plodding through another heatwave

 "Martha and I might have settled over a book, or taken up our embroidery, or written letters ourselves to a numerous correspondence - but an unaccustomed restlessness had me in its grip."

                                           -  from Jane and the Ghosts of Netley, by Stephanie Barron

The air is hot; this morning early my brother went out. He never complains about the heat, but he said it was awful out. He went to the supermarket and when he came out, "my glasses fogged up." That was worth complaining about! 

I'm getting through the Brothers Karamazov and am also reading Watership Down - two rather rough stories - and was craving something less heavy, a story that draws you in. I like to reread old favorites, so I picked up one of the Jane Austen mysteries. To the hum of the air conditioners, and in between homework chores, I picked it up at every opportunity.

I'm ready to hem my burgundy dress. These sleeveless dresses are so cool, so welcome this summer! I'm not good at taking selfies and it's hard to photograph a whole length of dress. But last summer I bought fabric for three dresses on the Hancocks of Paducah website, buying only sale fabric. One of them is too short and I just got some eyelet for a ruffle to lengthen it. I wear the others regularly. So this year I bought three more and I'm on the third. But I love the batik version so much that I bought two more fabrics - these will be in heavy rotation, but it's satisfying to know that I paid between fifteen and twenty one dollars for each, since I bought only sale fabric. 

The tomatoes are turning red, and the beans are starting to flow in. I've got basil drying - I like it better than fresh, usually. I still have some basil leaves in the freezer, but I reach for the dried herb more often.

We've been feeding some neighborhood cats. They're not strays, but they come around and up to the door, so we give them food. This one is Benny. 

Note the tongue sticking out. I think he's cute. Then there's Leon, who has been coming through here for years, and now is finally comfortable with us. He has a certain look about him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but my brother said he looks mournful.

Leon of the Mournful Aspect

It's that longish, Norwegian Forest cat kind of face, and the way he has his head lowered but the eyes look up at you. 

*If you should feel curious about reading this, don't! It would be best to begin at the beginning with this series. You will thank me later.

willingness to be this new thing

 I've been reading an article in Plough, an interview with Ken Burns, the filmmaker and historian. 

"This word 'liberty' had an incredible effect. Why would anybody want to give up the benefits of being a subject of the British constitutional monarchy? Most of everyone's wealth, education, prosperity, and literacy came from that colonial relationship. Why would you give up those benefits for freedom and democracy, ideas never tried before in human history? At the heart of the American experiment is possibility. At the heart is risk. At the heart of it is this willingness to be this new thing, a citizen.

It's not hard to be a subject. You're under authoritarian rule and you just put up with stuff. But to be a citizen is to assume responsibility, to assume the pursuit of happiness, which the Founders understood not as the acquisition of things, but the pursuit of lifelong learning. Lifelong learning made you more virtuous, and the more virtuous you were, the more possibility that you could begin to bear the responsibility of citizenship and to be able, if not to answer, then to ask more authentically those essential questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? What is my purpose? Where am I going?

I am interested in these gigantic conflicts like the Revolution that produce something as spectacularly interesting as this idea that people, for the first time in human history, could govern themselves. It wasn't just the aristocracy that pushed this forward, but ordinary people who debated over the ratification of the Constitution and the subsequent Bill of Rights. It is one of the most active moments in the history of humanity of people coming together in a civic way to create something. But did they agree? No, not at all.

In the compromises of the Constitution, there was the perpetuation of slavery, even though it had just been proclaimed eleven years earlier that 'all men are created equal'. And yet saying these things began to open the door to permit even the people who knew it wasn't about them to see path forward. Women, Native peoples, free and enslaved black people, and the poor understood that this was the opening salvo in battles that they could fight to make the words truer and less hypocritical. So, for me, in American history, the best sometimes comes out of the worst and sometimes the worst comes out of the best."

