Well that was sudden.
Yesterday evening, after a full day of snow:
This morning:
We really need to rake leaves and plant garlic, not shovel snow! But God's ways are not our ways!
bits & pieces
- Last week we celebrated the commemoration of Bl. Emperor Karl I of Austria. He and his wife Zita are amazing figures of fidelity and dignity whom all Christians could learn from and emulate. Here is an article about them and a bit about their position in history. One can find films online of various weddings in the family and they are magnificent, but not to be missed is this clip of their son Otto's funeral. And here is another article from the perspective of Bl. Karl's great-grandson, who, not to namedrop, has slept on LMLD's own Joseph's apartment floor back in the day, and married an LMLD friend, Katie!
- Excellent article: Gay “marriage” is just as wrong as abortion. Actually, I have argued that it's worse:
Roe allows a woman to seek an abortion, which is a terrible assault on the principle that all human life is sacred.
Obergefell places the child directly under the control of the state. The family is no longer the guardian of the child under law, even if the long arm of the law has not yet reached into your sphere to make you — force you — to acknowledge that fact.
Roe struck at the heart of the child, leaving his life up to the mother. Obergefell strikes at the heart of the child too, leaving his life totally under the control of the state, no matter what his mother wants. It makes trafficking in human flesh totally legal, and there is no reason in law that this will be restricted to the unborn.
I warned of this outcome at least 10 years ago.
- Delightful little article about visiting the Swallows and Amazons island as an adult. The only thing to console us for not reading S&A is reading about S&A! (affiliate link)
- If you love the Great British Baking Show (which full disclosure I have not kept up on as to the latest seasons), you will enjoy this heartfelt plea to stop Paul Hollywood with a five-point plan of action
from the archives
- A fairly wide-ranging post from the past that includes some encouragement for praying for the holy suffering souls in November… and cleaning the gasket in your dishwasher? Why so random, Auntie Leila? Also, wow, my garden is nowhere in that state right now…
liturgical living
The eve of the feast of All Saints (commonly known as Halloween)
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Marissa says
That GBBO link is hilarious and spot on! Especially about the technical challenge. It used to just be about showing their basic skills and knowledge of pastry, cake, cream pat, bread, etc. The princesa tort was a great example or even the treacle tart. Mary Florentine’s. Now it’s HERE’S THIS INSANE THING YOU MAY NEVER HAVE EVEN SEEN ENJOY!
Though, I do love Noel. He and Sandi were a great team.
Carrie says
Hello. British lady here. Completely agree that Bake Off has lost its way but still watching! The earlier series would inspire me to greater creativity – the challenges were ambitious but doable – and made me want to have a go myself. I even recreated the wedding cake Nadiya made when she won. I made the lemon curd (so much easier than I thought it would be) and learned you could make fondant icing by microwaving marshmallows. Who knew? Personally I think there should be a round where each contestant is assigned a selection of small children who have varying ‘emergencies’ (can’t find the sticky tape/ desperately needs a wee etc) and see who comes out of that without losing concentration/ burning things…
Rebekah says
“ Personally I think there should be a round where each contestant is assigned a selection of small children who have varying ‘emergencies’ (can’t find the sticky tape/ desperately needs a wee etc) and see who comes out of that without losing concentration/ burning things…”
🤩😍
Laura says
I love that article about Emperor Karl I. So inspiring to read about a saintly political figure. I do wonder if the monarchy is more oriented towards sainthood than the uppermost roles of our political system.
Laura says
I love the article about Emperor Karl I and his wife. So inspiring to hear about a saintly political figure. I do wonder if the monarchy is more oriented towards sainthood that the uppermost roles of our political system.
Iris says
Thank you for the link to the series of articles by Dorothy Sayers! I had not read it before, and I found her discussions of some of the sins very relevant, particularly envy and pride (which surprised me … I hadn’t thought of today’s social and political maladies in those terms).
Cami says
I enjoyed the article about GGBS and agree that many of the challenges have become a bit silly and less sincere in seeking out contestants’ true baking skills. But my biggest issue with the show is that it once was family friendly and my children could watch the process of creating beautiful cakes and other delicious-looking fare made possible via hard work, perseverance, and precision. Since the move to the new network I feel as if I’m watching two different shows… Late night quirky comedy, complete with bizarre costuming that has nothing to do with baking and isn’t afraid to promote homosexuality and all that lies on its spectrum, meets delightful pastel-hued baking competition where people compete whilst cheering each other on and becoming friends. It’s such an odd dynamic for a baking competition, I’ll never understand. And there’s always a rainbow tucked away somewhere in the background. i wish I could believe the rainbows are simply to add color and cheer to the set.
Leila says
Totally agree, Cami.
Cami says
Also, my 9 year old son just read and devoured a nearly hundred-year old copy of Swallows and Amazons from the library. Thank you for recommending it in whatever older post I read of yours. It was a hit! Of course I found out it is the only copy being shared by 36 libraries!