What is an Amateur?

    What is an amateur? Is it someone new at an activity?  Someone inept and inexperienced? Can an amateur be an expert at their activity?

    I have always been a huge fan of the Nancy Drew books.  When I was younger, it was for the adventure and the mystery.  Now that I'm older, I still enjoy them as a good way to just relax, plus I find it fascinating how they were created, and how they have changed over the years.  Nancy Drew is the classic amateur detective.  But after solving 56 mysteries in the original series alone, one can hardly call her inept or inexperienced.  No, her "amateur" standing comes from the fact that she doesn't solve mysteries because she is paid to do it, or because she has been professionally trained  - she does it because she loves to do it.

  G. K. Chesterton once wrote: "The word amateur has come by the thousand oddities of language to convey an idea of tepidity; whereas the word itself has the meaning of passion. Now is this peculiarity confined to the mere form of the word; the actual characteristic of these nameless dilettanti is a genuine fire and reality. A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame or money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well.  Such a man must love the toils of the work more than any other man can love the rewards of it."  The word amateur is from the french, meaning "one who loves." An amateur may indeed be quite good her craft, but she needn't be.  She need only love it.

   I am an amateur.  I do many many things,  simply because I love to do them, or occasionally because I love the one I do them for.  I say I am the rambling amateur both because I have a tendency to be long winded when I write, and also because I have so many different hobbies that I rarely stay with just one for long.  And I'm always eager to learn something new, whether it is in one of my current interests or in the pursuit of a new one.  If I am an expert in anything, it is in being an amateur.

   It has been a long time since I have posted on this blog, and many things have changed in the last four years.  But now I return, as I so often return to my hobbies.  I come back with new knowledge and new ideas, and I am eager to learn more.  I have more focus now, on what this blog is.  It is the blog of a Rambling Amateur, to share what I learn and discover, and how I discovered it.  

Welcome to the zoo…er, farm… :)

Our farm is perched atop one of the many bluffs above the Cannon River. The road leading to it is, at times, steep and winding, as befits a dead-end gravel road. The land is open and hilly - you would be hard pressed to find a level area of any great size. The horizon is a patchwork of fields and stands of trees. 

The farm itself is small, but sufficient. The eleven acres are divided between the house and backyard, a small kitchen garden with our roses, raspberries, and a few vegetables, a large lower garden with potatoes, beans, and the like, the buildings, an orchard, the pasture, and a hayfield. 

Our animals are many and varied. Presenting them largest to smallest we have:

Amy, before she was dehorned

Our Jersey milk cow, Amy. She is due to calve in April. Unfortunately, we dried her up this past spring in anticipation for a calve she never had. We all miss her milk terribly, though none so much as my youngest brother, who would probably drink a half gallon of milk a day if we let him. 

Next in the rank of size would be my puppy, Sophie. She is 17 months old, so about full grown. Good thing, because right now she's as tall as I am when she stands on her hind legs, and easily twice the size of my niece. Not bad for a female Newfoundland. :) 

Dutchess and Sophie

We also have a female Golden Retriever, Dutchess. She's my mom's dog, and I think she believes my mother is the only one above her in the pack. And she knows how to use "the force" to open doors.  I'm serious.  She stares at them until they open.  And with so many obliging humans about, they usually do eventually.

Then we have the turkeys. I think we are down to one big Tom strutting around. For a long time we always had three that would travel together. They were known as the godfathers, and were something like the farm mascots.  Our current Tom is a mere nephew. And there are two turkey hens running around. Finally, my second brother has a flock of 10 blue slate/ wild turkey crosses he hatched out this past spring.  Needless to say, we are set for Thanksgiving.

Next (by size) would be Max and Maxine, our two Peking Ducks.  You can see Maxine's story here. Max was picked up at the fair last month, since Maxine seemed a little lonely for one of her own kind.

Not that we don't have more ducks. We also have 2 Muscovies (I love Muscovy ducks) and 4 Runners.  All hens, so those flocks will gradually shrink away to nothing, I suppose.

Dutchess and Hawkeye

Now, I had a bit of a time getting a count on the chickens. One coop has 8 hens and 2 rooster - I think these are our  source of eggs.  Then there are the 19 Easter chickens.  We have incubators, so every year we time a hatch for Easter Sunday, or thereabouts.  It's always fun to have the cute little baby chicks!  

Finally is Hawkeye.  She is my brothers' pet bantam hen.  She flies!  Well, she flies really well for a chicken, anyhow.  She hatched out a nest full of eggs over the summer, too.  The estimate was that she had 20 chicks with her, but I don't know if they are all her own.  (And if you think that is a lot of chickens, you should see the 100 we butcher every summer for the freezers.  More on that here.)

Not quite finished!  We also have guineas.  If you are not familiar with guineas, they are funny looking birds that make a lot of noise and eat a lot of bugs.  I don't know how many of those there are, because we have two or three flocks that roam free.  I would guess 20+, though.  Some were hatched this year and actually survived.  Guineas tend to be very good nesters, but terrible parents.  

And there are 3 rabbits. Can't tell you a thing about them, except that they are very soft and don't like Sophie. 

