December Birdsong

Sometimes, when I hear a bird singing in December, I
repeat to myself this poem by Oliver Herford.

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

A Time To Remember

Just watched "A Time To Remember" on EWTN.
The movie was filmed in Deposit, New York.
My family spent several weeks there every summer
for many years; we had our own place outside of town
on Old Plank Road.
St Joseph's, the Church seen in the movie, is where I went to Mass.

Somehow, I've always missed the broadcasts of the movie from one year to the next, so I'm glad I finally got to see it. And, for the first time, my Mom watched EWTN!
Seeing the town, or, I should say, the Village of Deposit on film brought back so many memories for us.
"A Time To Remember", indeed!

Books Read in the Past Week

"Looking in Junk Shops"
by John Bedford
{started last week, finished on Thursday}
[non-fiction]

"The Chalet School and Jo"
{started last week, finished on Monday}
"The Chalet Girls in Camp"
{read on Monday }
"The Exploits of the Chalet Girls"
{started on Monday, finished on Wednesday}
"The Chalet School and the Lintons"
{started on Wednesday, finished on Thursday}
[children's fiction]
by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer


"A Short History of the Honey Bee: Humans, Flowers, and Bees in the Eternal Chase for Honey"
{started on Tuesday. E-book}
by E. Readicker-Henderson (author)
and Ilona McCarty (photographer)
[non-fiction]

"Chris Turner, Magician"
by James T. Brady
{read on Thursday}
[children's fiction]

"A Christmas Carol"
by Charles Dickens
{read on Friday; my annual December 24th reading}
[fiction]

"Bequest of Wings:
A Family's Pleasures with Books"
by Annis Duff
{started on Friday}
[non-fiction]

"Little Women"
by Louisa May Alcott
{started on Saturday}
[fiction]
(I'm reading this book both off-line and
online. I have an oversized illustrated edition)

I'm reading LMA's books in order of publication,
just one a week in order to stretch them out.
Also, I am reading "Little Women" as it was
originally published, that is, as two separate
books.

Great post from Karen Edmisten

I

Communicating with a Canadian Cat

This post is taken, slightly modified, from one of my old blogs.
More than 20 years ago, my mother, stepfather, grandmother, stepniece and I spent a few days in Toronto. On the first night, we saw a cat lying in a yard relaxing, not unlike the American kitties. Being a catlover, I greeted the cat, "Kitty kitty". The cat ignored me. I used all the usual terms of endearment people address to cats; no response. Finally it occurred to me that we were in Canada, and I said, "Meowez-vous français?"
And the cat looked up and meowed!

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at 
Sunday Snippets.
Thanks again to RAnn for hosting!



Semper Gaudete!: My Collections

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Week of December 12-18, 2010

Books Read in the Past Week

Week of December 12-18, 2010

"Fifth Chinese Daughter"
{started last week, finished on Sunday}
"No Chinese Stranger"
{started on Sunday, finished on Wednesday}
[non-fiction; autobiography]
by Jade Snow Wong

"Scenarios 1:Truth or Dare"
by Nicole O'Dell
{read on Thursday}
[Christian fiction, (Protestant) teenagers]
(e-book)

"Looking in Junk Shops"
by John Bedford
{started on Thursday}
[non-fiction]

"The Trouble With Terry"
by Joan Lexau
{started on Friday, finished on Saturday}
[children's fiction]
(one of my childhood favorites)

"The Chalet School and Jo"
by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
{started on Saturday}
[children's fiction]

My Collections

This post originally appeared, in slightly different form, in one of my old blogs.

I've been interested in collecting things ever since I read "Herbert", by Hazel Wilson. The first chapter was called "Herbert's Can Collection". That story got me started on my first collection: the LABELS from cans. Later on, I collected soda bottle caps, and then, obsolete words, which I copied into a notebook. That one didn't last long because of my handwriting problem. Another collection I had might best be called Chocolatenia, because it was made up of ads, wrappers, boxtops, ANYTHING to do with chocolate. (And WHY did I remind myself of chocolate NOW????) [This post was originally published during Lent!]

