The Annunciation

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation

I have really enjoyed Henry Ossawa Tanner's art ever since I first came across it a couple of years ago. I'll be running a short series of his work.

You can see other paintings and learn more about the artist at my daily art display which has begun a series on Tanner ... that's what reminded me to post some of his work now.

George Floyd, the Catholic Response, and Where It Leaves Us

I received an email from a long-time reader who said that the recent news about George Floyd has been blasting from most news sources almost nonstop but he is greatly disappointed with the lack of Catholic response to the murder. And specifically from Happy Catholic.

It is nice that my reader is under the misapprehension that this is a popular or well-known blog simply because I've been around since 2004. Actually, I am not used to anyone asking or caring what I think about news items. Broad news items are are not really my focus which is why I haven't brought up opinions about politics or COVID-19 tactics. Generally when I speak up about current events it is because of things that are specifically Catholic such as  outrage over how many people knew about Cardinal McCarrick's involvement in the sex scandals and said nothing. It may be minimal, but it is there.

George Floyd's terrible murder as well as that of others have preyed much upon my mind and have been the subject of many of my prayers (specifically Sandra Bland whose death has haunted me ever since it happened). I also have been praying a lot for police officers, both for the good ones who do the right thing and for the bad ones to have their eyes and hearts opened.

My reader's pastor may have been lack-luster in his comments, but Catholic priests and bishops around the country have been vocal.

Here are a few key links that will lead you to further reading.

• Pope Francis and U.S. Bishops Respond to George Floyd's Killing - YouTube and not too long. I liked the 5 takeaway points.
• Open Wide Our Hearts: the enduring call to love. a pastoral letter against racism. In 2018, the USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops) published this 32 page reflection and call to action against racism. 
• Killing of George Floyd exposes blind spot on racism, Catholic advocates say - from Crux Now where there are other good pieces
• Pentecost and the Fires in Our Cities - Word on Fire. The George Floyd connection is in the last two paragraphs, but gets right to the point.
• Catholic leaders are reacting to the George Floyd case. Here’s what they’re saying. - America Magazine which has a good sampling with pull quotes from a wide range of leaders.
  
• USCCB and (Arch)Diocesan Statements on the Death of George Floyd and National Protests. Wow. So many statements.
  

Catholic clergy is not just writing and talking. They are walking too. This inspired me.

Clergy in Minnesota, including the Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, participated in a silent walking protest June 2 to pray at the location where George Floyd died in police custody. Archbishop Hebda offered a Mass for the soul of George Floyd and for his family May 27.

Source

So where does this leave us?

If you are dissatisfied with a lack of comment or direction or action — then you are the one who has noticed. You are the one God has given this job to.

Meet with your pastor about what your parish can do. Don't ask what are the bishops doing. There are 264 of them in this country. There are millions of lay Catholics. What are each of us doing?

Simply by raising the point you are giving your pastor information — that people want more. Working together with our priests and bishops is when we make a difference as Catholics.

Busy Time

Busy Time, Remo Savisaar

How and why to cook

'Now, just one more question, Mrs. Appleyard,' the Editor said, hoping she would break another cookie. 'I've heard it said that a well-known painter when asked what he mixed his paints with, said "With brains." Now do you feel that--to sum up what you've told me--people should cook with brains? May I quote you?'

Mrs. Appleyard put another batch of cookies into the oven.

'Brains are not enough,' she said. 'You have to like things: the dishes you cook with, the people you buy the butter from, the field where the crows fly over the corn and the wind that blows through their wings. You have to like the table you put the food on, and the people who sit around it. Yes, even when they tip back in your Hitchcock chairs, you have to like them. You don't just like how the food tastes--you like how it looks and smells and how the egg beater sounds. You like the rhythm of chopping and the throb of the teakettle lid. You like to test the frying pan with water and see it run around like quicksilver. You like the shadow in pewter and the soft gleam of silver and the sharp flash of glass. You like the feel of damask napkins and the shadows of flowers on a white cloth. You like people eating in their best clothes in candlelight, and in their dungarees on a beach in the broiling sun, or under a pine tree in the rain.

'You like the last moment before a meal is served when the hollandaise thickens, the steak comes sputtering out of the broiler, the cream is cooked into the potatoes and the last drop of water is cooked out of the peas.' Here she was silent long enough to take the correctly lacy and golden cookies off the pan. 'Not with brains,' she repeated, putting down the spatula. 'With love.'

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Cookbook

Exiles and fresh fish

Noone who has ever lived by the sea feels quite at home when fish comes out of a can. The first thing these exiles ask for on coming home is fish. When Hugh came in from the West the other day, Mrs. and Mrs. Appleyard did not even with until they got him out of the South Station, but rushed hi into the oyster bar and revived him with a dozen freshly opened raw oysters. It was pleasant to see the color flow back into the boy's pale cheeks and the sparkle return to his lustreless eyes.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

A Movie You Might Have Missed #13: Bullets Over Broadway

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

13. Bullets Over Broadway

A struggling playwright (John Cusak) is forced to cast a gangster's moll in the star part of his play in order to get it produced in the Roaring 20's New York. The moll is talentless and the playwright soon discovers that one of her assigned bodyguards has more writing talent than he does. Cusak's character soon falls for an aging diva whose attentions just add to the confusion.

