Worth a Thousand Words

Moonlight in Edinburgh
Find many more striking photos at Flickr Scotland.

Divine Canine

Divine Canine: The Monks' Way to a Happy, Obedient Dog
by the Monks of New Skete

The Eyes Have It

With our own dogs, from the earliest days of puppyhood we stress the importance of contact between human and canine. Our puppies, after the first few weeks, are handled constantly and affectionately. But as important as this physical contact is, we put just as much effort into eye contact, which is key to establishing a relationship that will blossom as puppies grow into dogs.

Good eye contact serves several different purposes in the adult dog. A kindly, gentle look tells the dog that she is loved and accepted. But it is just as vital to communicate a stern reaction to bad behavior. A piercing, sustained stare into a dog's eyes tells her who's in charge; it establishes the proper hierarchy of dominance between person and pet. We don't do this with anger, but with firmness. Such eye contact rivets the dog's attention and can help curtail unruly behavior. It also encourages respect and ensures that the dog is paying attention. A well-positioned training collar is the key to establishing eye contact; lifting the dog's head up and keeping it firmly pointed at your face virtually guarantees the dog will look into your eyes.

I fell in love with this book. It is not just that it is packed with stories and photos of adorable dogs unlearning bad training. It is that it reminded me of how much there is to appreciate in the pets right in my own household. I have a bad habit of being too busy to properly pay attention much of the time. I have to remind myself to stop what I am doing and pay full attention to the business colleague or even family member who is talking to me at the moment. Our animals, especially our dogs, are so patient that they will put up with days when I forget to even pet them, although the food and water bowls are filled.

Every time I pick up this book and look through it, I see reminders of just how much there is to learn from our animals as well as how they enrich our lives ... if we let them. Whether you are preparing to train a dog or trying to work your pet out of bad habits and into good ones, I highly recommend this book for the monks' humane and unique approach to remembering that "a caring attitude and honest communication can turn any dog into a divine canine."

Oh, yeah ... and if you want to train your dog whether to new habits or out of bad ones, this has some wonderful techniques.

Summer Reading

I got an email yesterday asking for some good summer reading ideas for a Catholic women's book club. Well, since I belong to a Catholic women's book club, I at least had a few ideas. I am passing them on to y'all in case you are looking for a good book.

First of all, there is the Perpetua & Felicity site I maintain (sketchily at best, I admit) for our group. The sidebar has what we have read and there is a post that has ideas for us to consider for other books.

Secondly, there are books I have reviewed here. It has all kinds of good stuff, including a "religion" category.

Then we have Father Jim Martin's recommendations.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Aquinas and More's summer reading program. Plus, they also show the 64 books they considered before narrowing it down to the summer selections.

Ok, everyone ... dive in!

Worth a Thousand Words

When Mountain Laurel Blooms

Used by permission from DL Ennis.
Be sure to see the original and check out all his glorious photography at Visual Thoughts

Worth a Thousand Words

Spotlight by Belinda Del Pesco

Used with permission.
To see more gorgeous art, visit Belinda Del Pesco Fine Art Blog

"Nobody does vegetables like me. I did an evening of vegetables off-Broadway...."

Michael Dorsey: Are you saying that nobody in New York will work with me?

George Fields: No, no, that's too limited... nobody in Hollywood wants to work with you either. I can't even set you up for a commercial. You played a *tomato* for 30 seconds - they went a half a day over schedule because you wouldn't sit down.

Michael Dorsey: Of course. It was illogical.

George Fields: YOU WERE A TOMATO. A tomato doesn't have logic. A tomato can't move.

Michael Dorsey: That's what I said. So if he can't move, how's he gonna sit down, George? I was a stand-up tomato: a juicy, sexy, beefsteak tomato. Nobody does vegetables like me. I did an evening of vegetables off-Broadway. I did the best tomato, the best cucumber... I did an endive salad that knocked the critics on their ass.

