Don't miss it!

A couple days ago we were all driving together in the van, and Miss M, who was sitting beside me, was talking excitedly about wrapping presents and baking cookies and all our other preparations for Christmas. She knew it had to be coming soon, so she turned and asked me, "Timmy, what day is Christmas?"

"It's this Thursday," I replied.

"The day after Tuesday?"

"No, it'll be the day after that. The day after Wednesday."

She was thoughtful for a moment. Then, with a touch of concern in her voice, she said, "Mommy, will you make sure you tell me when it's Christmas?"

We've assured her that she won't miss it.

The New Homeschooling

I saw this posted at HomeschoolBuzz.

Homeschooling 2.0 from FrontPageMag.com

This refers to an article about the current state of homeschooling since its beginning by extremists who were willing to risk legal opposition for the right to educate their own children. I'm just going to summarize parts of it, in hopes that others might be enticed to read the whole article. It can be found here.

These days, homeschooling is growing among African Americans, Hawaiians, Native Americans, Jews, Muslims, Aryans and wiccans who don't want their children assimilated with everyone else. The homeschool population is more diverse and no longer the exclusive domain of protestant evangelicals.

People homeschool for a greater of reasons than they used to - no longer for religious reasons, but because of academics, learning disabilities that schools aren't handling well, as a way to allow students time to compete in professional sports or acting, to accomodate families' travel-lifestyles. One mom said, "My homeschooling group . . . [is] FAR more diverse than the neighborhood school I pulled my oldest child out of years ago."

"The number of homeschooled young children is beginning to plateau, but homeschooling for older children is still a high-growth market. The result has been an explosion in innovative programs for older children."

The ways people homeschool is also changing. More are unschooling, using co-ops, and creating other alternatives. As more people start homeschooling for non-religious reasons, homeschool groups are more diverse - and that can lead to problems: "Disagreements over 'what kinds of uniforms are appropriate for home-school cheerleaders and whether rock music may be played at home-school events' are not uncommon as life-long homeschoolers rub shoulders with each other and with new recruits fresh from the public schools. Not a few Christian homeschoolers have pulled their children out of co-ops, clubs, and sports teams over such concerns. None of these small-scale culture skirmishes begin to match, however, the controversy generated by the growing popularity of government-sponsored programs for homeschoolers. Many public school districts, having lost the fight to criminalize homeschooling, now openly court homeschoolers. School districts with high rates of homeschooling have seen significant drops in funding, tied as it is to per-pupil enrollment." Public schools might offer off-campus classes, use of on-campus computers or library, dual enrollment--but that can be a way for government schools to get their foot in the door, so to speak, and can lead to more government regulation and limits on homeschooling as more homeschoolers come under the umbrella (and potential control) of government-sponsored programs.

Online charter school programs (virtual schools) have popped up recently "both to service homebound or other special needs students and as an effort to lure homeschoolers (and the tax dollars they represent) back into the public education system." Some private corporations started their own cyber-schools, with government funding, but after a bad beginning, and complaints from school districts whose money was being paid to these private corporations, many closed and "those that survived tightened their lines considerably, to the great frustration of the many formerly-independent homeschoolers lured by free computers and textbooks into these schools but resentful of the regulations and regimentation that seemed to increase every year."

"Cybercharters have many enemies. Many politicians and public school people agree with Texas Democratic Rep. Patrick Rose that 'we ought not be in the business of supporting for-profit education. Any program that takes money out of our public schools would be against our better judgment.' ... They also note that textbook suppliers have been making tremendous profits from public schools for decades. Some cybercharters have been criticized by public school advocates for supporting religious instruction with public monies. In the early years of the movement cybercharters in some states allowed parents to purchase their own curricula, and many chose religious homeschooling materials... Over time, however, state governments have clamped down on such activities. ... Charter schools are now, with rare exception, wholly secular."

Virtual charters, who expected opposition from government schools, are surprised that homeschoolers themselves have opposed them. "HSLDA Senior Counsel Chris Klicka has called the virtual charter movement a 'Trojan horse,' warning that 'if anything can destroy the Christian homeschool movement, this will.'"

The entire article can be found here.

Christmas Greetings

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Homemade Bows

I stumbled onto a really neat blog, the family spent time in Hawaii (that's what drew me to the blog in the first place), but their most recent post shows how to make package bows.

Note to myself: I think there are Hawaiian recipes there, too - and I'll want to go back and find those; I also want to take more time looking through these posts from another blogger I just found who spent two years in Hawaii.