And then there are the cats.  My brother says there are ten.  Who am I to argue? Actually, most of the above data came from my dear brothers.  

Oh yes, according to the youngest, my brothers also count as part of the menagerie.  

So between Amy and Sophie, add one brother, and between Sophie and Dutchess add three.

And that is the farm. 

Most of our meat is produced here.  

We had 2 pigs, until they became pork in late July.  

Most of our calves grow up to be steak.  Because this reality, we name them accordingly.  So far, we have eaten: 

Beefsteak 

Sir Loin

Chuck Roast

Porter 

and T-Bone.  

Rump(elstiltsken) Roast was spared from our freezer - he was sold into the neighbors beef herd.  There may have been others, but I don't remember.  The next one will probably be Flank......or Homeless (1000 bonus points if you know the source of that one!)  

Other animals that have come and gone over the years are geese, mules (borrowed mules,) horses, and two goats that made us certain we would never get goats again.  And I suppose you could also count the fish in the water tanks, and the turtle in the garden, and the hermit crab that boarded with us for a couple of weeks before we gave it as a birthday gift to my niece.  So basically, the only things we haven't tried are sheep, llamas, and alpacas.  Can you eat alpacas?  Alpaca sandwich for lunch... :) Oh, and we've never had ostriches.  Or peacocks.  Hmmm....I guess we have a few more animals to try out.  Homing pigeons always sounded like fun, too….then there are quail and pheasants that could be added….elk….donkeys….monkeys...

***Update 10/4/12***
Sadly, Sophie had to be returned to her breeder last week.  She was having a really hard time bonding with us, and I suspect she may have been abused by her previous owner, judging from some of her very unusual behavior over the past year.  Because I didn't realize this right away, I was not able to gain her trust, and probably did even more damage.  We'll miss her, but hopefully now she'll find a home she will be happy in.  

Twilight...

© J. Bridger 2011

It is neither day, nor night.  

It is twilight.

We don’t see the sun, nor can we yet see the stars, 

but still there is light.  

All green fades to black. 

The only colors are pink and blue and yellow.

It is still easy to see, at first, but as stars appear, the familiar become enchanted.  

Trees and flowers and buildings stand as sharp silhouettes against the sky that fades from bright to dark.  

The most drab thing in daylight becomes beautiful, 

and the most beautiful becomes grotesque. 

 It holds the fancy of faeries and elves and dwarves -

the monsters and demons still fear the shadows of sunlight lingering on the horizon. 

 Until at last, twilight fades to dusk, 

and dusk to night.

Monday Reflections

I am weak.  I don't know how to defend the honor of my Lord and my God.  I want to, but instead, I say nothing.  I pray in my heart, and frown, but it is little to defend the honor of His most Holy Name.  Perhaps if I suggested that my coworkers say "Oh Buddha" or the name of some other deity out of frustration, they would get the picture.
We could use the names of false gods "in vain," but would that help to bring about the conversion of those who believe in these false gods? (Hmm, perhaps I should add "o Bama!" and "governementdam" to that list of acceptable alternatives?) I don't think, though, that blaspheming their gods would really weaken their faith - it would only weaken their faith in us.
Our "charity" makes us a group of easy targets, you ever notice? We are easy to ignore and easy to offend without opposition. If a Christian criticizes anyone for their choices, they are told that they are judgmental, bigoted, and uncharitable.  Ironic, considering these virtues that we are so painfully short on weren't even considered virtues before Christianity.  It was a Christian idea that men didn't judge one another, rather that they leave judgement to God.  It was a Christian idea that we love our neighbor, regardless of his status, color, or gender, for the love of God. Before Christianity, equality was an idea unheard of.  True, Christianity did not do away with classes or slavery, but it taught mankind the equal dignity of every human in the eyes of God.
Bigoted.  Now there's an interesting word.  I actually had to look it up.  I had a fair idea of what it meant, but I wanted to be sure.  According to my handy-dandy iPod dictionary: Bigoted - "having or revealing an obstinate belief in the superiority of one's own opinions and a prejudiced* intolerance of the opinions of others." Hmmm.  Sounds like something that can go both ways.  Hey, I'll admit there are a lot of bigoted christians out there.  And I would say ALL of us have a streak of that in us somewhere - we like to be right, and we like to have our own opinions.  But see, there is this little thing called "truth" that not everyone recognizes as even existing.  I believe it does exist, and I believe that the Catholic church holds the fullness of it.  Therefore, I don't consider myself a bigot.  First, because I'm not talking about opinions, I'm talking about facts.  If it was merely my opinion that 1+1=2, and I refused to back down from that, I could be considered a bigot.  Or, to give a better example, if it was merely my opinion that 7+5-2 x 4 = 4, I could be considered a bigot.  However, math doesn't deal in opinions, it is fact.  And it is a fact that 7+5-2 x 4 = 4.  I could be wrong, though, and say that 7+5-2x4=40, and then I could obstinately refuse to listen to my math tutor explain the order of operations.  In that case I would be a bigot.
I would also like to mention that I am not a "blind sheep" following everything the Church teaches just because it says it is right.  I consider there to be sufficient evidence for what I believe.  I don't understand it all, I admit.  But when there is something that doesn't make sense to me, I look for an explanation.  After all, I want to make sure I'm understanding what I think I'm hearing. It's been said by many different people in many different ways, but to put it simply, most people hate the Church for what they think it is, not for what it actually teaches.  So far, I have found an answer to all of my questions. Prove to me that the Church is wrong, and there is nothing to hold me - I do not look for the honor and glory that comes man, only that of God.  Prove my God does not exist, and I have no reason to follow a Church that is false.  Ah, but you can't prove it.  I know it to be truth.
God Bless,
Rae

*Prejudiced: To quote my then-8 year old brother to my then-10 year old brother: "Your just prejujished.  You don't like cocoanut and you haven't given it a fair chance!"