A light, slapstick piece, this is one of Woody Allen's best films, perhaps because he isn't in it. It also raises good questions about the artist's debt to the creative muse and the price one pays to create.

Mayan Ruins

Mayan Ruins, Yucatan, Robert S. Duncanson

Gospel of Matthew: Sharing a meal with sinners

Matthew 9:9-13

After Matthew was called by Jesus, they went together to Matthew's for dinner. And the Pharisees get their knickers in a twist, though you notice they pick on the disciples about it, not on Jesus directly.

I knew that Jesus having a meal with sinners is showing the world that he isn't ashamed to be seen with them, to treat them as brothers. However, I think it really sank in that Jesus is expressing a covenant relationship with these sinners. Or maybe it is that my understanding of covenant is much deeper than it used to be.

It also made me reflect more on the covenant and shared life I experience within the Church when I take communion during Mass. Again, this is something I knew. But this made me really think about it on a deeper level somehow.

The Meal in the House of Matthew (Le repas chez Mathieu), James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

Tax collectors were typically associated with sinners. Working for Herod Antipas, tax collectors in Galilee were viewed as traitors to God's people. They also were known for demanding more money than they weree supposed to collect. Jesus' calling Matthew the tax collector to be a disciple would have been surprising; again it signals that christ has come to be a light to all the world, not just to the upright. Also scandalous is that Jesus goes to Matthew's house for a meal. In ancient Judaism, table fellowship expressed covenant solidarity. Shared food and drink symbolized a shared life. By sharing a meal with many tax collectors and sinners, Jesus identifies himself with these covenant outsiders and welcomes them into his kingdom.

Quote is from Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

I am trying to think of the last time I waited so excitedly for a chance to sit down and read the Bible.

That's because my new Word on Fire Bibles arrived. We got the evangelization pack which had one leather-bound version and 4 paperback copies.

As soon as the box was opened we all began excitedly showing each other various features.

It is above and beyond anything I could have asked for myself. I mean to say, they designed a typeface for the pull-quotes. That is my kind of commitment to beauty.

Even the paperback is really great, which is what I'd expect but I was curious to see for myself. The pages are high quality paper, the gold type is there just as in the leather version. I was wondering if it would stay open in your hand without forcing the spine — and it does!

I've dipped in a little here and there and the commentary is as good as the design and thought provoking yet accessible.

It truly is, as they said when it was announced, a cathedral in print. Thank you, Bishop Barron!

They are sold out but are taking orders for the reprint. Here's the video in case you missed it before.

Word on Fire Bible

Eating the food of the country where you happen to be

For people who never live somewhere near the sea, Mrs. Appleyard has a profound pity. Fortunately most of the inland dwellers do not need the pity because they do not know what they are missing. fish that has to travel on ice for days is satisfactory to them, and that is quite all right with Mrs. Appleyard so long as she doesn't have to have an of it.

Eastern lobster pursues the traveller across the continent and is even offered as a great delicacy on the Pacific coast, Mrs. Appleyard discovered recently. She had to use considerable ingenuity to avoid it and to get chili con carne instead. She believes in eating the food of the country where she happens to be. The food of Kansas, for instance, is definitely not lobster, but Mrs. Appleyard had a steak in Kansas once that was a pattern by which all steaks, past and future, will not be judged.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

"Sometimes you put off a book review because you are nervous that you will not do it justice."

That's how Jeff Miller (a.k.a. The Curt Jester in Catholic blogging) begins his review of Thus Sayeth the Lord. I couldn't be more complimented by that sentiment.

I have respected Jeff for so long for his discernment, sense of humor, and love of the faith. For him to give a glowing review such as the one he left on his blog, Amazon and Good Reads means so much to me.

He also touched on something that hasn't been brought up by anyone else.

There is a whimsical aspect to this book that both pulls you in and surprises you. From the typefaces used to the folksy way that Julie naturally communicates you might think that these are just quick summarizations. Easy to digest, but not really serious scholarship and insight. The easy to digest part is correct until you get hit upside-the-head with a flash of insight and you wonder “Why didn’t I notice this before?” Then you start to notice the serious study invested to be able to pass on the work of scriptural scholars.

I myself almost had forgotten the amount of research and study I did into the prophets before I wrote about each one. Thank you Jeff for noticing and reminding me!

Go read the whole review to see what else he points out.

And then get your very own copy!