If the moon looks brighter than usual tonight...

...that's because it probably is. The moon will be closer to the earth tonight than it has been for fifteen years, which could make tonight's full moon look bigger and brighter than it has in a long time. (The BBC has an article about it.) I'm afraid our sky will be cloudy tonight, but if it's clear where you are you should go outside and take a look! (Though you may want to bundle up first. ;-) It would seem that even the moon is brightening up for the season...

Happy Birthday Jack!

One hundred-ten years ago today, on November 29, 1898, was born a man of immense common sense and abundant imagination, who had a jovial love for God and life that penetrated every syllable of his writing. As I like to remember him in his own words:

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

- our well-loved C. S. Lewis

How Did My Frozen Turkey Fare?

The turkey came out great. I covered it with foil, and it browned perfectly even under the foil. Inside, the meat was perfect, and not overcooked or anything.

Just two comments - first of all, it took ten hours. It was the biggest turkey we've ever gotten - 21 pounds. Usually we get a 9-13 pound turkey, which is supposed to take five hours if you bake it frozen. But we rarely eat meat, so the few times we do have it, it goes fast. This year, having three big boys, I decided to indulge them and get a huge turkey. I was barely able to get it in the oven, and I couldn't get it out of the oven. If I indulge in that much turkey again next year, I'll get two smaller turkeys.

And, second, after three hours in the oven, the turkey was thawed enough to get the plastic bag of giblets out. I looked inside with a flashlight and couldn't find another one - but when the turkey was completely done, I discovered a second bag inside the neck. Luckily, it was still fully intact - if it had melted, the turkey would have had to go in the trash because of toxins from the plastic.

Nothing New Under the Sun

"This dreadful recent movement in the direction of regulation and regimentation is the cankerworm at the root of the State. The ultimate tendency is to repress all independence, originality, and individual initiation: to crush genius in the womb and utterly destroy the freedom which has been our national character and boast."

Dr Hely Hutchison Almond, 1832-1903, Headmaster of Loretto School in Scotland, lamenting government interference; in particular, government plans to test schools in order for them to be certified.

I'm Not Thawing my Turkey This Year

Food safety people are recommending that turkeys be roasted frozen. Since I've never successfully thawed a frozen turkey in the fridge (they seem to stay frozen no matter how many days I let them defrost), I'm just going to put it in the oven totally frozen this year.

"Cooks have discovered, and the USDA has endorsed, cooking your whole turkey while it is still frozen. It is safe and any size of turkey works, but the cooking time will take 25% to 50% longer than a fully thawed turkey. (A 14-pound turkey may take five hours versus four hours.) This method also promotes better food-safety practices. When the turkey is frozen, no juices are able to leave the turkey and transfer onto sinks, counter tops and towels. This greatly reduces the risk for cross contaminating food." [Grassfed Recipes; they also have instructions for cooking a frozen bird]

This is from the USDA's fact Sheet:

Cooking an Unstuffed Turkey from the Frozen State

It is safe to roast a turkey from the frozen state; however, it will take longer than a fresh or thawed bird. To determine an approximate cooking time, consult a timetable for oven-roasting a whole turkey. Use the timing for the size turkey you have; then add 50 percent of that time to the original time. Do not smoke, grill, deep fat fry, or microwave a frozen turkey.

Roasting time is approximate, so check the turkey often toward the end of the estimated cooking time. Insert a food thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh when it has defrosted enough to easily insert one. Cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The turkey is safely cooked when the food thermometer reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

Giblet Packages. Giblet packages and the turkey neck may be found inside the turkey cavity and/or tucked under the flap of skin at the front of the breastbone. When the turkey has sufficiently defrosted, the packages can be removed carefully with tongs and/or forks during cooking. If giblets were packed in a plastic bag, and the bag has been altered or melted by the cooking process, do not use the giblets or the turkey because harmful chemicals may have leached into the surrounding meat. If the plastic bag was not altered, the giblets and turkey should be safe to use.

Do Not Cook a Frozen Turkey in an Oven Cooking Bag or in the Microwave. It is not recommended to cook a turkey from the frozen state in an oven cooking bag. It is unsafe to open the bag to remove the giblets during cooking because scalding may occur. Also, spilled juices and fat may cause an oven fire.

