Pocketful of Pinecones

Our new laminate flooring is dangerous! I have to be very deliberate when siting down on our wheeled computer chair so that it does not roll away from me. Yesterday I leaned against the cedar chest and that moved. I am not accustomed to that.

Our house is still not back to normal because we ran into a little snafu when they put the laminate into the living room. They found a strip of raised cement in front of the fireplace which had been covered by the carpet.

Short of grinding it down, there is no way to make it level. The new plan is to have them fill it in to make a slightly raised platform, and then tile it.  We are waiting for the tile to come in. We are also waiting for the steps to be finished, so until then, our bookshelves and couch remain cramped in the middle room.

Now a few things have happened because the house is in disorder. First, I have grown fond of the couch in its new location; it is warmer, it has more light for reading, and my husband has to sit on it with me when he is watching television. Coupled with a period of abstinence from Spider Solitaire, it means that I have been reading more. The second thing that happened is that three of our five bookshelves are blocked, forcing me to read not what I had planned, finishing that book The Vatican which I had started before we moved the shelves, and then going on to read Little Men. Instead I grabbed Karen Andreola's Pocketful of Pinecones which I had purchased years ago when I was homeschooling and never read. I figured now was the time, and that I would have one less book on the shelves when I was finished.

Karen's book was an easy read so that I was waiting to get back to it when I took lunch breaks or picked it up late in the evenings. It is written in the form of a diary of a mother homeschooling in the spirit of Charlotte Mason  in the mid 1930's. The emphasis is on nature study, but includes other ideas of Charlotte Mason as well. She refers often to Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study, another book which I purchased for homeschooling, but used not nearly enough. Each chapter ends with scientific names of flora and fauna observed during their day, and often includes a related hymn or poem. She also includes questions to prod mother and students on in their studies. The back of the book contains source notes in the event that the reader wishes to track down originals.

The scientific names and quotes are not in a readily usable textbook format, They would only be useful insofar as they would be copied for a one-time reference. Their inclusion does serve as an example of items which might be contained in a nature journal.

I found many similarities between the examples given of Charlotte Mason, and methods used in Laura Berquist's Mother of Divine Grace homeschool program - narration and dictation in the early grades, use of a timeline, keeping a nature journal, and reading books written by a single author in addition to, or in place of text books for history and science. I assume Laura adopted these ideas after studying Charlotte Mason herself. Although we adopted Anne at an older age, I found these ideas very appealing when we homeschooled. I have already started nature walks with my granddaughter, and may have her start a nature journal when she starts first grade. I found that I had many of the books which Karen recommended for homeschooling because Laura Berquist had recommended them in her program. I had others, such as Thornton Burgess' stories and postcards of Audobon's drawings, because I like Dover Publications!

Since finishing Karen's book, I am thinking that I need to make much more use of my copy of the Handbook of Nature Study. Perhaps Anna Comstock will have the answer as to why the geese we saw the other day seemed to circle around and around instead of just flying south in their "V" formation.

One other fun reference which Karen threw in her book was the book, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. I only know about this book because I found it in the library at St. Mary Help of Christians School when Anne attended there. I pulled it off of the shelf to read to the students coming in for library time. I had no idea it was based on a real story, but I share Miss Rumphius' love of lupines. Someone brings wild blue lupine seeds in packets with a lovely hand-painted picture to the Pioneer Arts Co-op at Silver Bay on the Minnesota North Shore. I buy at least one packet whenever we stop. I did have some beautiful lupine plants in my garden, but they died when I purged plants which were growing around them. I must have disturbed the roots.

I will not keep Karen's book, but it might be an interesting read for anyone considering homeschooling. It is an easy introduction to Charlotte Mason.