Cookies and hurly-burly

Cake-baking is an undertaking needing a certain amount of quiet and concentration. Cookies can be made in the middle of any hurly-burly that is going on. There is a game played on the lawn outside the kitchen at Appleyard Centre that is like deck tennis except that it is played with the lid of a tin biscuit can. This pastime, with its accompanying shrieks from the gentler sex and the occasional crash of broken glass, has often been the background for cooky-baking. So have the voices of croquet battlers and of those turning cartwheels, the crack of rifles aimed at tin cans, and the grunts that go with a form of wrestling known as pig-piling. Or, if the weather is rainy those who look forward to dividends of broken cookies crowd into the kitchen, joggle the elbow of the cook and keep her mind active with a peculiarly searching form of Twenty questions. Is is under these circumstances that Mrs. Appleyard turns out a batch of Oatmeal Lace Cookies.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

Family Photo

Family Photo, Remo Savisaar

Some of the best reading in the world is found in cookbooks

Some of the best reading in the world, Mrs Appleyard says, is found in cookbooks. She ought to know because she began to read them as literature long before she took to wielding the egg beater. There have been frequent periods in Mrs. Appleyard's life when she was on short rations. Her doctor has told her to lose three hundred pounds and she has. No, she has not vanished in the process She is still moderately substantial. She has merely lost thirty pounds ten times. During those periods when her too, too solid flesh was melting, she has learned to sublimate her yearnings for chocolate cake and lobster Newburg by reading cookbooks. She has fortunately discovered that she can get a pleasantly stuffed feeling by moving her eyes rapidly from left to right over menus that begin with twenty assorted appetizers and end with Baked Alaska.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

Callooh Callay! Thus Sayeth the Lord print version releases TODAY!

Thus Sayeth the Lord was originally slated to release on March 31 but Covid-19 intervened. The Kindle version has been available but now you can get the print version.

I love the layout on this book and you can get it for yourself now!

Head on over to Amazon and pick up your own copy!

Airlift - an amazing true story in a film Hollywood would be proud to have made

An American's Guide to Bollywood has been sheltering in place, following all of Shah Rukh Khan's helpful tips.

Today they are back! Woohoo!

Hannah and Rose discuss the 2016 Akshay Kumar film Airlift, about the evacuation of 170,000 Indians from Kuwait at the beginning of the Gulf War. This is a family favorite. For one thing, I never knew this happened. Inspiring and historical, plus I love Akshay Kumar and this is one of his best performances.

Hear about it in episode 15.

Brown Bear Cubs

Brown Bear Cubs, Remo Savisaar

Ideology and giving oneself

“Let’s think of that moment when a woman washed the feet of Jesus with the nard, so expensive: it is a religious moment, a moment of gratitude, a moment of love. And he [Judas] stands apart with bitter criticism: ‘But this could have been used for the poor!’ This is the first reference that I have found, in the Gospel, to poverty as an ideology. The ideologue does not know what love is, because he does not know how to give himself.”

Pope Francis, Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Everyday

I never thought about the fact that the very word "ideology" distances one from the issues at hand. It systemizes and organizes and studies with a cool head. At least that's what I picked up when looking up the definition.

Whereas we are called upon to make it personal, to give with our whole hearts, to plunge in up to our elbows, to give of what is precious without counting the cost.

Mastoid (Drinking Cup)

Mastoid (Drinking Cup), 500-480 BC, Athens
via the Art Institute of Chicago

This cup was shaped to fit easily in the drinkers hand, and was likely used as part of the Greek symposium. Much like modern academic symposiums, in which people discuss a topic of common interest, debunking old theories and putting forth new hypotheses; the men of ancient Athens regularly got together in private homes to exchange ideas. Afterward the participants might continue the conversation, discussing their impressions in greater detail or simply socializing over a drink. As the evening progressed, participants engaged in other pleasures, including games, performances, and sex. Wine played a major role in fueling these evenings, and as such the myriad vessels used in the symposium often paid homage to drink.

Here, the god of wine Dionysos rides astride a donkey. Before and behind him satyrs - the gods half man half goat companions - are visually aroused by the scene; while a Maenad - their female counterpart - leads the procession while strumming a lyre. The background of this scene is decorated with winding vines, enforcing the themes of wine, revelry and music.

Art Institute of Chicago

Sometimes History Yells

History does not always repeat itself. Sometimes it just yells, "Can't you remember anything I told you?" and lets fly with a club.

John W. Campbell Jr.

That's why I have so many headaches!

A Movie You Might Have Missed #12 — Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

 

Anyone who enjoyed the Wallace and Gromit shorts will enjoy this. Their British sense of humor and timing ... so funny.

Billed as "the world's first vegetarian horror movie," this finds Wallace and Gromit running a pest control service to help the villagers who want to grow prize-winning produce for their annual vegetable competition.

Loaded with ingenious Rube Goldberg inventions, spoofs of old monster movies and classic movies, and their trademark sight gags, this is a treasure for all ages.

Waves Breaking

Claude Monet, Waves Breaking

Your Enemy

Remember that your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. This may leave you an opening to become his friend.

Robert A. Heinlein

Bluebonnets, Mason County, Texas

Bluebonnets, Jason Merlo Photography

Talents

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.

Henry Van Dyke

This is often less elegantly said as "Perfect is the enemy of good." I like this version better.

Rereading — Lectio Divina Bible Study: Learning to Pray in Scripture - Stephen J. Binz

I'm rereading this by virtue of using it for afternoon prayer. It's so good I decided to rerun the review I wrote way back in 2013 when I first read it.

As I have mentioned before, Stephen Binz is a passionate advocate of Lectio Divina, the ancient practice of studying and praying using Scripture.

Focusing on different topics such as the Creed, the Mass, the Sacraments, or Prayer, Binz shows where they are found in the Bible, gives context for full appreciation, and helps readers learn about deeper prayer as found in the steps of lecto divina: Listening, understanding, reflecting, praying, and acting.