                                                     -  Ken Burns

I didn't mean to quote so much of it. But it's a week since the 250th July 4th, and it seems weird that it's not more of a big deal; I really appreciate his vision of this country.

good ideas

I sat at my sewing table a few minutes ago and there before me was a beautiful sunset, all pink and gold. I have no idea how to photograph such a thing; I've tried. All I could do was watch. These sort of moments are like being in an Elizabeth Goudge story. 

I wore my daffodil dress yesterday in the heat. Since I like this simple style so much, I decided that maybe I should focus on making several, and perfecting the fit as I go. So I had ordered three lengths of quilting cottons on sale. This was the first. Quilting fabric isn't created equal - the daffodil one was classic, with that body that's good in an a-line dress. After I was finished with it, I realized that I didn't like the shoulders, so I took a tuck on either side to bring in the edge.

It did the trick. I have narrow shoulders, but sometimes I like the slightly oversized look at the top. Not this time, but the tucks made it better. The second fabric is a black and dark blue batik. Batik fabric tends to be thinner, and I wasn't sure it was suited for the same silhouette, so I angled the pattern pieces out, to make it more a-line, and fuller, and I also brought in the center of the bodice a half inch, so I wouldn't have to make any tucks, if you get what I mean; just a different way of bringing the shoulders in toward the center. I think this was a good idea; I've put it on and it's looking promising. So tonight I was sewing some binding around the neckline when the sunset appeared out my window. The third fabric is a burgundy red. I washed it today, and it still feels silky - I'm not sure I want to make it in this same a-line shape. I have to think. But with present temps in the seventies, I won't be needing these that soon.

After five or so days in the nineties, with increasing humidity, the seventies are so welcome! Of course, we'll have humid days, but for today, the winds are strong, the sun was warm, and tonight it's going to be fifty two. Let the cool air blow - we have quilts. Speaking of warming things, lately when I make a cup of tea, I don't finish it, so today I used a smaller cup and finished the whole thing. 

Not as small as a china teacup, but smaller than an average mug. Like Goldilocks.

I washed another window today; I can see that I need to give up the notion of spring or fall cleaning, and just do it as I can. But anyway, I found out that a small paintbrush is good for getting into the window tracks - and it is! What an idea! 

I'm thrilled.

too humid

trying to find coolness in the grass

 "Nature is no mere gathering of atoms but rather the outward form of God's imagination."

                                                           -  Sarah Clarkson, Reclaiming Quiet

We are hoping for a break in the humidity - they're talking of thunderstorms.

feast of the Holy Trinity

 Spirit of the Father and the Son,
ripen your fruits in our hearts:

Grant us patience and gentleness,
charity, joy, and peace.

- from Magnificat, May 2026

Well, last week was finally Pentecost, the end of the Easter season, and today is Trinity Sunday. It's very springlike, and pleasant out. Yesterday it was fifty five, wet, gusty and cold! Well, we'll be in June tomorrow, and done with that sort of thing, hopefully.

We had a nice Memorial Day and before that, a visit with an elderly aunt, my mother's remaining sister. She is ninety four, and doing as well as she can - still at home!

I finished the daffodil dress, except for the hem. I really like those sleeveless, a-line shifts for hot summer days at home, so I plan to make a couple more. I put the green blouse project aside when the heat rose - couldn't stand the thought of it. 

A beautiful Tasha Tudor book was dropped off at the library, in perfect condition; I took it home to read. 

Filled with quotes, poems, prose and everything romantic, I wouldn't put it in the children's section, even though it looks like all her wonderfully charming picture books for children - no, this one would go over the heads of the little ones. Apparently, if you have a toothache, you should kiss a donkey.

That was from Germany. But you're out of luck if you don't know anyone with a donkey, aren't you?

"In the Middle Ages they kissed the newborn baby three times 
in the name of the Holy Trinity."

-  Tasha Tudor

real life

 "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own', or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one's 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination."

