Mr. McFadden's Hallowe'en by Rumer Godden

Mr. Mc Fadden's Hallowe'en by Rumer Godden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Mr. McFadden, would you give us each a turnip?"

"What on airth would ye be da'en wi' a neep?"

"I think you know," said Selina. "You know it's Hallowe'en."

"Hallowe'en," echoed Tim. His eyes were bright as he thought of it.

"Never heard of it," said Mr. McFadden.

"You have," Selina was unperturbed. "There's no one in Scotland who hasn't and you know what we do with the turnips." Tim could not be expected to know. "Because he hasn't been here," said Selina. "We hollow them out," she told Tim. "Hollow and scoop them out--that's hard work; then we cut holes for eyes and a mouth, little ones for nostrils if we can. Some people give them paper teeth and red rag tongue. On Hallowe'en night we put a lit candle in them or a night light and carry them as a lantern or put them on gateposts. They look horrible," said Selina with a shudder of pleasure, and she told Mr. McFadden. "I'm sure you did that when you were a boy."

"Certainly not. Neeps were for eating not nonsense."

"It isn't nonsense; they frighten witches and ghosts away."

"And spunkies," said Tim. "Didn't you dress up like Selina says," he asked Mr. McFadden, "dress up as a witch or a ghost or a cat, something frightening? Selina says when it's dark we'll go round to people's houses and they have to let you in--even me," said Tim. "Then we sing a song or ask a riddle. Selina's going to teach me one day and I'll get nuts and tablet," Tim said that reverently.

Tablet is homemade fudge.

I have to thank Melanie Bettinelli at The Wine Dark Sea for bringing this book to my attention. Hers is one of the very few "mom blogs" I read because she consistently brings books and literature into her posts, always with intelligent and interesting commentary. Her commentary on this story is mingled with observations of her oldest daughter's reactions and reflections on children's literature. Be sure you check it out.

Like Melanie, I also love Rumer Godden's children's books just as much as her novels for adults. Godden has a knack for incorporating local culture, awkward and unappreciated people, and interesting plot with a lovely prose style. She is unafraid to have her characters behave naturally which means that a story's crisis points will often leave readers feeling very uncomfortable because they recognize the behavior so well and dread the consequences thereof. Godden also is good at avoiding the "nice" sentimentality which can pervade children's books. Her world is always very real.

The plot, briefly, is that Selina lives in a small Scottish village where Hallowe'en is celebrated the old way, which leads to some fascinating details. She is awkward and so is her pony, Haggis, who she chose precisely because she recognized their similarities. It is Haggis who always drags her during daily rides to stand in the middle of local curmudgeon Mr. McFadden's turnip field. The story takes off from there.

Adults won't be as surprised by a lot of the plot turns in this books because they have seen it before, naturally, but I admit to surprise and worry over the Hallowe'en trick that is played on Selina.

The animals in this book become characters we also care about. Lady the dog, Wully the fierce gander and his wives, and Haggis the pony all have their own contributions to the plot as we learn their ways and understand what their reactions mean when they occur. Just as in real life.

I haven't made this story sound nearly as fascinating as it is so please just believe me and give it a try. I picked it up from the library last night, intending to give it a brief look over. I wound up getting sucked in and reading the whole thing.

I'm going to have to add this to my used store book list so that I can have a copy to go on the shelf next to The Diddakoi and The Kitchen Madonna. As it is, my local library branch is going to wonder what's going on when they receive the big stack of children's books by Rumer Godden that I requested last night. Who knew she wrote so many? And I want to read them all.

It's All Downhill from Here: Sponsorship

From one of my favorite cartoonists, Doug Savage.

I always like any advertising oriented humor and if it has aliens, so much the better!

Well Said: Deep enough for a lamb to wade in ...

From my quote journal.

Scripture is like a river again, broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.

St. Gregory the Great, Commentary on the Book of Blessed Job

Need Good Podcast Listening Ideas?

Here's your answer ... SFFaudio's podcast about podcasts.

Jesse, Tamahome, Seth, and Jimmy Rogers and I talk about podcasts. So many good listening ideas that I actually listened to the podcast, even though I was there when it was recorded!

