I'm sure most of you have learned about this already, but I couldn't help posting about it anyway:
Huge hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure uncovered in UK
Apparently it beats the hoard found at Sutton Hoo by a long shot.
The best part? The man was unemployed and pursuing his favorite hobby: metal-detecting. He just happened to stumble upon the biggest Anglo-Saxon loot ever, and he gets 50% of the proceeds when it is sold to a museum. The other half goes to the farmer whose land the treasure was found on.
Incredible. My favorite find that they've uncovered so far is the strip of gold with the "crudely written and misspelled Biblical inscription in Latin: Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face."
It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Beowulf. Wouldn't my Traditio teacher Mr. McIntosh be proud, I still have my commonplace book, and I'd copied that quote down:
"But the Lord was weaving a victory on His war-loom for the Weather-Geats. Through the strength of one they all prevailed; they would crush their enemy and come through in triumph and gladness. The truth is clear: Almighty God rules over mankind and always has (696-702)."
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Color Crazy
Recently I've gone a bit crazy in the decorating department. Not crazy as in my tastes have changed from New England Homes to Rococo (I'm not sure my mother would set foot in our place if they had), or I've swapped out my Monet for Picasso, but I have been experimenting with colors much more than I've ever done before. The result? Behold, my writing desk:
I know what you must be thinking. She actually painted a desk that color??!! Actually when I got it at our church's large yard sale it was already that gloriously bold color of green. And I love it!
The desk itself is charming on its own, it used to be a sewing machine desk and it has the neatest antique knobs on the drawers. But then my friend Kathryn gave me that blue lamp, and of course the only place I could justifiably stick such a brightly colored lamp was on my (almost) neon-green desk.
Now, there is one problem with the picture (ha, you say, just one??) which you decorating gurus may have noticed. The lampshade does not go at all with that lamp. I need something retro to match that style, and I have no idea what to pick... round? square? patterned? layered? hexagon bell?
Time to start googling retro lamp shades. Any suggestions are welcome!
I know what you must be thinking. She actually painted a desk that color??!! Actually when I got it at our church's large yard sale it was already that gloriously bold color of green. And I love it!
The desk itself is charming on its own, it used to be a sewing machine desk and it has the neatest antique knobs on the drawers. But then my friend Kathryn gave me that blue lamp, and of course the only place I could justifiably stick such a brightly colored lamp was on my (almost) neon-green desk.
Now, there is one problem with the picture (ha, you say, just one??) which you decorating gurus may have noticed. The lampshade does not go at all with that lamp. I need something retro to match that style, and I have no idea what to pick... round? square? patterned? layered? hexagon bell?
Time to start googling retro lamp shades. Any suggestions are welcome!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
My skunk story
Last night I went searching for my cat. She frequently goes adventuring down at the bottom of the hill and out in the fields past the road. So, I grabbed a flash-light and thought that by shining the light I could hopefully detect her gleaming little eyes and be able to bring her in for the night.
In the fields past the road there is a marsh-like area which during the day resounds with the noise of hundreds of little birds happily taking baths. But at 11 at night, the only sound I could hear was rustling. A lot of rustling in fact, which made me think that perhaps my cat was down there. I got to the edge of the marsh and shone my flashlight. Instead of a cute little tabby cat, I discovered a whole family of skunks, rooting around in the tall grass. None of them seemed terribly disturbed by my presence, so I decided to give them a wide berth and look for kitten elsewhere. I shone my light and saw a gleam of kitten eyes around the other side of the marsh, so I started to head that way.
Apparently, however, there were more skunks than I had anticipated. And apparently I got too close to an over-protective mama skunk. As I was walking, I suddenly heard a very loud rustling to my left, followed by a SHRIEK! CHATTER CHATTER CHATTER and this animal comes bounding out of the marsh towards me. I'm not scared of little night creatures, but when they possess the ability to spray you with one of the most terrible smells ever invented, I run like my life depended on it. This was a persistent skunk, and it chased me all the way back to the road, chewing me out in skunk speech the whole way.
I decided against searching for Whiskey any more that night, although as I left I swept my flashlight across the fields one more time, and I could see those gleaming kitten eyes still in the distance. I could have sworn they looked amused.
In case you're wondering what a mad skunk sounds like, here is a good representation.
In the fields past the road there is a marsh-like area which during the day resounds with the noise of hundreds of little birds happily taking baths. But at 11 at night, the only sound I could hear was rustling. A lot of rustling in fact, which made me think that perhaps my cat was down there. I got to the edge of the marsh and shone my flashlight. Instead of a cute little tabby cat, I discovered a whole family of skunks, rooting around in the tall grass. None of them seemed terribly disturbed by my presence, so I decided to give them a wide berth and look for kitten elsewhere. I shone my light and saw a gleam of kitten eyes around the other side of the marsh, so I started to head that way.
