Catch-up

Herself speaks.

Let's play catch-up, shall we?  

The house refurbishing continues apace. Today I boxed up the last of the rooms that needs boxing -- that was quite the accomplishment.  This one was the study, and so it was quite the archeological dig:  old school pictures of the Offspring, tax forms, Important Papers, ancient defunct laptops, obsolete mobile phones, CD-ROMs of computer games from over a decade ago. I took down my diplomas, and carefully peeled off the pencil drawings made by the Offspring that I'd taped there, along with three photos: Beloved Husband holding an infant Offspring the Third; my Lovely Daddy and I during my college graduation weekend; a rare willingly-taken (toleratingly-taken) photo of Cherished Friend from a camping trip a thousand years ago.  I cleaned off all of my favorite schoolbooks from the shelf -- my Latin and Greek books from high school; organic chemistry; plant biology -- and put them in a box with the classics: The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster), I Am A Bunny (Ole Risom), Anam Cara (John O'Donohue), The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran), When The Tripods Came (John Christopher), and other favorites. I added the books on lichens and mosses, and medicinal plants. A wealth of knowledge, in a single box. 

I finally threw out my review materials for The Task, though. 

I also cleaned out my closet upstairs. I finally gathered all my formal dresses that I will never wear again and donated them.  They were all beautiful in their individual ways -- velvets, sparkles, fringe or shimmer. They felt so lovely under my fingertips as I packed them up. I felt pretty when I wore them (a hundred years ago, now), and I was sad to see them go.  I hope they will each find a good home elsewhere. 

I moved the bunnies to their new room.  It's out of the regular flow of traffic of the household, but is quiet.  It's smaller, but I will get them a little rug so they can hop out and about in the rest of the house more after the refurbishment is done. 

I was concerned that they would find the move upsetting.  They did seem a bit cranky at first.  But they are adjusting. 

We parted ways with our dining room furniture.  It was old, in need of repair and polishing and tender loving care, and someone was willing to give it a good home. I feel sad and a little guilty, but I know that someone will enjoy it more. I did save the hand-embroidered seat cushion covers, though. It was a rhythmic, soothing process, to remove the hundreds of little furniture tacks. I will restore the embroidery and save the works for posterity. 

I rewarded myself for all the hard work, by speaking with Cherished Friend via Zoom this evening.  It's lovely to see him, to talk about ordinary things. I am annoyed he does not live closer -- how delightful that would be. 

When we said goodbye, the tiny grief of knowing I cannot really be a part of his everyday life and he cannot be a part of mine, flared white-hot for a moment. 

There is no point in crying, though. It won't change anything. I'll just put on my brave face and keep going.  

And that, lovely readers, is all the catch-up for now.

The Eyes of the Dragon

 I read a book!

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I last read a book for pleasure. Ages. Eons. 

There are many reasons: busy, tired, Life. Committing to an entire book, especially if I wasn't absolutely certain I would like it, seemed like too much dedication of limited mental resources with unknown return. 

While I was in Oceanside, though, Cherished Friend lent me a book to read: The Eyes of the Dragon (Stephen King). He explained that it was more fairy-tale/fantasy than Stephen King's other works (I do not care much for horror). Trusting in my Friend's judgment, I began reading.

I was hooked from the very beginning.

The book was well-written, easy to read, suspenseful without being uncomfortable. It flowed. The description was captivating, the plot solid, the characters well defined. What a delightful use of language. The hardest part about reading the book was, making sure I read slowly enough to savor every word. 

I continued to read the book on the way home from Oceanside -- it was extremely helpful while trapped in Limbo in a city In Between. Eventually, I got to forty pages remaining. After I returned home, I paused before reading those last forty pages:  I didn't want the book to end, even though I wanted to know very much how the story resolved. 

Finally, though, I read the last pages. And it was an excellent resolution. The story wrapped up in just the right way (neither too-tidy nor questionably-convenient). Excellent. Well done, Stephen King.