I admit it. When I heard that Sydney Pollack had died, this is what sprang to mind ... his acting in one of the funniest scenes from one of my favorite movies, Tootsie.

The suspicion that Pollack was having Dustin Hoffman channel his true acting self didn't hurt the scene either, and I'd bet that Pollack was shrewd enough to use it to full advantage.

Naturally, Deacon Greg had the same thoughts and thanks to him I didn't have to go searching for this full take on that scene. Enjoy.

Applying the Virtues to Everyday Life

Raising Up Mommy
Virtues for Difficult Mothering Moments
Heidi Hess Saxton

Hospitality: The Feminine Face of Generosity

Order and proportion, beauty and moderation. To embrace these principles of artistry within the home is to create an environment where the senses of family members are liberated to appreciate the fullness of God's design. A single bit of sun-ripened peach dances on the tongue with a far greater satisfaction--and far less guilt--than a quart of factory processed frozen yogurt.

True hospitality--the ability to tend to another person's needs while simultaneously putting that person at ease--demands both an empathetic perspective and an artistic touch. The generous person slips a check in a get-well card; the hospitable individual also leaves a jar of homemade chicken-and-dumplings or an inspirational book on tape.

But what does practicing the art of hospitality have to do with combating greed, one might ask? Just as the greed attaches to material things out of fear or pride, the one who practices true hospitality meets the physical needs of others out of an inner conviction of faith and trust, demonstrating by their own detachment a firm reliance on the only true Source of good things.

The motivation behind the act is as important as the act itself. Some people, for example, give not out of a sense of gratitude, but out of neediness--a need to be liked, or to be in the limelight.....

Contrary to the title, this book is actually about how women can practice the virtues in their lives, whether they are mothers or not. As Saxton guides us through the virtues, showing how they are antidotes for the seven deadly sins, we can see how practicing the small opportunities yields spiritual flowering in our own lives and those around us. I could relate all too well to Saxton's frequent confessions of her less than perfect moments of mothering or wifeliness. However, I think it is the rare women who cannot relate this realistic linking of sins and virtues to their own lives, whether at work, with friends, or even when alone.

I am a big fan of the virtues but all too frequently I am good at reading about them but then forget to practice them. This book will help anyone who reads it, myself included, see the many opportunities we are given to practice the virtues every day. Saxton makes the goal of living our vocations as Christians eminently more "do-able" through the insights in this book.

Highly recommended.

Update: I see that Heidi also has a new book out ... about Mary. Read a review at Just another day of Catholic pondering.

Bonus Review

Let Nothing Trouble You: 60 Reflections from the Writings of Teresa of Avila
(The Saints Speak Today)
Heidi Hess Saxton

When I was looking around for sales links to put with the above book, I realized that I have been an unwitting fan of Heidi Saxton's for a long, long time. At the time I became Christian, I was looking around for books about prayer and came across a short series of books about praying with the saints. I really wish the series had been longer, however, it was through these that I was introduced to my first two saintly "pals," St. Augustine and St. Teresa of Avila. (The other two books feature St. Thomas More and St. Francis of Assisi.) Saxton wrote the Teresa of Avila book.

I still love these books which combine simple but insightful combinations of 60 day's worth of morning and evening readings featuring scripture and readings from the saint. I pick up used copies whenever I come across them to give to new converts. Recently, I gave one to a friend of Hannah's who just entered the Church and heard back that she really loves it.

A much belated, but heartfelt thank you for that book!

Highly recommended.

Update: Heidi tells me that she has copies of this for sale at her place. Just click through.

Gilliam, Depp ... and Palin?

Now this looks interesting. Jeffrey Overstreet reports that...

Contactmusic reports that Johnny Depp is back in cahoots with Terry Gilliam as they try once again to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a movie about that greatest challenger of windmills, Don Quixote. Depp worked with Gilliam on this project once before, but the production collapsed due to various catastrophes chronicled in the hilarious documentary Lost in La Mancha. But it looks like they’re ready to try again.