The Lost Sheep

Today the gospel reading at mass was about the shepherd going out to find the 100th, lost sheep of his flock. I am the 100th sheep being carried back to safety on the shoulders of my Good Shepherd. I am hungry, thirsty, and frightened. I am filthy. My wool is wet, caked with mud, matted, smelly, and loaded with burrs. My pelt may be of little value next shearing, since it is so dirty. Yet, the shepherd still seeks me out. I am not a pleasant creature for the shepherd to have to carry. The heat of my body and my coat makes him sweat all the more as he struggles to find safe footing among the rocks on the hillside. But He is MY shepherd, and there is more rejoicing in heaven at my having been found than by all of the other 99 sheep who were not lost.

And Fr. Timothy's words still ring in my ears. We think there is a place reserved for us in heaven just because we go to mass, or pray the rosary! How I need the grace of that mass and rosary so that I can be repentant and humble! Good Shepherd, carry me on your shoulders today to the place where you wish me to be.



We are having company today, so I am making cracked wheat bread. I forced myself to add in almost all of the  flour before turning the dough out of the pan and kneading it. After resting the dough was very nice to work with. I did not have to add any additional flour. I am expecting this to be my best cracked wheat bread ever!

A Tale of Two Friends

To prepare for our paint projects we removed everything from our walls. It was at that point that I discovered how badly a watercolor painting from a friend had faded. We received the watercolor as a wedding gift from my college friend, Mary Claire. It was a unique gift because it was original art, a fine winter landscape with pines and a church beautifully matted and framed. I was a bit shocked to see the damage, considering that the picture had hung in a corner not known to receive direct sunlight. It makes me think of my friend, whom I miss dearly, and with whom I lost contact many years ago. Mary Claire, I wonder whatever happened to you. Perhaps you are now married with children of your own. Are you still in Wisconsin? Are your parents still living? Is everything okay? I shall send my angel after you.

Another college friend, Morgen, just sent me a copy of a needlework magazine which she found at an antique shop. It contained an article on the needlework of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict of St. Joseph, Minnesota, where we both attended college. The article brought back fond memories of the needlework exhibit which I saw at the Sisters' Haehn Museum. Because I knit and embroider, and was a project leader in those areas in our 4-H club at the time, I arranged for the club to tour the museum. The exhibits were incredible. The magazine article had a photo of the St. George tapestry done  by one of the nuns. The  article told how many hours it took to complete it, and how many stitches were in this or that section of the tapestry. I could believe it. My response when seeing it at the museum was that it must have taken forever. The back looked almost identical to the front, which was a marvel in itself. My cross-stitch projects have certainly not looked like that! It reminded me of the Bayeux Tapestry of William the Conqueror. Another portion of the exhibit which stands out in my memory were angels on a vestment. The sleeves on the angels' garments were stitched in such a way as to look transparent, showing the arms underneath. What skill that took to execute! At the very end of the display were modern stoles woven by one of the nuns. Although the stoles may have been made of fine wool, which I appreciate as a knitter, they did not have an inkling of the beauty of the embroidered vestments. Their use in a home setting would have appealed to me, but in church they seem out of place. Too hip.

The needlework magazine had another reference to nuns, this time in an article on Polish bridal caps. That article was interesting because it talked of "unveiling", the ceremony in which the bride received her cap. I have heard that word just recently in our Bible study on the Book of Revelation, which means "unveiling". It is also reminiscent of customs which I have heard in other countries, namely Kristin's (Kristin Lavrensdatter by Sigrid Undset) wearing her hair long before her wedding ceremony for the last time. and then putting it up or covering it afterwards. The nuns came up again because of their work on liturgical vestments: They taught local Polish women, who in turned used those methods in making their bridal caps.

Now to put that article in a good spot for safe keeping. Best goes into my knitting folder.

Thanks, Morgen! Very cool.

I have roast beef in the crock pot for supper. I had thought we would take a walk today, but the football game is on, and Husband is watching. My sinuses are draining, so I do not feel up to it anyway. Besides, I have two assignments to do for our Bible study, and I would really like to finish Little Women today. My guess is that I will start reading, and then fall asleep. 