I think I shall write a book...

Yes,  I am going to attempt it.  So if I start disappearing around here again, that may be why.  Or I may be moving furniture.  Or canoeing.  Or planning crazy adventures involving mysterious envelopes and cryptic messages.  Perhaps I will be doing all four things. At. The. Same. Time.  Who knows.  Of course, I may be persuaded to stay by a few more comments, or by a few more clicks on those silly adsense ads.  Or not.  We shall see.  Perhaps I will have another profound thought to share, and will naturally come here to share it.  I have been rather dry on profound thoughts, but have instead switched to scathingly brilliant ideas.  Which, as everyone knows, aren't bad, but always expensive.

Good day, and God Bless!
Rae

Keeping Sunday...Part One

This is my seventh weekend at my new job, and my fifth Sunday out of that seven working.  Argh.  I knew, of course, when I got the job that I would have to work some Sundays -- every other, to be exact.  However, with training and schedule juggling and what have you, I’m working AGAIN on Sunday, and tipping over that 50/50 mark.  

I’m lucky, though.  I know that my job is necessary - I work at an assisted living facility in the dining room.  People are depending on us for their meals.  Really, it is a corporal work of mercy (even if I am getting paid.  Service with a smile and all that.  I hope.)  Anyhow.  Not everyone who has to work on Sunday has that benefit of knowing that their work is, however humble, necessary.  There are many jobs in this world where it is very necessary people work on Sundays.  I’m guessing that those who are nurses, or police officers, or firefighters, or dairy farmers are aware when they choose those careers that they will have to do some of their ordinary, everyday work on Sundays.  Keeping the Sabbath holy, for them, doesn’t always involve a day off, as much as they would maybe like it to.  I’m thinking mothers and priests fall into that category, too.  But there are other jobs that aren’t necessary.  I’m thinking specifically of those who have to work at stores.  It must be difficult knowing that the only reason you have to work on Sunday is because either someone didn’t plan ahead or couldn’t wait for something.  

Ours is a world of instant gratification.  When was the last time you stopped and thought about that?  With the internet and cell phones, instant is really really really fast.  Want that new song?  No need to wait until you can take the car or catch a bus - just download it.  Have a movie you want to see?  Just download it.  A book to read?  Download it.  New computer game? You get the idea.  The funny thing is, the more we have, the more we want.  When you don’t have to wait for one thing, it gets harder and harder to wait for other things.  What was I talking about?  Oh yes.  Sundays.  

How often do you find yourself shopping on a Sunday?  Now before you say “hardly ever,” don’t forget about that cup of coffee and doughnut from the gas station.  And that quick stop to grab buns at the grocery store on the way home from Mass.  We all do it.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  Did you know there was a time (before the internet, I think) when gas stations weren’t open on Sundays?  Or stores?  If you ran out of gas, you had to hope a neighbor had some to spare (or you had to bang on the station owner’s door and interrupt his Sunday dinner.)  Now, gas stations are open all the time.  Which is kind of sad, because now, they don’t need to be open, and no one has to run out of gas, thanks to the whole pay-at-the-pump thing.  Which doesn’t apply in NJ because people aren’t allowed to pump their own gas, which is another sad tale.  Stores are open all the time, too, in case anyone completely emptied their cupboards on Saturday night, who hasn’t got a neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar from (yet another sad tale!) Departments stores don’t even have that excuse.  Instant gratification.  

“But,” you ask, “what does it matter?  After all, I don’t really even consider shopping work.  I actually consider it recreation.  Aren’t we supposed to relax on Sunday, after Mass, of course? The stores are all open anyhow.” 

Yup.  The stores are open.  They are open because they are making money.  And, because they are open, someone has to work.  I have never done retail work, but I hear it isn’t really recreation. Although it may fall under the category “purgatory on earth.” Which means, because of our impatience, we are ruining someone else’s Sunday.  Now don’t you feel ashamed?  I hope so.  

Actually, I hope not.  I mean, yes, we need to realize the price what we are doing, but I really don’t like making people feel bad.  It’s kinda one of my weak points.  I do, however, like making people think.  THINK!  Think outside the box!  Did you run out of flour for your fried chicken?  Call your neighbor - they might be glad to help (work of mercy points for them!.)  Or use leftover sour-cream-and-onion cracker crumbs, and invent a new family favorite.  Oooh! Better idea! Make Beer Can Chicken!  Or give everyone a break and throw in a frozen pizza (that you picked up on Saturday.) Next time you think you have to buy something on a Sunday, see if you can put it off until Monday.  Or improvise.  Or do without.  Offer it up :) God gave us six days to work and to shop.  All He asks is for one day in return, where we gather together to adore, praise, ask pardon, and thank Him in the Mass.  Then He asks us to rest, as He rested, and to allow others to do the same.  No, we don’t all get to rest on Sundays, but our work should be the sort of work that we can make holy, if we must do it.  Nurses have to nurse, doctors have to doctor, cooks (and lowly culinary assistants) have to feed the hungary, and farmers have to feed their animals.  We can’t really get around that.  But honestly, there is no reason anyone should have to sell shirts.  Or ties. Or purses.  Or even bread. Eat ice cream for breakfast if you are out of toast ;) And have a happy and holy Sunday! *hops off of soap box*

Next time on Rae’s Rambling Rants... Meatless Fridays!Also, stay tuned for “Keeping Sunday, Part 2 - How to Celebrate!”

Comments welcome - and fully expected.  After all, ranters should expect some arguments.  So should renters, especially if they really like music and are hard of hearing.....

Some questions to ponder.....

  I consider myself a fairly practical person.  I like things to make sense, plain and simple.  I think things should be logical and straightforward.  I believe there is a such thing as truth, and therefor a such thing as right and wrong.  I realize that truth can be hard to recognize, of course, and I suppose we need to try to predict the future to decide what to do today sometimes, like when planning a picnic or a budget.  But somehow it seems like there is so little that is logical in the world today. And I don't want EVERYTHING to make perfect sense, but for the most part...

  I was on youtube, hoping to find some inspiring videos for a great “fortnight for freedom” post.  Granted, I was probably looking in the wrong direction ( I should have started with this one,) starting with Bob Hope’s Zombie Democrat line (I thought maybe I could do something great with the whole zombie apocalypse thing,) but regardless, what I found was discouraging.  Not so much the videos - there were some wise words and all - but the comments!  Is it possible to have a logical discussion anymore, without foul language and making assumptions about people’s opinions?  I suppose when we consider truth to be something we can decide instead of something that just IS, that would be the result.  Ooops!  Maybe I’m making some assumptions now!  The fact is, I consider truth to be something outside of not only myself, but the universe.  As such, it can’t change based on what is going on here in our little country or world.  But I realize that it can be hard to recognize, especially if we aren’t taught to recognize its existence, let alone how to recognize it.  I believe that truth follows the rules of reason and logic, even if it doesn’t always seem to follow the rules of nature.  Now am I wrong?  Am I wrong to want to fight the errors and evils of this world with logic and reason and truth, when everyone else is using emotions and appearances?  Something to ponder.  Here are a few more things to ponder.  They really aren’t necessarily connected, they are just things that I wonder about.

• If we are a nation governed by elected officials, should the government be involved in the training of the next generation of voters, or is that a conflict of interests?
• 
  
• Is the idea of evolution compatible with the idea that all races are equal?  Wouldn’t evolution be grounds to say that some races are inferior to others? 
• 
  
• If I am not allowed to tell you what to do with your body, why are you allowed to use my money to do it?  If I can’t tell you what you have to accept, why are you allowed to tell me what I have to accept?  
• 
  
• Why doesn’t the government have to budget the same way a house or business does, (money in ≥ money out)?  If I start printing money, can I pay my bills with it?  Can I pay my taxes with it?  

What questions do you ponder?  Got any good answers?  Do share!

The Wonderful World of Automation

   Habits are good things to have. (So are hobbits, as friends, but that’s another post for another time.) Ahem.  As I was saying.  Habits are good things to have, unless, of course, they are the wrong sort of habits.  Bad habits are not good things to have.  And sometimes good habits backfire on you, too.

   I have developed a habit of clipping my keys to my purse, or bag, or belt, as soon as I turn off the car, even if I plan on sitting in it for a few minutes.  This is a good habit. I know this, because there have been two or three occasions when I have not practiced this habit and have locked my keys in the car.  So now, I make it my practice to always do something with the keys, like clip them to my bag, when I turn off the car, so I don’t leave them in the ignition.  Good habit.  But, as I said, good habits can backfire on you.  Like when I clip the keys to the wrong bag.  Like I did a few months ago.  An hour and a half from home.  In the rain.  Fortunately, there was a spare key hidden on the car, I just had to find it.  Also fortunately, the bag I had in my hand was the bag with a pair of jeans, my cell phone, wallet, and a pocket knife in it.  It just wasn’t the bag with the keys on it.  It only took about 15 minutes crawling around the car (in the rain) to find the key.  Things could have been much worse.  Things could have been worse this morning, too.  This morning, there was no spare key.  And the bag with my cell phone, wallet, pants, breakfast (and lunch) AND keys was the one IN the car.  Things could have been much worse, though.  Because I was only a half hour away from home, and my mother had her car, too.  And her cell phone.  Also, I had a few minutes to spare before I had to be to work - long enough to take my mother’s car, and to call home for the spare key.  So I got to work on time, albeit with no badge, a skirt instead of my uniform pants, no breakfast, and no lunch.  Until my mother could bring them to me.  Good habits can backfire.  I think I have a bad habit, too.   A bad habit of locking my keys in the car.  