Cooking a frozen turkey in the microwave is not recommended because it can cook unevenly and might not reach a safe internal temperature throughout. The turkey may, however, be thawed (using the defrost setting) in the microwave. Cook the turkey immediately after thawing.

One article says, "A recently completed study by Dr. Peter Snyder at the University of Minnesota confirms that cooking a turkey from the frozen state can yield a safe, high quality product. According to Dr. Snyder, 'Cooking from the frozen state is much simpler than cooking a thawed turkey, and greatly reduces the risk of spreading pathogens all over the kitchen from the drippy turkey.' The USDA meat and poultry hotline has some instructions for cooking turkeys from the frozen state, and one company sells frozen turkeys in bags that are intended to go right into the oven, in the bag, to cook. Dr. Snyder cooked turkeys of 12 to 13 pounds in a standard 325 degrees F oven. Cooking these birds from the frozen state took between four and a half and five hours, compared to three to three and a half hours to cook a 12- to 13-pound thawed turkey. Snyder found that cooking a frozen turkey could actually result in a better meal because the frozen water in the breast meat takes longer to melt than the water in the leg and thigh. This means that the leg and thigh come out well cooked and tender, not tough, and the breast is still juicy. The giblets in the bird can be removed during cooking, once the turkey has partially thawed, and used for dressing or gravy. To cook a turkey from the frozen state, remove the wrapping from the turkey and place the turkey on a rack in a pan that is large enough to catch any drippings, or use a covered roasting pan. Place the turkey in a pre-heated oven, at least 325 degrees F. Cook for four to six hours, or until done, basting as desired. The time required for cooking will depend on the size of the bird. Dr. Snyder’s research showed that a 12- to 13-pound bird will take approximately five hours to cook from the frozen state; a larger bird will take longer."

Cooking A Solidly Frozen Turkey

A whole frozen turkey without giblets and neck can be roasted, braised or stewed without thawing. Turkey parts can also be cooked without thawing. The turkey should be cooked in a preheated 325F oven.

Timetable for Roasting Solidly Frozen Turkey

12 to 16 pounds - 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds - 8 to 9 1/3 hours
20 to 24 pounds - 9 to 10 hours

Snow!

The campus library in all its quarter-inch-of-snow-covered glory.

Last night was our first snow of the season. We've had occasional flurries since October, but this was the first time you could walk out and see enough white fluffy stuff floating around you and piling up on the ground to be quite sure that This Is Snow. We didn't get much accumulation (see picture), but then that's the story of snowfalls in this area. Just having snow in November was an unexpected pleasure: normally we don't even look for snow until next month. Most of it had melted by the time we got out of classes, but at least I got to throw a snowball today!

Christian Prayer Group Assaulted Over Prop 8

A mob of homosexuals . . . assaulted a group of Christians praying together in the city's Castro District last week, in apparent retaliation for the recent defeat of homosexual marriage in California.

The Christians, a group of Evangelical Protestants who regularly go to the predominantly homosexual Castro District to sing songs and pray with passers-by, say they were holding hands and singing "Amazing Grace" when a angry mob began to shove and kick them, steal their belongings, pour hot coffee on their faces, and . . . assault them.

"We'd been there for a couple of nights just singing worship songs, people would come up and stand with us and join us, we got to pray for some people," said one participant in an account filmed at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (YouTube interview), "but on Friday night it just was different."

The rest of the article can be read here. Parental discretion is advised with both the article and, presumably, the YouTube video of the incident, which I haven't watched.

The incident is eerily reminiscent of Genesis 9.

Trim

I've been getting frustrated with my hair lately - too many tangles. So I decided to give myself a trim. Looking in the bathroom mirror, I cut off about six inches. I actually didn't too badly, although a friend helped even it up a little later.

Not content with that, I did Miss M's. She loves it!
I think it gives her a Dakota Fanning kind of look.

I told her I wanted to see the back,
and she turned around and struck a pose!
Those are leaves in the hood of her jacket;
she was using the hood as a pocket.

Five Years Old!

Miss M had her fifth birthday while we were out of town. So we took her to the park, bought a cake and a local grocery store, and had hot chocolate at Dunkin Donuts.



There are a few more pictures here.