Also, be sure to check out Jimmy's link because his blog isn't just a place to host his podcast. He has a lot of interesting posts pointing to good speculative fiction.

It was great fun and I was relieved that my listening showed I didn't interrupt people nearly as often as I thought I did.

Ahem.

Nearly.

Some day, it's gonna be no interrupting. We've all gotta reach for that star, right?

Most Frightening Thing About Listening to Welcome to Nightvale #34 ...

... is listening to the "beautiful dream" and answering the phone at work, only to hear an automated computer talking to you on the phone.

*silent scream*

Of course, this only makes sense to other Nightvale listeners. And that's ok.

Notes on Mark: Transfiguration and the Disciples

MARK 9:2-8
Barclay* tells us two reasons Jesus would have had the disciples accompany him. I always got the "witness" concept but hadn't thought about the other reason he advances. It makes perfect sense.

(a) They had been shattered by Jesus' statement that he was going to Jerusalem to die. That seemed to them the complete negation of all that they understood of the Messiah. They were still bewildered and uncomprehending. Things were happening which not only baffled their minds but were also breaking their hearts. What they saw on the mountain of the transfiguration would give them something to hold on to, even when they could not understand. Cross or no Cross, they had heard God's voice acknowledge Jesus as his Son.

(b) It made them in a special sense witnesses of the glory of Christ. A witness has been defined as a man who first sees and then shows. This time on the mountain had shown them the glory of Christ, and now they had the story of this glory to hid in their hearts and to tell to men, not at the moment, but when the time came.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Daily Bible Series, rev. ed.)

* (Do keep in mind that I like Barclay's insight into language and bygone customs, but his theology can be a bit wacky. That's not to say that I often don't find him inspiring. He can be. But just know that he should be read with caution.)

The Commemoration of All Souls

Reposted from last year with a few updates to my list.

The Day of the Dead, William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

Today we dedicate our prayers in suffrage for the souls in purgatory, still being purified of the remains of sin. Our ties with deceased relatives and friends do not end with their death. Priests can celebrate Mass three times on this day for their benefit, and all the faithful can gain special indulgences to expedite their entrance into heaven.

In Conversation with God, Vol. 7

I think today of my beloved dead. I love them and I miss them. Certainly, I pray for them to be happy and joyful in Heaven.

• GG
• Raymond
• Thelma
• Grandmama
• Deedah
• Tom's father
• Tom's mother
• Ivar
• Dorsey
• Dorsey's mother
• Carole
• Heath
• Phyllis
• Jeanmarie, Sydney, Matthew

Here is a litany for the souls in Purgatory.

You can read more about All Souls' Day here. For those with any questions about Purgatory I posted this extremely basic explanation a while back.

Catholic Culture explains indulgences and practices that Catholics can do during the month of November for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. Also be sure to swing by Recta Ratio, who's really got soul ... check out his place. In the past he has examined such fascinating topics as Catholic death customs, especially medieval ones. I hope he reruns it for us this year as well.

Worth a Thousand Words: Italian Vacation

Italian Vacation
by Belinda Del Pesco,
a longtime favorite of us here at Happy Catholic

17th century Salem village, Puritans, witch-meetings and pink ribbons.

 What else could it be but Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne ... at Forgotten Classics.

A Year With the Saints by Paul Thigpen

All Saints' Day is this week with All Souls' Day right behind it. Soon we'll be at the beginning of a new liturgical year. What better time to settle in with a bit of spiritual guidance from the saints?

Yep, that's what I thought too. So it is my great pleasure to tell you about this new book.

Paul Thigpen is a favorite author of mine from way back in the days when his books in The Saints Speak Today series were my favorites (St. Thomas More and St. Augustine). In fact, I still grab copies of those to give to new converts since they were key to my own experience.

All of which is beside the point, I guess, except to help explain that I've been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I first saw it mentioned.

Like the other books in Tan Book's "A Year With ..." series, it has 365 one-page meditations. As is obvious from the name, it takes you through a year with the saints as your spiritual guides.

