Midafternoon

There always is a sigh as Thursday
arrives and the busyness of the week
seems to come to that yield sign of
THE Weekend. It's almost here!

Gatsby

I'm beginning this book with my
high school students ~~ THE
Great Gatsby. THE is a key word.
I grew up near where the book
takes place and there are still
many Jay Gatsbys in the outskirts
of Manhattan. That part of Long
Island is called THE Gold Coast.
A theme here with the work THE!

Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Jay Gatsby's Mansion

West Egg, N.Y.

$42.5 million

Fabulous Gothic-style manse located on Long Island's North Shore!
Stunning 22,000 square interior! 8 bedrooms, 8 baths; perfect for stay-over guests after wild weekend parties. 4-car garage comes with vintage 1920s yellow roadster. Swimming pool recently repainted. Estate owned. Must sell!

Featured in The Great Gatsby.

Looking for something?

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
--J.R.R. Tolkien

Postcards from Far Away

Coldplay in Bologna:
then into Viva La Vida.
Sounds like Mozart on the piano
into the song from the Grammy's!
Then fans sent postcards to them.
The title of the shorter piano
solo reminds me of the
100 Postcards by Poet Laureate
Ted Kooser. Kooser wrote his
writing friend every morning when
he took his walk in remission from
cancer treatment to avoid the sun.
Imagine 100 postcards arriving day
after day after day after day.......
each with a short poem of observaton.

See larger image

A Lovely TEA

The afternoon was cloudy, grey,
and chilly. Perfect for the late
Valentine's tea and celebrating
with my old Bible Study how the
Lord gave me a new hip!
Thank you dear friend for blessing
each of us yesterday!

her photo:

Happy 50th

To my blogging friend
A Contemplative Joy
which use to be
TEA WITH MILK.

Monday, Monday

I get back to teaching tomorrow
after a week for Winter Break.
We have 3 books to read before
Easter! 3 plus the stack I'm already
reading, but 3 to teach! I've read 2
of them ( Lest Innocent Blood Be
Shed and To Kill a Mockingbird)
BUT they needs to be fresh when
you are in your 50's!

Our Quiver

Valentines and Grace

in a recent email from a friend
who moved away.........

....when you spoke of Lenten Roses, my heart was tugged by the memory of them. I had been talking with Leslie about the graces that the Lord gives us, some that we never see, or at least don't see immediately. Those little love-gifts from God, to our heart's alone. When you spoke of the Lenten Roses, I thought of their graceful, loopy stems and then the flower, which we can miss seeing entirely when we walk by them in a garden or growing against the side of a house. They are so lovely and pale, like the color of the leaves, but with a tiny brush of pink or lavender on that sweet soft green. Hidden beauties, may God open our eyes to all that he gives to us!! Happy
Valentine's Day!

Valentines

Heart treats with a few
of Emma's friends to
make Valentine's a week
ago:

Wyeth on Winter

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.

~Andrew Wyeth

Thomas Cole Meets Coldplay

Sent today by my sophomore
accounting major who did Picture
Study of Charlotte Mason in his
education and now has a love for
art:


( click on Thomas Cole to watch the
You tube)

Thomas Cole - 1836

Ox-bow. [oks bo] noun.

the fertile land found in the bend of a river shaped like an oxbow;

Not a mere catalogue of memories

"I have no new theory of Time to
propound, but I would declare my
experience, especially in youth, is
quickly overlaid by others, and is
not at the moment fully comprehended.
But it is overlaid, not lost.
Time hurries it from us, but also keeps it
in store, and it can later be recaptured
and amplified by memory, so that at
leisure we can interpret its meaning
and enjoy its savour."

John Buchan, from Pilgrim's Way

A new look

I fooled around with the templates
and finally went stark white!
I see my friend Melissa's change
and then my dear friend's change,
even Dr. Grant changed! The main
website of Kingsmeadow has and
Gregg Wilbur has a new site
The Meaning of Symbols. Some
GKC blogs recently!!


Lovely afternoon tea for this friend's
birthday and Beth came, which she
has gone stark too! Oh how lovely
to have time with them and my
Supper of the Lamb and Chestnut
soup friend of 20 plus years came
to meet them. All at least 20 years
older than Amber.

And check out Letters from Hill Farm
in New Hampshire
who has her books on her headliner.

Enough clicking! AND click
on friend's , Beth and friend in the second
paragraph to see WHO they are! This
keeps messing up!

My husband said........

right before dinner:
"There's something I haven't
told you. Did you know on May
18th , I will have walked with
Zeena ( our dog) 5,000 miles!
That's as far as from here into
Russia!"

Well, I didn't know that, I said!
If you know Ken, you will
understand. And I do!

100 Cupboards

A fun new book that has me
giggling with Emma , who will
read it after me! N. D. Wilson
teaches up at New St. Andrews
in Idaho. Even his bio will tickle
you! I think his father is head of
that classical school and movement.
Here's a bit from his bio:

I love the dark flavor of Flannery O'Connor and
the supra-realism of Borges, though I can't help
but try to add the laughter of G. K. Chesterton.
P. G. Wodehouse and C. S. Lewis have been with
me my entire life, and always will be. J. R. R. Tolkien
cannot be imitated.

Lenten Roses

Blooming!

photos not mine,but I have
both colors!

Have you started.......

Making your Valentines
for the ones you love?
Or for someone who needs
some love? Or a college student
who needs mail?! We had a
card making party with Emma's
friends this afternoon and boy
was it fun! Plus tea and heart
cookies and of course, chocolate!
Photos to come!

Yarn Giveaway

Found this yarn give away
from another blog
to this gorgeous farm
located in Montana which has
Shetland sheep! They are doing
a CSA ( community supported
agriculture)~~ you buy into the sheep
and get the wool!! You can do the giveaway
by posting on your blog or send to 5-10 friends.
Her site: Serendipity Sheep Farm.
Giveaway until Feb. 13th and posted
on her Jan, 31st!

Engagement Photo

Bryan and Ashley

Blessed is....

Psalm 41

O LORD, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor.