Categories: Fluff-n-Stuff
The Equuschick's Alphabet Survey
Surveys, surveys, all over the internet. Who makes them, and why, and why can't The Equuschick, she wanted to know. She could not discover why, and therefore she decided she would entertain herself with such an activity.
Favourite Animals: Dogs and Banjos
Favourite Bad Habit (You know, that one that you like too much to even try to break. You like being addicted.): Napping
Favourite Cookie: Raspberry Coconut Tarts
Favourite Drink: Vanilla Malteds or Eggnog (non-alcoholic, of course)
Favourite Egg Style: Fried (I, too, like a good egg sandwich with cheese melted on top of the egg, lots of mayo, lettuce, salt, and pepper. Tomato is acceptable only if it is fresh from the garden.)
Five Favourite Fiction Books: How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Favourite Gadget: My camera, of course!
Favourite Hymn: Unto Thee, Oh Lord
Favourite Ice Cream: Rum Raisin or Eggnog
Favourite Jam: Raspberry
Favourite Kid's Books: Peter in Blueberry Land and other books by Elsa Beskow, The Root Children and other books by Sibylle Von Olfers, The Tomten books by Astrid Lindgren, the Flower Fairy books by Cicely Mary Barker, Tales from Grimm and More Tales from Grimm by Wanda Gag
Favourite Love Song: Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
Favourite Memories: I have too many precious memories to just choose a couple of random ones. Memories are like precious stones that I like to turn over and over in my head. Some of them are more polished from time and constant handling and some are sharper and have clear facets. Some are so sharp they are almost too painful to handle and remain so no matter how much time seems to pass. Favorite memories aren't the same as memories of important events. The day I was baptized, the day my husband was baptized. The days my husband baptized each of our daughters. Those are important days. My wedding. The days I gave birth to my babies. These are all precious and important. My heart, however, is often drawn to the moments that weren't nearly as important in the grand scheme of things. The summers I spent with my grandmother. Playing in the yard as a child and smelling Thanksgiving dinner coming from my house. Sledding down the snow-covered drive with my mother's arms wrapped around me. Curled up on a snowy, winter day in New Hampshire, reading Little Women. That summer evening on the beach when my husband-to-be told me he wanted to take care of me for the rest of his life. Nursing my babies. These are the memories that I savor.
Favourite Nonfiction Books: The Bible (I really do not enjoy reading for information. There are very few non-fiction books that I would call favorites. There are some biographies and autobiographies that I have read over the years that I've enjoyed, but nothing I would call a favorite. I am very much an auditory learner and a pleasure reader.)
Favourite Operatic Song: When I have one, I will let you know.
Favourite Piece of Music at the moment: If by 'piece of music' you are implying that I am cultured enough to know how to play a musical instrument or even read music, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. Well Tempered Clavier by M. Ward will have to make do.
Favourite Quiet Spot: I long for a quiet spot, but have yet to find one.
Favourite Reading when you're sick: I'm very blessed in that I don't often get sick. However, when I am sick enough to retire to my bed, I am not usually well enough to read. The one time I can think of that I was bed-ridden, I tended to reach for my Bible for comfort.
Favourite Song that you want played at your funeral (Obligatory weird question, sorry. It isn't a real survey if it doesn't have at least one very strange question.): I'll Fly Away
Favourite Task: Laundry. Albeit it's not the task it once was; I love taking dirty clothes and making them clean again.
Favourite Ugly Animal: The Platypus
Favourite Vintage Book:
Favourite Writing of C.S Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia
Favourite Word That Starts with X: Xylography
Favourite Yellow Wildflower: Japanese Honeysuckle
Favourite Zoo: The Smithsonian National Zoological Park
A Little Levity
Okay, I will admit that the facial recognition scan also pegged me as a Nancy Kerrigan look-a-like, which I did get comments about when she was in the news a lot and we were both quite a bit younger.
Ronald Reagan, though? I suppose it could have been worse...
ABCDEF Meme
I decided to do this after I saw it over at Bona Vita Rusticanda Est, The Common Room, and Dewey's Treehouse. Yeah, I'm still here. A lot's been going on and I will have more to tell. In the meantime, here's a bone. ;o)
A - Accent: It depends on whether I am talking to my relatives in New England or my relatives in the south.
They each seem to hear a different thing.
B - Breakfast Item: Tea (with milk and sugar) and butter cookies (sometimes with raspberry jam on them).
C - Chore you hate: Having to tell my children to do their chores.
D - Dad's Name: Dad.
E - Essential everyday item: God's grace and a sweater.
F - Flavor ice cream: Coffee.
G - Gold or Silver: Hmm... Two of my least favorite crayon colors. I'll go with cornflower.
H - Happy Place: Wherever I happen to be napping.
I - Insomnia: No, I just stay up until sleep catches up with me.
J - Job - Love or want to leave: I'll keep it. The job of a homemaker produces more of an outflow than an income, but
it's worth it.
K - Kids: Two lovely daughters.
L - Living arrangements: Heaven. The only living arrangement I've ever needed to make.
M - Mom's birthplace: An old, Catholic hospital where the nuns insisted 'Joyce' wasn't a Christian name and made
my grandmother name her baby girl 'Mary'. A nice enough name that she never used.
N - Number of pets you have: One fluffy, white cat and one tireless, Boston Terrier puppy.
O - Overnight hospital stays: Two. Two babies. Two overnight hospital stays. My husband nixed the idea of
home births.
P - Phobia: Large dogs that 'sense' my 'fear' before I even know they are around.
Q - Question: How do you choose your friends? I'd really like to know.
R - Religious Affiliation: I strive to be after Christ alone. (Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.)
S - Siblings: Luna Moth, Lunatic and Curly.
T - Time you wake up: Usually an hour or so after I lie down to take my nap.
U - Unnatural hair colors you've had: I suppose those grays would be considered natural, wouldn't they?
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Boiled okra.
W - Worst habit: Laziness.
X - X-rays you've had: Several dental and one foot.
Y - Yummy: Everything loaded with lactose. Unfortunately, I am lactose-intolerant.
Z - Zoo animal you most like: The giraffe. Bizarre, yet beautiful.
Of Squirrels, Fauns, Fireflies, & Little Girls
As Lucy Pevensie, you may be quite timid and shy, but your heart is in the right place! You make sure you tell the truth, even if it results in embarrassment.
Hat tip to Mama Squirrel, who really should accept that even squirrels have facial hair. ;)
Bioluminescence!
Pholph's Scrabble Generator          My Scrabble Score is: 23. What is your score? Get it here. |
Scrabble and Scrabble-like games have always been favorites for me, so this little Scrabble score generator caught my attention. I am not big on playing online games, but I was recently introduced to Bookworm. If you decide to play, please don't blame me if you become addicted. *wink*
A Little Uke
This is just a little something I had to pass along to my musician friends out there. If you haven't heard of Jake Shimabukuro, maybe you should check him out. I keep thinking... just four strings! Amazing. You can watch him play here and here. There's also a nice interview of him here. Enjoy!
Two Things
I found this meme over at Quiet Life and thought it sounded fun. I have been sitting on my "Seven Things" post for a while. This one seemed a bit more manageable for the likes of me. I used to have a page devoted to "One Hundred Things About Me". It was an ongoing project. I may just rebuild that page. Hopefully, it will satisfy any desire anyone may have to get to know me a little better. I admit that it can be fun reading some of these lists.
2 names you go by:
1. Firefly
2. Mom
2 parts of your heritage:
1. English
2. Scots-Irish
2 things that scare you:
1. Strange, large dogs running loose (Rottweilers, wolf-dog hybrids, etc.)
2. Strange, large cats running loose (lions, tigers, etc.)
2 of your everyday essentials:
1. Prayer
2. Tea
2 things you are wearing right now:
1. Long johns
2. Cardigan sweater
2 favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment):
1. Guster
2. Iron and Wine
2 favorite songs at the moment:
1. Backyard by Guster
2. Fever Dreams by Iron and Wine
2 truths:
1. God loves us.
2. Boiled okra tastes terrible. (Okay, this is just a personal opinion.)
2 of your favorite hobbies:
1. Photography
2. Reading
2 things you want really badly:
1. To please God
2. My children to walk in truth
2 places you want to go on vacation:
1. A comfortable cottage in the Scottish countryside
2. An old castle in the English countryside
2 things you want to do before you die:
1. Clean my house
2. Write something like a book
2 things you are thinking about now:
1. The piano teacher is coming at 8:30 A.M.
2. It is after midnight.
2 stores you shop at:
1. Hechts
2. Goodwill
2 people you would like to complete this meme:
1. Thicket Dweller
2. JavaMom
Merry Christmas!
Happy Birthday To Me!
I've found I share my birthday with some interesting people:
1719 - Leopold Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1787)
1765 - Robert Fulton, American inventor (d. 1815)
1805 - Fanny Mendelssohn, German composer and pianist (d. 1847)
1840 - Claude Monet, French painter (d. 1926)
1900 - Aaron Copland, American composer (d. 1990)
1907 - Astrid Lindgren, Swedish writer (d. 2002)
1907 - William Steig, American cartoonist and children's book author (d. 2003)
1948 - Charles, Prince of Wales
1954 - Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
And a couple of interesting literature-related events:
1851 - Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick was published.
1889 - Nellie Bly set out to beat Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg's time of 80 days to travel around the world. She did it in 72.
Firefly, circa 1400 A.D.
Since my eldest is studying the Middle Ages this year, I thought this might be a fun test to take. Obviously, all those years of Catholic school and yearning to be a nun must have had some affect on me.
You are a moral person and are also highly intellectual. You like your solitude but are also kind and helpful to those around you. Guided by a belief in the goodness of mankind you will likely be christened a saint after your life is over.
You scored high as both the Lady and the Monk. You can try again to get a more precise description of either the Monk or the Lady, or you can be happy that you're an individual.
The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test
Just What I Need
"Here's the drill: You google '[your name] needs', except of course that you replace [your name] with, well, your name. Then you look at the search results, and you laugh. (You might want to turn on the 'Family filter' or whatever it is that Google calls that. Because there are apparently some people out there who think you need stuff that, uh, you don't need. Or at least, you probably don't want to read about needing it on the Internet.)"
1. Firefly is a wonderful person and she needs our help.
I couldn't agree with this statement more. This is starting out rather nicely.
2. Firefly is all about gas.
What?! How rude!
3. Firefly needs ownership of producing oil fields.
Yes, yes I do. Then we can move away from here. Californy is the place we ought to be. We'll load up the truck and move to Beverly. Hills, that is. (I'd love to take a dip in a cement pond right about now.)
4. Firefly needs stitches after her encounter with the crocodile.
Funny, I have no recollection of this encounter. I must have blocked it all out. I'm afraid to look for the stitches. Crocodiles aren't even native to North America, are they? Did I leave the country without knowing it? This opens up far too many questions about me.
5. Firefly needs the original plus two additional copies of the backup along with just one requisition.
Now, really, I am not that uptight. Am I?
6. Firefly needs photographs of Mother Beasley.
Yes, everyone please send me pictures of Mother Beasley. I would really like to be able to greet her kindly, if I should pass her on the street.
7. Firefly needs additional coaching and training on how to take the time to be friendlier on the phone.
I think my friends will disagree here. I am far too friendly on the phone and often leave people wishing they had never picked up the phone, I fear.
8. Firefly needs her best friend back.
How does Google get its information? This one is a little creepy. Sharon, call me immediately. I'll send you some money for the bill.
9. Firefly is in deep need of a chill pill it seems.
Well, this one may be true. According to the article I linked to in my previous post, I am in sore need of some Paxil.
10. Firefly needs to go to a Batman book. ANY Batman book.
This one seemed a little cryptic to me. Once I get to a Batman book, what should I do next?
11. Firefly needs to be taken seriously for many reasons.
Yes, I most certainly do. Quit laughing at me. Don't think I can't hear you!
12. Every woman needs to know Firefly.
Maybe...But I might find it a little overwhelming.
I'm not going to try to tag anyone this time, but please let me know if you do this so I can check out your blog. I have put the directions in my comments for anyone who wants to cut and paste them to their blog. Have fun!
Visiting The Hundred Acre Wood
Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!
The Twenty-Third Post
1. Search your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (this is meant to say something about you).
4. Post that sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.
I am sure that Pat felt that my blog held some great promise for just such a meme. Unfortunately, after manually searching my blog for the twenty-third post, I came up with this:
"Lily has finally decided to work on her hook rug and Clara is playing her lap harp."
Hmmm...What to think, what to think? An entire post of self-absorption and we find the first and probably the last sentence that isn't about me. As a matter of fact, it doesn't say anything about me at all. Except, perhaps, that I knew someone named Lily who was working on a hook rug and someone named Clara who was playing a lap harp on that particular day. How disappointing. I would have much preferred a sentence that exposed some deep revelation about myself. Something that I had entirely missed.
Well, here's hoping it turns out better for those of you buzzing around The Beehive, living the good, peasant life at Bona Vita Rusticanda Est (sorry, my Latin's a little rusticanda) , huddled together in The Common Room, hanging out at Dewey's Treehouse, and lastly, for Sprittibee. Have fun!
And to think I bumped down a perfectly nice picture of a flower for this.
Hello, Hello, Hello...Is Anybody Out There?
Say Cheese!
Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?
Take the Quiz here!
Spring Has Arrived!
Automatic Alarm
Airplanes have automatic alarms that go off when they get too close to the ground. Most cars let you know when they're running low on gas. If you could have an automatic alarm installed in your brain, what would it be for, and when would it go off?My first reaction to this question was that I would love to have an alarm that would go off when I hit my ideal caloric intake for the day. Wouldn't that be great? I could stop at that bite knowing I wasn't going to see the scale so much as wiggle one way or another from its intended destination. That cheesecake I was going to have for dessert would be perfect for breakfast. I don't mind being hungry so much.
Having said that, I will tell you that I thought a little more seriously about the question. If I could only have one automatic alarm installed in my brain, shouldn't it be for something more important than my weight? Something deeper, loftier, more spiritual? I believe that God gives you a conscience, though, that is ultimately an alarm, if you don't fry it. Sinning isn't really something you do by accident. You do have a choice. So, after being presented with something you know is wrong and contemplating what you should do, if your conscience isn't enough to stop you, what will?
I suppose, the bottom line is that God has wired us perfectly for what our needs are on this earth. It doesn't take brain surgery to control ourselves. It just takes the maturity to step up to the plate and make the right decisions.
Quiet Girl
Quiet Girl
What kind of little girl were YOU?
brought to you by Quizilla
Mr. Picassohead
Motto
What would your motto would be for the place you're at in your life right now? Is it different than it would have been five years ago? 10? 20?
I thought this writing prompt was interesting because of my instant response to it. My first response was what it would have been five, ten or twenty years ago. I immediately thought of the Rolling Stones song You Can't Always Get What You Want. When I was between eighteen and twenty-eight-years-old, I remember feeling comfort in the chorus,
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
You just might find
You get what you need
I even remember riding around my college campus in my roommate's red Mustang convertible with the top down, this song blaring and me singing right along. During this period of my life I always felt acutely lost.
When my husband and I married, I no longer felt lost, but our first ten years together were quite difficult and I often felt very much alone. Marriage is a difficult thing. I remember still clinging to the chorus of this song during this period like it was almost a spiritual anthem for me. I could sing along and gain not only comfort, but strength from the words and music.
A little more than five years ago, though, I started feeling like I not only didn't have what I wanted, but I wasn't getting what I needed, either. I remember dancing to Paula Cole's song, Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? with my young children nearby and feeling totally disconnected. Completely lost.
Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?
Oh you get me ready in your 56 Chevy
Why don't we go sit down in the shade
Take shelter on my front porch
The dandy lion sun scorching,
Like a glass of cold lemonade
I will do laundry if you pay all the bills
CHORUS:
Where is my John Wayne
Where is my prairie song
Where is my happy ending
Where have all the cowboys gone
Why don't you stay the evening
Kick back and watch the TV
And I'll fix a little something to eat
Oh I know your back hurts from working on the tractor
How do you take your coffee my sweet
I will raise the children if you pay all the bills
(Chorus)
I am wearing my new dress tonight
But you don't, but you don't even notice me
Say goodbyes
Say goodbyes
Say goodbyes
We finally sell the Chevy
When we had another baby
And you took the job in Tennessee
You made friends at the farm
And you joined them at the bar
Almost every single day of the week
(Chorus)
I will wash the dishes while you go have a beer
Where is my Marlboro man
Where is his shiny gun
Where is my lonely ranger
Where have all the cowboys gone
Yippee yo, yippee yeah
Today, though, I was listening to the Jars of Clay remake of America's Lonely People and I couldn't help but think that my life is so good today. My husband and I will have been married sixteen years this summer, we have two beautiful children and I no longer feel lost or lonely. I think this would come as close to a motto or, perhaps I should say an anthem, as anything for my life today.
Lonely People
This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky
This is for all the single people
Thinking that love has left them dry
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
You never know until you try
Well, I'm on my way
Yes, I'm on my way
Well, I'm on my way back home
This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And never take you down or never give you up
You never know until you try
The Friday Five #3
If you...
1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
I could see myself owning a restaurant that sold just coffee and dessert. I would serve all types of coffee and the best desserts on the planet. As far as I am concerned, dessert is the one, truly necessary, food group. And, of course, I would serve lots and lots of flan. Maybe I could call the place Just Desserts.
2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
I would sell old books. I would love to have an antiquarian book store. It might go well with my coffee and dessert shop.
3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?
Definitely, any book that I initially write will be autobiographical fiction. That's where all of my writing eventually leads me.
4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?
I would love to be around small children, but I would never propose to teach them anything in the traditional, academic sense of the word. I would read lots of good books to them and let them have lots of time to play. We wouldn't have a lot of toys, but we would have an amazing amount of hardwood blocks, dress-up clothes, art supplies and small, felt dolls. We would go for nature walks, listen and dance to all kinds of music and I would show them how to do different handicrafts. I would insist that the parents play a strong role in the program similar to a co-op program. In the end, though, I would prefer that the mothers stay home with their children and do all these things with them. That's why I homeschool.