November

The last flames of fall

It's fitting that the first road sign I saw, on my way to church this morning, bore the name Winter Street. Today was one of the bleakest days we've had all season: cold grey sky with wintry clouds, and a nipping wind. Yet there was a beauty even in the bleakness. The trees, which just a week ago were thick with red and yellow, have dropped the end-of-season finery, and their branches are beginning to show. It's lovely and a little strange to see their shapes again. Walking along, wrapped in coat and scarf, I could almost have said, "I have looked on beauty bare," despite all Millay says to the contrary. This is the time of year when the days begins to grow dark, and home starts looking a little brighter and warmer because of it. And as the weather turns colder and more grey, the holidays begin to glow like candles in the distance, brightening the whole calendar. I've been having stray thoughts of potatoes and turkey and apple pie, Lantern Waste and beavers' dams and hot marmalade roll; and more than once I've caught myself humming carols. The time isn't far off, folks. There's a new season just around the corner. Let's begin it with thanksgiving.

Abortion Article

This was posted on a message board; I want to save it for future reference. I'm just including a quote from near the beginning, but the whole article is enlightening.

Obama's Abortion Extremism

"... According to the standard argument for the distinction between these labels, nobody is pro-abortion. Everybody would prefer a world without abortions. After all, what woman would deliberately get pregnant just to have an abortion? But given the world as it is, sometimes women find themselves with unplanned pregnancies at times in their lives when having a baby would present significant problems for them. So even if abortion is not medically required, it should be permitted, made as widely available as possible and, when necessary, paid for with taxpayers' money.
The defect in this argument can easily be brought into focus if we shift to the moral question that vexed an earlier generation of Americans: slavery. Many people at the time of the American founding would have preferred a world without slavery but nonetheless opposed abolition. Such people - Thomas Jefferson was one - reasoned that, given the world as it was, with slavery woven into the fabric of society just as it had often been throughout history, the economic consequences of abolition for society as a whole and for owners of plantations and other businesses that relied on slave labor would be dire. Many people who argued in this way were not monsters but honest and sincere, albeit profoundly mistaken. Some (though not Jefferson) showed their personal opposition to slavery by declining to own slaves themselves or freeing slaves whom they had purchased or inherited. They certainly didn't think anyone should be forced to own slaves. Still, they maintained that slavery should remain a legally permitted option and be given constitutional protection.
Would we describe such people, not as pro-slavery, but as 'pro-choice'? Of course we would not."

I'll Let Snopes.com Sort This One Out

Update:

Snopes.com has posted about this; not quite as helpful as I had hoped. They say, yes, it's true, but coincidences with lottery numbers aren't unheard of. I actually expected them to say it was a hoax.

----------------------------------------

I saw this on a message board and looked it up on the link; the site takes you to the Illinois Lottery site; you have to click on archived numbers for Nov 5 to see the numbers.

I'll be waiting for Snopes.com before I believe it.

_________________________

WEDNESDAY, November 5th-- the day that the official announcmemt went out as to who had won the Presidency, the winning lotto numbers for the evening draw IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS were:

666

Look it up yourself.

http://www.illinoislottery.com/numbers.asp

The meaning of grace

(From The Time Garden by Edward Eager. The setting: Jack, Eliza, Roger, and Ann travel back in time to the days of the Revolution with the help of the magical Natterjack. Having mustered the minutemen, caused an Indian massacre, and nearly gotten themselves killed, they return to the Natterjack with guilty consciences for all the mayhem they've caused. Oh, and the Natterjack is a Cockney Natterjack, you should know, so 'e 'as trouble with 'is haitches.)

     "We've been thinking now," said Ann. "And I've been wondering. About those people."
     And she told the Natterjack her worries about the Indian massacre.
     The Natterjack was silent in thought. Then it spoke. "I 'ave 'eard," it said, "that the h'evil that men do lives after them..."
     " 'The good is oft interred with their bones,' " Ann finished the quotation. Then a look of horror came over her face. "Do you mean the bad things we do last, and the good ones don't?"
     "That wouldn't be fair," said Roger.
     "It would be just like magic, though," said Eliza, "always thwarting us!"
     "I was thinking," said the Natterjack, "more the other way round."
     "You mean...?" Roger puzzled it out. "You mean the mistakes we make come out of the adventure with us, and don't do any harm, but the good things we do stay buried in the past, and turn real?"
     "That," said the Natterjack, "is the general h'idea."

The architecture of the world brought to your computer screen

I was searching for pictures of Byzantine buildings (for my humanities class) when I stumbled across this site. Stunning 360-degree virtual-reality panoramas of historic buildings around the world, from the Parthenon to Santa Croce to Mont Saint Michel. It's going to be difficult to finish my homework now...

