Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sweet!
For Christmas, Herb gave himself and his friend Mickey a paid registration for an upcoming Gregorian Chant workshop led by Scott Turkington. They have been wanting to go to one for a long time. I just realized yesterday that the workshop will be held in Sugarland on Valentine's Day weekend. Sweet music in Sugarland on Valentine's Day. I like it.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Get Your Haught Wings
At the Haught Wings Cafe!
I've created a new blog for Herb to help him keep his parents and friends updated on his RV-6 plane-building project. The FAA requires recordkeeping anyway; this seemed like the most satisfying way to do it.
Herb and Nathaniel are really excited about the cafe. I've cooked up the first few posts, but Herb plans to write some as well. I volunteer to let him write all the technical posts. Leave me the sweet stuff! Say, would that be "pie in the sky"?
I plan to cover the Experimental Aircraft Association meetings that we attend and interview as many interesting pilots as I can, starting with my dad, father-in-law, and mother-in-law. My mother-in-law belongs to the 99s, a women's flying group that was founded by Amelia Earhart.
Emma got a video camera for Christmas, so she is looking forward to capturing some exciting stuff in the garage as the project progresses, preferably something with sparks but no flames. I'm sure with Herb's mechanical expertise, he will come up with some wonderful design improvement or technique that will be a great subject for a video.
Hope to see you there!
I've created a new blog for Herb to help him keep his parents and friends updated on his RV-6 plane-building project. The FAA requires recordkeeping anyway; this seemed like the most satisfying way to do it.
Herb and Nathaniel are really excited about the cafe. I've cooked up the first few posts, but Herb plans to write some as well. I volunteer to let him write all the technical posts. Leave me the sweet stuff! Say, would that be "pie in the sky"?
I plan to cover the Experimental Aircraft Association meetings that we attend and interview as many interesting pilots as I can, starting with my dad, father-in-law, and mother-in-law. My mother-in-law belongs to the 99s, a women's flying group that was founded by Amelia Earhart.
Emma got a video camera for Christmas, so she is looking forward to capturing some exciting stuff in the garage as the project progresses, preferably something with sparks but no flames. I'm sure with Herb's mechanical expertise, he will come up with some wonderful design improvement or technique that will be a great subject for a video.
Hope to see you there!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Newspapers Still Tiptoeing Around Cause of Vendee Massacre
This morning I read an article about the peasant massacre in the Vendee region of France during the French Revolution. It said that "the Vendée, a coastal department in western France, is calling for the incident to be remembered as the first genocide in modern history."
While I agree that the massacre was a genocide, the article bothers me because it doesn't tell the true cause of the struggle. I sent a link to Elena Maria Vidal at Tea at Trianon because she is a Catholic author/expert on the French Revolution. Her response is here.
My first introduction to the story of the Vendean Catholics was through Warren Carroll's The Guillotine and the Cross. It is one of the few books that I started but never finished. I couldn't finish it because it depressed me. I recognized too many parallels between the policies of the French Revolutionaries and the policies of the 21st century US government. Instead, I read Elena Maria Vidal's Trianon. I learned a great deal about the French Revolution from it and came away with a new respect for Catholic monarchy in general and Marie Antoinette in particular. I got Emma the sequel to Trianon, Madame Royale, for Christmas. I will read it as soon as she is finished.
The Tea at Trianon blog has been an incredible education for both of us. We read it daily. There is no charge for the wealth of information you will find there, but you can help support the site: Order Trianon and Madame Royale directly and pay a little extra to get them autographed.
For two book recommendations and more information on the uprising in the Vendee: The Heart of Darkness: How Visceral Hatred of Catholicism Turns Into Genocide by Anne Barbeau Gardiner.
While I agree that the massacre was a genocide, the article bothers me because it doesn't tell the true cause of the struggle. I sent a link to Elena Maria Vidal at Tea at Trianon because she is a Catholic author/expert on the French Revolution. Her response is here.
My first introduction to the story of the Vendean Catholics was through Warren Carroll's The Guillotine and the Cross. It is one of the few books that I started but never finished. I couldn't finish it because it depressed me. I recognized too many parallels between the policies of the French Revolutionaries and the policies of the 21st century US government. Instead, I read Elena Maria Vidal's Trianon. I learned a great deal about the French Revolution from it and came away with a new respect for Catholic monarchy in general and Marie Antoinette in particular. I got Emma the sequel to Trianon, Madame Royale, for Christmas. I will read it as soon as she is finished.
The Tea at Trianon blog has been an incredible education for both of us. We read it daily. There is no charge for the wealth of information you will find there, but you can help support the site: Order Trianon and Madame Royale directly and pay a little extra to get them autographed.