Swiffer vs. Mop or Broom

The first section of our new flooring is finished. Now that I have a very large surface of vinyl tile, I thought that I would finally go modern and try a Swiffer. The ads on television make them look very effective at picking up dirt,, and everyone seems to be using them to the point that "swiffing" seems to be a new verb. (I have not checked to see if it in fact has made it into the latest Oxford Dictionary.)

My wonders before I made the purchase were: What is the difference between a Swiffer and my microfiber dust mop? Can I use my Shaklee Basic H with it, or will I have to use the Swiffer formula? and, What about all of the waste and expense involved with the wipes? I had seen something on someone's Pinterest board about making one's own wipes, so I decided to search a few web sites on DIY Swiffing supplies. I found a few, looked, and decided I could replace the Swiffer refill products with my own home-made. I decided to swing for a purchase.

First, which one to buy? Should I get the Swiffer which picks up particles in a dust pan before wiping the floor? Hmmmm. Sounds too much like the broom and dust pan I already have. What about the scrubbing Swiffer, which my daughter has? I already have a mop, although I prefer scrubbing small spaces on my hands and knees. The floor duster alone? I settled for the wet/dry version so that I would have another mop head which would fit into small spaces for both dusting and scrubbing. My current sponge mop, dust mop and broom are not very effective in getting into corners, and the packaging says the Swiffer is good in tight spots.

I was ready to scrub when I got home, so I opened up my purchase immediately. Took me a few minutes to figure out how I was supposed to attach the cleaning cloth. The label was not very clear. That blue strip looked like Velcro which was supposed to attach to something. Finally figured out that those holes with the teeth were what was meant as the "fixer". I'm thinking that it will not take many uses before those teeth start bending and breaking, just as the teeth do on disposable wipe containers. My second reaction was that the cloths were making more of a mess on my floor by the dripping solution than the spots I wanted to clean. It would not be very efficient if each time I went to wipe something up I had to clean up after the Swiffer cloth first. The third response which I had was that the smell of the wet solution was very strong, and heavily scented. I was glad when I had my three refills used up so that I could throw them all away. I thought I was going to have to move the dirty clothes to the fireplace immediately for burning to get the odor out of the house so that I could breathe again. Now I know I will never buy them again.

I used all three wipes in the package to scrub about twenty-five square feet. Granted that I was wiping grout off of a newly laid floor, and it was dirty,  but I thought that if I have to continually change my cloths as I am scrubbing our kitchen/family room, I may as well use my mop and bucket.

I have not tried the dust cloths yet. Those may be more practical depending on how often I "swiff" the floors. The draw-back with my current microfiber dust mop is that it seems to get so dirty so fast, and it takes so long to dry after washing. At least now I will have two mop heads to trade off with. As recommended in one blog, I immediately stopped at the dollar store and bought three pairs of chenille socks to use as Swiffer cloths, so with six changes, that should last me a week. I will still have to use the broom and dust pan to get the larger, heavier stuff, just as I did before with my dust mop.

All that said, I finished scrubbing the floors this evening with my pail, sponge mop and Basic H. The water was clearer than after last night's scrubbing, but I still see spots where I think I will have to wipe off grout by hand.

'Til next time, happy cleaning.

Another Jeanne Cooney Recipe Test

Yesterday I made yet another of the recipes which I copied from Jeanne Cooney's book, A Second Helping of Recipes and Murder, the chocolate pudding shots. Loaded with mega-calories, I am certain. The recipe did not specify the size of the pudding box, so I used the smaller size. It included an entire 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, so you get the idea on fat content. The recipe also did not specify number of servings. I poured out eight servings into small stemmed juice glasses. This recipe would also be elegant served in the small colored shot glasses I have seen at TJMaxx, but it would take a very large number of them! To get a very neat fill I would recommend using a pastry bag. This would be great to serve as a small dessert at a cocktail party or evening get-together.

I was short on the Bailey's Irish Cream, so I used only half of what the recipe called for.
Arthur and I both thought they were good, not super, as I had hoped. They reminded me of Black Forest Chocolate Cake. Arthur said they tasted like mudslides.