And who would play Don Quixote? Rumors are swirling around ... Michael Palin.

Which might not be as farfetched as one would think. He has had practice at playing a Spanish role before ...

I have been meaning to watch Lost in La Mancha, the documentary about Gilliam's failed previous attempt to make that movie. Must move it closer to the top of the list ...

It's official ... I am now a Robert Downey Jr. groupie

Like a lot of people, I sat up and took notice of him in Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. He was irresistible as the bumbling narrator of that film noir satire.

Also his ability to look reality in the eye and come out with a balanced perspective doesn't hurt either ...

I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since.

And, he was fantastic in Iron Man as the devil-may-care playboy who has his eyes opened and becomes the world weary savior of the little guy.

So, yeah, I'm a fan.

Superhero Highlight: The String

Continuing the stories of superheroes devised by Hannah and Jenny (more about that can be found here as well as the first description)

The String

Power: super-speed flossing, even on people unaware.

Backstory: The String, a gifted student of dentistry, was often distraught at the thought of how quickly plaque builds up between people’s teeth. His numerous campaigns to raise awareness of this epidemic went unnoticed by the public and left him with only one option: to break into people’s homes at night and floss their teeth for them. After his first forays into the world of forced, and rather illegal, dentistry ended in a short stint in prison, the String devised a plan: he would hone his flossing skills so as to floss unbelievably quickly. He made many a mannequin, trained day and night, but to no avail. In his despair, he decided to end it all and jumped into the town lake, Lake Toxin. Not unsurprisingly, he emerged unharmed and possessed the abilities he had dreamt of for so long. With his newfound powers, he now roams the city at night, making sure all townspeople have well-flossed teeth.

Cover: Mild-mannered dentist (and a handsome dentist at that)

Cover name: Dale Driftwood

Partner: The Candyman

Introduction to partner: On one of his many unsuccessful campaigns, The String was warning youngsters of the dangers of sugar at a local candy shoppe. Needless to say, the candy shoppe was being robbed (they sold Peeps, the most desirable of all sugary delights). As luck would have it, the most prominent hero of the day . . . The Candy Man (and a handsome Candy Man at that), appeared on the scene. He flung wave after wave of jellybeans and sour worms, which, as we all know, turn into explosives with one touch of his hand, at the formidable fiends. The candy shoppe, now in flames, was saved. The String and The Candy Man formed a partnership of unspeakable proportions and have fought for justice and oral hygiene ever since.

Archnemesis: Jeff Blankship, CEO of Nestle

==========

Next superhero feature coming: Detective Lemon

Welcome Jack!

Congratulations to Tim and his wife on the birth of their son, Jack.

This new dad even has a video to watch ... if you want the personal story.

Worth a Thousand Words

Hand-colored engravings of exotic fish from Sri Lanka
See more at BibliOdyssey

Memorial Day: With Many Thanks to Those Who Gave All For Us

I can only offer my whole hearted thanks and gratitude to those who gave their lives for their country.

Here are some pieces from others that may interest and inspire.

Today our nation celebrates Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday started spontaneously in 1866, when a drugstore owner in Waterloo, N.Y., sought to honor those who died in the recent Civil War. Townspeople joined Henry Welles' cause to commemorate the fallen, and they decorated the graves with flowers, wreaths and crosses.Today our nation celebrates Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday started spontaneously in 1866, when a drugstore owner in Waterloo, N.Y., sought to honor those who died in the recent Civil War. Townspeople joined Henry Welles' cause to commemorate the fallen, and they decorated the graves with flowers, wreaths and crosses.

In short order, others joined around the country and by 1868, according to the History Channel: "Children read poems and sang Civil War songs, and veterans came to school wearing their medals and uniforms ... Then the veterans marched through their hometowns followed by the townspeople to the cemetery." Soon enough, heroes from other wars were honored as well, and the day became Memorial Day.

Abraham Lincoln described our country, in his message to Congress in 1862, as the "last best hope of earth."