For two book recommendations and more information on the uprising in the Vendee: The Heart of Darkness: How Visceral Hatred of Catholicism Turns Into Genocide by Anne Barbeau Gardiner.
Stepping Up to the Fashion Plate with the Pocket Square
First, some handkerchief history from Hudson Pocket Squares:
What is a Pocket Square?
A pocket square (handkerchief) is a thin, square, cloth used for wiping the eyes and nose. It can be made of any cloth, but is typically made of linen, cotton or silk.
The first handkerchiefs were small pieces of silk tissue used by priests and clergy at the altar. At first, handkerchiefs were carried in the hand, not the pocket. They were carried both for utilitarian purposes and for dress. They quickly became an essential accessory.
Through the ages, the handkerchief saw many uses and styles. At some point around the 18th century, the square shape was defined as being the standard, based on a version that Marie-Antoinette made. Louis XVI even published a decree stating that the length and width of a handkerchief must be equal.
It wasn't until the early 20th century that the pocket square, or pocket handkerchief, became popular. Handkerchiefs were folded and placed in the breast pocket of suits, and this quickly became the sign of style and stature. For decades, men would not be considered properly dressed without a pocket square in the breast pocket.
Since Nathaniel turned 17, he has become more interested in his appearance. Just before church recently, he asked me how to fold a handkerchief into a pocket square.
I did not know how, and we didn't have time to find out. Later that week, I looked at some pre-folded ones with matching ties at a department store, but I felt it would be a little degrading, like giving him a pre-tied necktie, so I bought him some monogrammed handkerchiefs for his pants pocket instead. Then I found this article from The Art of Manliness site that explains with written and video directions how to fold three different styles of pocket squares.
To get more ideas I visited PocketSquareZ. The site shows many more styles, but most of them struck me as too flamboyant. However, I suspect fabric choice makes more of a difference in this regard than the actual fold style. PocketSquareZ also features a few matching tie/pocket square sets.
Belisi features matching ties for every pocket square it sells. After studying them and looking at this picture from Joseph Bank,
I agreed with Art of Manliness that pocket squares should complement the tie but not be the same fabric. Plain white ones go with everything.
I saw silk pocket squares from $8 all the way to $125. The $8 one was the PocketSqauareZ silk or satin, "carefully folded and sewn together between an attractive insert card". I figure they use the bare minimum of fabric. Sewn into an insert card, they are definitely for looks only. For $16 you can get a non-folded silk pocket square from Belisi, but I could not find the measurements. The $125 one was 16" x 16" of 100% silk.
Hudson Pocket Squares makes pre-folded 100% Irish linen pocket squares in a variety of colors for $15. They use a full 16" by 16" piece of fabric, but I don't know how the fold is secured.
As far as fabric choice, a (non pre-folded) white cotton or linen is preferred if it is to be used as a handkerchief. Otherwise, keep a utilitarian handkerchief in the pants pocket and save the red silk pocket square for attracting young ladies.
One commenter on the Art of Manliness article suggested carrying two cotton handerchiefs with the silk pocket square: one for the tears of a damsel in distress, one for the man's eyes, nose, or glasses. I thought this was a good idea. After all, few women carry handkerchiefs anymore, and they cry just as much or more than ever. It gives the man an easy way to show compassion without having to say too much in what is often an awkward situation.
What is a Pocket Square?
A pocket square (handkerchief) is a thin, square, cloth used for wiping the eyes and nose. It can be made of any cloth, but is typically made of linen, cotton or silk.
The first handkerchiefs were small pieces of silk tissue used by priests and clergy at the altar. At first, handkerchiefs were carried in the hand, not the pocket. They were carried both for utilitarian purposes and for dress. They quickly became an essential accessory.
Through the ages, the handkerchief saw many uses and styles. At some point around the 18th century, the square shape was defined as being the standard, based on a version that Marie-Antoinette made. Louis XVI even published a decree stating that the length and width of a handkerchief must be equal.
It wasn't until the early 20th century that the pocket square, or pocket handkerchief, became popular. Handkerchiefs were folded and placed in the breast pocket of suits, and this quickly became the sign of style and stature. For decades, men would not be considered properly dressed without a pocket square in the breast pocket.
Since Nathaniel turned 17, he has become more interested in his appearance. Just before church recently, he asked me how to fold a handkerchief into a pocket square.