I have used many Bible studies, but Learning to Pray in Scripture is one of my favorites. Binz shows different sorts of prayers by moving through the Bible to show the various characters who employ them under different circumstances. I felt as if I grew to understand each particular person whose prayers were highlighted. This is only natural after considering them at length, but it is partly the result by Binz's thoughtful commentary and prompting questions.

Binz often brought up points of view that had never occurred to me, such as the comment below that prayer doesn't have to be theologically correct. I'd never thought about such a thing before and it made me wonder if I was a bit too "correct" in trying to speak to God "properly" rather than just trying to have an honest conversation, no matter where it led us.

I also really appreciated the overview of prayer which covered forms of Biblical prayer and how to use them today, the disposition to cultivate for prayer, and the characteristics of prayer as seen in the lives of Israel's heroes, ancient prophets, Jesus' life, and more. Suddenly I was thinking about prayer and how to converse with God in a whole new way.

I can't praise Binz's prayer prompts highly enough. All too often, such prompts are simple and surface level. Worse, they often don't relate to my own life or needs. His cut to the heart of our relationship with God and always leave me pondering and talking to God. That's really a rare reaction for me when reading such prompts, as I said.

The snippets below just scrape the surface in the treasures that are found within this book. All Scripture is quoted completely in the book so you need no other references, although I didn't include it below.

Abraham's Intercessory Prayer for Sodom
Genesis 18:16-33

Listening
In establishing the covenant, God had promised to make Abraham a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. This bold prayer of intercession teaches us what it means to pray humbly but confidently in the context of a covenantal relationship with God. We have the same opportunity to intercede before God for the people of the world.

Understanding
… Abraham first chooses the number fifty as his bartering figure: save the city on behalf of fifty righteous people. He purposely chose a low number, thinking that in the typical haggling style of the Middle East, God would choose a much higher number, and then they would eventually meet somewhere in the middle. But Abraham's strategy is undone by god's immediate acceptance of his offer. Lowering the offer to forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten, Abraham discovers that God is far more merciful than he had imagined.

=====================

The Prophet's Prayer of Lament for Israel
Isaiah 63:15-64:12

Reflecting
Since prayer is conversational and emotional, it does not have to be theologically correct. What are some of the outrageous questions and statements found in this prayer? In what ways to these kinds of utterances enrich my prayer?

=====================

The Prayers of Christian Believers
Acts 1:12-14 / Acts 4:23-31

Acting
Like the early Christians in Jerusalem, continue letting the words you pray become the life you live.

• Rather than ask God to spare them from hardship, the early Christians prayed only for the courage to face it and to keep on speaking God's word with boldness. For what purpose do I need to pray for boldness? What can I do today to claim the strength and courage God offers to me?

A Terrific Review from a Demanding Reader : "Davis knows how to dress scholarship in casual clothes"

Patrick O'Hannigan and I have known each other for many years, both through this blog and over at Good Reads. I know he's not always easy to please, so that made me very pleased with his review of Thus Sayeth the Lord. It's coming out in actual print — woohoo! — next Monday.

Slide on over to Amazon for all of Patrick's review (as well as others) and order your own copy. Here's a bit of Patrick's.

Emotional intelligence and biblical scholarship wrapped into one package can be intimidating, but here they are not, because Davis is patrolling the scriptural outfield. This book presents brief, insightful examinations of people like Moses, Deborah, and Elijah. It also draws practical moral advice from each of their stories. It's great stuff.

On the Terrace

On the Terrace, (in Algiers), Anders Zorn

Ah, Miss Harriet ...

Ah Miss Harriet, it would do us no harm to remember oftener than we do, that vices are sometimes only virtues carried to excess.

Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son

That can be a path from pure justice to including mercy.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #11: Payback

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

11. Payback

Porter knows his worth.

$70,000.

That is the amount that his erstwhile partner, who now works for the syndicate, stole after double crossing and leaving him for dead. And that is the amount Porter wants back. No more, no less. He will do whatever it takes to get it.

So begins the grittiest movie I have ever seen Mel Gibson in. Porter is the anti-heroes' "hero" so to speak, a guy who has only one goal and only one redeeming quality, which is his love for Rosie, the requisite hooker with a heart of gold. I suppose he actually could have two redeeming qualities, the second being his stubborn determination to take only the money that was stolen from him. (My full review here.)

Catching Truth in Our Net

In life and art both, as it seems to me, we are always trying to catch in our net of successive moments something that is not successive ... I think it is sometimes done — or very, very nearly done — in stories. I believe the effort to be well worth making.

C.S. Lewis, On Stories

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Inari Jizo

Inari at Takayama Inari Shrine Aomori, by Keey
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

I loved these statues which looked like dogs with napkins tied around their neck. I discovered they are actually foxes with bibs around their necks. They are Japanese deity statues and the bibs signify different purposes.

You may read about Jizo here and the bibs here. As for the fox,

The fox, symbolizing both benevolence and malevolence, is sometimes identified with the messenger of Inari, and statues of foxes are found in great numbers both inside and outside shrines dedicated to the rice god.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Pan Bagnat (Provençal Tuna Sandwich)

I grew up with a version of this sandwich which my parents made regularly in the summertime. We loved it. Loaded with different ingredients, bathed in a vinaigrette (the title means "bathed bread"), weighted down and left for all the flavors to meld — it was the perfect summer meal.