   So, my friends, it is important to develop good habits, and to make sure those habits are REALLY good habits.  My mother pointed out that if I had a habit of having the keys in my hand when I leave the car, I would be much less likely to lock my keys in the car.  She has a very good point.  Unfortunately, she said that since she gave birth to all of us children, my dad had to teach us to drive, and my dad did not instill that good habit in me.  I wonder if good habits are as hard to break as bad? They say it takes roughly two months for a behavior to become automatic.  I’m guessing it doesn’t take that long to get out of a good habit.  And it is probably longer to break out of bad habit.  Many habits are formed without our even realizing it (mostly the bad sort, I’m thinking.) We get into the habit of watching a show, or listening to a radio station, or driving a certain way to work, without ever realizing that it is a habit.  Do we even like the show or the station anymore?  Is there a better way to get to work?  I just started a new job.  I’m learning my way around things, and how and where things go.  I work in one of those really cool places where as long as the results are right in the end, there isn’t a lot of rigidity to how you obtain those results.  So, now that I have the basics down, I’m trying to figure out the most efficient way to do things, so I can build good habits before I acquire bad ones.  Now I just have to figure out how to do this at home.   I need to think before I act, so I can figure out the best action, so I can take that action and turn it into a habit.  


  Habits are those things we do without thinking.  Hopefully, we've already thought out the action, so having it automatic is a good thing.  Someday I hope I have so many good habits that I can write a novel in my head while cleaning the whole house.  A girl can dream.  But first, I need to make a habit of creating good habits.  I also, I think, need to occasionally look at my good habits and make sure they are the best habits and won't backfire on me.  There is one kind of habit I think everyone needs -- a habit of prayer.  Sure, it takes a bit of time and effort, but once it's created, it's automatic.  You need something, you pray.  You hear bad news, you pray.  You hear good news, you pray.  You stub your toe, you pray.  A habit of prayer is a great tool to have.  BUT, like other good habits, it can backfire, I think, if you don't keep an eye on it.  Because after awhile, if we aren't careful, our automatic prayers might start taking the place of our ...un-automatic prayers.  If your good habit of praying the rosary has turned into a not-so-good habit of praying a rosary in 10 minutes (guilty!) it may be time to reevaluate.  Add some new meditations to the rosary, perhaps? First assignment - create a habit of prayer.  Second assignment, make sure your prayer isn't just a habit.  Then apply above principles to keeping your bedroom clean. 

  One example I do have for a good home-habit -- I mate my socks after I wear them.  No, this is not a dufflepud thing.  It’s a habit that ensures that my socks are right side out for washing, and it keeps me from having a million mismatched socks because one ended up under the bed or in the wrong basket instead of in the load where they belong.  There is your laundry tip for the day. Do you have any good hobbits? What about bad hobbits?  Oh.  Sorry.  Wrong post.  Do you have any good HABITS that make your life easier?  I don’t need to know about the bad ones.  Unless you are looking for outside suggestions on how to change them into good habits.  It’s always fun and easy solving other peoples problems.  Far less painful than solving your own.P.S. For those of you who came looking for the VeggieTales movie, The Wonderful World of Auto-tainment, it's right here:
"It's funny, because it's unexpected!" - Larry the Cucumber

Reading...

“What is reading, but silent conversation.” - Charles Lamb

I love conversation.  I love the exchange of ideas and the expansion of the mind.  I love discovering something new, or rediscovering something old.  I love to share dreams, and to feel. And I love to read.  Everything from cookbooks and cereal boxes to newspapers and old mysteries, if it is there to read, I will read it, even if I have read it a hundred times before.  Silent conversation.  Perhaps it is my temperament.  I am a phlegmatic-sanguine.  In otherwise, I love people, but I’m terribly shy.  Perhaps this is why I love to read so much.  Books allow the conversation, without the risk of rejection.  We still connect to people through books, only it is limited by a number of pages - and our imaginations.  Have you ever had conversations in your head with your favorite book characters?  Or arguments with those characters you despise?  Sometimes I have conversations with the authors themselves, imagining having tea with G.K. Chesterton.  Someday I hope we will share some excellent conversations in Heaven.  In the mean time, I pull a volume off my shelf, listen, and nod in agreement.  Sometimes I throw in a “yes, but,” and often he replies satisfactorily.  Or not.  And our silent conversation continues.  

Growing up, I think I had more friends in books than in real life.  Actually, that is probably still true. Nancy Drew’s adventures dried my tears when my older sister’s teasing got to be too much.  Or maybe Betsy, Tacy, and Tib helped me forget the tragic loss of a kitten.  Of course, not all of my book friends were the sort I was supposed to be talking to.  Some were too old, and my mother cautioned me against them.  I remember sneaking “Mandy” books off my sister’s shelf.  Mom thought she was too grown up for little nine year old me.  Looking back now I see she was right - too many boys and too much romance.  Just the thing a young girl loves.  I still enjoy an innocent romance...on the side.  But it was the adventurers that stuck with me.  The characters who learned things and got things done.   