Dallas Morning News 2007

• Moving tribute from an Englishman (via The Anchoress who also has some other very good links that you should read):

  ... when the Americans speak of freedom, we should not imagine, in our cynical and worldly-wise way, that they are merely using that word as a cloak for realpolitik. They are not above realpolitik, but they also mean what they say.
  
  These formidable people think freedom is so valuable that it is worth dying for.

• 10 Things to Remember About Memorial Day comes from Mental Floss



• Art depicting the horror or war is not often brought to the fore, even in museums where major pieces are part of the collection, so it often falls to places like the Hall of Remembrance to keep it on display.
  
  Actually, it’s up to us to look up and remember the images with which artists have tried to impress on us the inhumanity and tragedy of war, particularly when we are asking our friends, neighbors or sons and daughters to face it for any reason.

  Lines and Colors has a good post featuring an artist who brought home a depiction of what our soldiers suffer in protecting us at home.

Once Again, Let Us Celebrate the Third Most Important Day of the Year

First is Easter, then is Christmas, then is ... my birthday!

As I have mentioned before, some people ignore their birthdays or don't want much fuss made. Not me. I OWN my birthday ... just something about it. Everyone in the household knows it too. (To be fair, they all regard their birthdays to be the third most important day of the year.)

Hannah showed the proper spirit a few years ago when she was filling out a job application on Sunday and asked me what the date was. Then she answered her own question with, "Oh, wait. It must be the 22nd because I know Wednesday is the 25th." Yep, just like Christmas. All other dates are figured around this one.

Everything has been so chocolate intensive around here, what with Rose's and Tom's birthday cakes, that I am going for yellow cake, strawberries and whipped cream. Sort of an upscale strawberry shortcake maybe?

Also it is St. (Padre) Pio's birthday which is very cool. I couldn't find anything online that communicates the sense of joy and light-heartedness that I received while reading a biography of him. It was a photo of him with his head thrown back laughing that first made me notice him. I thought, "Now there is someone I could talk to..."

While praying before a cross, he received the stigmata on 20 September 1918, the first priest ever to be so blessed. As word spread, especially after American soldiers brought home stories of Padre Pio following WWII, the priest himself became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the consciences of those who held back. Reportedly able to bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. Founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide.

And it is the Venerable Bede's saint day which is also very cool. You will never read a better death than that of the Venerable Bede ("Write faster!").

Even on the day of his death (the vigil of the Ascension, 735) the saint was still busy dictating a translation of the Gospel of St. John. In the evening the boy Wilbert, who was writing it, said to him: "There is still one sentence, dear master, which is not written down." And when this had been supplied, and the boy had told him it was finished, "Thou hast spoken truth", Bede answered, "it is finished. Take my head in thy hands for it much delights me to sit opposite any holy place where I used to pray, that so sitting I may call upon my Father." And thus upon the floor of his cell singing, "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost" and the rest, he peacefully breathed his last breath.

What I've Been Reading ...

... catching up ... on this list of what I've read this year.

• Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch**** ... the sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora which was like Indiana Jones goes to sci-fi adventure land. The Booklist review of "Lies" describes the series best:

  On a distant world, orphan Locke Lamora is sold into a crew of thieves and con artists. Soon his natural gifts make him an underworld celebrity, leader of the flamboyantly larcenous Gentleman Bandits. But there is someone who covets Locke's talents, his success, his very life, forcing him to put everything on the line to protect himself. With a world so vividly realized that it's positively tactile, and characters so richly drawn that they threaten to walk right off the page, this is one of those novels that reaches out and grabs readers, pulling us into the middle of the action. With this debut novel, Lynch immediately establishes himself as a gifted and fearless storyteller, unafraid of comparisons to Silverberg and Jordan, not to mention David Liss and even Dickens (the parallels to Oliver Twist offer an appealing extra dimension to the story, although the novel is no mere reimagining of that Victorian classic). Fans of lavishly appointed fantasy will be in seventh heaven here, but it will be nearly as popular with readers of literary crime fiction. This is a true genre bender, at home on almost any kind of fiction shelf.