I did not know how, and we didn't have time to find out. Later that week, I looked at some pre-folded ones with matching ties at a department store, but I felt it would be a little degrading, like giving him a pre-tied necktie, so I bought him some monogrammed handkerchiefs for his pants pocket instead. Then I found this article from The Art of Manliness site that explains with written and video directions how to fold three different styles of pocket squares.
To get more ideas I visited PocketSquareZ. The site shows many more styles, but most of them struck me as too flamboyant. However, I suspect fabric choice makes more of a difference in this regard than the actual fold style. PocketSquareZ also features a few matching tie/pocket square sets.
Belisi features matching ties for every pocket square it sells. After studying them and looking at this picture from Joseph Bank,
I agreed with Art of Manliness that pocket squares should complement the tie but not be the same fabric. Plain white ones go with everything.
I saw silk pocket squares from $8 all the way to $125. The $8 one was the PocketSqauareZ silk or satin, "carefully folded and sewn together between an attractive insert card". I figure they use the bare minimum of fabric. Sewn into an insert card, they are definitely for looks only. For $16 you can get a non-folded silk pocket square from Belisi, but I could not find the measurements. The $125 one was 16" x 16" of 100% silk.
Hudson Pocket Squares makes pre-folded 100% Irish linen pocket squares in a variety of colors for $15. They use a full 16" by 16" piece of fabric, but I don't know how the fold is secured.
As far as fabric choice, a (non pre-folded) white cotton or linen is preferred if it is to be used as a handkerchief. Otherwise, keep a utilitarian handkerchief in the pants pocket and save the red silk pocket square for attracting young ladies.
One commenter on the Art of Manliness article suggested carrying two cotton handerchiefs with the silk pocket square: one for the tears of a damsel in distress, one for the man's eyes, nose, or glasses. I thought this was a good idea. After all, few women carry handkerchiefs anymore, and they cry just as much or more than ever. It gives the man an easy way to show compassion without having to say too much in what is often an awkward situation.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christ, the Christmas Rose
These last few weeks I have spent a lot of time studying Christmas music lyrics. I realized for the first time that Christ is referred to as a Rose. I always thought that only Mary was associated with this symbol. Two of my favorite pieces feature this symbolism. The first one is translated from German. The second one is translated from Italian. Here are excerpts:
Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming
Lo how a rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As men of old have sung
It came, a flow'ret bright
Amid the cold of winter
When halfspent was the night.
Here is the link to the YouTube that I featured in my first Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming post. It's still my favorite.
Gesu Bambino
When blossoms flower e'er 'mid the snow
Upon a winter night
Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose
The King of Love and Light.
Here is a link to a YouTube video of Luciano Pavarotti singing Gesu Bambino with Joan Osborne. It is especially nice because he sings the Italian, and she sings the English. I apologize for Ms. Osborne's inappropriate dress.
Yesterday, when I was thinking about writing this post, I got an e-mail letting me know that a longtime friend of Emma's had opened an online stained glass shop. When I looked at her items, I found the beautiful rose that you see at the top of this post. It would be a lovely reminder all year long of Christ, the Christmas Rose.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
You're Never Too Old
to make your mama become the filling of a smoochwich.
That's my little sister Lisa on the left. She and her son traveled from Florida to join us for Christmas.
That's my little sister Lisa on the left. She and her son traveled from Florida to join us for Christmas.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Music for the Christmas Season
Now that the Christmas season is here, you may have difficulty finding appropriate music. I've chosen about 50 traditional Christmas tracks for my Finetune player. If you click on "pop out the player", it will play even if you leave In Haught Pursuit.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Southern Comfort: The Buttermilk Pound Cake
I discovered the recipe for Buttermilk Pound Cake early in my married life, and it has become the all-time favorite in my family. I got it from the Talk About Good cookbook that was published by the Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana, April 1978 printing. The only change I made is that I always use three sticks of butter instead of two. This cake travels well, too, so it is good when you need something to take to a friend. I've had several requests for the recipe lately, so I thought I would post it, along with pictures. This first one shows what happens every time I bake one of these cakes. It gets cut before it is done cooling.
Ingredients
3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
3 cups flour, sifted
1 cup buttermilk
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
5 egg whites, whipped stiff
Cream the butter. Add the sugar and cream again. Add yolks one at a time, beating well after each. To 1/2 cup buttermilk, add salt and stir. To other 1/2 cup buttermilk, add salt and stir. Add flour alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, to butter-sugar mixture. Fold in whites. Grease bottom of tube pan (I use a Bundt)lightly. Pour in batter and bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hr. and 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack for ten minutes and remove from pan. Let cool. This cake also freezes well.
Adding the sugar to the creamed butter.