Apparently, however, there were more skunks than I had anticipated. And apparently I got too close to an over-protective mama skunk. As I was walking, I suddenly heard a very loud rustling to my left, followed by a SHRIEK! CHATTER CHATTER CHATTER and this animal comes bounding out of the marsh towards me. I'm not scared of little night creatures, but when they possess the ability to spray you with one of the most terrible smells ever invented, I run like my life depended on it. This was a persistent skunk, and it chased me all the way back to the road, chewing me out in skunk speech the whole way.
I decided against searching for Whiskey any more that night, although as I left I swept my flashlight across the fields one more time, and I could see those gleaming kitten eyes still in the distance. I could have sworn they looked amused.
In case you're wondering what a mad skunk sounds like, here is a good representation.
Monday, September 14, 2009
A few pictures of our apartment
I realized I never put up pictures of our new apartment, and since I'm finally almost finished with decorating it, here are a few shots!
There's our entrance with Joel on the couch looking ready to greet guests.
And this is the outside of the apartment, with our cat trying out some new dance moves.
Our dining room table...
And a close up shot of the entry way. I will probably keep the cheery daisies up all winter long.... regardless of how many decorating rules I'm breaking.
The Hallway
Plus a better shot of the hallway.... and who, you ask, is the small child in the picture?
Yes, that would be the little nephew David.
More to come....
There's our entrance with Joel on the couch looking ready to greet guests.
And this is the outside of the apartment, with our cat trying out some new dance moves.
Our dining room table...
And a close up shot of the entry way. I will probably keep the cheery daisies up all winter long.... regardless of how many decorating rules I'm breaking.
The Hallway
Plus a better shot of the hallway.... and who, you ask, is the small child in the picture?
Yes, that would be the little nephew David.
More to come....
Friday, September 4, 2009
We're goin' to the big city!
Yes indeed, mom, dad, Joel and I are breaking out of this small town for the weekend to visit Spokane. My fabulous grandmother is turning the big 8-0, and she's still as funny and spirited as ever. Friends of mine usually remember her as "that cute Scottish grandmother of yours," and I couldn't agree more. I've been so blessed to grow up living in the same town as my Gran, and being an hour and a half away makes me realize that even more.
On a different note, yesterday mom and I went to see Julie and Julia. I would highly recommend it. We laughed (somewhat loudly for such a small theater) through most of the movie, and all I can say is I plan on wearing pearls when I cook from now on. And finding "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Meris, you are my resident cookbook connoisseur, do you have a copy?
So off we go, back to my childhood town. As Gran says (in a fabulous cockney accent), "Home Charles, and don't spare the horses."
On a different note, yesterday mom and I went to see Julie and Julia. I would highly recommend it. We laughed (somewhat loudly for such a small theater) through most of the movie, and all I can say is I plan on wearing pearls when I cook from now on. And finding "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Meris, you are my resident cookbook connoisseur, do you have a copy?
So off we go, back to my childhood town. As Gran says (in a fabulous cockney accent), "Home Charles, and don't spare the horses."
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sangria Recipe
I've made this recipe twice now for parties and both times received rave reviews. In fact, this last time for a party of 12 I quadrupled the recipe and we still ran out! It's a cinch to make, as long as you remember to start it the night before.
* 1 Bottle Red Wine (I've used Zinfandel both times)
* 1 Lemon, cut into wedges
* 1 Orange, cut into wedges
* 1 Lime, cut into wedges
* 2 Tbsp sugar
* Splash of orange juice or lemonade
* 1 Cup of raspberries of strawberries (thawed or frozen)
* 1 small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
* 4 cups ginger ale
Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar and orange juice (you could add a couple shots of gin or triple sec, although I never do). Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving.
For doubling, tripling or quadrupling: I would do it by taste.... not everything in the recipe needs to be doubled, tripled or quadrupled (like the ginger ale, and probably the sugar).
* 1 Bottle Red Wine (I've used Zinfandel both times)
* 1 Lemon, cut into wedges
* 1 Orange, cut into wedges
* 1 Lime, cut into wedges
* 2 Tbsp sugar
* Splash of orange juice or lemonade
* 1 Cup of raspberries of strawberries (thawed or frozen)
* 1 small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
* 4 cups ginger ale
Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar and orange juice (you could add a couple shots of gin or triple sec, although I never do). Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving.
For doubling, tripling or quadrupling: I would do it by taste.... not everything in the recipe needs to be doubled, tripled or quadrupled (like the ginger ale, and probably the sugar).
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