                                                       -  C.S. Lewis

suddenly warm

 

a woodland themed towel from Debra!

I figure that normal temperatures for this time of year should be in the mid-fifties. Not this week, though! It is going to be in the eighties for a few days, so here we go, trying to get some more variety in the closet.

I finished my skirt, which is just an a-line with elastic waist - very basic. Now I want to make a dress with some thrifted fabric.

the Mr. Kibble statue holding down the pattern piece

It's a soft brushed cotton, a very small pine green and beige check. I was able to mark it with a piece of soap, since the colors were dark enough to show it up. 

Here's my inspiration, stolen off the internet from here

I cut out a bodice piece from a dress pattern I have, and sleeves from another. I'd like mine a little longer, like below the elbow. I've been trying to figure if I want to interline the bodice to give it more structure, or just line it. I think I'll just line it. I hope it will be something useful! One doesn't always know how a thing will come out, or how well it will fit. It is a bit girlish, but I hope that won't be a problem. 

a divine economy

 "Most of us are under pressure, external and internal, to do everything, be good at everything, be accountable to everyone for everything! It is not so. In the divine economy each of us has a particular grace, gift and devotion. Finding out what that is, and learning how to be guilt-free about not doing everything else, may be part of what our Lenten journey is for."

                                       -  Malcolm Guite, The Word in the Wilderness

Being, the essence of a spiritual life

 "When we life our eyes from the crowded by-pass to the eternal hills; then, how much the personal and practical things we have to deal with are enriched. What meaning and coherence come into our scattered lives. We mostly spend those lives conjugating three verbs: to Want, to Have, and to Do. Craving, clutching, and fussing, on the material, political, social, emotional, intellectual - even on the religious - plane, we are kept in perpetual unrest; forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance, except so far as they are transcended by and included in, the fundamental verb, to Be: and that Being, not wanting, having, and doing, is the essence of a spiritual life."

                                                 -  Evelyn Underhill,  Essential Writings

resisting the machine

Spring is definitely in the air! It's warmer, but not terribly; but the birds are singing, the daylight lasts longer, the paths my brother plowed for the rabbits are showing grass! Everything feels like it's coming alive. Under the surface, of course, except for the birds - they're the ones who show it.

I am almost finished reading Defending Middle Earth by Patrick Curry. I picked it up when it was dropped off at the library. I do not exaggerate when I say that not a day goes by when someone does not drop off books at their local library - at least, I assume it happens everywhere; it sure does where I work! And of course I have to look through them. 

Anyway, Mr. Curry defends the Lord of the Rings stories, and their focus on the simple enjoyments of home, community and nature. He tries to explain the popularity from different angles. I feel I should read it again, so I put a note in it to that effect. Anyway -

"Why can Tolkien's 'mythology' be described as universal? I have already shown that it embodies an attack on unchecked modernity in all its worst aspects, and presents a world of community, nature and spiritual values that successfully, albeit barely, struggles to survive such destruction. That world seems to be a different one, with strange people and places; yet at the same time, it is also recognizably ours. And because the processes of rampant modernization - economic, political, cultural - are now truly global, the potential appeal and relevance of Tolkien's attack and alternative are also effectively universal. This is a social and historical development; there is nothing necessarily mystical about it. 

But his universality comes about in another way, too. For the very terms of his critique are mythic; after all, that is ultimately the most (and perhaps even only) effective way to counter a worldview which is rigidly rationalistic and scientistic. And there is literally nowhere in the world without some native tradition of a mythical way of relating to the world in which it is alive and saturated with spiritual meaning - enchanted, in a word. Those traditions may be deeply buried, but - like the gods they embody - they can still be revived by recognition."

This book was published in 1997, and even back then he was speaking of "re-enchantment". There's a lot of talk about this: that, in a nutshell, we have lost the ability to take true delight in the world, and we need to re-enchant our way of seeing things, like they did in the Middle Ages. 