I would make them again for adult company. I think I will try a variation of her White Russian pudding shots by substituting chocolate pudding for the vanilla. In the book she suggests garnishing with strawberries. I think I would garnish with more Cool Whip, or some chocolate shavings.

Another Recipe from Jeanne Cooney's Book

Yesterday I made the Chicken Dumpling Hot Dish recipe from Jeanne Cooney's,  A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes. We liked it. It had good flavor. There was loads of leftover sauce, however, so next time I make it I will either add more chicken (I had cooked two large breasts for this batch.),  vegetables (blanched and drained, if frozen), a  couple of cooked, cubed potatoes, or some frozen hash browns. I put some frozen hash browns in the bottom of a casserole dish and scooped the leftover hot dish on top of it for a second meal for us, or lunches for me. I had seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper before adding the other ingredients, but next time will only pepper the chicken. The soup already made it salty enough. In my humble opinion, at least. My husband was adding salt to his portion before eating it last night. I can't imagine how that must have tasted. Any relation between that salt shaker and his high blood pressure?

We made a few stops on the Central Minnesota Builders Association tour of homes yesterday. We were not overly impressed. At the first house we stopped at, I would have needed a step stool in all of the closets, and in the laundry room, not to mention the kitchen. The closets all had hanging bars which were out of my reach. In two of the houses the master  bedroom closets had to be entered through the bathroom, which I would not like. Fine if one is getting dressed right out of the shower, but what a pain if you just need to grab a pair of shoes or a sweater. I could imagine having to walk over my husband using a sink or the commode while I was trying to get dressed. The million dollar house had a mouse hole in the wall between the walk-in closet and the laundry room for dirty clothes. I would have put the hole up higher so that clothes could be dropped into a basket on the other side instead of being kicked through, and then needing to be picked up off of the floor. I also would have put a door on the hole for privacy. One of the houses had a nursery-sized room (furnished as a nursery for the show) at the top of the stairs, but way down the hall from the master bedroom. I did not think that very practical. Gone are the great rooms of a few years ago. Gone also are formal living rooms and dining rooms. Instead the new homes are designed with huge family room spaces in the lower levels. Not sure if that is a good idea, either. There is such a thing as kids having too much privacy, out of the way of parental supervision. I see family rooms as being redundant when there is a living room in the house. A small play room within sight of Mom's or Grandma's main work areas would be a better option. Second story laundry rooms are another phenomenon which would take some getting used to, as well as laundry rooms too small to hold an ironing board. What's the point?  Bonus rooms are also in, but I figure, why not just build a closet in so that they can truly be multi-purpose, serving as an extra bedroom, guest room or work room. Having just picked out new flooring for our house, we thought some of the flooring in these expensive homes to be cheap in comparison to our choices. We saw a patio home with a very noticeable gap between the flooring and baseboard in a bathroom, so construction was not necessarily any better than that in our Fred house, either. The things which I did like on the tour were a built-in china cabinet and sun room in the patio home and the patios and garage floor at the million dollar house. Husband commented on my negativity, but I pointed out that that could be a bonus for him, since I was not clamoring for upgrades! We have plenty of house as it is. Just needs some de-junking, which will continue as we paint and clean for the flooring project.

My Shaklee Basic H came to the rescue again twice last week. The first time was when Arthur needed to remove some tar from his car. The second time was when I went to clean electric tape residue off of the mirror above my vanity I presume it was Fred or Kathy who had put electrical tape around the mirror to hide the black spots. I decided it was time to rip it off. My Basic H worked like a charm. 

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

Last time I wrote about Jeanne Cooney and her books. I tested the Peanut Butter Cup Bars which were in her second book, A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes. I have to say that they were fabulous. Very rich and creamy. I will not tell you how many I ate in one sitting, but I was thinking that I could keep up with Emerald Malloy with no  difficulty. Arthur and I both agreed that we like the bars better than the candy with the same name. Lip smacking good. My one thought on the recipe is that perhaps I could try parchment paper in place of aluminum foil. It might be easier to work with.  Sorry I can't share the recipe. You will have to buy the book, or look for another version. As for the other recipe which I tried, the overnight chicken and mushroom hot dish which I had to eat all by myself since someone else does not like mushrooms, I could have shared it with my granddaughter when she was over the other day. She said that she likes mushrooms. Never mind that she is only four and a half years old.