Flowers of Hawai'i

I only know what three of these are; some day I'll look up the others.

Hybiscus

Red Ginger; this was in a garden at the Hanalei shopping area.

These star flowers grow on bushes that were planted all over around at a hotel we stayed at in Kaua'i.

Taken along the sidewalk by the public restroom at the Diamondhead gravesite.

In the garden by Queen Emma's summer palace.

Airport parking lot.

Plumeria - these grow on trees all over; they must be native.

Halloween and quothiness

I hope everyone had a good Halloween! I spent mine at a Harry Potter party with a company of college friends. There were about a dozen of us, all dressed as different characters. Harry and Ginny were there, in Quidditch uniforms, and Hermione and Neville and Ron and some of the other Weasleys. A professor came as Dumbledore, and his wife dressed as Professor Sprout. There were Rowena Ravenclaw and Fleur Delacour and Lily Evans (Potter). And I was Snape. We had a great time: there was a trivia contest and a movie, and plenty of nerdy discussion and merriment.

We had an excellent lecture in chapel last week about All Saints' Day, and its importance as a Christian holiday, celebrating the church itself: the saints present and past--the company of believers we live among and the cloud of witnesses that fights with us. I wish I had time to write more about it.

Meantime, there are a couple of quotes that struck me this week. This one was in the chapel service: "Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to give ourselves to others." That's from Kathleen Norris, 20th century poet and Benedictine oblate. While looking up that quote I found several others from Kathleen Norris that were good, among them: "Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier." I think I shall have to read some of her writings.

I also liked this quote from the photographer Gary Monroe: "One must have an appetite for failure. Ninety-nine percent of my photographs are near misses. I don't make photographs for recognition. I make them for my edification."

Our Hawaiian Food Tour

We don't get Hawaiian food on the mainland, so we took full advantage, blew our diets, and indulged for just about every meal. I've seen a few things in the frozen section of Oriental food markets in bigger cities on the mainland - poi, lau-lau, manapua - but never fresh, and there are some things you can't get at all.


Our first stop was Boyd's Fish Market in Oahu. Some of the local places are like deli's, and they have food behind the counter. There was another customer in front of us at Boyd's, and he was very friendly and helpful about other places to try. He said that his favorite food is lau-lau mixed with macaroni salad (?) Pictured is lau-lau, poi and lomi salmon. The lau-lau was good, but we thought we could do better. Hence, our trip became a search for the best lau-lau on Oahu. Lau-lau is kahlua pork with a large portion of fat, and a small piece of butter fish wrapped in taro leaves. It's tied in ti leaves to retain moisture while cooking, but that part is thrown away before eating. Lomi salmon is tomatoes, onions and salmon (all raw) cubed very small and tossed with Hawaiian salt. It can be made on the mainland easily, although I wouldn't trust raw fish bought at most places. But it's good with cooked salmon, too - then it's called "phony lomi."



Lots of people we asked recommended The Highway Inn for the best local food in Oahu, and we liked their lau-lau better than anyone else's. One of the brands sold at Walmart was our second favorite. We tried "squid luau" here - one of the local girls at the resort said it was her favorite food. It reminded me of cream of spinach soup - but the cream is coconut milk, and the spinach is taro leaves. It has tiny pieces (corn-sized) of squid. It's the first time I've had squid and enjoyed it.



On Kaua'i, the best lau-lau we found was from Pono Market. This is lomi salmon and sushi. There was poki (raw ahi fish with a strong-tasting seaweed), poi and lau-lau, too - but they aren't pictured here. We never did get to try another place recommended in Kaua'i called Ohana Diner. We had to leave too soon.



This is a plate lunch from L and L Diner in Oahu. A plate lunch includes two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and some meat - this is eggs and Portuguese sausage, but it could just as easily be spam. The one on the right is a kahlua pork and cabbage plate lunch. Now I understand why the guy at Boyd's Fish Market said he liked macaroni salad with lau-lau - they probably come together on the same plate. However, none of us could ever bring ourselves to tamper with our lau-lau. We get it too seldom. We tried the L and L Diner on Kaua'i, too, but they don't have all the Hawaiian food; they're actually part Chinese fast food at that particular one. Maybe L and L's are independently owned?



Zippy's is an Oriental/Hawaiian fast food place. They have things like musubi (rice pressed into bricks and other shapes, sometimes topped with spam, or with things mixed in).



The triangular rice is musubi. The bowl has cubed ahi fish covered with a hot/spicy shrimp sauce.