Each reading begins with a brief summary from Thigpen to orient the reader to the subject. Then an excerpt from a saint's writings brings a topic to light. This is followed by a question or two which help readers relate fully to what was just read. A brief prayer ends the session. In case you want to know a bit more about a particular saint, there is a brief biography of each in the back of the book.

Tan Books has done this book proud, as with all those in the series. Even if you prefer e-books, this is one you want to hold in your hands, just trust me on this. The cover may not be actual leather but it certainly feels like it. Pages are gilt-edged and the ribbon marker is sturdy. Moreover, the book design is elegant and decorative in an understated but classic way. A Year with the Saints is not only useful but a book that could become an heirloom in your family. Readers will know that I do not give this praise lightly.

I've been reading an entry a day since I received the book, which means I'm up to the 7th or 8th one. So far I've been reminded of the marvel that Scripture achieves in having simple meanings and complex meanings in the same passages, perfect for whichever need you have. I've been reminded of the fact that the reason God can work miracles is because he made nature ... and so he has power over it.

And, I've been reminded that faith and reason go hand in hand. I'll be honest. I didn't need reminding of this particular concept, but I like the way St. Thomas More puts it so much that this is the one I'm going to share. For one thing, look at his commonplace examples of the handmaid and of eating. They get the point across perfectly and also make me laugh just thinking of them.

==========

Day 4

Faith and reason

Faith and reason should not be opposed, St. Thomas More reminds us; they should go hand in hand. The use of reason is necessary in matters of faith, but it must always be in service to faith.

Whoever would grasp what he must believe must use reason. Yet reason must not resist faith, but rather walk with her, waiting on her as her handmaid. And even though at times reason seems contrary to faith, yet in truth faith never gets along without her.

The handmaid who loses all restraint, or gets drunk, or grows too proud, will then chatter too much and argue with her mistress, and act sometimes as if she were insane. In the same way, reason--if it's allowed to run riot and lift up its heart in pride--won't fail to rebel against her mistress, faith. On the other hand, if she's brought up well, and guided well, and kept in good temper, she'll never disobey faith because she'll be in her right mind. So let your powers of reason be well trained, for surely faith never gets along without her.

The study of Scripture involves deciphering its meaning, considering what you read, pondering the purpose of various commentaries, and comparing various texts that seem contradictory, even when they aren't. Now in doing all this, I don't deny that the most important thing is to have grace and God's special help. But at the same time, in our Scripture study he uses our human reason as an instrument as well. After all: God also helps us to eat--but not without our mouth!

-St. Thomas More, A Dialogue Concerning Heresies,
I, 23; Letter to William Gonell

In God's Presence Consider...
Do I consider my reason a gift from God to be used in support of my faith? Do I make the best of my reasoning skills when interpreting Scripture by using helpful commentaries and other study resources?

Closing Prayer
Lord, let the reasoning powers you've given me always be employed in the lively service of the faith that's also your gift.

Friday is a Holy Day of Obligation

Friday is All Saints' Day, a holy day of obligation that is surprisingly old. The current date of November 1 was set by Pope Gregory III (who died in 741 AD).

Read all about All Saints' Day.

Read about Holy Days of Obligation.

I'll have a post on All Saints' Day but I wanted to give anyone interested a chance to read up ahead of time.

Why Are Catholic Churches Like That? Reviewing "The Church" by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aqulina

The sacramental principle tells us that, since the Word became flesh, God has begun to heal and restore his creation. Spiritual light can now shine through the material world. On one level, bread and wine; on another, oil, candles, fabrics and paint, bricks, blocks, and filigree--all these can mediate God's presence in the world.

I honestly thought I already reviewed this book. When I saw it on my "to review" stack, I thought it was misstacked (I'm pretty sure that's a word ... or, like Shakespeare, I just invented it). Anyway, my apologies for not telling you about this one sooner. Now, let's get down to why I feel that way.

In every church, invisible realities shine through the visible ornaments. Something spiritual shines through all the material elements, inside and out. The ritual book for blessing a church offers a basic explanation of this symbolism: "The church is a visible building that stands as a special sign of the pilgrim Church on earth and reflects the Church dwelling in heaven."