Mysteries were my favorites.  I loved puzzling things out, and all the action.  Nancy Drew, of course, and The Dana Girls.  I didn’t discover Cherry Ames until later, but we are still fast friends after all these years.  Mandy I find insufferable now, but she’s one of the few.  Of course, I don't mean Julie Andrews Edwards' Mandy.  Where is that book?  How I'd love to read it again.  It's on a shelf or in a box somewhere, waiting.  Along with the All of a Kind family and the Melendys.  Those were the friends I spent my summers and afternoons with.  I still love mysteries, and adventures.  I’m learning, though, that life rarely wraps up as neatly as it does in a book.  That doesn't take away the lessons held within the pages, though.  Lessons like perseverance, loyalty, the value of hard work, and acceptance.  Did you ever notice how accepting people are in Avonlea?  Not that they liked everyone, but they realized that everyone has their limitations.  And the "types" of people...Miss Marple would have been right at home, I think. Do we really know people anymore?  Do we really accept them for who they are, weaknesses and all?  Sometimes I think we are too busy accepting their sins to accept the person.

I like books that make me think.  I dislike books that make me cry, except for “A Gown of Spanish Lace” by Jeanette Oake, which somehow gets away with it.  Probably because it was the first and only one of her books that did make me cry.  Where was I?  Oh yes, I like books that make me think.  They draw me into the conversation.  I dislike books that preach.  There is no conversation when someone is preaching at you.  It’s hard to find good books these days, it seems, that know how to make you think and that don’t preach.  Fiction, anyhow.  I want more good Catholic fiction.  Fiction like “The Masterful Monk” by Owen Francis Dudley, or “Conceived Without Sin” by Bud McFarlane Jr., or “The Endless Knot” by William Biersach. I want to read more books like that.  I want to write books like that.  I want more conversations like that.  Maybe especially with living, breathing, people, not just the pages of their books...So, who are your favorite authors and book characters? 

Home again, home again, jiggity jog...

Wow, what a week!  So much for a nice, quiet, summer!  It's been a fun one, though.  Last week, I had the privilege of chaperoning for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest Girl's Youth Camp in Wisconsin.  It was wonderful - and exhausting.
I went into this experience entirely unsure of what to expect.  Also, I might add, everything my siblings told me to expect was wrong.  I was told (by my siblings) that chaperones got to sleep in the house.  Not true.  I was also told that the mothers and legal-age chaperones got wine after hours.  Also not true.  Actually, the disappointment of the truth in these matters was greatly lessoned by the fact that the chaperones were allowed to use the indoor bathrooms, unlike the poor campers who had to use porta-pottys.  Ah, the simple things in life!
As I said, it was a wonderful week.  Things were a little different this year, or so I understand.  The group of 90 girls was divided into 8 teams, and each team had its own chaperone.  I got the green team, which was pretty much an awesome group of girls.  My biggest regret is that I wasn't able to get to know them all better, as we were very busy with things like olympics and silly olympics and talks, and drying out our tents.
Yes, we got rained on Monday night and Tuesday morning.  Actually, it was more like poured on.  I don't think there was a single dry tent in the place.  I was lucky - only my blankets got wet.  Many girls had there bags soaked, as well as sleeping bags and pillows.  I didn't hear any complaints, though - other than those tempered with laughter.  A couple of wonderful volunteers spend the day Tuesday drying everyone's things out, enabling dry beds by Tuesday night.
Activities of the week included Olympics, with competitions like a soccer relay and tug of war (green won the tug of war!) Silly Olympics, with a sack race,  horseback riding, and a cooking contest.  I did get to help with the cooking contest, and had a blast.  Iron Chef, here I come!  My team, as I said before, was awesome.  We didn't win the cooking contest, but everyone made a good effort.  Next time we'll get it!
The best part of the week was the talks.  Everyday we had Mass in the morning, with a homily, and there was a formation talk after breakfast.  We were constantly reminded of the dignity and importance of women, and how much we can teach the world.  We are all called to be mothers, sometimes spiritually, sometimes physically.
One of the talks was on Our Lady of Guadeloupe.  There is so much symbolism in the image that I never knew about!  For example, did you know that the color of her veil was a color reserved for the Emperor, under pain of death?  Or that the angel below her was one of the Aztec gods?  I would go over all of it, but I think it may be better kept for another blog post :)
One of the greatest gifts of the week, I hope received by all, was the gift of good, true, friendships.  I made new friends, got to see some "old" friends (who I met last month at the Sursum Corda camp,) and was blessed to be able to reconnect with a very old friend, whom I had not seen in about six years.  I made some young friends, and some older friends, and the best part is knowing that these are people who will pray for me, (and who I will pray for,) and who I will hopefully meet again - if not here, than in heaven.
This is a prayer that one of my fellow chaperones shared:

Morning Prayer

Grant, O Lord, that none may love Thee less this day because of me;

That never one word or act of mine may turn one soul from Thee;

And ever daring yet one more grace would I implore: 

That many souls this day, because of me, may love Thee more. Amen

A fleeting post....