  This is a worthy successor, set in another part of Locke Lamora's world and Lynch pulls it off again. A series to treasure, but be sure to begin with the first one or you will be hopelessly lost.
  
  
• Police Operation by H. Beam Piper, read by Mark Nelson *** ... novella-length story about the agent who is to clean up the problems a criminal caused when he went on the lam to another dimension. I don't think I really like Piper's style as this is the third or fourth of his works I have sampled and found uninspiring in general. However, Mark Nelson does a very good job reading the story.
  
  
• White Night by Jim Butcher***** (reread) ... just as good the second time around. It looks as if a group of magic practitioners is committing suicide one by one but Harry can tell it is actually murder, and possibly being committed by a member of the Council. Naturally, that's just the tip of the iceberg. A good hard-boiled detective novel as usual.
  
  
• Magic Street by Orson Scott Card***** (reread) ... also good the second time around. Probably the most creative connection I've ever seen of Shakespeare to our modern world. My previous quick review is here.
  
  
• St. Dale by Sharon McCrumb*** ... an intriguing concept for looking at modern pop culture, McCrumb's story has a tour bus on a modern day pilgrimage of the "sainted" seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. It is very clear that McCrumb is not only interested in racing and pop culture but pilgrimages from all times as the priest on the tour can only relate to the entire experience by relating similar pilgrimage experiences from history. Interesting and one certainly learns a lot about racing ...
  
  
• Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely*** - I have enjoyed Neely's previous Blanche mysteries but this one grated on me. As the last book in the series, Blanche's personal issues with her mother and men get sorted out here. However, what I found annoying was her quick and unrelenting charges of racism based simply on a person's appearance, whether black or white. It is tough to meet Blanche's standards and this is the one are where she is apparently blind.
  
  
• Jerome and the Seraph*** - I read a rave review of this somewhere which I am now scratching my head over after having read this book. It is delightful as far as it goes. Brother Jerome dies and then discovers that he is not in heaven or hell but in a midway ground as a sort of a ghost. Advised and guided by the monastery's cat, who has amazing abilities to bend time and space, Jerome goes on to solve an extremely minor mystery (which I figured out very early on in the book). The big mystery is barely touched upon which I found extremely annoying, especially for a $15 price tag. Clearly this is half of an entire book and the second half was later published a year or so later. I don't mind that as a general rule, as witness my extreme fondness for Pamela Dean's Secret Country trilogy, but at least Dean gave us something of depth and complexity. This book, I find, is lacking in both.
  
  
• Uncle Tom's Cabin--A Reader's Companion to the Novel***** - a wonderful resource that answers various objections, both old and new, to Uncle Tom's Cabin as great literature as well as explicating the novel itself.
  
  
• The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb***** - McCrumb has a series of mysteries set in the Appalachians which are titled after old folk ballads. The book generally follows the idea of the song in some way but this one is superior as it tells the story of Frankie Silver and also gives a parallel in modern times which is being investigated. Recommended both to mystery lovers and those with an appreciation for Appalachian folk culture in modern times.
  
  
• Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books by Maureen Corrigan***-fun to read as Corrigan's looks back at the books she's read throughout her life elicits similar reviews from the reader. However, I would have found it more interesting if woman-centric political subjects weren't so much to the forefront all the time.
  
  
  
• Castleview by Gene Wolfe**** - the town of Castleview gets its name from the apparition of a castle that occasionally is sighted by locals. A group of townspeople get caught up in the affairs of Faery on a particular fateful evening and adventure follows. Wolfe tells this story with a minimum of explanation and the reader must be ready to make mental leaps and hold on for dear life as the tale takes up wild momentum. I quite enjoyed it although am going to have to read it multiple times to really understand just what was going on in the middle of the book.
  