Only in Hawaii . . . this is a taro pie from McDonald's. I opened it up to see what was inside. It tasted mild, like soft potato cubes, but sweetened. Sort of a cross between their apple pie and a potato pie.



Who knew such a thing existed?? Haupia is coconut pudding squares, so this is like coconut ice cream. If haupia ice cream was available on the mainland, I'd be in trouble.



Hawaiian food has influences from all the cultures who moved to Hawaii in the 1800's - besides their own fish, poi and coconut, they have sushi from Japan, dim sum from China, and malasadas and sausage from Portugal. Leonard's in Honolulu has the reputation for the best malasadas - but it has to be fresh and still warm. Otherwise, it might as well be a donut without the hole.



We got ours just out of the oven, and we ate them standing in the parking lot. Our fingers were sticky - and I didn't get a picture. So I found this one on the internet.



Everyone told us that shave ice originated in Hawaii, but it's supposed to be shave ice, not shaved ice. This was the best shave ice we found in Kaua'i - so how come their sign says shaved ice???



Jo-Jo's has taken shave ice to a new level. They put ice cream at the bottom, shave and pack the ice by hand, use great syrup, and then top the whole thing with haupia (coconut) cream. It's worth driving to Waimea for.



Lappert's is a local ice cream company.



This is Kaua'i Pie (their specialty; coffee and chocolate swirl) and a coconut macadamia fudge swirl. Lappert's are all over in Hawai'i.

Hawaiian Coast

We spent a week in Oahu, where we have family roots, and we drove around the island. The beaches are so varied; they all look different - some are rocky, some have black sand, some have walls to soften the waves, some have palm trees, some have flowers. We also spent a few days in Kaua'i, where we have no family ties, but it was beautiful - they don't call it "the Garden Isle" for nothing! There are plenty of secluded beaches outside of Waikiki, especially in Kaua'i.

These pictures are out of order.

Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon" of Hawai'i. It's in Kaua'i.




The Pali cliff in Oahu where ancient Hawaiian warriors jumped to their deaths rather than surrender (I think this was when the first Kamehameha united all the islands by conquering them.)




Oahu




Oahu




Oahu




The Na Pali coast on Kaua'i - it's inaccessible, so you have to either get on a helicopter or boat to see it. We did a dinner cruise on catamarand-ish boat.




From the resort we stayed at on Oahu

Hawai'i Pictures

This was probably not the typical Hawai'i tour. This was my mother and siblings exploring our Hawaiian heritage, so it was a week before we even stepped onto a beach, and Waikiki was almost an afterthought.

I met my mother's cousins and aunts who I've heard about all my life, but finally got to know. We indulged in Hawaiian food (that will be a post of its own), and visited sites of historical/cultural interest. We talked to an uncle about our family tree, both Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry. We saw live Hawaiian music and came home with stacks of CD's - Iz, Keali'i Reichel, Hoku Zuttermeier, Lopaka Keli'ikanaka'ole, Amy Hanaiale'i, Ledward Kaapana (who is apparently distantly related to us!)

We all felt a strange and strong connection to the land, and got emotional at certain points - when a young man blew a conch shell, viewing the Na Pali coast, being in the room where Queen Lili'uokalani was imprisoned when the Americans overthrew her monarchy, our final departure from Hawai'i. History is always fascinating, but in this case, it feels like my personal history, the history of my people, and my queen.

Here are just a few interesting highlights. I'm doing a whole food post later, and I'll do a separate post of just scenic photos.



These chickens are everywhere; they run wild. There are different theories about how they became wild and so abundant. They request that people not encourage them by feeding them. Don't feed the chickens!



Iolani Palace, the only real palace where monarchs lived in the entire US. Queen Lili'uokalani was imprisoned in a room here for two years.



There are adorable little churches built in the 1800's by early missionaries all over - this one is in Hanalei. We were all unimpressed with Hanalei's shopping district (more of a generic beach scene rather than Hawaiian), but the scenery away from the tourist areas is lovely.



Kahiko Hula! There were lots of these statues around Oahu; this is one of the many at the Aloha Tower shopping center.

I went to the symphony today

And as I sat there, listening to the passionate strains of Dvorak's New World Symphony, I saw a vision of the Meaning of Life. Everything was clear: the nonsense of the world made sense. I don't remember any of it now, of course, but that music must be good for something--eh, what?