I started taking off baseboard in the bedroom, thinking that we could perhaps knock a few dollars off of our flooring costs. I am painting the walls, and it would make that job simpler anyway. I am by no means an industry expert, but my guess is that the nails which Fred (the builder and original owner of our house) used longer nails than he should have. They certainly do not pull out of the walls as easily as in the demonstrations of removing baseboards which I saw on YouTube. In order to get some of the baseboard off, Arthur had to remove the frame and studs from the  closet: Fred had cut holes into the studs and frame and passed the baseboards through the holes. Either the closet was an afterthought, or he was too lazy to cut the baseboards. What a mess. We also discovered that the pieces of baseboard in small areas are made of a different wood, and are of a different height. It's a Fred house. 

More Minnesota Authors

My two latest fiction reads were books which I picked up at the St. Cloud Bookshop, Hot Dish Heaven (Jeanne Cooney, North Star Press, St. Cloud, MN 2013) and the second book of the series, A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes (2015).  The books caught my attention because they were advertised as written by a local author, and of course, the titles included the butt of Minnesota folk culture, hot dish. Plus, the books contained recipes. I also purchased them as a preview, to see if they were something I would want to give away as Christmas gifts. After reading them, I think not.

The books take place in the town of Kennedy, in the Red River Valley. Reviewer Lois Grieman, quoted on the  blurb on the back of the first book, was not kidding when she said, 'Hot Dish Heaven is full of Garrison Keillor type characters and tasty Midwest Flavor." As I read the book, I thought the  Scandinavian slang  was taken not from locals, but from Sue Scott on A Prairie Home Companion. It read like plagiarism. The blurb on the back of the first book referenced Lutherans and Irish Catholics, so I was expecting something a bit more reflective of traditional Christian morality. Instead I got a Catholic priest who clearly was not versed in appropriate boundaries for this day and age (!), and a seeming entire community of believers who had no clue as to the practice of the virtue of chastity. I would not call sex in the books graphic, but I would say that the lack of virtue left me feeling flat rather than uplifted and refreshed, with one surprising exception at the end of the second book.

I am a bit curious to see what becomes of  Emerald and Deputy Ryden as a couple should Ms. Cooney write a sequel. However, Emerald's character is such a mess that  I cannot see her maturing enough without a long passage of time for them to have a healthy  relationship which could turn into something permanent.

I am also hoping that a sequel would have some recipes for simple salads besides Jello, even a cole slaw or potato salad. Quick breads would also not be out of keeping with  the "flavor" of the book.

The recipes? I was not impressed with the large amount of pre-packaged ingredients used, from seasoning mixes to boxed Macaroni and Cheese. I always think the point of making a hot dish from scratch is to avoid the preservatives, fats and high sodium content of the boxed versions. Some of the recipes sounded downright repulsive (Pineapple Cheese Hot Dish and Irish Baked Hot Dish.). Most are seasoned with only salt and pepper, sounding very bland.  Most are variations of recipes found commonly in any church cookbook. I am going to try the vanilla and chocolate pudding shots, the chicken dumpling hot dish, and the No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup bars.

I purchased another batch of half-pint jars yesterday so that I can make applesauce from our abundance of apples this fall. I also need to get moving on wall washing and wallpaper stripping so that I can get some painting done before our new flooring is installed in October. Looking forward to our "new" house. 

More on the Closet Update

I went thrift store shopping yesterday, and was able to add one more top in my autumn colors. I also ordered more used books on the subject, copies for me and copies for my daughter.

I helped Anne with a few colors. She is a cool, probably a summer. She looked very good in my off-white ruffled jacket, and in baby pink. I am thinking Ariana is a spring.