Creaming butter and sugar together thoroughly.
Don't forget to reserve and whip those whites.
Mixing in the yolks, one at a time.
Pouring a half-cup of buttermilk into each of two small bowls.
To one bowl of buttermilk add salt and stir. To the other bowl add baking soda and stir.
I used to get confused on the "add flour alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour" step. Now I follow a system so that if I get distracted, I can easily look and see where I am. I measure the 3 cups of flour into a medium bowl. I scoop approximately one cup of the flour out and add to the creamed mixture and mix. Then I pour in one of the bowls of buttermilk, scraping the buttermilk from the bottom to get all of the salt or baking powder, and mixing again. I scoop a second cup of flour and mix it in. I pour in the second bowl of buttermilk and mix. Then I add the remaining cup of flour and mix again.
I scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl and mix again.
Adding the whipped egg whites to the creamed mixture.
Folding in the whites.
I have always used a Bundt pan instead of a tube pan. I used to have quite a bit of trouble with the cake sticking. Since I have been using Baker's Joy baking spray the cake comes out of the pan easily every time.
Pouring the batter into the pan. It's really thick.
Right out of the oven. Slightly crispy on the outside, dense and moist on the inside.
The best flavor is achieved after the cake cools completely, but it's still hard to wait.
Ingredients
3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
3 cups flour, sifted
1 cup buttermilk
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
5 egg whites, whipped stiff
Cream the butter. Add the sugar and cream again. Add yolks one at a time, beating well after each. To 1/2 cup buttermilk, add salt and stir. To other 1/2 cup buttermilk, add salt and stir. Add flour alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, to butter-sugar mixture. Fold in whites. Grease bottom of tube pan (I use a Bundt)lightly. Pour in batter and bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hr. and 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack for ten minutes and remove from pan. Let cool. This cake also freezes well.
Adding the sugar to the creamed butter.
Creaming butter and sugar together thoroughly.
Don't forget to reserve and whip those whites.
Mixing in the yolks, one at a time.
Pouring a half-cup of buttermilk into each of two small bowls.
To one bowl of buttermilk add salt and stir. To the other bowl add baking soda and stir. 
I used to get confused on the "add flour alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour" step. Now I follow a system so that if I get distracted, I can easily look and see where I am. I measure the 3 cups of flour into a medium bowl. I scoop approximately one cup of the flour out and add to the creamed mixture and mix. Then I pour in one of the bowls of buttermilk, scraping the buttermilk from the bottom to get all of the salt or baking powder, and mixing again. I scoop a second cup of flour and mix it in. I pour in the second bowl of buttermilk and mix. Then I add the remaining cup of flour and mix again. 
I scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl and mix again.
Adding the whipped egg whites to the creamed mixture.
Folding in the whites.
I have always used a Bundt pan instead of a tube pan. I used to have quite a bit of trouble with the cake sticking. Since I have been using Baker's Joy baking spray the cake comes out of the pan easily every time.
Pouring the batter into the pan. It's really thick.
Right out of the oven. Slightly crispy on the outside, dense and moist on the inside.
The best flavor is achieved after the cake cools completely, but it's still hard to wait.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Herb's Plane Happy
Herb returned home Saturday night towing a mighty project, an RV-6 kit plane. His dad started it in the early 90s and decided that it was time to pass the torch, so to speak. Herb will have to make one more trip back to Florida to bring back the wings.
We have a 2100 foot grass runway along the west side of our property, so Herb is eager to complete this project and fly. He has already joined a users' group called Van's Air Force. It offers lots of technical support. Additionally, there are good pictures of completed planes on Van's website.
Herb will also join the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Our local chapter meets at a hangar about a mile and a half from us. We only have to make one left turn off our street to get there. We have to drive long distances to do just about everything, so this being so close is simply amazing to me.
From what Herb tells me, a whole social life comes with the plane. The RV airplane owners get together a lot, fly to lunch, make day trips, etc. He's also expecting all of his parents' airplane buddies to fly over to our house and check up on him--I mean visit. I'm dusting off all of my "feed a crowd" recipes in anticipation.
We're hoping that Herb's folks will come stay for a month or two in their motorhome. Herb Sr. and my dad would have so much fun bossing, I mean supervising, Herb and Nathaniel. Herb's dad got a lot of experience working on planes in the Air Force, and he and my mother-in-law got their private pilot's licenses after he retired. They flew a Piper Cherokee for many years. My dad re-built an Aeronca Chief as a young man and learned to fly out of his parent's pasture. Later he bought a Piper Pacer, which he sold when I was little. After I married, Dad bought a Beechcraft Bonanza.