One of the things I love most about the Catholic Church is her insistence that the material matters just as much as the spiritual. Like a pair of folded hands, you can't fully see reality as God intended it without both body and soul. The Catholic attitude to church buildings reflects that same reality. Symbolism is key to all of this because it helps us unlock all the places we can find God shining through into our lives.

God created our bodily senses to lead us to spiritual truth. Thus, Catholic churches engage the human body as God created it. Eyes delight in seeing the play of light through stained glass. When Christians gather for worship, the church is full of the sound of music and sometimes the aroma of incense. Fingers touch stone and wood and dip into holy water. A church well built is a feast for the senses, a festival of praise for the God who fashioned the human body.

Grace builds on nature, heals it, and elevates it. This is one of the fundamental notions in Catholic theology, and is also a key to understanding what one sees and hears and senses in a church.

Sometimes the symbolism is obvious but often the meaning has been lost over time or not passed on due to poor instruction in the faith. That's why we need this book.

The Church: Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholics Call Home does exactly what it says in the subtitle. It gives you a key to why there are all those statues, what's up with the kneelers, and why a crucifix holds place of pride at the front of the church. In short, Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina aim to demystify things so that the next time you go into a Catholic church you can recognize the reminders of God's grace that surround you.

This book will be just as important to Catholics as it is to non-Catholics. The example often told to show how Catholics don't understand their own faith well is that if you ask one why they cross themselves with holy water when entering the church, you rarely find someone who knows the answer. (It's a reminder of your baptism, just in case you're curious.) The Church has both pictures and words that help anchor those important facts in your heart.

This is a companion piece to an earlier book, The Mass. As with that book, I found The Church not only instructive but inspirational. Just to share one example, we are reminded of the scandalous nature of the cross in this book and it helps us understand a Protestant friend who is horrified by the crucifix in the front of our church. Not only that, we are reminded of just how much humiliation Jesus Christ took on for our sakes and how, as St. Paul said, "The cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Ultimately, for my own part, I was reminded that just as Christ turned that humiliation into glory, so too His grace and redemption can turn my shortcomings and sins into something good, something greater than I could ever achieve on my own.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It will open your physical eyes so that your soul can also see the glory that is all around you. You may, like me, find yourself seeing your surroundings in an entirely new way. I can't resist sharing this last bit.

Perhaps the earliest precursors of motion picture photographers were the builders of the great medieval cathedrals. They created images that were invisible to the surrounding world, yet spectacularly beautiful to worshippers inside the church. Catching sunlight, the bits of glass seem to coalesce and come alive, revealing the forms of standing saints in heavenly splendor.

The windows provide motion pictures really: the images change slightly as the earth slowly makes its rounds and clouds pass now and then before the sun.

This never occurred to me and I now look at stained glass windows in an entirely new way. Because, of course, what the building shows our eyes also reflects what is being done in our souls. But I'll let you read more about it for yourselves when you get the book.

Weekend Joke

We're pretty close to Halloween. I like this list from TrailerGhost.
 

How to Tell if Your Mobile Home is Haunted

1. A can of Skoal mysteriously floats through the air.
2. Blood drips out of your simulated wood paneling.
3. The eyes on the velvet Elvis painting move.
4. The room is spinning, and you’re not even drunk yet.
5. That car in your front yard isn’t on blocks -- it's levitating by itself.
6. Your dog, Bo, gets sucked into the TV set, and he's blocking your view of rasslin'.
7. That mysterious scratching below the floorboards? The Telltale Raccoon.
8. The chain the ghost rattles is attached to his wallet.
9. You feel an eerie presence every time "Freebird" plays on the radio.
10. The trailer is shaking, but there’s no tornado in sight.
11. Your Dale Earndhart bed sheets have eyeholes cut in them.
12. The ghost is completely invisible except for the tobacco juice running down his chin.
13. Mysterious footsteps seem to be stomping out “Achy Breaky Heart.”
14. There's a funny howlin' noise comin' from the corn crib--no wait that's Jimmy.
15. You hear strange moaning—but only during Shania Twain videos.
16. You're missing four PBR's, and the missus only drinks Old Milwaukee.
17. The lights turn on and off even though you paid the power bill.
18. You hear blood-curdling screams, but both neighbors are still in jail.
19. You get a mysterious phone call that says, "I know what you did last NASCAR race."
20. Instead of saying "boo" the ghost says "boo-ya'll!"
21. The veneer of window grime looks just like Calvin... and he's peeing on YOU!!
22. Instead of naked women, your playing cards, all of a sudden, have pictures of covered bridges on them.
23. The folks on Jenny Jones discuss domestic problems that eerily resemble your own.
24. You get a creepy feelin' and it ain't because Richard Simmons is on TV.
25. You come home one day and it's clean.

