Friday, September 30, 2011

Today demands a poem


I may write one as the air
of Autumn arrived , sun
brings goodness on its
rays, and the skies make your
head rise up!

Until that poem appears in
my journal from my pen,
I think about Richard
Wilbur's poem that says
the morning is awash with
angels.


Abraham and the Three Angels


I found Luci Shaw writing
for Flourish Magazine which
also has a Wendell Berry-ness
to it. Here is a Rilke poem found
there . Must write some letters!~
( see that line , keep that Lost ART
going gals)

Lord: it is time. The Summer was so immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials,
and let loose the wind in the fields.

Bid the last fruits to be full,
give them another two more southerly days,
press them to ripeness, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.

Whoever has no house now will not build one anymore.
Whoever is along now will remain so for a long time,
will stay up, read, write long letters,
and wander the avenues, up and down,
restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.



http://www.many-painting.com/images/Vincent%20Van%20Gogh_Autumn%20Garden.jpg

Autumn Garden, Van Gogh

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

hum....


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-u31ZMxcEaphwwZLaYpVG82t8vv0DmEWoarut_9f0xFKgmWMjeXoEEIeOb4R4o1R6jm2T0UO1OPwdGvpi0hsDNBRie-XhPC7SNw1Igw6yYzq0g0v6IjQ_yKeIqqcP3xav8s8fjZ4kT0/s1600/general+store2.jpeg

I am looking
at the Yarn Stores for
the NY Yarn Crawl this
weekend. I am not there
or going there BUT
I can pick up needles
and yarn and next trip
go here:

Brooklyn General Store

Great video with this song.
It made me smile tonight!
Don't you want to sit in
and take a seat.

Song

born to hum


once in the spring of my 24th year
i had nothing to say.
with a dangling promise and
a terrible past
i threw all the words away.

we were born to hum.

you were the last in my 24th year
to make a demand of my voice.
i tickled your ear and
i laughed in your face and
i gave you my choice.

we were born to hum.

it's a gradual running,
a kind of release
that's settled on my face.
once in awhile i complain to myself,
nothing gets done!
nothing's in place!

but i would rather hum.
i would rather hum.


© 2003 Erin McKeown

Second Edition Preface



Charlotte Bronte did not write
a Preface to the first edition of
JANE EYRE. She did to the second.
She gives acknowledgements and
remarks in the Second Editon's
Preface , giving this at the end to
whom she dedicated the work:

Finally, I have alluded to Mr. Thackeray, because to him- if he will accept the tribute of a total stranger- I have dedicated this second edition of Jane Eyre. CURRER BELL.

I am starting reread Jane Eyre for
the 3rd time in my life. It's the next
Book Club in October!
I remember hearing Susan
Schaeffer Macaulay speak on Reading
and Literature with an admonition
to read Jane Eyre every decade!
I've missed a few but the first time
holds a great story . More on that to
come!


http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Jane_Eyre_title_page.jpg/200px-Jane_Eyre_title_page.jpg

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dedication Pages


"This is no furniture for the scholar's library, but a book for the winter evening schoolroom when the tasks are over and the hour for bed draws near; and honest Alan, who was a grim old fire-eater in his day, has in his new avatar no more desperate purpose than to steal some young gentleman's attention from his Ovid, carry him awhile into the Highlands and the last century, and pack him to bed with some engaging images to mingle with his dreams."

Robert Louis Stevenson, Dedication Page to Kidnapped

Ovid ~~ have you read any of this Roman poet?

Plus that is ONE sentence! It's what great writers do.



Monday, September 26, 2011

Thomas Merton for Monday Gratitude

God, who, in His mercy, completes the hidden and mysterious work of creation in us by enlightening our minds and hearts, by awakening in us the awareness that we are words spoken in His One Word and that Creator Spiritus dwells in us, and we in him.

Thomas Merton

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Me tagged?


I was tagged by Nancy
on her blog for something
called MEME:

A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.
An Internet meme is a concept that spreads through the internet.

So here goes:

1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed -
For the Children's Sake began my journey
and I have reread Essex Cholmondley : The Story of
Charlotte Mason.


2. One resource you wouldn't be without -

our local library

3.
One resource you wish you had never bought -

Saxon Math. Actually I never bought
it . It was passed to me and didn't work well
with my son who loves math. He told me
how it didn't work for him and he loved
math.


4.
One resource you enjoyed last year -

the internet
Charlotte Mason Archives

5.
One resource you will be using next year -

Blogs and books.
My students will do a private blog as a class.
Also doing The Brooklyn Sketchbook Project.


6.
One resource you would like to buy -

Travel.
Museums . Rembrandt coming 3 hours
away soon to NC!
Theater.
Concerts.


7.
One resource you wish existed -

I agree with Nancy on this one :

Non-profit ChildLightUSA Developing New Mason Curriculum


8.
One homeschool catalog you enjoy reading -

I love reading book catalogues , Image
Journal , and online blogs, etc... ( Kindling Muse, Books and Culture, the Curator)
even twitters!