Herb and I started taking flying lessons in the early 80s. I soloed but lost confidence afterward. I stopped flying before finishing the requirements for my license. Herb got his pilot's license and enjoyed flying the Cherokee and the Bonanza.
Now Nathaniel and Emma want to learn to fly. I guess it's in their genes.
Here are the pictures of the uncrating:
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
Yesterday we went to hear the Houston Symphony's performance of Handel's Messiah. Before it began, a brass ensemble played in the foyer in front of a huge Christmas tree. I slipped away when the group began playing a pop Christmas song. When it finished, to my happy surprise, they started Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming. I hurried back to be close to the music, and Herb met me there, presenting me with a tall glass of bubbling champagne. All of a sudden I knew that it was one of those moments that I would always remember. Everything was sparkly and golden: the Christmas tree, the instruments of the brass ensemble, the champagne in my glass and the beautiful, beautiful other-worldly feeling I get when I hear Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming.
This morning I searched YouTube for recordings of this piece. There were so many, but this one, by some members of the Penn Glee Club, was my favorite. I loved that it was young men singing casually for their own pleasure, showing that beautiful, reverent music isn't something just for church or concert hall.
This morning I searched YouTube for recordings of this piece. There were so many, but this one, by some members of the Penn Glee Club, was my favorite. I loved that it was young men singing casually for their own pleasure, showing that beautiful, reverent music isn't something just for church or concert hall.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Twisted Twilight
I have not read the Twilight, series, nor have I seen the movie. My knowledge of the series comes from reading reviews. From them, I learned that Twilight is the story of a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire. In the last book, Breaking Dawn, she actually marries him.
The first review I read a week or two ago was a glowing account that was linked from lewrockwell.com with the label "What Girls Want". Unfortunately, I can't find it now. Yesterday, Tea at Trianon had a link to another review, which I read. Following links, I finished with In Love With Death in National Review. If you only have time for one review, the latter is the one I would recommend.
My purpose in writing this is to point out, based on the reviews and what I know of vampires, why I would not give this book to Emma to read.
First, I knew before I read any reviews that the book was most likely inappropriate because I know that the whole vampire genre is based on seduction.
Favorable and unfavorable reviews all confirmed that a major theme of the series is lust. The surprise to me is that it is being touted as pro-chastity because the main characters, Bella and Edward, "wait until marriage." My understanding of true chastity is that it requires purity in soul and body. If this is true, then Twilight is not pro-chastity.
Looking for confirmation, I opened up Emma's Catholic Girl's Guide to see what Fr. Lasance had to say on this topic:
Chastity is the lily, the pearl of virtues, the most precious of all, the most pleasing to God. It is called the angelic virtue, because it raises man almost to a level with the angels. This virtue enables man to avoid all impure, carnal, forbidden pleasures, to rise superior to temptation, to remain chaste in thoughts, words, and actions. (emphasis mine) And how utterly indispensable this virtue is for a maiden! St. Francis of Sales writes upon this subject: "Young women ought to banish from their minds all reprehensible thoughts, and repel with contempt all impure desires."
It is not only the chastity issue that is a problem. The portrayal of love in the book is disordered. It presents falling in love with a vampire in a positive light. In Three to Get Married, Bishop Fulton Sheen makes the following point:
Every person is what he loves. Love becomes like unto that which it loves. If it loves heaven, it becomes heavenly; if it loves the carnal as a god, it becomes corruptible. The kind of immortality we have depends on the kind of loves we have. Putting it negatively, he who tells you what he does not love, also tells what he is. "Amor pondus meum: Love is my gravitation," said St. Augustine. This slow conversion of a subject into an object, of a lover into the beloved, of the miser into his gold, of the saint into his God, discloses the importance of loving the right things. The nobler our loves, the nobler our character. To love what is below the human is degradation; to love what is human for the sake of the human is mediocrity; to love the human for the sake of the Divine is enriching; to love the Divine for its own sake is sanctity. (emphasis mine)
Again, I have not read the series, nor have I seen the movie, but based on the reviews and Catholic teaching, the Twilight series will not be on our reading (or movie) list.
The first review I read a week or two ago was a glowing account that was linked from lewrockwell.com with the label "What Girls Want". Unfortunately, I can't find it now. Yesterday, Tea at Trianon had a link to another review, which I read. Following links, I finished with In Love With Death in National Review. If you only have time for one review, the latter is the one I would recommend.
My purpose in writing this is to point out, based on the reviews and what I know of vampires, why I would not give this book to Emma to read.
