Breakfast on the little balcony at The Side Pocket. |
Almost 34 years ago (we were married in August), the Chief and started our life together in Washington, DC.
It was hot. It was humid.
In the ensuing six years of city living, it never got better. Being New Englanders, we always expected thunderstorms to clear things out, and of course, they never did. If anything, a thunderstorm meant things got hotter and more humid.
So we left (well, there were other reasons, but this was the real motivator — getting out of the wretched weather).
All of which to say, I never imagined that spending time here at the end of July would be so very temperate, so breezy, so clear-skied. I wore a little cardi to Mass yesterday. It's… positively… Northern.
We are still waiting on little Finnabee to arrive, and Deirdre said that there are only so many pictures of her preggo we could post. She's working on getting labor started, and I'm working on her {bits & pieces}!
So we'll just get to the links!
- We home-makers have to train our eye. Our home needs to be more than decorated. We can't really just aspire to decoration and leave it at that. Even the lowliest abode calls out to be made beautiful according to the tastes of the denizens. (Remember Ma's china shepherdess?) But that's not as easy as it sounds! I've found that I've had to study hard to know what our taste really is, and then work hard to try to make it come true within our means. Often my choices have been off the mark, but mistakes are part of the journey. I just keep reading books, magazines, and sites, trying to look past what is merely fashionable (or marketable) to what truly expresses my desire to bring humble beauty into our lives. I think Style Court looks like a promising site! Courtney Barnes seems intelligently to connect design (especially textiles) to history and art. I love it so far!
- Musing thus on the place of design in the home, I was interested to see Deirdre's first recommendation this week, which contemplates the place of design — and all that relates to beauty — in the world and the Church. Deirdre says “fascinating, and gets better as it goes on” but I found it pretty good right from the start. Read The Casino and the Cathedral by Jeffrey Tucker and see what you think.
- I know that Tucker is a supporter of our very good family friend Paul Jernberg. I really recommend that you peruse Jernberg's The Logos of Sacred Music. It's not just an essay. It's an introduction to the sacred music he has composed (and our choir sings) — music that is quite accessible to any parish. Maybe your pastor just doesn't know what to do and this would help.
- Every mom has to multitask. It's a skill you learn early on. You wouldn't get through the day if you couldn't wave Shakespeare with one arm, grab the toddler off the edge of the counter with the other, and slam the dryer shut with your foot. But we can take it too far. See what you think about another of Deirdre's recommendations: Switch Off Static and Turn on Your Mind.
- And now for something ugly (well, about how ugliness illuminates beauty), a piece by another friend, David Clayton, about gurning, a face-pulling competition that has its roots in medieval times. Sort of like human gargoyles, and if you want to know more, continue to the next post on the blog!
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