(I got to see Mark O'Connor live! In concert! And I got to shake his hand! Which calls for more than one exclamation point!!!)

Have you not heard?

We're reading through the prophets right now in my Old Testament class. I didn't realize how many poetic treasures there there are hidden in these books. Take this dramatic part of the second chapter of Nahum, for instance. It's talking about the destruction that will finally come upon Nineveh, the proud capital of the Assyrian empire, after years of her tyranny over Israel. You might want to read it aloud.

Shields flash red in the sunlight!
     See the scarlet uniforms of the valiant troops!
Watch as their glittering chariots move into position,
     with a forest of spears waving above them.
The chariots race recklessly along the streets
     and rush wildly through the squares.
They flash like firelight
     and move as swiftly as lightning.
The king shouts to his officers;
     they stumble in their haste,
     rushing to the walls to set up their defenses.
The river gates have been torn open!
     The palace is about to collapse!

Or, on the other hand, look at Zephaniah 3:17, which may be my new favorite verse. Read it quietly to yourself and ponder its promise:

The Lord your God is with you,
     he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
     he will quiet you with his love,
     he will rejoice over you with singing.

I love the fourth line especially. It's such a beautiful thought, and it makes such lovely poetry. Such things there are buried in those minor prophets...

Taking a Blogging Break

I'll be in Hawaii for a few days . . . :)

How to Repair a Paperback Book

Another Great Wiki How-To:
How to Repair a Paperback Book

I'm going to try this.

The Cutest Teething Post Ever

http://seahorsepelkey.blogspot.com/2008/10/teef.html

'Fair' Warning to Palin

This was posted on a message board. Here are a couple of quotes from the article, which you can read here:

"During Thursday's debate, the press will be listening so hard for a Palin version of 'macaca' that they probably won't even hear what Joe has to say."

"Here's the rule of thumb: When a liberal misspeaks, it's a slip of the tongue. We all make mistakes. If you are a conservative, however, you commit an unforgiveable sin that must be revisited a thousand times until you are out of Purgatory – or office, whichever comes first."

Creative Reading

Miss M is reading a book aloud to herself. She makes it up as she goes. Here's a bit of what I'm hearing:

"I'm an archaeologist. Are you an archaeologist? Come in. Have a donut or something."

"Please, policeman, will you tie my shoe?"

"Oh, Mommy, it couldn't be that! It's my beard! We'll stick it on with tape so you can be an archaeologist."

I have no idea why she's stuck on archaeologists; we haven't been talking or reading about them. Or beards either, for that matter.

Madame de Stael's Father

From Mistress to an Age by J. Christopher Herold, 1958Monsieur Necker made himself useful to the King of France, got in some trouble, got out of it . . . here's a quote:

He was by no means a fool, and in some ways he was ahead of his time. His realization that France was rich, that only the government was poor, and that credit was the heart of prosperity--these certainly are ideas that have gained some currency in our times; but his lucidity was balanced by his blindness to the need of taxation, without which the credit was bound to collapse--as indeed it did, burying Europe in its ruins. His opposition to the laissez-faire doctrine, to Turgot's Panglossian notion that 'the general well-being is the result of the efforts of each individual to further his own interests,' was based not on a study of economics, of which he knew little, but on considerations of social justice. Government regulation, he insisted, was necessary to protect the people against lawless exploitation, and in the conclusion to his book on the 'Commerce of Grains' he echoed Rousseau's 'Second Discourse:'

It seems that a small number of men, after dividing up the earth among themselves, have created laws for their common protection against the masses . . . And yet, it must be said that after the establishment of laws to safeguard property, justice, and liberty, almost nothing has been done as yet for the most numerous class of citizens. 'What do the laws of property mean to us?' they well might ask. 'We owe nothing. Your justice? We have nothing to defend. Your liberty? If we do not work tomorrow, we die.'

(This would have been 1781-89)

The Education of Madame de Stael

Tim took me on a tour of his college, including the library, and I found a really interesting book: Mistress to an Age: A Life of Madame de Stael by J. Christopher Herold, 1958. I've seen her name come up in CM's books and PR articles, so, naturally, I was intrigued. I was able to get a library card and check out the book.

Madame de Stael's first name was Germaine, and she was an only child. Her mother (Madame Suzanne Necker) was enamored of Rousseau's ideas and kept Germaine home to educate her herself. Here's a quote from the book. Sorry for the lack of caps - my fingers are tired, I'll go back and fix them later.