5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
With the right musicians, I would record an album of instrumental bluegrass hymns or maybe some instrumental Quaker hymns.
The Friday Five #2
1. What was the last song you heard?
Try by Nelly Furtado.
I love the lyrics:
All I know / Is everything is not as it's sold / But the more I grow the less I know / And I have lived so many lives / Though I'm not old / And the more I see the less I grow / The fewer the seeds the more I sow / Then I see you standing there / Wanting more from me / And all I can do is try / Then I see you standing there / Wanting more from me / And all I can do is try / I wish I hadn't seen all the realness / And all the real people are really not real at all / The more I learn the more I cry / As I say goodbye to a way of life / I thought I had designed for me / Then I see you standing there / Wanting more from me / And all I can do is try / Then I see you standing there / I'm all I'll ever be / But all I can do is try / Try / All the moments that already passed / We'll try to go back and make them last / All of the things we want each other to be / We never will be, we never will be / And that's wonderful, and that's life / And that's you, baby / This is me, baby / And we are, we are, we are, we are / Free / In our love / We are free in our love
2. What were the last two movies you saw?
I watched most of The Hunt for Red October on Wednesday night, but I started falling asleep on the couch and had to go to bed. The last time I went to the theater to see a movie was last summer when Will and I took Lily to see Sea Biscuit. Lily feels that this is pathetic and that I need to get out to see more movies, but I am usually satisfied with waiting until they come out on video.
3. What were the last three things you purchased?
Well, Will and I purchased a new vacuum cleaner. Basically, I researched what I wanted and he brought it home for me. I now have a purple Dyson that really sucks. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Since Will's birthday was this week, the other two purchases that come to mind are the two dozen roses that I helped the girls to order for Will and a multi-player computer game that I thought Will would enjoy, Battlefield 1942. He is already addicted to Tribes II. I thought maybe it was time for some variety.
4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
There are too many things that I need to do this weekend. I suppose, if I whittle my list down to four things, I might actually accomplish one thing.
I need to clean the living room.
I need to clean the bathroom.
I need to go to church on Sunday.
Shoot! That's enough for two days.
5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Since Will, Lily and Clara just walked in the door and we all exchanged greetings, that leaves me to ponder who else I have talked to recently. I apologized to Maggie when she barked at me to let her in the back door. Does chatting online with someone count? Will's brother, Paul, messaged me a bit ago asking what we were having for supper over here. He was having hot dogs and I was having Chinese leftovers. I guess he figured there wouldn't be enough leftovers to go around, so he stuck to his hot dog story.
The Friday 5
What was...
1. ...your first grade teacher's name?
Mrs. Desrosiers. I was so shy in her class that I would refuse to come up to the table at the front of the room with my reading group to practice reading. I really loved Mrs. Desrosiers, but I will never forget the day that she literally pulled me out of my desk and dragged me to the front of the classroom so that I would finally learn to read. Once I was up there and my dignity returned, I realized that reading was not only easy, but also great fun! I remember that we used the 1962 version of the Dick and Jane first grade reader, Fun With Our Friends, and I remember seeing the word "said" a lot. Looking back on this, I have to say I love Mrs. Desrosiers even more today. She wasn't young when I was in first grade, but I would like to find someone in her family to thank.
2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?
(Okay, so it wasn't exactly a cartoon, but it was my favorite Saturday morning fare.)
3. ...the name of your very first best friend?
Elizabeth, my sister. When I was in first grade, though, I considered a girl named Tracy my best friend. She used to meet me at my house and we would walk to school together. My mother told me later that she was from a poor family. I do remember my mother often taking the time to brush Tracy's hair and put it up in bows, but I never remember thinking she was poor or neglected. I just remember her being my best friend.
4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal?
(In case you're interested, the Snorkeldorf character was my favorite.)
5. ...your favorite thing to do after school?
When not watching Batman re-runs, I spent a lot of my time lying around in the grass on warm, sunny days reading books, daydreaming and occasionally weaving mats out of iris leaves. I also loved to ride my bike and try to find interesting places to go to. During the colder months, I spent time outside sledding and ice skating until the sun went down and then I would lie around the house reading, daydreaming and writing stories.
I have a picture of my first grade teacher and my friend, Tracy, taken when my mother came to visit one day at school. I will upload them tomorrow, if I can find them.
Me (with Mrs. Desrosiers)
Tracy (wearing glasses)
