This is only the second novel I’ve read by Elizabeth von Arnim, but along with Edith Wharton, she has shot up on my reading radar. Both authors have gotten under my skin with their beautiful literary writing and their sensitive treatment of women’s issues and sometimes difficult themes.In the context of the times in which … Continue reading Love by Elizabeth von Arnim (1925)
Family Dynamics
Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
Rilla of Ingleside was published in 1921 and is the eighth book in the Anne Series which began with Anne of Green Gables in 1908.Rilla is Anne’s youngest daughter and the story begins just prior or the start of WWI when Rilla is fifteen years of age.The tone of this book is more sombre than … Continue reading Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
Grief and Loss
27th January 2020My mother died at six-thirty this morning. 'Died' sounds so harsh but something in me resists the 'passed away' or 'passed' terms. I always feel that they're terms of avoidance that have taken over our expression of this common destiny we all eventually experience. But forgive me if you find that offensive. I'm … Continue reading Grief and Loss
'A gauntlet with a gift in 't.'
‘God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face, A gauntlet with a gift in 't.’ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) I think we’d all agree that we are in challenging times. I remembered this poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning the … Continue reading 'A gauntlet with a gift in 't.'
'On the Edge of a Precipice'
I posted this on Instagram last week: 'The war (virus) creates no absolutely new situation; it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow … Continue reading 'On the Edge of a Precipice'
Home Ed Highlights From the Month of June
'I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds … Continue reading Home Ed Highlights From the Month of June
Reading, Thinking & Domesticity #1
My plan is to have a regular post that will include a variety of domestically related ideas and practical matters plus things that I've read that don't make it into a more formal 'book review,' such as articles, current affairs and anything else that I think is interesting. 'Domesticity' - Latin, domesticus, from … Continue reading Reading, Thinking & Domesticity #1
Boys! Homeschooling Through High School
When our eldest two were in their mid-teens, I was involved with a Charlotte Mason (CM) email group that had started up with the intent of encouraging families who were using the CM method in their home schools. The question came up about how to know when a student needed to go to school, … Continue reading Boys! Homeschooling Through High School
'Baby' by George MacDonald – celebrating our first grandchild
This lovely little girl was added to our family five days ago - our eldest daughter & her husband's first child and our first grandchild. I waited four whole days before I could hold her due to my lingering flu. But it was worth the wait! Baby Where did you … Continue reading 'Baby' by George MacDonald – celebrating our first grandchild
Education and Life
Something I both love and am frustrated by at times is when 'Education' get sidelined by 'Life.' The past few weeks have been rather crazy and frustrating, because my well-laid plans haven't worked out the way I wanted. 'Life intervened. Enter Charlotte Mason's motto: Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline and a Life 'The … Continue reading Education and Life
journey & destination 