 I also enjoy reading about other people's collections,especially the more unusual ones. I'd sort of like an unusual collection of my own, but I'm not sure that I want to start yet another collection just for the sake of having an unusual collection.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

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Semper Gaudete!: Feast of St. Nicholas

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Week of December 5-11, 2010

Books Read in the Past Week

"You English Words"
by John Moore
[non-fiction]
{started last week,finished on Saturday}


"The Summer of the Great-Grandmother"
by Madeleine L'Engle
[non-fiction, autobiography]
{started last week, finished on Sunday}


"Winding Valley Farm:
 Annie's Story"
[children's fiction]
(based on her mother's childhood)
{read on Sunday}
"Stairstep Farm:
Anna Rose's Story
[children's fiction]
(based on her own childhood)
{started on Sunday, finished on Monday}
"Willow Wind Farm:
   Betsy's Story "
{read on Monday}
"Betsy's Up-and-Down Year"
{read on Monday}
(two books about the author's niece)
by Anne Pellowski


"What Happened to Heather Hopkowitz?"
[Jewish fiction, teenagers]
by Charlotte Herman
{started on Monday, finished on Wednesday}


"Fifth Chinese Daughter"
[non-fiction; autobiography]
by Jade Snow Wong
{started on Wednesday}

Feast of St. Nicholas

I find it wonderfully appropriate that we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas, known and loved by so many children as "Santa Claus", during Advent. It is as if the saint were telling us, "Remember why I come with presents on Christmas. It is to celebrate the birth of Our Lord."

Aurora Borealis

Aurora over Norway
This is incredibly beautiful, and I love the music.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

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Here are some, but not all, of my posts from the past week.

Semper Gaudete!: Expanding this Blog

Semper Gaudete!: Chanukah

Semper Gaudete!: Amusement Park

Semper Gaudete!: Through The Year With Mary

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Week of November 28th- December 4th

Through The Year With Mary

 I've just ordered this book by Karen Edmisten.   This will be my Daily Devotional book
for 2011.
Incidentally, I love Karen's book on the Rosary, and I love her blog!

Books Read in the Week of November 28th- December 4th

" "Black" Becomes a Rainbow: 
The Mother of a Baal Teshuvah Tells Her Story"
by Agi L. Bauer
[Jewish non-fiction]
{started last week, finished on Sunday}

"No Coins, Please"
by Gordon Korman
[children's fiction, humorous]
{started on Sunday, finished on Monday}

"You English Words"
by John Moore
[non-fiction]
{started on Monday, still reading}

"The Enchanted Circle"
by Libby Lazewnik
[Jewish fiction, teenagers]
{started on Monday, finished on Tuesday}

"The Summer of the Great-Grandmother"
by Madeleine L'Engle
[non-fiction, autobiography]
{started on Wednesday, still reading as of Saturday night}

Chanukah

Chanakuh. A time of great memories for me.
I remember arranging and re-arranging the candles
in the Menorah, and trying for a different color pattern
every day.
Now, Mom and I (remember, I still live with her; I blogged
about that a few weeks ago) simply light electric Menorahs,
one for the front window, one for the back window.
I remember Baba grating potatoes for latkes; now Mom
and I get our latkes from a store. I don't think we even
HAVE a potato grater.
Oh, for one of Baba's latkes!
Did I say "one"?
Honestly, could I eat just ONE?

I'm not entirely sure what this means, but it made me chuckle

I'm not entirely sure what this means, but it made me chuckle

This, I just HAD to share!

Amusement Park

I grew up within walking distance of Coney Island, but even closer to my apartment building, just down the block and across the street, was a small, but to a child, wonderful, amusement park.
I can't count the times my grandpa and I would walk down
there.
The place was understaffed, with the workers going from ride
to ride. I can't remember a time when all of the rides were
running at once.  I remember waiting by, for example, the tilt-a-whirl (my all-time
favorite ride)... and waiting and waiting and waiting
There was one particular ride which I'd never been on, and really
wanted to try . It's funny, considering how I longed to ride that
ride, that I have forgotten which one it was.
I was sooooo disappointed when the operator told me that I was too young.
"You have to be in school to go on this ride."
I answered that I was in school, and the man scolded me for lying.
"But I am in school! I'm in NURSERY school!"
Grandpa told him off for calling me a liar, and then we walked  over to another ride.
As much as I loved going with my Grandpa, however, I longed for the time when
I would be old enough to go by myself. Like so many other little girls,
I wanted, oh HOW I wanted, to be thought of as a BIG girl.
But by the time I was old enough, the rides were gone.
"They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot."

Brooklyn Bees Producing Bright Red Honey - PSFK

Brooklyn Bees Producing Bright Red Honey - PSFK

Now, if those bees start singing "Sweet Cherry Wine", I
hope somebody records it!

Expanding this Blog

I've expanded this blog to include My First Word Was "READ!".
I'll be posting, every Saturday night or Sunday morning, a list of the books I've read
in the previous week, not counting the devotionals I read every day.