From Colleen Hammond's webinar on Tuesday on developing a uniform for stay-at-home-moms, I learned a few more tips for the pear shape. She suggests pencil skirts and boat neck tops. I am maxed out on scarves, which are difficult for me to wear anyway because I am so short. Some alternatives would be earrings, hair ornaments and necklaces. I can also try cutting the scarves to make them smaller.

I already got two compliments on my new hair style.

For closet cleaning, Colleen uses the acronym KATDOM - Keep, Alter, Toss, Donate, Orphan and Memento. I am working on that bit by bit. Each item in your closet should match at least three other items. I have two blouses from Old Navy which I bought last year, and which are both in my season. However, the sleeves are too long on me. Not only do I need to rip the cuffs off to alter them, but I also need to put in new sleeve plackets. I have only made one blouse before, and I remember that that part was a bit fussy. Thinking I can do a simple version for the sake of having room to put my hands through my sleeves. I am not looking forward to it, however. I also have to hem the new skirt.  I have one memento item, a sweater which I got from Fr. Dosh when he left Minnesota for Venezuela way back when. It is actually in the fall palette. It is too small for me to wear buttoned, however. it will probably just stay there as a relic. I will not allow my husband to wear it.

Enough for now. Off to more second hand stores, and then to gardening.

Pear Notes:

-Jackets should end above the hip.
-Use small belts.
-No pockets, pleats or patterns on the bottom.
-Tops should be slim and fitted.
-Shoulders should be properly fitted.
-Emphasize the shoulder area with embellishments.
-Use lighter colors on top.
-Use color, patterns and eye catching details on top.
-A line or pencil skirts are best, but not a pencil skirt which is angled in at the bottom.
-No ruffles on the bottom.

Suggested reading:

The Lost Art of Dress, Linda Pryzbyszewski (That could be a name from around here!)
The Woman Who Once Made America Stylish
Fabrics and Dress (Home economics book from the 1950's - 1970's)
Lose Your Mommy Tummy

Closet Update

I have been busy watching Colleen Hammond videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfIJMf3xA2J9PuQFtEWt2gying, participating in her webinars and studying color analysis, and I have been enjoying it very much.

The first video which I saw must have been the color video. After that I ordered the classic book on the subject, Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson. After reading Carole's book and doing some more internet searching I was still stumped on my personal color.  I asked my daughter what she thought, and disagreed with her analysis. I took pictures of my face outdoors and tried to plug the pictures into a web site advertising personal  color analysis; the link did not accept my picture. I looked in the phone book for salons or image consultants who could help, and found nothing. Finally I called a friend, who referred me to another friend. Bingo. She said that as she remembered me, I was an autumn. I did the gold and silver test on my hands to verify her guess. I think she is correct. This evening I am meeting with another friend who does wardrobe consulting to see if she says the same thing. Then I will be off to look for clothing items in my colors. Funny thing is that the autumn palette is the one I like the least. It reminds me of old kitchen appliances in harvest gold, avocado and burnt orange! I get to be a refrigerator from the 70's! As time passes, though, I am more accepting, and I am looking forward to trying my colors. I currently own nothing in that palette but a wool sweater and a few scarves which have some of the colors in them. Most of my shoes are not even the right colors! Much of my jewelry is also the wrong color.

Next were the videos on line and body type.  I am a pear type.  I have at least three skirts in my closet which are the wrong style for a pear. That new jacket which I just purchased at the thrift store for its big, beautiful button has wide sleeves and falls at the hip, again poor choices for a pear; I would hem it up, but that would involve moving well sewn pockets and possibly make holes in the fabric. I should be wearing darker colors on the bottom, lighter on the top. A small print on bottoms would help camouflage lumps and bumps, but otherwise I should have solids on the bottom. I should also avoid skirts with ruffles, tiers, pleats and side pockets.  I should always tuck in my blouses and wear a small belt.

Colleen gives great tips on lines. Hemlines are the first thing the eye sees, because they are horizontal. Diagonal lines are seen from left to right, since that is how we read in our country. We see light lines first, then dark. "Rounds add pounds."