So I was intrigued when Cooks Illustrated had their own version and tried it out last weekend. I loved this version too. Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Solitude

Hans Thoma, Solitude
via Arts Everyday Living

Rereading: Mrs. Appleyard's Year (and Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen) by Louise Andrews Kent

My current bedtime reading - again. Gentle, funny, and perfect for nodding off. Here's my original review from years ago:

I know, I know. This looks like the lamest old book ever. Yet after enjoying the clever, gentle humor of the commentary in Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen (see below) I was intrigued enough to find a cheap copy of this book. Truth to tell, I was thinking it might be good to read to my mother-in-law (she suffers from slight dementia and so far Cheaper By the Dozen is our favorite to share together on my visits).

At any rate, as I was looking through this I found myself continually pulled into the story and laughing. Louise Andrews Kent pays us the compliment of not underestimating our intelligence. The imagined life of the Italian family living in the hedges (prompted by a gardener's unpleasant joke) or Mrs. Appleyard's defense of her family to a British aunt allow us to enter a world long gone but to realize that people were still the same then as now.

I have been waiting for at least a month to read this on Forgotten Classics and am excited that Mrs. Appleyard's time to shine has finally come. Pull up your rocking chair on the porch, have a glass of lemonade and rock in the cool breeze as we follow Mrs. Appleyard through her year.

Note: I read Mrs. Appleyard's Year over a year at my Forgotten Classics podcast. Pull up your rocking chair on the porch, have a glass of lemonade and rock in the breeze as we follow Mrs. Appleyard through her year. Listen here.

This is the book that led me to Mrs. Appleyard's Year. It is an absolutely delightful "forgotten classic" that I discovered in my parent's basement. Hilarious and intentionally so ... Mom and I kept picking it up and reading each other snippets all day ... and laughing our heads off. It is a cookbook but each recipe deserves reading because they are larded with small stories, humorous comments, and personality ... somewhat in the same way as the recipes in The Best Cook in the World. It often winds up on my bedstand for nighttime reading.

Modern Man and "The Old Days"

I find that the uneducated Englishman is an almost total sceptic about history. ... To us the present has always appeared as one section in a huge continuous process. In his mind the present occupies almost the whole field of vision. Beyond it, isolated from it, and quite unimportant, is something called "the old days"—a small, comic jungle in which highwaymen, Queen Elizabeth, knights-in-armor, etc. wander about. Then (strangest of all) beyond the old days comes a picture of "primitive man." He is "science," not "history," and is therefore felt to be much more real than the old days. In other words, the prehistoric is much more believed in than the historic.

C.S. Lewis, Christian Apologetics essay

This still rings true which does account for the rising inability to understand "context" of people's writings and actions in "The Old Days" which do not conform to modern thinking. On only one action deemed inappropriate may great men and women be judged to be evil. All because they are not in the days we live in ourselves.

Mt. Fuji seen from Mt.Takabocchyama Nagano

Mt. Fuji seen from Mt.Takabocchyama Nagano, taken by Koichi_Hayakawa.
Via Calligraphy in the view, (Licensed under CC BY 4.0)

This photograph is featured at FIND/47: Japan's hidden visual delights.

Japan is home to 47 prefectures offering 47 distinct experiences shaped by the natural scenery, historical architecture, and local traditions unique to each region.

Even after a dozen visits, there will still be more that you have yet to see.

FIND/47 offers a dynamic visual platform for discovering aspects of Japan you didn't even know you were looking for.

There is some stunning photography there and I will definitely be sharing some of it from time to time.

Rereading — The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall

Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator, does what is needful to solve his cases. They usually involve investigating prospective brides and grooms for arranged marriages, but there are also big, serious cases. Such is the main problem in this book where Puri has to save a crusading lawyer's reputation while discovering what happened to the missing servant the lawyer is rumored to have murdered.

A judiciously quirky Indian detective (meaning realistic) and his operatives are highlighted, as well as his Mummy who sets out to solve a mystery that her son does not take seriously. This was an enjoyable "cozy" sort of mystery, like a trip to India. Rereading it seven years after the last time (for A Good Story podcast #63), I am struck by just how realistically regular Indian life is portrayed. I say that after watching so many Indian films in the last couple of years that I noticed tons of authentic details that slid past me in previous readings.

Ultimately, this was a classic mystery in many ways and yet it still managed to fool me. Extremely well done and gave a bird's-eye view of India without needing tons of info-dumps. Highly recommended. (P.S. I am a big fan of his Mummy-Ji.)

Chilly Spring Morning

Chilly Spring Morning, Remo Savisaar

Well Said: God intrudes

Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin's womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked "No Entrance" and left through a door marked "No Exit."

Peter Larson

I keep forgetting how utterly impossible Jesus' life was. By human standards, anyway.

Savory (Ham, Mozzarella & Basil) Brioche Couronne

Couronne means "crown" and this is obviously named for the shape. However, it is also fit for royalty. An enriched brioche dough is filled with ham, mozzarella and basil to make a wonderful meal.

Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Dog Politics

We got out two new rawhide bones and Rose said, "Let the dog politics begin." Because, you know, power is all about who controls the bones.

Soon afterward, we had this peaceful scene. Kaylee is just taking a peaceful snooze, coincidentally between the two bones.

So peaceful ...

Or is it?

Another angle shows a different story.

A story of supplication and longing for just one of those tasty bones. You can't hear the heartfelt whining but rest assured begging for bones is both physical and verbal. The bones which Kaylee controls with a simple, steely look into Jeeves' eyes.

A story of power and politics.

Fairy Tales

A mother reads to her children, Jessie Willcox Smith

I love this picture. It perfectly captures the feeling of reading to your children, especially when everyone is enjoying the story. I read to the girls for years and years until they grew out of it, which thankfully they did relatively late.

Now that a grandchild is on the way, this is one of the things I am really looking forward to — sharing all those wonderful story-filled moments together.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #10: Double Indemnity

Be still my heart. Do not miss this classic.

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

10. Double Indemnity

A famous film that I, nevertheless, have to beat people over the head to watch. The screenplay is by director Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler and the dialogue crackles with iconic film noir style.

Fred MacMurray is the insurance salesman who comes up with the perfect murder scheme to rid femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck of her husband's annoying presence. Edward G. Robinson is MacMurray's boss, a wily insurance investigator who feels that things don't quite add up. Told in flash-back, the film nonetheless maintains dramatic tension the entire time.

Ironically, all three stars did not want to do the film. MacMurray and Stanwyck because they were cast against type as evil. Robinson because he was not the main star ... yet he carries the film at the end as his line sums up the movie perfectly.

Word on Fire Bible — A Cathedral in Print

I've been waiting for this ever since Word on Fire mentioned they were working on a Bible. Go watch the video. This is beautiful with tons of art — way more than I imagined it would be.

Word on Fire Bible

There is a detailed review at National Catholic Register that tells more (just makes my mouth water, to be honest). Here's a bit:

As Bishop Barron explains in the introduction, the commentary is meant to be, above all else, evangelical in its purpose: “First, it is specifically geared toward those who, for a variety of reasons, are not affiliated with the Christian faith, or indeed with any organized religion. … Secondly and relatedly, its commentaries hone in on two simple but fundamental questions: Who is God, and who is Jesus Christ?”

At the same time, those two questions plumb, even for the most confident believers, wells whose ultimate depths we will never reach in this life. Those of us safely in the Catholic fold have plenty to learn from the commentaries of those who have pondered the Gospels over the centuries. Yes, the intelligent seeker will be enlightened by the Word on Fire Gospels. And the believer who regularly reads Scripture will become well-disciplined by this text: It forces us to slow down rather than zoom through that daily chapter. It compels us to consider the thoughts of greater minds and holier souls than ours on this or that particular passage.

What's your hurry?

“What's your hurry?"

"Because now is the only time there ever is to do a thing in," said Miss Ophelia.”

Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin

Three Brave Ones

Three Brave Ones, Remo Savisaar

The Continual Tide of the Human Condition

Treading water isn't good enough. There is a continual tide of the human condition that can carry us away. If we're not actively trying to move forward, then we're falling behind.

Father John Libone

Oh and how well I know it. I still catch myself trying to float on that tide, so to speak, for a bit of a holiday. And how do I catch myself? Because I realize how far I've been swept back by the tide.

I am chasing a dream.

I am chasing a dream. I want the unattainable. Other artists paint a bridge, a house, a boat; and that’s the end. They’ve finished. I want to paint the AIR which surrounds the bridge, the house, the boat; the beauty of the air in which these objects are located; and that is nothing short of impossible. If only I could satisfy myself with what is possible.

Claude Monet

(Monet at Giverny by Caroline Holmes)

Woman in the Garden

Woman in the Garden
a study in the effect of sunlight and shadow on colour
Claude Monet

Madame Monet in a Japanese kimono

Madame Monet in a Japanese kimono, Claude Monet

Gospel of Matthew: Struck with Awe

Matthew 9:1-8

Chapter 9 opens with the people bringing Jesus a paralytic for healing, Jesus forgiving the man's sins, and with his chiding the scribes for saying that he was blaspheming. Very familiar and most of us know it well from a different telling when the man's friends lower him through the roof to Jesus.

Once again, the details are all important in helping us to really grasp fully what Matthew is communicating to us. And, once again, I never considered the bit that Martin brings up in "glorified God" discussion. Thought provoking and fabulous.

Hey, check out this mosaic of the paralytic taking up his mat to leave. I always thought of it like a padded quilt. The cot type bed the man is holding makes much more sense in terms of his friends being able to get him to the roof and through the ceiling without him slipping out of their grasp. Also — and you know I had to say it — this is often what we see in Bollywood movies for the beds in the homes of the poor or on rooftops for summer sleeping. So it hit me where I lived.

Mosaic in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo – Ravenna

8 When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe. This is the first mention of crowds being present and witnessing what was happening. The Greek for were struck with awe can also be translated "became afraid." The people of Capernaum had already seen Jesus heal many people (8:14-17), so we can ponder why this particular healing aroused awe and fear. Its only unique feature was that it was done as a sign that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins. The crowd was struck with awe that Jesus had demonstrated that he had such authority; Jesus was a man who could forgive as God could forgive. Joseph had been told that Jesus would "save his people from their sins" (1:21), and the people of Capernaum had just witnessed a down payment.