  
• Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe*** ... intriguing concept. A soldier, Latros, in ancient Greek times has had a head injury that causes him to have extreme short term memory loss. Every morning he must read what he wrote the night before to know what has happened to him lately. He also can see and interact with local gods and goddesses as he attempts to work his way home, if only he could remember where that was. A good book but not intriguing enough to make me want to read the sequels.
  
  
• Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10)***** - ten books into the series and Jim Butcher is still coming up with fresh and interesting challenges for Harry Dresden, hard-boiled Chicago detective and wizard. It begins with underworld boss Johnny Marcone being kidnapped, ostensibly to gain control of him as he is a member of the Accords (trust me, start at the beginning of the series if you're a newcomer to these books). Harry is dragooned into tracking him down by Mab as one of the two remaining favors he owes her. As with most Dresden books, just when you think you know where you're going, the plot takes an abrupt left turn into new territory. Most interesting to me is Nicodemus' interest in recruiting Harry and Harry's new revelations about relationship with God.

Read reviews of food-ish books here.

What Happens When Parents Neglect a Proper Education in the Classics?

This is so, so very sad.

Worth a Thousand Words

Flowers and Moleskines

Shown by permission
For more from one of my favorite artists, visit Edward B. Gordon.

Superhero Highlight: Ramen Girl

Continuing the stories of superheroes devised by Hannah and Jenny (more about that can be found here as well as the first description)

Ramen Girl

Power: Ability to instantly cook instant ramen

Back-story: Ramen Girl was a typical college student in that her diet consisted mostly of ramen noodles. She was less typical in that she had not yet learned not to put seven ramen cups in the microwave at once. Ramen Girl learned this lesson the hard way, when she overfilled her microwave and it EXPLODED. She instantly became the least popular resident of the dormitory because the fire alarms were set off and it was 3 am. However, she came away from the experience with a new power, a gift seemingly bestowed upon her by the microwave gods. Ramen Girl now had the power to INSTANTLY cook instant ramen. At first, she simply used her powers to more efficiently cook ramen for herself, but after playing a hilarious joke on her friends, in which she scalded them with ramen, she realized that her selfish behavior was a waste of her potential. So she began her life of fighting crime.

Cover: Mild-mannered hair stylist (and a gorgeous hair stylist at that)

Cover name: Harriet Hildenbrook

Partners: The Klutz, H2Whoa

Introduction to partners: Ramen Girl, like the extreme fan-girl she is, one day decided to throw caution to the wind, sneak onto the a movie studio, and finally meet her idol, inspiration, and own personal heroine. Ever since she first saw the classic film The Brunette’s Revenge and its sequel My Neighbor is a Unicorn she has dreamt of the day that she would get the chance to stand in the same room as the beautiful, talented Mildred McEntire. She ducked, she dived, and she dipped to evade the security guards, but just as she was approaching that starred dressing room, the Po-pos caught sight of her. She fled the scene as fast as she could and seemed to be losing her pursuers, until Ramen Girl tripped on a large object that turned out to be famed heroine, The Klutz, who had recently thrown herself to the ground in an attempt to foil this trespasser’s scheme. Ramen Girl, stunned that she was so easily thwarted, began to examine the cause of her downfall, only to find that The Klutz and Mildred McEntire were one in the same. It was a dream come true. After explaining to The Klutz her situation, no charges were pressed, but instead, they decided to form a crime fighting duo. At this point, however, The Klutz already had a partner in justice, but Ramen Girl and H2Whoa! were able to get along with each other just fine, and they went on to be one of the most powerful trios of our day.

Arch-nemesis: The makers of Smooth shampoo, for making all her customers’ hair fall out
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Next superhero feature coming: The String

Worth a Thousand Words

Via Art Knowledge News.
Click through to see a larger version and learn more about the show.

Dollhouse - Joss Whedon

This clip is much better than the one I saw before. Now, I'm interested! Via Scott Danielson.