I am not sure that I would have the memory needed to pursue these topics in college courses, but I am hoping to apply the tips that I have learned as I make new clothing purchases.

The Black Arrow

Last evening I finished reading Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow.  I am not quite sure what to think of it. I would not rate it as one of my childhood favorites, as Agatha Christie's Tuppence Beresford did. The language made it a bit difficult to understand, I had a hard time following characters, and there were far too many dead bodies for my taste. The expression, "by the mass" got old by the third chapter, particularly because the only other references to faith in the book were of a corrupt monk and a friar impersonator. Rather like the continuous use of OMG in present society when in every other instance God is banished from the culture.

The book is action packed and fast paced. The swashbuckling would probably be more appealing to young men.than to this middle aged lady.  Dickey comes out relatively unscathed peril after peril, battle after battle. At least he experiences hunger and fatigue, unlike the hero of a certain recent television series who could go 24 hours without even a bathroom break! Now I see that the numerous scripts of television programs containing pictures with moving eyes or people hidden in armor are probably plagiarized from this book and the eyes which Dickey sees behind the arras. The romance with Joanna is the typical medieval fairy tale of quickly falling into an everlasting love with almost no getting to know the other person first.  Of course Dickey has to rescue her from her wicked guardian and from her impending arranged nuptials before he can have her for himself.

I purchased this book while we were homeschooling Anne, since it was on the Mother of Divine Grace syllabus. Anne never read it. I was going to give our copy away after I finished it, but I think I will hang onto it for posterity, just because it is a classic.

Another Allen French

I am hooked on another of the Bethlehem Books/Ignatius Press reprints, this time The Lost Baron, also by Allen French. I am half way through, and told myself that if I go down and walk on the tread mill for half an hour, I can read as I walk. Keep it up for a week, and I should be done with the book and a pound or two lighter. Filled with more wholesome characters, Martin, Ben and Bess, and Lady Rosamund, One known rogue, Halbert. The other characters' virtues and vices are still being unveiled. It is quick-paced and intriguing and at the same time, light.

Snow Day

It has been a snow day, at least for me. I was supposed to go quilting this morning, but after seeing the ice on the back windows, decided that it would not be safe. The friend who was to join me for Valentine stamping this afternoon also canceled. Time then, to read! I have become too addicted to Spider Solitaire on the computer, and, needing emotional and mental refreshment, have taken up a trusted priest's advice of many moons ago and returned to books.

My two latest reads are from my home school collection. The first was Red Falcons of Tremoine (Hendry Peart, Bethlehem Books - Ignatius Press, Bathgate, ND, 2007). The second, which I have not quite finished, is The Red Keep (Allen French, Bethlehem Books - Ignatius Press, Minot, ND 1997). Both take place in the 12th century, the first in England, the second in Normandy, France. Both are listed as for readers ages 10 and up. The first is a part of Bethlehem Books' Living History Library. The second is in Bethlehem Books' Adventure Library. The first is 239 pages, the second 370.  Both are probably more suited to boys, although they both contain beautiful, strong women! Red Falcons has a bibliography in the back making it useful for scholars, and perhaps history teachers. The Red Keep has a nifty glossary of medieval terms making it easier to understand the book during reading. Both books have characters named Fulk (Fulke). If you are a reader of Ellis Peters ;you will see two names similar to characters in her stories, Hugh and Berenger!

 If you have to choose between the two, The Red Keep has been more adventurous and emotionally engaging. My own personal twist to the story has been to imagine the characters of the Red Keep and the town of Vezelay speaking in Norman French instead of English! I liked the inclusion of the town of Vezelay with its tale of St. Mary Magdalene and the masons' guild. The secret passage in the castle is  an early peak into what will later become priest holes, servant's entrances, and secret stair cases in Nancy Drew. Lady Anne is a foreshadowing of Joan of Arc, complete with her own set of armor. I am looking forward to reading other books by Allen French.