Wait. That Guy is in That Thing? Now I've Got to Watch It.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, seeing that Karl Urban was going to be in Almost Human piqued my interest.

As an aside, I notice that there were several comments about Karl Urban's looks (ok, ok, including mine) ... but none about Andre Braugher's excellent acting which is what makes me doggedly watch whatever he's in, in the usually vain hope that it won't be cancelled after the first four episodes. Luckily Brooklyn Nine Nine seems good to go for a while.

Back on topic, this made me look for a list I had of actors who will make me take a second look at a show or movie I'd never have considered otherwise. Hey. I told you already ... I make lists. Lots of lists.

This particular list seems embarrassingly long, but I'm going to share it anyway. It seems rather eclectic now that I'm rereading it several months after I first made it. Some of these are just plain American. I mean, really, Will Smith and Robert Downey Jr. are on everyone's list, am I right?

In no particular order except how they popped out of my pen and onto the paper:

1. Sam Rockwell
2. Paul Bettany
3. Nathan Fillion
4. Andre Braugher
5. Steve Carrell
6. Guy Pearce
7. Jim Caviezel
8. Alan Rickman
9. Tyrone Power (yes, you read that right)
10. Boris Karloff (and yes, you read that right)
11. Toni Collette
12. Will Smith
13. Rachel Weitz
14. Bruce Willis
15. Victor Garber
16. Daniel Craig
17. Scott Glenn
18. Robert Downey Jr.
19. Sean Bean
20. Emma Stone
21. Jesse Eisenberg
22. Benedict Cumberbatch
23. David Tennant
24. Karl Urban

Obviously this is a work in progress based on the fact that Karl is last on the list. I only realize these things when I've got to fight off an urge to see The Fifth Estate despite (and strangely enough, because of) Benedict Cumberbatch's weird wig. And then the list gets another name.

Who's on your list?

Notes on Mark: Radiant Glory and the Cloud

MARK 9:2-8
I like the way Mark's description translates to my mind's eye. It is much different than I had pictured, which was more of a white, glowing process. Also, it is fascinating to see connect the overshadowing cloud with events from the Old Testament.

... Mark tells us that the garments of Jesus became radiant. The word he uses (stilbein) is the word used for the glistening gleam of burnished brass or gold or of polished steel or of the golden glare of the sunlight. When the incident came to an end a cloud overshadowed them.

In Jewish thought the presence of God is regularly connected with the cloud. It was in the cloud that Moses met God. It was in the cloud that God came to the Tabernacle. It was the cloud which filled the Temple when it was dedicated after Solomon had built it. And it was the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would return to the Temple. (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 1 Kings 8:10, 2 Maccabees 2:8.) The descent of the cloud is a way of saying that the Messiah had come, and any Jew would understand it like that.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Daily Bible Series, rev. ed.)

If You Will Not Ask The Right Questions - Why Bother to Ask At All?

Tom takes it to Black and Decker ... and most retailers who put surveys out there. Read his experience and, more interestingly, his analysis at the General Glyphics blog.

(OMG, Black and Decker ... your "factory service center" doesn't even have an answering machine? The phone just rings and rings? You've really given up, haven't you ...)

What I'm Reading: The Firm

In a conversation about movies recently, people were lauding The Firm which I'd never seen. (extreme shock and wonder at such a hole in my movie viewing, though I redeemed myself by expressing my love of Runaway Jury, also originally a John Grisham novel)

That was when I realized I'd never read a John Grisham novel.