There is an article in Plough by Paul Kingsnorth about this very thing, speaking about his new book, Against the Machine: "Its modus operandi is the abolition of all borders, boundaries, categories, essences, and truths: the uprooting of all previous ways of living in the name of pure individualism and perfect subjectivity. Its endgame is the replacement of nature with technology, in order to facilitate total control over a totally human world."

According to Patrick Curry, the popularity of the Tolkien books shows that we really don't want a world like that, whether we realize it in this way or not. 

Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory,,,, For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

 -  1 Corinthians 2:6-10 

crow on the shed

keeping warm

 Snow was predicted last night and all day today, and by morning light, everything looked fresh. Then around eight, visibility dropped and the wind was blowing it all around - I wondered if they'd be wrong again about the amounts, but it must have been a squall; it settled back into a light snow and ended mid-afternoon. But it's cold, and windy.

We throw out timothy hay, cracked corn, carrots, peanuts. The mourning doves seemed to like the corn this afternoon. 

I'd bought two large plastic bins for organizing the Christmas things, and today I can say it's done - everything is sensibly arranged in the bins and a couple of shoe boxes. Much better than it was, and I feel light as a feather! I'm surprised at how relieved I feel to have that done. By using the bins, I got a lot out of the closet, consolidated a few smaller boxes, and things that I like to group together are stored together - like it should have been all along!

Daisy sitting under the corner cabinet to warm up near the heaters

Peter Wohlleben, who wrote The Hidden Life of Trees, also has written The Inner Life of Animals; I just finished it. I liked some parts better than others, but many things were interesting. Here, he explains why moths fly around lights:

"Moths... rely on the moon when they want to fly in a straight line. For example, when the moon is at its height and they want to fly west, all they have to do is keep the moon to their left. But little moths can't tell the difference between the moon and a cozy lamp adding a decorative touch to a garden at night. Now, as the tiny winged wanderer glides past the tulips and the roses, it immediately gets turned around. The brightest light at night must be the moon, mustn't it? And so it tries to keep this new moon to its left, but the lamp is unfortunately not 238,900 miles but only a few yards away. If the moth keeps flying in a straight line, the "moon" appears behind it, and it seems to the moth that it must have flown in a circle. And so the insect pilot corrects its course to the left to, as it thinks, continue flying straight ahead. This makes the "moon" appear on the correct side, but what's really happening is that the moth is flying in circles around the light. The spiraling flight takes the moth ever closer to the light until it finally end up at the center. If the artificial moon is a candle, there's a brief "puff", and the moth's life is snuffed out."

you're okay

 A grandfather brought in his little one to the library today - he was so good with her; he seemed to have a childlike quality of his own that I believe made it easy for him. One of the columns in the children’s department is decorated as a snowman, with hat, "carrot" nose, etc. She would pass by it and say "hi" very earnestly. She noticed the hat, and so he pointed out all the other parts to the snowman. Of course, I've heard many adults doing the same sort of thing with children, but the sense of wonder seemed more genuine in him - I guess that's a judgment on my part. Oh, well, maybe it is. 

And when it was time to go and she was screaming a little, he said, you're okay, you're okay,* and brought her back to the snowman. He distracted her gently by pointing out it's features. Without exasperation. This child is fortunate.

*I say this to Orphan Annie when she seems bothered by something. 

hanging on

 Well, the storm is hanging on; they changed the snow's end time to eleven. So, it's still going. Inside, I am hanging on to my wintry placemats. I was about to put them away, but, in view of the weather....... well, they are nice and cheery,

Meanwhile, there's some talk of another snowfall next weekend, and I even saw the word "blizzard" mentioned.

the struggle is real

 I used to try and darn my brother's socks when I noticed worn spots, but he said don't bother. With that in mind, I do the laundry but tend to ignore the torn places in the jeans, figuring he'll say something when they need a fix. So, I didn't really notice. But a couple pair have big torn knees that were so far gone - but I think I fixed them, anyway. 