Consequently they glorified God who had given such authority to human beings. They recognized that Jesus' authority to forgive sins came from God, for only God could forgive sins. They glorified God for sharing his authority with Jesus, bringing his forgiveness to earth (verse 6). Matthew writes that they glorified God for giving authority to forgive sins to human beings rather than simply to Jesus. Matthew's wording foreshadows Jesus' sharing his authority to forgive sins with his disciples and the church (see 16:19; 18:18; James 5:16). Matthew's first readers experienced forgiveness of sins through the church, and they could join in glorifying God for giving such authority to human beings.

For reflection: How have I experienced Jesus' forgiveness through the church? Where am I most in need of forgiveness?

The disciples had wondered about Jesus, "What sort of man is this?" (8:27), and more pieces of the answer are falling into place. Jesus not only has authority over disease (8:1-17), over the physical world (8:23-27), and over demons (8:28-34); he also sees into human hearts (verses 2, 4) and has the authority to forgive sins (verse 6).

Quote is from Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

Night Butterflies

Night butterflies, Edward Okuń

The joy of "assigned" reading and book talk

Sometimes I find myself reading a lot of books I didn't intend, faster than I meant to, and it's all because they were chosen by people for discussion ... or, in other words, "assigned." There's nothing like interesting book talk to pull me into a book. Even if I don't love the book, I always get something from the conversation.

Sometimes these are real life discussions. Sometimes they are favorite podcasts that are diving deep. Either way, I usually can't wait to go from one to another.

Here's the latest batch I'm juggling — which is a ton of fun, I must say.

THE SCARLET LETTER

Assigned by: A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast

To be fair, this is my selection so I'm not complaining.

Like a lot of us, I first read it in high school where I had the common dislike for the boring book. Then when my high school age daughters both loved it, I took another run at it and fell in love myself. Both with the book and with Nathaniel Hawthorne's incredible writing style.

I'm always struck by how modern it feels toward toward the end when Hester and her lover are in the woods. She has this moment of "I've never felt so alive!" that just knocks me out. The last few chapters almost turn into a thriller as we are pulling for them while worrying about what their enemy is going to do.

MERE CHRISTIANITY

Assigned by: my Catholic women's book club

I'm reading twenty-five pages a day (roughly 3 short chapters) and will get done the day before. Of course, this isn't my first time through and that helps with quick reading. Which I'm naturally good at anyway.

I always enjoy this immensely as an extremely logical and understandable explanation to which anyone can relate. One need not agree with the author about Christianity or God, but one gets an excellent description of how a Christian understands the world. And that is a valuable thing these days, it seems to me. It is also a good devotional as I was reminded of many of the basics upon which my life is based and to which I aspire.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Assigned by: the Close Reads podcast

I've had a sneaking attraction to this book for over a year. Which really surprised me since I hated The Brothers Karamazov (please, no comments about that - let's just move on). But I'd been told that this was a very different book, a very modern feeling book, and numerous people had urged it on me.

When I saw Close Reads was covering this as part of their Patreon extra book I signed right up. I can't quit reading - except to listen to the episode covering the chapters I just read. I've been loving it more all the time! Finally, a Russian novel I can love (so far anyway - I'm not promising anything until I've finished).

I listen to Close Reads off and on in their regular podcast, depending on what they're reading. They are working from a classical education perspective, which feeds into a homeschooling, Christian audience. That is reflected in their Facebook page which has varied and lively discussions and I regularly check in there too.

THE GREAT DIVORCE

Assigned by: The Literary Life podcast

This is a bit of a cheat since I'm not reading the book along with them. I know it really well so listening to the conversation is enough. But I wanted to let anyone reading this know about the podcast, especially in covering this book. So I slipped it in here — and I really am juggling it with the others!

As with Close Reads, I listen  off and on to The Literary Life, depending on what they're discussing. They also are working from a classical education perspective, which feeds into a homeschooling, Christian audience. That is reflected in their Facebook page which has varied and lively discussions and I regularly check in there too.

JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL

Assigned by:  Mythgard Academy as I relisten to their free classes

I admit it. I'm addicted to Corey Olsen's classes. Of all the book talk-ers on this page, I think he is the best because he focuses on what the text is telling us, not on what we know will happen later in the book or getting sidetracked into tangential ideas.

I usually have something of his on my iPod. I'm not as interested in the lesser known Tolkien writings as he is, so I am often relistening to a class while waiting for him to finish up obscure Tolkien-iana and begin a book I'm interested in. I only read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell once (while listening to the Mythgard classes) and find it is the perfect fantasy to reread during a pandemic quarantine. That makes these classes my perfect "assignment."

Coming Soon
THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL

Assigned by: the CraftLit podcast

I'll begin this as soon as I finish either Crime and Punishment or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

You know, it's that book by the other Bronte sister. The one whose name no one can ever remember. I did sample the first chapter. Heather Ordover has gotten two excellent readers to do the audiobook and, as always, her commentary is great. It can be a bit "women's issues" oriented which isn't really my cup of tea but it's not so much that it is overly intrusive.