Yikes!  It's been crazy busy around here (more than usual.)  This weekend is our first show, so I've been working on flyers and websites and pretty much everything.  Just 24 hours 'til set up!  Say a prayer for us!
The show is running Friday through Sunday (see more details at http://thelaundryduchess.blogspot.com/ ,) then on Monday morning I leave for camp!  I'll be chaperoning a girls camp next week, until Friday :D :D I'm excited.  This will be real camp, complete with dirt.
But where does that leave you, my loyal and new and sometimes readers?  Without anything to read, I suppose.  Well, check the list of blogs I follow, and I'm sure you'll find something.  Just remember to come back to me!
In the mean time, I thought I'd share this video.  It's so beautiful!  Enjoy!

National Ice Cream Day!

  I just found out that today is National Ice Cream Day!  So I have decided to take a break from chronicling my travels to post a couple of our favorite ice cream recipes, and to finally post a review on our AWESOME ice cream maker.
  Since the birth of our sweet little heifer, Eulalia, we have had lots of milk and cream to enjoy.  And what better treat to make with cream than ice cream?  Especially in this soupy weather we're having right now.  It's 91º outside, but with the humidity it feels like 105º!
  We bought our ice cream maker just before Easter, and absolutely LOVE it.  It is a Cuisinart ICE-30BC, and makes about 2 qts. of ice cream per batch.  We also bought an extra freeze bowl, so we can make more than one batch of ice cream at a time.

Chocolate Ice Cream
  The book that came with the ice cream maker has some really great recipes, including this super simple chocolate ice cream.  I have been looking for YEARS to find a chocolate ice cream recipe that didn't taste bland or burnt.  This is it.  

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. vanilla

Mix cocoa powder, sugars, and salt until well combined (no cocoa lumps.)  Add milk, cream, and vanilla.  Freeze in ice cream maker 25-35 minutes.  Ripen 2 hours in freezer, if desired (keeps it from melting so fast.)


Surprise Sandwich Ice Cream
For those a little more adventurous, and who love peanut butter as much as I do, there is this recipe.  You can leave out the marshmallows and chocolate, and just have peanut butter ice cream, but what's the fun in that?  The name comes from the yummy "Surprise sandwiches" my mom used to make when I was little.  She would take and spread peanut butter on bread, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and marshmallows, and put the sandwich in the oven until the marshmallows toasted.  Yum!  I recommend letting this recipe freeze a couple of days to let the marshmallows soften.  Just make sure you take it out about 15 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop!


Ice Cream:
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. milk
1 c. white sugar
1/2 T. vanilla
dash of salt
1 c. creamy peanut butter

Additional ingredients:
1 1/12 c. mini marshmallows
Chocolate Swirl (recipe below)

Mix cream, milk, and sugar until sugar dissolves.  In a separate bowl, mix vanilla, salt, and peanut butter.  Add cream mixture into peanut butter a little at a time, until well combined (or use an electric mixer.)  Freeze in ice cream maker for about 25 minutes, or until done. Add additional ingredients and allow ice cream maker to mix them for a couple of minutes to combine.

Chocolate swirl:
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 regular size hershey's milk chocolate bar
1/4 c. cream
dash of salt

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates without stirring until they are shiny.  Stir and add cream and salt.  Drop by tablespoons full when ice cream is done, but while ice cream maker is still running.  Don't over mix!

P.S.
The Chocolate Swirl tastes very much like the chocolate in moose tracks ice cream :)

Sursum Corda young Adults Camp - Part Two

Holy Hill.

The second part of our journey was a trip to The Shrine of Our Lady, Help of Christians on Holy Hill, about a half-hour north east of Milwaukee.  I have wanted to return to Holy Hill since my last visit, about nine years ago.  I was with a church group, and didn’t have half the time I would have liked, then.  This trip we STILL didn’t have enough time, but I think we got to see much more than before.  

  If you ever get the chance to visit Holy Hill, jump at it.  It is gorgeous.  There is so much natural beauty in the area, and the craftsmanship throughout the Shrine is so beautiful, I cannot describe it.  It lifts the mind to God and to Heaven.  We cannot imagine the splendors of heaven in our ordinary surroundings.  In these extraordinary surroundings, we see enough of a glimmer of that splendor to realize just how amazing it must be.  I could do a full post on each section of the shrine, but there are other things I want to get to, as far as the weekend goes.  Perhaps another time.  For now, here are the highlights.

 I love the statues in the St. Therese chapel.  They are done in white, with gold trim, and the detail is magnificent on each.  Note the mirroring pieces of marble on the high alter, with the (I think) inlayed mosaic flowers.  There were so many mosaics EVERYWHERE we went!  It was so neat to see the detail in them!

  After the St. Therese chapel, we climbed the 170-some stairs to the tower.  Talk about a long way up!  The view was definitely worth it, but I admit I was shaking by the time we got back down again.  Who needs roller coasters with a thrill like that?

    Our next stop was the main church.  What little breath I had left after our climb was taken away by the beauty of it.  The mosaic above the high alter is unbelievable, and strips of marble radiate from it like heavenly rays.

  This technique is mirrored in the side chapel, where Our Lady, Help of Christians is being crowned.  It is in this chapel that I light my candles.  

  

We were only able to see one of the Stations of the Cross, due to our limited time.  I hope I will be able to go back someday soon to make the full half-mile journey.  

  Our last stop was the Lourdes Grotto.  Of the three grottos we saw, this was the largest.  Holy water runs down the face of the rock and into a pool, and there are spigots on each side to fill holy water bottles.  

