playground and corner store on their bikes, and being free to come and go. But we also need to talk to them about street smarts and relying on their own common sense.
I think the video makes good points. I would highlight the one that encourages the child to know that a disruption that would normally be highly naughty is a good thing in an emergency. Let them know that they absolutely should go ahead and knock things off shelves, blow the horn, tip things over, and so on, if you are in danger.
I like that he makes the distinction between good and bad strangers. Children can tell that most people are not out to get them, and we want to bring them up to be open to conversations and interactions, not to feel that every person they don’t know is a threat. His point that you have to listen to your own inner warnings is a good one. Children should also mostly go places at least in pairs, or with a dog!
An extremely important point to make to children, not really brought up in the video: RIGHT AWAY is the best time to resist. Bad guys are cowards and are less likely to persist with a child in public who won’t let go of his bike, is screaming and yelling, and in general seems to be a poor target for his nefarious intentions. But once the child is in the car or van, the chance of things going wrong is much, much higher.
It might happen that you need to send a friend to pick your child up unexpectedly — this is where the family code word comes in handy.
Somewhere I do have a post about all this, but I can’t find it right now! Your children will be fine, armed with confidence.
By the way, I would say that the current fashion to refrain from judging destroys common sense. While it’s true that not every outwardly disheveled person is a criminal, as the man in the video points out, it is definitely true that there will be an indefinable something, almost always, that tips you off to keep your distance — and that something can be present in someone well groomed, though disorder is certainly a clue.
Don’t teach your children to override that observation. Later, in the company of his trusted people, the child may have the opportunity to discover the person’s true worth. But at the time, he has only his judgement to rely upon. Trust is earned, not bestowed, and his safety depends on it.
from the archives
Looking for a good list of books to read with your St. Greg’s Pocket (or other group or friend?)? I have this one.
By the way, if you are looking to start or revive a Pocket, add me as admin on your FB group and I will help you.
liturgical living
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist — read here for how even St. Augustine was at a loss for words about the importance and meaning of this feast!
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
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!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing!
My new podcast can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. In the current situation, if we can’t meet here, it would be good for us to be connected by email!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest (you can still get a lot of inspiration here! and say a prayer for her!). Bridget’s Pinterest.
The post This and that appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