First, I knew before I read any reviews that the book was most likely inappropriate because I know that the whole vampire genre is based on seduction.
Favorable and unfavorable reviews all confirmed that a major theme of the series is lust. The surprise to me is that it is being touted as pro-chastity because the main characters, Bella and Edward, "wait until marriage." My understanding of true chastity is that it requires purity in soul and body. If this is true, then Twilight is not pro-chastity.
Looking for confirmation, I opened up Emma's Catholic Girl's Guide to see what Fr. Lasance had to say on this topic:
Chastity is the lily, the pearl of virtues, the most precious of all, the most pleasing to God. It is called the angelic virtue, because it raises man almost to a level with the angels. This virtue enables man to avoid all impure, carnal, forbidden pleasures, to rise superior to temptation, to remain chaste in thoughts, words, and actions. (emphasis mine) And how utterly indispensable this virtue is for a maiden! St. Francis of Sales writes upon this subject: "Young women ought to banish from their minds all reprehensible thoughts, and repel with contempt all impure desires."
It is not only the chastity issue that is a problem. The portrayal of love in the book is disordered. It presents falling in love with a vampire in a positive light. In Three to Get Married, Bishop Fulton Sheen makes the following point:
Every person is what he loves. Love becomes like unto that which it loves. If it loves heaven, it becomes heavenly; if it loves the carnal as a god, it becomes corruptible. The kind of immortality we have depends on the kind of loves we have. Putting it negatively, he who tells you what he does not love, also tells what he is. "Amor pondus meum: Love is my gravitation," said St. Augustine. This slow conversion of a subject into an object, of a lover into the beloved, of the miser into his gold, of the saint into his God, discloses the importance of loving the right things. The nobler our loves, the nobler our character. To love what is below the human is degradation; to love what is human for the sake of the human is mediocrity; to love the human for the sake of the Divine is enriching; to love the Divine for its own sake is sanctity. (emphasis mine)
Again, I have not read the series, nor have I seen the movie, but based on the reviews and Catholic teaching, the Twilight series will not be on our reading (or movie) list.
Prayers for a Birthday and a Vocation
Our aspiring Thomist friend is celebrating his birthday today. He is in a traditional Dominican monastery in Avrille, France, where he is discerning a vocation. Please pray for him.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Sunday Road to Bethlehem
It is with relief that I face this Ember Week. I need the discipline and introspection that it brings It seems that every Advent I start with great plans to "make straight the way of the Lord", and by this third week find that I have somehow been diverted from the road to Bethlehem by Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.
Contemplating this struggle, I realize that it is just another manifestation of the difficulty of practicing the faith outside of a Catholic culture. However, I have learned that there is so much more that I can do in my own little domestic church.
On the second Sunday of Advent, after we lit the Advent wreath, I read aloud to my family The Land Without a Sunday, by Maria von Trapp. (The link will take you to an online version on the Fisheaters website.) I have often seen it for sale in catalogs, but no one I know has ever suggested that I read it. If you have not, please do. I was amazed, saddened, and inspired by it.
First, The Land Without a Sunday is actually the title of a book written by the von Trapp's neighbors', Baron and Baroness K, after a six weeks visit to Soviet Russia. I was struck by the similarities between Baron K's description of Sundays in Soviet Russia with Sundays in the USA. He said that instead of a Sunday, the Russians had a day off at certain intervals:
What a difference between a day off and a Sunday! The people work in shifts. While one group enjoys its day off, the others continue to work in the factories or on the farms or in the stores, which are always open. As a result the over-all impression throughout the country was that of incessant work, work, work. The atmosphere was one of constant rush and drive;
As a Catholic, I know that Sunday is the Lord's Day, a joyful day, but Maria von Trapp showed me how truly anemic my celebration of Sunday has been. She described Sundays in Austria before World War II where the preparation for Sunday began on Saturday with housecleaning and cooking, followed in the afternoon by the ringing of the church bells, which was called "ringing in the Feierabend". Mrs. von Trapp explained:
Just as some of the big feasts begin the night before--on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Easter Eve--so every Sunday throughout the year also starts on its eve. That gives Saturday night its hallowed character.
On Saturday night they stayed home and went to bed early. That explanation gave both light and a piercing pain. Saturday nights have no "hallowed character" at our house.
It was a revelation to me to read about how Sunday was celebrated in Austria, but the real story starts when the von Trapps begin a study of the history of Sunday with their priest.
I realized that until I learn to prepare for and celebrate Sunday properly, I am going to struggle during Advent because
every Saturday is a little Advent, every Sunday a little Christmas Day.
