The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Current mood: matching the rain, I'd say… a little time of recuperation after my exertions!
Got back from driving down to North Carolina, to the base, with Rosie and the children. Probably the hardest part (other than getting Nora to sleep on a mattress on the floor at a friend's house by getting her to look at the fan and saying “it just goes round, and round, and round, and round… ” — yes, I hypnotized my grandchild, because a grandma's gotta do what a grandma's gotta do!) was the ride home from the airport. Pro tip: major construction on the Mass Pike, ditch the tunnel.
My report is that things are cute there in her little house, the children were enthralled to find their books and toys from oh so long ago, and the base seems friendly!
And I got to go swimming in the ocean! Something that has not happened for decades, because I personally do not regard “Cape Cod” or the “North Shore” as beaches, but as “beaches” complete with air quotes, where you bake on the sand and freeze in the water — where it takes moral stamina to go in, and then you must stay in for as long as you can, for you will never go in again once you come out! Sometimes there are waves that crash stones into your flesh, but sometimes there is just… flat, freezing water. I mean, I take it if I can get it, because I love even the “beach” — but don't try to pretend it's the beach!
But North Carolina is as memory held it dear — soft sand, gentle water, perfect (that is, exciting but not dominating) surf. I even got my whole head under water!
Meanwhile… it's so quiet here.
This is a picture of a mudroom with virtually no shoes in it.
On to our links!
- I had never thought of it, but wow, I think this is really true (only get sturdy ones!): why you should have drawers and not cabinets in your kitchen!
- I think we were all following the heart-stabbing story of Charlie Gard. Do read this piece by a Fordham theology professor that clearly lays out the ethical (that is, moral) framework we should be using: Learning from Charlie Gard.
- Do you have boys? Do you know a man? Sometimes when I watch baseball I laugh when I think about how carefully we are all instructed to “talk things out” and “search for a solution” and “not resort to violence.” I offer you this retrospective of a classic brawl on the diamond, that time that Robin Ventura charged Nolan Ryan on the mound. Can you imagine that there is a whole industry where a bunch of men respond to stress on the job with a general melee? That one employee gets in another's face and shouts as loud as he can, “BLEEP BLEEPING mother BLEEPER BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP” etc etc? A veritable brouhaha ensuing, on top of the previous one? Why am I showing you this? (Do check out the video embedded at the end of the article.). Because I believe that it helps us understand those creatures, those strange, brawling creatures, men. Or at least, to understand that we don't understand…
- An account by the artist of the making of incredible mosaics for a church, with a fascinating glimpse of the actual process and aesthetic choices.
Today in the liturgy is a feast of a building! The feast of the dedication of St. Mary Major (also known as St. Mary of the Snows!).
“We could point out how the divine Motherhood mystery dominates all Marian liturgy; for the Theotokos doctrine has kept Mariology Christo-centric in the Church's worship. Although recent popular devotion to Mary has become to a certain extent soft and sentimental and has, one may say, erected its own sanctuary around Mary as the center, devotion to our Blessed Mother in the liturgy has always remained oriented to Christ. In the liturgy the divine Motherhood has always been the bridge from Mary to Jesus. One need only examine Matins in honor of Mary or the Masses from her Common to be reassured. Everywhere Christ takes the central position, and Mary is the Christbearer.” ~ The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
From the archives:
- I'm going to keep re-upping this until I can remember to get in on the sidebar: How to do sex education right.
- A real oldie, but so special to me: Let's visit a friend of mine!
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Suzette says
SO nice to hear about that physical aspect of men. I don’t want to raise sissies, after all! We do allow roughness, mostly because I have seen the boys resolve their disagreements and move on.
Colleen says
Oh my gosh. That link about drawers in the kitchen. YES! THAT deals with wasted dead space so efficiently! No way we are spending money on replacing cabinets that are only a decade old, but I wonder if I could talk my husband into building slide-out “drawers” inside those cabinets? He’s a pretty handy guy when it comes to building things like that . . .
Thrift at Home says
so glad I have some lower drawers! When we re-did our kitchen 10 years ago, they were having a special deal which is why I got some. They really are great.
But that hunger article bothers me. . . . I would have agreed with this guy a few years ago and I do agree with some of his points, but what bothers me it’s too simplistic to say that “hungry” people should buy inexpensive food and cook it instead of smoking and having expensive electronics. Really, it is one of my dreams to teach low-income people to cook and maximize their dollars and I have looked for ways to do this. I can’t find many bridges between middle-class practices and lower-class practices. Maybe I can say it this way: when my husband was laid off and we were living on his unemployment compensation, I thought of myself as in the same boat as other people living off government money. (My kids are minorities in our urban school – I bump up against plenty of families that I would classify as poor). But it’s NOT TRUE that I am the same. I have a wealth of education, family network, years of thrifty habits, church community, networks upon networks to help me get through a trying time. I still want to teach low-income people to cook and stretch their dollars – I just don’t think it’s as simple as the article you linked to is making it.
Also, related: our church hosts a free meal for the community every week. It is true that some of the people need that food because they are homeless or otherwise unable to have regular meals, but we fellowship together and feed souls, too.
Leila says
Honestly, I agree with your points — I too had such lean years, with having to decide whether I *could* buy milk! but figuring things out; I often wonder how one could pass along these strategies to those in need. But I think this is the point being made in the article.
Lisa G. says
I look forward to seeing the baseball clip, but I am reminded of a playoff or Series game I saw on TV in the seventies. Bert Campanaris, up at bat, got hit by a pitch or thought he did, flung the bat which flew end over end toward the pitcher, who, with hands on his head, had to duck way down. Campanaris then rushed to the mound, and so did Everyone Else – what a pile! So, so exciting!!! Can’t do that anymore.
Now I’ll go watch the clip. 🙂 I’m glad you got to The Beach. Your echinacea and other things look pretty.
Joan says
Hi Auntie Leila- did you post again about Therese’ s porch & more about her cozy home?
Leila says
No, there is only that one post. I should do another!
Teri Pittman says
Back in the day, people did not get food stamps. They received commodities. (In fact, I believe Indian tribes members still get them). You received flour, oatmeal, powered milk, canned meat, cheese and butter, enough to keep you fed for a month. You also got a recipe book to show you how to use all those things. It wasn’t profitable for grocers and so they went to the food stamp system. I knew folks that received commodities and there was always something they would trade off that they didn’t like. I used to be incredibly impressed by single moms on food stamps. They would get them on the first of the month and had to make them last. Major holidays were at the end of the month and had to be carefully planned, to make the food last. Now? I seriously doubt there are many of those moms on food stamps that bake their own bread and can stretch their food like that. Too many people don’t know how to cook the simple things.