Kites

Bertha Lum, Kites

A lovely review from Mrs. Darwin for Thus Sayeth the Lord

... Underneath the conversational tone is a deep knowledge of scripture and a love for these prickly characters who are the pillars of the Old Testament.

Although Julie Davis doesn't sugarcoat any of the apocalyptic weirdness of Ezekiel or the marital imagery of Hosea, this book is appropriate for and accessible to teenagers, a perfect gateway to a deeper scriptural literacy.

Many thanks for the review which may be read in its entirety at Amazon — where the Kindle book is still on sale for $2.99!

The print version will (finally) be available June 22!

At last ....

At last —

"The library is still closed. Opening plans will be presented by the City Manager at the June 3 City Council Briefing. " (from the library home page).

It's been closed forever and our household has been cast into gloom. Three of us use the library A LOT. So to see "the library is closed with no plans to reopen" on the main page was very depressing. Every so often one of us would check the main page and glumly report no changes. Until last night!

Now we have hope.

Lincoln's Battle with God by Stephen Mansfield

Throughout his life, Lincoln fought with God. In his early years in Illinois, he rejected even the existence of God and became the village atheist. In time, this changed but still he wrestled with the truth of the Bible, preachers, doctrines, the will of God, the providence of God, and then, finally, God’s purposes in the Civil War. On the day he was shot, Lincoln said he longed to go to Jerusalem to walk in the Savior’s steps.

What had happened? What was the journey that took Abraham Lincoln from outspoken atheist to a man who yearned to walk in the footsteps of Christ?

Just as he is for many Americans, Honest, steadfast, witty, and determined, he guided our nation through one of our most difficult times. I remember hearing several years ago that he was an atheist and that any language about faith in his speeches was just for political purposes. Ok, if that's who he was then that's who he was.

I was intrigued, therefore, when I saw this book and many positive reviews. The subtitle grabbed me — A President's Struggle with Faith and What It Meant for America — so I picked it up with a spare Audible credit. It is read by the author and is fairly short - around 5 hours.

I was pleased to find an even-handed telling of Lincoln's faith journey throughout his life. I especially appreciated the author taking care to bring up opposing points of view and objections when people's accounts of Lincoln's faith seem too easy or fabricated. This is done through using Lincoln's own letters, speeches, and other writing, as well as those of his contemporaries.

It is also a good, fairly short biography for anyone who'd like to get the gist without committing to thousands of pages which usually comprise a Lincoln biography. Lincoln's story is also very modern in many ways. His motives for his atheism ring true today. His personal journey rings true with my own experience.

Highly recommended.

At Breakfast

At Breakfast. The painter's wife, Sigrid Kähler, by Laurits Andersen Ring

Your Manuscript is Both Good and Original

My congratulations to you, sir. Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good

Dr. Samuel Johnson

36 Years of Wedded Bliss

We can tell what doesn't work in marriages. So often today people ask, "Who will make me happy?" But what we should ask is, "Who will I love so much that I will sacrifice myself to make them happy?"

Father Roch Kereszty

Dear, even-tempered Tom is truly my soul mate. I'm so very lucky that he loves me as much as I love him. He has taught me so much over the years about music, about thinking, about humor, about originality, about kindness and consideration. Not because he actively taught me but just by being around him. That in itself tells you a lot about the sort of person Tom is.

It's wonderful having spent 36 years with someone. You know each other's references (jokes become real one-liners), you understand each other's moods, and it is a deep, restful relationship that is not without delightful times of surprise and passion.

I've said this before (as the comments will attest). But this year saw significant changes for us as a couple and as householders. Although she is such a part of our family now that I can't imagine life any other way, my mother came to live with us just last September. We were excited to have her move in but there's no denying it was a big adjustment, especially for Mom — she appreciates Bollywood movies now much more than we ever could have hoped.

Of course, we can't ignore the surreal change of life with Covid-19 and all the uncertainties that involves — swirling statistics with continual reinterpretations, quarantine, toilet paper shortages, three adults working from home (oh, wait, we already did that part of it). Oh no — we realized we are in the "danger" age group. The lower end, to be sure, but it was still a mental shock. Who better to help get through all this than the person who knows and loves you better than anyone else? Not that we could ever have dreamed of facing such strangeness when we married.

And there will be more changes to come as we await the arrival of our first grandchild in November! It's a wonderful world out there and I'm so glad to have Tom to experience it with.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #9: King Kong (1933)

t's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

King Kong (1933)

Reject all imitations. The original King Kong is one of my all-time favorite movies and a true classic in its own right.

It is a simple story: intrepid filmmaker, Carl Denham, leads an expedition to Skull Island where they discover a 50-foot gorilla who becomes enamored of Ann Darrow (Fay Wray). He is captured and brought back to New York City as the "8th wonder of the world" where he inevitably runs wild with Ann clutched in one hand and meets his death atop the Empire State Building.

The skill of the movie makers is such that it is still thoroughly enjoyable almost 90 years later. Fay Wray has a scream that could stop a freight train; you could hear it over practically anything that the movie threw at it. The animation was star quality at the time and you soon discover that it is not the animation but the story that carries a movie. (My review is here.)