  This is just a small part of Holy Hill (we took over 200 pictures!)  Everyone says to come back in the fall, when the leaves are changing.  I recommend allowing far more than two or three hours to really enjoy it - and be sure to bring your camera!   

Sursum Corda Young Adults Camp - Part One

Yes, I survived the weekend - even the driving.  It was glorious.  We even had perfect weather.
Between my sister and I, we took LOTS of pictures - 1161, to be exact.  Of course, not all of them turned out, but I'm sure I can find a few to post ;).

Our journey started with a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, just outside of Green Bay, WI.  It is the site of a Marian apparition in 1859, which has been recently approved by the Church - the only approved site in the United States.

Mary asked Adele to teach the children "their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments." Adele started a school and a chapel. 

  The candles were in the crypt below the chapel, built on the site of the apparitions.

There was also this beautiful pieta statue.  If you look closely, you can see crutches in the background, from those who have had favors granted.











As promised, I lit a candle for my family, friends, and readers.

We happened to be visiting on the feast day of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, making these statues in the main chapel even more meaningful...and a bit of a surprise!

The main alter has a beautiful statue of Mary and the Child Jesus.  On one side of the chapel there is a display with a statue given to Sr. Adele for processions (and still used today!) and two reliquaries.  One (center) contains wood from the trees Mary appeared on, and the other (right) a piece of the Blessed Virgin's veil.

Outside, they have a field with the Stations of the Cross in the center, and the mysteries of the rosary around the outside.  I really liked the way they did the rosary.  There were five banners, and on one side would be the first mysteries (for example,) and the other side had the fifth, so it didn't matter which side you started on.  Between the mysteries there were a couple of shrines and benches to stop and pray, such as this small grotto.

Another beautiful little spot was this Fatima shrine.  The statues are just gorgeous!

So concludes the first stop on our journey.  We had to drive a few hours south to our hotel, and we did a little shopping for some lavender lotion.  The mosquitos were very healthy - and hungry - in Wisconsin!  I also bought some awesome sandals :)

Packing...

...for my weekend of pilgrimage/retreat/camp!  I can't believe how quickly time has passed - it's already July!  I will be gone for the next 5 days, with no access to a computer, save my handy-dandy iPod touch, so I won't be able to post anything along the way, as much as I would like to.  But rest assured I WILL have my camera with, and I WILL take pictures, and I WILL post about our journey!

St. Raphael, guide us in our travels

In the mean time, all of my readers are in my prayers, as well as all of the intentions on my prayer wall- feel free to leave your intention, please!  We will be going to at least two pilgrimage sites this weekend, and I believe there will be daily Mass starting Friday.  I can't wait!  God Bless!

Avonlea Blues

Sigh. I fear that modern clothing has forever been spoiled for me.  My wardrobe seems dull and unattractive, and what is in the stores appears even worse, to my spoiled eyes.  I recently watched the "Anne of Green Gables" movies, and clothing will never appear the same again.
Do you realize that what we pass as "clothes" today, would look like indecent rags back then?  Oh, I love my jeans, I admit, and I would doubtless roast to death in what they used to wear all summer...but everything was so elegant and beautiful, and just plain smart!  Well, not everything - but the possibilities were there.  Nowadays, if you try to look like a lady, you tend to be horribly out of place!  And trying to find modest clothes that don't make you look 60?  Next to impossible!
 I suppose it's been the same in every age - that struggle between modesty and fashion.  It seems especially difficult today, when it isn't a bit of ankle that is showing - it is something else altogether.  I wonder if we are wrong now to show our ankles- I know it would have been wrong then, because it wasn't done.  Some say we become accustomed to styles, that what was immodest at one point, isn't at another.  Actually, this argument makes sense, because that is how it started with Adam and Eve.  It was their thoughts that made their lack of clothing immodest, and so it is today.  Unfortunately, modesty and purity are not valued today as they once were.  How far must we go to prevent impure thoughts in ourselves and others?  Do we need to go back to floor length skirts, long sleeves, and high collars?  Maybe eventually. For the record, the best sunblock is clothing.  My policy for modest clothing is fairly simple - short sleeves, necklines that don't go lower than a couple of inches below the collar bone, skirt or pants at least to the knee, and nothing too tight.  Some, I know, will disagree with me, but these are my policies.
I admit, my size probably has something to do with it my clothes shopping problems.  As Dianna Barry would say, I shall probably always be something of a dumpling - a fact that only really bothers me when I'm trying to find something decent to buy.  It also doesn't help that I HATE shopping when I actually have to find something.  If I'm just browsing for the fun of it, I'll find lots of things I love, and generally at magnificent prices.  But the moment I actually have a deadline and a list -- POOF!  The clothes and low prices disappear into the wind.  I suppose if I convinced myself that I don't NEED anything new, that it would just be nice, I might find something - but I still have to fight with today's fashions.
 
Maybe it's because I don't have my own style, or rather that I'm not sure of it right now.  It's always that struggle between the cowgirl and the lady.  Bluejeans and pearls, that's me.  Wishing for a touch of sophistication...but maybe not quite blending into it.