In truth, reading the book was a lot like a visit to Oceanside: go slowly and don't rush, savor everything, take the words as they come, enjoy the moments up to and even including the very end -- even if it's sad that it comes to a close. 

I can see reading this book again. 

A Little Reading

 I went to purchase a gift for a baby shower. My favorite present for such an occasion is books: I love children's books in all shapes and sizes and characters. I purchased some favorites -- The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Goodnight Moon and such -- whatever was available in a bilingual edition, which would be best for the Momma and baby in question. 

It's been a long time since I perused books for children. So many options!

Some were... a tiny bit questionable.

Others were lovely brightly-colored books with wholesome messages.

And there were classics, too.

It was very enjoyable. I'll have to go back to the bookstore again soon, just to look. 

That is a Really Niche Market

Reading

I have promised myself that I will do more reading for pleasure. I have so many books that it's difficult to pick one to start.

What a marvelous problem -- to have an abundance of books from which to choose.

Surprise (Prince)

Herself speaks.

Beloved Husband is a very busy man. He has many clients who depend upon him, and he strives to ensure that they all receive the very best of his efforts. His work ethic is admirable. He has little leisure time, but does manage to squeeze a bit of rest and relaxation into some evenings. He reads news articles; watches Youtube videos about his particular interests; and every week or two, he visits here. (I don't ask or remind him to do so, because his leisure time should be his own, without any form of pressure to do particular things.) It's a busy life he leads.
-----

I am not, ordinarily, a fan of surprises. I like to know exactly what is happening, and when, and where, and (if possible) why. And yet, very busy Beloved Husband presented me with what can only be described as A Truly Thoughtful Surprise.

Remember the post about Le Petit Prince? I had mentioned that in my free time, I might look for a French/English version of the book.

And lo and behold, Beloved Husband not only visited the blog, but after reading that post, went online and found such a book, and then presented it to me.

Thank you, Beloved.

On risque de pleurer un peu si l’on s’est laissé apprivoiser...

Books

Went shopping at the buy-in-bulk store today, and there were so many fabulous children's books. Makes me a little wistful that I don't have any wee ones to whom to give books any more. Alas. 

Bought myself a cookbook instead. And a bag of cheese that weighs as much as Tiny Dog. 

Prince

While perusing the interwebs the other day, I found and re-read a bit of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I first read it years and years ago, in high school, and in the original French. It was difficult reading, for French was always challenging. I think that perhaps I missed out on the beauty of the book in having to read it for scholarly analysis instead of purely for enjoyment.

I might have to get a copy of the English translation. Or perhaps there is a copy of the book with both the French and the English? That would be excellent, because I could read in the original language and still have a bit of translation when necessary.

I'll have to look for such a book. (In my free time.) It is indeed a lovely story.

C’est tellement mystérieux, le pays des larmes.

Picture of the cover of the book found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince#/media/File:Littleprince.JPG

Consolations

I am reading Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, by David Whyte. Although the title itself is a wee bit... wordy, the work is an excellent collection of brief essays on particular words. The prose is reminiscent of John O'Donohue's Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom (an especially lovely work, close to my heart, as you well know from my mentionings of it here) -- in fact, I selected Consolations because Amazon.com suggested it when I recently purchased several other books by John O'Donohue. Well done, Amazon.

I have decided that rather than read straight through from beginning to end, I'll select the words individually each evening when I read before bedtime. In due course I shall bring my thoughts on those words here as well.

What a wonderful book.

Now We Are Six

It is the sixth anniversary of the birth of the blog. Thank you, cherished Reader, for being here with me. I am grateful for your company on the journey.

“Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.”
― A.A. Milne, Now We Are Six

What Do The Flowers Say?