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Madame Necker, by some astounding feat of self-delusion, imagined that she was bringing up her daughter according to the teachings of rousseau--'like emile,' she wrote. a greater contrast than the education rousseau prescribed for emile and the education germaine received from her mother would be difficult to imagine.

rousseau, it may be recalled, had emile brought up in the country, isolated from the corrupting influences of society. germaine spent her childhood in a drawing room in the middle of paris. emile's tutor avoided any kind of formal instruction, seeking instead to let his pupil learn only through direct experience and guiding him in the spontaneous development of his natural gifts. 'for madame necker, all education consisted in instruction,' we are told. 'she taught mademoiselle necker latin and english, and she made her copy long extracts from books; but she never spent one hour alone with her in familiar conversation.

emile had not yet learned to read when germaine had read a whole library. emile's tutor reserved the idea of god for the end of his pupil's education; germaine learned her catechism before she was three. emile did not know of the existence of women until he was an adolescent; germaine had listened to discussions of love from infancy on.

emile's body was made strong and healthy by open air and exercise; knowledge and love of nature were the only discipline in his curriculum; and nature was his only textbook. 'the education of mademoiselle necker,' a childhood friend reminisced, 'was directed entirely toward the development of the mind. exercise, walks, everything that pleases and fortifies children did not in the least enter into madame necker's plans. and so her daughter knew how to dance, but not how to run. she recited thomson's 'seasons' but could not tell a hyacinth from a tubarose.'

there is one more striking contrast between germaine's education and emile's. rousseau had emile brought up not merely in solitude but away from his parents. 'oh, emile hadn't any father,' he said to boswell. 'he didn't exist.' he knew, of course, that emile's education was an ideal model rather than a practical possibility; but surely there is a middle ground between being brought up without parents and being, in a sense, married to them, as germaine was. her emotional involvement with her mother and father was the most decisive factor in her formation.

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the result of this education: germaine was starved for affection, because her mother's duty forbid her from showing affection. germaine thought her mother was dull and moralizing. she satisfied her craving for excitement with novels and plays, mostly sentimental. she faked coughing spells and fainted to get her mother's attention. a doctor diagnosed nerves and recommended rest, no exertion. So germaine's education ended at age thirteen, with her and her mother at odds.

A Hobbit Birthday

We're going to be having a cake to celebrate Bilbo's and Frodo's birthday, as we've done the last few years.

Miss M is very excited, and very chatty about the whole thing. She asked if they would be coming over here to blow out the candles, or if we're going to their house. When we explained that they're creatures with furry feet ("like horses?") and that they lived in Middle Earth, she was suddenly an expert. "Oh, hobbits. Yes, they're friendly, they're very friendly to people, and they love to shake hands. They especially like girls. They died . . . fifteen weeks ago. They have sharp hands. And they're this big . . ."

A product of the day's work

Although it's not really fair to call it work, because it's a lot of fun. Today in photography class we made prints from our negatives. This is a crop from one of mine. (The full size is a much larger version of the same crop.)

I have seen this light before--

It's not really autumn yet, but there are hints of it all over. The wind is coming back after a long, quiet summer; we've had days of soft, steady rain without thunder or lightning; and in the evenings sometimes the light touches the leaves with gold. So, as my mind follows the mood of the season, things that I've read and enjoyed in the past have been coming to memory. Like the Chronicles of Narnia (which it's really been far too long since I read). Or like this poem, which Fa-So-La-La (over at the Beehive) wrote a couple of years ago. (Whence comes my post title, by the way.)

It was rather strange tonight. For once, midnight came around and I didn't still have homework to do. Last week I had my first exams--Humanities, Bible, and Speech--and I spent extra time doing review for those. None of them were as hard as I feared, but I'm glad to have them over with.

P.S. This week the Humanities class is starting to read Greek tragedies. First will be Prometheus Bound (Aeschylus) and then we'll be doing Oedipus Rex and Antigone.

J's Violin Concert

J had an outdoor violin concert/recital today. Sorry I can't post any video or audio, but here are a couple of pictures.

Nature Day at our CM Co-op

Our local CM mom's group started a weekly co-op. It's a combination play-group, field trip, nature study - the week's activities rotate.

Yesterday was Nature Day at a local forested area.

This is a very pretty weed that grew in the shade of the trees. The leaves are heart-shaped and the flowers look like little stars among the leaves.



And here's L and Miss M recording in their nature notebooks.