In order to patch a knee on a long, narrow "tube" - the leg of the jeans - I had to rip one of the seams open. I found out they aren't both flat felled seams - thank God! - because I really don't want to mess with one of those. The outside seam was just sewn regular and serged, so I ripped that out and was able to get inside there to attach a piece of fabric, or patch, on the inside. Then I over-stitched, zigzagging back and forth over the torn part to fortify it. Better than nothing. 

I learned something in the doing, and it wasn't that hard, but from now on I'll pay attention to the laundry, and possibly nip these things in the bud. And he's pleased with them!

Meanwhile, Advent moves along and I have made no cookies, haven't written any cards! I was planning on it today, but it did not happen. Christmas is in two weeks.

In between things I pick up Rachel Peden's Speak to the Earth: 

"When starlings come to the feeders other birds depart like leaves blown in the wind, to watch hiddenly and return only when the starlings have gone. 

Hearing the high-pitched cacophonous chatter ... for starlings always come by hundreds ... I need only open the porch door and immediately they lunge forward, admirably regaining their balance when airborne.

But these dark-bodied birds awaken a dark thought in the mind of a farmer: It is not merely because they eat food not intended for them, nor because they are dirty, but because there are always too many of them. Any creature that becomes too numerous causes unease among all other creatures.... Would ten thousand gaily singing chickadees be as delightful on a snowy winter morning as half a dozen are?"

farewell to summer

Well, it was pretty cool today and will be freezing tonight, so I guess that's the end of summer. The forecast predicts days in the fifties and sixties. I went out, picked all the red tomatoes, and a pepper. I cut down the three basil plants - one plant will be plenty next year - and sat on the back step in the sun, picking all the leaves off them. I had to dress warmly, but it was lovely. I covered the tomato plants with sheets, since they keep producing. My plant out in the backyard garden had so many of these tiny ones on it, but I didn't cover it - that's enough. But they look like jewels.

It was good just to be outside for a while. I don't make it a priority often enough.

Last week I found a couple of pieces of something near the litter boxes downstairs; I thought the cats were responsible. But it was two pieces of wet wood - a leak!. Rather alarming, so the plumber got called. He came by to have a look, which meant everything had to come out of my closet, so he could get access to the pipes. 

He came this morning to do the work, and the "door" to it needs to stay open for two weeks, to allow the wood to dry out. Of course, Daisy can hardly keep away from it. I don't think she would try to get in there, but it makes me nervous. I'll have to put something in front of the closet door, but not close it entirely.

I'm kind of at a standstill with my sewing, but I did notice how the small scissors match my fabric!

"seeing beauty and value in the ordinary"

 "I wish there were more wild, undisturbed places, for both wildlife and for us as humans, and a greater understanding that restoring and appreciating nature meets needs we sometimes forget we have. Under the subtle influence of the hare, my own wants have simplified. To be dependable in love and friendship more than in work. To leave the land in a more natural state than I found it. And to take better care of what is to hand, seeing beauty and value in the ordinary."

                                          -   Chloe Dalton, Raising Hare

three good things

 It was supposed to snow lightly this morning, from five till ten. But it didn't stop, and it's been snowing all day. With no accumulation! Still, there is something about snow falling, even if it doesn't mount up. 

I made a wonderful discovery yesterday! I diligently use the little defuzzing machine on my sweaters, which works excellently, but I had the idea to try it on my opaque tights. They're made from recycled nylon and get pilly after a while, so that I have to toss them. I mostly wear longer skirts, so it doesn't show much, but eventually..........well, this worked like a charm!! My tights are like new - try it!

Rather exciting, to extend the life of your clothes.