Contemplating this struggle, I realize that it is just another manifestation of the difficulty of practicing the faith outside of a Catholic culture. However, I have learned that there is so much more that I can do in my own little domestic church.
On the second Sunday of Advent, after we lit the Advent wreath, I read aloud to my family The Land Without a Sunday, by Maria von Trapp. (The link will take you to an online version on the Fisheaters website.) I have often seen it for sale in catalogs, but no one I know has ever suggested that I read it. If you have not, please do. I was amazed, saddened, and inspired by it.
First, The Land Without a Sunday is actually the title of a book written by the von Trapp's neighbors', Baron and Baroness K, after a six weeks visit to Soviet Russia. I was struck by the similarities between Baron K's description of Sundays in Soviet Russia with Sundays in the USA. He said that instead of a Sunday, the Russians had a day off at certain intervals:
What a difference between a day off and a Sunday! The people work in shifts. While one group enjoys its day off, the others continue to work in the factories or on the farms or in the stores, which are always open. As a result the over-all impression throughout the country was that of incessant work, work, work. The atmosphere was one of constant rush and drive;
As a Catholic, I know that Sunday is the Lord's Day, a joyful day, but Maria von Trapp showed me how truly anemic my celebration of Sunday has been. She described Sundays in Austria before World War II where the preparation for Sunday began on Saturday with housecleaning and cooking, followed in the afternoon by the ringing of the church bells, which was called "ringing in the Feierabend". Mrs. von Trapp explained:
Just as some of the big feasts begin the night before--on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Easter Eve--so every Sunday throughout the year also starts on its eve. That gives Saturday night its hallowed character.
On Saturday night they stayed home and went to bed early. That explanation gave both light and a piercing pain. Saturday nights have no "hallowed character" at our house.
It was a revelation to me to read about how Sunday was celebrated in Austria, but the real story starts when the von Trapps begin a study of the history of Sunday with their priest.
I realized that until I learn to prepare for and celebrate Sunday properly, I am going to struggle during Advent because
every Saturday is a little Advent, every Sunday a little Christmas Day.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A Piano in Every Living Room
Our old piano tuner knew the history of many American piano manufacturers: which ones made really good instruments, where they were located, when they went out of business. Sadly, he never told me of a new American piano company being founded. He knew the American piano industry was dying. Because of this, although I always looked forward to his visits, I would come away from them feeling a little sad. It was like the conversations I used to listen to as a child between my elderly relations. They always ended with a discussion of who had died that week.
When I saw an essay by Jeffrey Tucker on the piano industry, I eagerly read it. He explained how Americans used to value pianos:
It was widely believed that spending money on a piano wasn't really spending. It was an investment. The money you paid would be embedded right there in this beautiful and useful item. You can always sell it for more than you paid for it, and this was generally true. So people would make great sacrifices for these instruments.
Americans did not buy pianos just because they were a good investment. Mr. Tucker says:
They were used in classrooms everywhere in times when music education was considered to be the foundation of a good education. They were the concert instruments in homes before recorded music and iPods. They were essential for all entertainment. American buyers couldn't get enough, and private enterprise responded.
This is a really good point that deserves to be repeated: "Music education was considered the foundation of a good education." It is also important to note that while iPods may have replaced the home piano in most American homes, the two are in no way equal. Americans have definitely regressed in the home music department.
I was disappointed to find that Mr. Tucker's point in writing the piece was to prove that the government should not bail out the auto industry:
In the same way, many people will bemoan the loss of the US car industry and wax eloquent on the glory days of the 1957 Chevy or what have you. But we need to deal with the reality that this is in the past. Economics demands forward motion, a conforming to the facts on the ground and a relentless and realistic assessment of the relationship between cost and price, supply and demand. We must learn to love these forces in society because they are the only things that keep rationality alive in the way we use resources. Without them, there would be nothing but waste and chaos, and eventual starvation and death. We simply cannot live outside economic reality.
Of course he is right. I just wish that he had discussed the spiritual reality and how it is the spiritual reality that determines the economic reality.
If the goal is heaven, then are you more likely to get there in a Chevy or by gathering around the family piano and singing the old songs and hymns? Seriously, what would it say about our country if we had a booming demand for American pianos but imported all our cars?
Mr. Tucker's essay is filled with the kind of information that I used to discuss with our piano tuner. It's good. I hope you will read it. Then, ora et labora to change the spiritual reality to one of a Christian culture. And get a piano for heaven's sake!