Herself has been reading an engaging little book: A Victorian Flower Dictionary. She has known for a long time that different flowers are intended to convey different messages, and she felt compelled to learn more. It's an entire language, the language of flowers.  It would be ever so useful if people were to speak in flowers more often; a complex set of sentiments could be presented in a single, hand-gathered bouquet.  Herself would love to be able to do so -- sometimes, words are insufficient.

Some of the flowers are quite poignant:

The anemone, symbolizing abandonment and love that is fleeting.

The camellia: "my destiny is in your hands."

The heliotrope, depicting devoted affection.

The snowdrop, for consolation and hope.

The periwinkle, bringing remembrance of former delights as tender recollections.

Right now, Herself has a particular favorite:  the pansy.

Pansy -- from the French, pensée, the past tense of the verb penser, meaning to think -- asks of the receiver, think of me. The Victorian Flower Dictionary indicates that for the Victorians, the pansy embodied "the virtues of tender attachment, concern and compassion." Lovely.

Bootstrapping Myself

Strange as it may seem, I still hope for the best, even though the best, like an interesting piece of mail, so rarely arrives, and even when it does it can be lost so easily.  ― Lemony Snicket, The Beatrice Letters

Divergent

Book discussion. No spoilers, really. I thought I'd mention it, though, just in case you want to avoid learning anything about the book before you read it. 

I read Divergent.  It is well-written:  it flows well, with a good use of language that is neither too simple nor needlessly complex.  The story is based on activities of teenagers in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic society. There is a strong female protagonist -- always a pleasure -- who is resourceful and independent and unfortunately (though perhaps somewhat realistically) a bit dim when it comes to her comprehending the motivations of the young male protagonist who is attracted to her.  There are overarching political ideas as well as a general theme of "a few brave and motivated youths must save the world from itself."

The previous paragraph could have described any of a half-dozen currently popular books (see, e.g., The Hunger Games). What is it that makes Divergent different?

In the society of Divergent, people are divided into five specific groups -- factions -- based upon one overarching characteristic that drives their behavior, their employment, and their way of life. (Each faction has its own manifesto helpfully provided at the end of the book.) They are:

Abnegation - selflessness.
Amity - peacefulness.
Candor - truthfulness.
Dauntless - bravery.
Erudite - intelligence.

(We note that three faction names are nouns, and two are adjectives.  Such it was in the book.)

One can see social commentary within the descriptions of the factions, certainly. It's a novel concept, made even more interesting by the fact that each single characteristic is driven to the extreme:  for example, much as Mr. Spock from Star Trek emphasizes pure logic, the erudite of Divergent believe that knowledge is the only logical solution to the problem of conflict. The website created around the movie based on the book highlights the factions, even providing a quiz to see into which faction one might fall.

To which faction would I belong?  That's a tricky question.  Not all of the factions are equally described in the book -- for example, Amity plays a very small role in Divergent -- so information is incomplete. Furthermore, the extreme bias of each faction's underpinnings turns what might otherwise be a most admirable character trait into nearly a liability. We're fairly certain, though, that it would be one of two. Perhaps we will need to read the next book in the series to glean more information.  We shall see.

Which faction would you join? Why?

Tripods

We're re-reading some books from our youth:  the Tripod series.

The series is marketed as four books:  the first is a prequel, and then the remaining three form a trilogy.  The prequel (When The Tripods Came) was apparently written twenty years after the trilogy.  In my opinion, it lacks the pace, solid voice, and excitement of the trilogy.  There's nothing in the prequel that is necessary for enjoyment of the trilogy.  I'd recommend skipping it, and reading the trilogy by itself.

The trilogy -- The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire -- is a great series.  The target audience is grade school/young teen boys; it's likely Herself borrowed the books from her brother back in days of yore. The general plot points of fending for oneself and being strong in the face of adversity always resonated with Herself, and her most-often-reread books (including these) typically followed those themes.

We're working our way through the last book in the trilogy now.  Our favorite was the middle book.  Would we survive in the city of gold and lead? Would you?