The wrens are often found at the bird feeder, which is a new thing this year. It can't be that they suddenly have a taste for black sunflower seeds; they must be increasing in our area. I find them very cute. 

the twelfth day of Christmas

 Our priest has been saying some thought-provoking things lately - well, at least to me. (I guess that's what they're supposed to do, anyway) On Christmas he said if we want to benefit from the great event of God becoming human, we need an appreciation of humanity. He gave as an example the expression we often hear/say: "I'm only human". But it is an important part of us; we are not Gnostics. 

I am copying this from chatgpt.com:

Gnosticism was a diverse religious and philosophical movement in the early centuries of Christianity (primarily in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD) that emphasized esoteric knowledge (gnosis) as the path to salvation. Gnostics generally believed that the material world, created by a lower or flawed deity (often identified with the God of the Old Testament), was corrupt, imperfect, and should be transcended. They often taught that true spiritual enlightenment involved the escape from the material realm and union with a higher, divine, and pure realm of spirit.

For Gnostics, the physical world was not the focus; rather, the inner, spiritual knowledge was considered the key to salvation. They viewed the body and the material world as prisons for the soul, and they often promoted asceticism or other practices to distance oneself from the physical realm.

This view was in sharp contrast to the orthodox Christian belief that the material world, including the body, was created good by God and that it had a role in God's redemptive plan, including the incarnation of Jesus Christ, who took on a physical body.

To go off the subject a little, (the "subject" being the thought-provoking things Father has been saying lately), there is a movement that is gaining traction lately called transhumanism that basically believes we can raise ourselves up to a godlike state, via technology of various sorts. From chatgpt:

Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates for the use of advanced technology to enhance the human condition, particularly by transcending the limitations of the human body and mind. The central idea behind transhumanism is that human beings can and should use science and technology to improve their physical and cognitive abilities, potentially leading to a post-human future where humans surpass their biological constraints.

Where have we heard this speech before? "You shall be like god", from Genesis, chapter three. We haven't learned much, have we? 

these figures are at the Met, in New York

Today in the U.S. we observe Epiphany, which is really tomorrow, but it isn't given the attention over here as it is in Europe. Epiphany is when the three kings, or magi, or wise men arrived to worship the child Jesus. They represent the first non-Jews who acknowledged Jesus as King, above themselves. So, it's kind of our feast day. What Father said was that "Epiphany was when God made himself known. He has no hidden agenda." He wants to be known.  And this is something we can learn from in our dealings with others. He pointed out that when Satan approached Eve, he did not introduce himself. When he tempted Jesus in the desert, he didn't introduce himself first.

I just found the whole thing very interesting.

Happy New Year!

 I changed all the calendars. I like wall calendars, and we have several around the place. Some are for writing on, some not - the pretty ones. 

It was the strangest day - sunny, but at the same time, snowing. No accumulation, and no dark cloud above that I saw, but the flurries, again and again, with the sun shining, in the early afternoon. I could hear it, so it must have been sleety for a while. I was snug inside with my Christmas carols.

It seems once I started reading about enchantment, I find it in all sorts of places. 

"Yes, Samuel, dragons are real. So are angels and demons. So are high priests over heaven and mighty kings and great queens and a Savior with a face like fire and a heart as gentle as a lamb's. So much is real that is beyond our sight. The things of the earth that we understand as absolute are rooted in a reality much greater, subtler, and lovelier than we have ever experienced. But sometimes we can imagine it. When we step aside into the spacious halls of hush, when we enter a story or sojourn with a song, when we look into the heart of the beauty and drama cramming the world at our fingers, we enter that inmost room from which many doors lead onward to a world we have only begun to share."

                                             -  Sarah Clarkson, Reclaiming Quiet

Speaking of enchantment, I bought myself one of those alpine Christmas trees for a corner of my bedroom, but never got around to opening the box till yesterday. It's perfect! Five feet high and nice and narrow. It looks real to the eye, but to the camera it's lacking something. I'll keep trying. It has no lights, but I'm working on that, too.

sunning

 

She managed to insert herself on the rocker, amidst the pillow and books.