9.
One homeschool website you use regularly -

Grantian Florilegium
Ambleside Online
Childlight USA
Book of Centuries

10. Tagged:

Amber Benton
Beth Pinckney
Melissa Smith






Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Back from the Big Apple


Link
Back from a long weekend to New York City with my sister and daughter . We visited my nephew who lives in Brooklyn now. Residency. Long hours in the hospital. We , on the other hand, learned how to get into the city on the subway to go to the MET, Morgan Library, MoBia ( to see The Four Gospels of Makoto Fujimura) " How to Suceed in Business " with Daniel Radcliffe ( yes, he can sing and dance quite nicely!) and NY food. Upon returning I'm reading " Clara and Mr. Tiffany" by
Susan Vreeland: the turn of the century story of his stained glass windows. I had seen several
at the MET and now the story comes alive! Clara was a letter writer besides being an artist of color and beauty.

"What saved Clara Driscoll from obscurity is not any Tiffany Studios catalog, but her passion for writing letters."


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_fG1kxa5e4_tGy5cF0NlreG7Fm4eDf8B5sBgCGH4CtUoZRlcnsQBL5ZJn1H1eZuKPh_dZDtbhGd0fIBbdRbQtjLg0BHPyRM34hL_B5yYWj5K23ozYU_11PwV5UyWk_BA7PpdwIx4sw/

http://www.svreeland.com/tif-Clara-and-Joe-410px.jpg

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

IN a library stack


Listening to this tonight. Julie Andrews and her
daughter reading and talking! I wish I had a
young one to put to sleep listening! Fun poems
even some written by them.
Listen to Julie Andrews lovely articulation
( My Fair Lady) and accent!

Came home also with an old copy of
David McCord's poems. Illustrations
are whimsical and delightful.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sUBLZtMDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Just looking at ART



Doing Picture Study with
high school students is
extraordinary. They described
many paintings of The Garden
of Eden. Training the eyes to see
and the mind to think:

Thomas Cole: The Garden of Eden.... 1828
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/awetzler/WindowsLiveWriter/EnvironmentalismReligionandEthics_8770/800px-Cole_Thomas_The_Garden_of_Eden_1828_3.jpg

"We recognise that the power of appreciating art and of producing to some extent an interpretation of what one sees is as universal as intelligence, imagination, nay, speech, the power of producing words. But there must be knowledge and, in the first place, not the technical knowledge of how to produce, but some reverent knowledge of what has been produced...children learn, not merely to see a picture but to look at it, taking in every detail. " ( Charlotte Mason)








Monday, September 12, 2011

All in a day


Upstairs bathroom being
updated. White tub and floor
now. Red walls with a new
cabinet of cherry wood. It
reminds me of the dining room
set we had growing up. Deep
and rich wood.

So that is going on while life
goes around it.

Life will take Emma and I to
NYC this weekend. Yes.
Going up with my sister to
see : On Eagle's Wings.

http://www.whofish.org/DevImages/imgActive/original_108542.jpg

Friday, September 9, 2011

Needing a poem to sink into


For Autumn.

I had one line from
Emily ~~ Dickinson
this past summer that
sunk in : A Something
IN a summer day ~~
became a meditation to
look upon the Lord's doings
in my life, in my prayer life,
in TIME of the daily.

Looking for this for
Autumn as the air cools
and the bird chirp and
the soul is lifted to joy.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The work begins


Charlotte Mason said to set
a student in a large room
and set before them a feast.

Yesterday was that as we began
this year's Humanities class:
Antiquity.

I am very thankful for the day
which was filled with students
who love to come to the feast!
The day was punctuated with
many timely intersections of
people in the path SO I would
know "He is with me."One was
seeing Lysa Terkeurst at Barnes
and Noble as Ann Voskamp was
flying in for her webcast.
You can listen again today.
Ann talked about turning worry
into wonder."I WONDER what
God will do as my greatest fears
flood my mind and heart."

"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder."
E.B. White


Monday, September 5, 2011

Rest on LABOR DAY


Glad to have a rest on this
rainy Labor Day. My high
school Antiquities Class starts
tomorrow. Charlotte Mason said
Education is a Life. It is an
Atmosphere..... and the start of
Education is a Discipline. The
work of reading and thinking
begins.

They have been reading
their choice of anyTolkien books
this summer. I'm sure JRRT would
be thrilled to see his fantasy myths
start off a year in Ancient Literature.

I hope to post a writing exercise
after we do it that I did with
Lauren Winner at her writing
workshop a few years ago. Time
does fly ~~we will be looking
at that from John Milton:
On Time as God created Time on Earth
in Creation
.


http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/1-creation-nadine-rippelmeyer.jpg

Nadine Rippelmeyer


Friday, September 2, 2011

Kicking off the School Year


I should have taken photos.
Alas ~~ that has been my life:
forgetting the camera.

Last night 11 students gathered
round my kitchen table , taco
salad, ice cream sundaes :
to read The Comedy of Errors.
We only got to Act. 3.
We'll finish up this week in
class. Onward to a great year!
I feel so blessed : new students,
their moms and a great energy
of the Spirit for these high
schoolers!

Best line in the play so far
for me that struck me with
delight:

Here comes the almanac of my true date.
Act 1, scene 2

Do you know what that means?
( I have one of those , if you didn't
know THAT about me!)