When I saw an essay by Jeffrey Tucker on the piano industry, I eagerly read it. He explained how Americans used to value pianos:
It was widely believed that spending money on a piano wasn't really spending. It was an investment. The money you paid would be embedded right there in this beautiful and useful item. You can always sell it for more than you paid for it, and this was generally true. So people would make great sacrifices for these instruments.
Americans did not buy pianos just because they were a good investment. Mr. Tucker says:
They were used in classrooms everywhere in times when music education was considered to be the foundation of a good education. They were the concert instruments in homes before recorded music and iPods. They were essential for all entertainment. American buyers couldn't get enough, and private enterprise responded.
This is a really good point that deserves to be repeated: "Music education was considered the foundation of a good education." It is also important to note that while iPods may have replaced the home piano in most American homes, the two are in no way equal. Americans have definitely regressed in the home music department.
I was disappointed to find that Mr. Tucker's point in writing the piece was to prove that the government should not bail out the auto industry:
In the same way, many people will bemoan the loss of the US car industry and wax eloquent on the glory days of the 1957 Chevy or what have you. But we need to deal with the reality that this is in the past. Economics demands forward motion, a conforming to the facts on the ground and a relentless and realistic assessment of the relationship between cost and price, supply and demand. We must learn to love these forces in society because they are the only things that keep rationality alive in the way we use resources. Without them, there would be nothing but waste and chaos, and eventual starvation and death. We simply cannot live outside economic reality.
Of course he is right. I just wish that he had discussed the spiritual reality and how it is the spiritual reality that determines the economic reality.
If the goal is heaven, then are you more likely to get there in a Chevy or by gathering around the family piano and singing the old songs and hymns? Seriously, what would it say about our country if we had a booming demand for American pianos but imported all our cars?
Mr. Tucker's essay is filled with the kind of information that I used to discuss with our piano tuner. It's good. I hope you will read it. Then, ora et labora to change the spiritual reality to one of a Christian culture. And get a piano for heaven's sake!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Dancing for Joy on the Eve of Gaudete Sunday
Saturday night was the Christmas Ball for the Houston contra dancers. Herb and I enjoyed watching Nathaniel, Emma, and three of our young lady friends dance. One of the first numbers was O How Lovely is the Evening, which was sung in rounds by the dancers as they moved in concentric circles. It's amazing how something so simple can be so lovely.
The band featured a fiddler in a kilt.
In the photo above and the one below, you can see how fast the girls are being spun if you look at their hair.
Toward the end of the evening the dancers performed a "Grand March" and actually disappeared outside for a while. Emma had participated in one at the Czech Heritage Festival this past spring and also one at the Beck Family Camp over the summer.
Twirling makes you smile, so it must be good for you.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Learning the Language of Snow: The Total Immersion Method
Our family is still recovering from the wonder of a five-inch snowfall in our little southeast Texas town. The Houston news channels reported that there were approximately 500 accidents in Harris County because of the icy roads (and general giddiness). Even the reporters couldn't resist building snowmen and throwing snowballs while they were on the air. Here at home, Emma wore herself out learning the language of snow.
It all started Wednesday night.
"LOOK, MOM! I HAVE SNOWFLAKES IN MY HAIR!"
After a couple of hours of running in and out, often barefoot, she collected enough snow to make a miniature snowman, which she put in a glass, covered with Tropical Hibiscus juice, and consumed right gustily.
The next morning she made the customary snow angel.
The snow angel now looks like a snow ballerina. I guess when she got up, she slid down the side of the ditch, creating "legs".
She rolled, and rolled, and rolled.
Then she scooped small mountains of snow out of the back of Nathaniel's truck and put them on her head.
Late Thursday morning we drove to the store. Emma rolled the window down and scooped snow off the hood and stuffed it in her mouth. In between mouthfuls, she expressed astonishment at all of the pristine snowy yards. "These people haven't been out in the snow!"
Imagine that.
It all started Wednesday night. 
"LOOK, MOM! I HAVE SNOWFLAKES IN MY HAIR!"
After a couple of hours of running in and out, often barefoot, she collected enough snow to make a miniature snowman, which she put in a glass, covered with Tropical Hibiscus juice, and consumed right gustily.
The next morning she made the customary snow angel.
The snow angel now looks like a snow ballerina. I guess when she got up, she slid down the side of the ditch, creating "legs".
She rolled, and rolled, and rolled.
Then she scooped small mountains of snow out of the back of Nathaniel's truck and put them on her head.
Late Thursday morning we drove to the store. Emma rolled the window down and scooped snow off the hood and stuffed it in her mouth. In between mouthfuls, she expressed astonishment at all of the pristine snowy yards. "These people haven't been out in the snow!"
Imagine that.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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