"Why ever not?" I was asked. It just never occurred to me to pick one up. I guess I just don't move in the circles where people read or talk about Grisham novels.

Hard upon the heels of that conversation came a featured interview with Grisham in the Wall Street Journal's weekend book section. I don't know much about Grisham but I fell in love with his wife solely based on the comments she gives him on his books.

"What the heck," I thought. "Why not try one?" I'm a Scott Brick fan, so when I saw the library had the audio version that was what I requested.

And here I am, with one CD down and 13 to go. So far, so good. The hook is baited with lots and lots of money and Mitch McDeere is getting ready to bite on a deal that sounds way too good to be true. In fact, I'm positive it is too good to be true because otherwise it's going to be a very boring book.

I've got my seat belt on and am hoping for an entertaining ride.

Karl Urban on TV -- I'm There

I'd seen mentions of Almost Human, almost endless tv commercials actually during any football games on Fox.

"In a not-so-distant future, human cops and androids partner up to protect and serve." The ads didn't grab my interest. Although it did make me think that someone was updating Isaac Asimov's "Caves of Steel" about a robot-hating detective who was teamed up with (you guessed it) a human-looking robot to solve a murder.

Until Hannah pointed out the star is Karl Urban.

Wait. What?

Eomer from Lord of the Rings?

Doctor McCoy from Star Trek?

Those are the movies where I noticed that chameleon, that darned good looking chameleon I might add.

He's just one of those guys who will make me watch something because he's in it.

Much the same way that seeing Andre Braugher got me to watch Brooklyn Nine Nine, which much to my relief came out of the starting blocks as a solid and smart comedy. I mean really. Andre Braugher. Of course, I was going to try it.

And now Karl Urban.

November 4, I'm there.

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state. There wasn't so much wilderness around you couldn't see the town. But on the other hand there wasn't so much town you couldn't see and feel and touch and smell the wilderness. The town was full of trees. And dry grass and dead flowers now that autumn was here. And full of fences to walk on and sidewalks to skate on and a large ravine to tumble in and yell across. And the town was full of...

Boys.
And it was the afternoon of Halloween.
And all the houses shut against a cool wind.
And the town was full of cold sunlight.
But suddenly, the day was gone.
Night came out from under each tree and spread.

Scott (from A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast) loves this book and never fails to bring it up around Halloween. I happened to have an Audible credit coming up and figured it is always good to come up to Halloween with Ray Bradbury. Bronson Pinchot's narration is simply wonderful.

The story, which is highly reminiscent of A Christmas Carol, is an enchanting tour of Halloween history and how it is represented in the way we celebrate the holiday ... done Bradbury style with lovely prose as a gang of neighborhood boys strike out into adventure to help an ailing friend.

It is written for younger readers but is equally enchanting for those of us who are merely young at heart.

This went on my Best of 2013 list.

Notes on Mark: On the Mountaintop

MARK 9:2-8

I am going to take several posts to quote William Barclay* on the transformation as I like how he explains both some of the details of this important event. Here we will look at when it happened and just which mountaintop they were on.

Mark says that this happened six days after the incidents near Caesarea Philippi. Luke says that it happened eight days afterwards. There is no discrepancy here. They both mean what we might express by saying, "About a week afterwards." Both the Eastern and Western Churches hold their remembrance of the transfiguration on 6th August...

Tradition says that the transfiguration took place on the top of Mount Tabor. The Eastern Church actually calls the Festival of the Transfiguration the Taborion. It may be that the choice is based on the mention of Mount Tabor in Psalm 89:12, but it is unfortunate. Tabor is in the south of Galilee and Caesarea Philippi is away to the north. Tabor is no more than 1,000 feet high, and, in the time of Jesus, there was a fortress on the top. It is much more likely that this event too place amidst the eternal snows of Mount Hermon which is 9,200 feet high and much nearer Caesarea Philippi and where the solitude would be much more complete.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Daily Bible Series, rev. ed.)

* (Do keep in mind that I like Barclay's insight into language and bygone customs, but his theology can be a bit wacky. That's not to say that I often don't find him inspiring. He can be. But just know that he should be read with caution.)