Wordless Wednesday: Wicked!

 

Wordless Wednesday: Cherry Tree

 Our front yard cherry tree in the fall...

Poetry highlight: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I just wanted to take a moment to share some "mom schooling".  I decided to take on the challenge of memorizing a poem, Snowflakes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is part of a high school literature course that one kid was working through last year, but I decided I should try it myself. It is suggested to spend time memorizing for 15 minutes each over 3 sessions. My sessions including rewriting the poem several times because repetition is the best for me. Also, I don't memorize very well anymore. Needless to say, I do not have this poem memorized, but I do have a better understanding of each line and the poem as a whole, and I would definitely recognize it if I heard it out of the blue somewhere. 

I wrote it on the white board that is displayed in our living room, where I can see it and often read it while I am doing my yoga. Sometimes lines pop out at me and I ponder them more. Now it's time to start erasing words each day.

My very first rewrite was just on a piece of paper (yes, don't mind the white scribbles on the bottom right, I was just practicing some snowflakes for the next project).

My 3rd writing was in a book where I keep special projects and drawings. I watercolored the page with some winter colors and snowflakes (that ran because I used the wrong paint pens), then I wrote it out in my best cursive. Writing in cursive isn't easy, but sometimes I like to practice it.

I got to thinking about his other poems and works and remembered that he also wrote one of my favorite Christmas carols, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. The story behind this song is both heartbreaking and uplifting. I did a little searching to see if there are any books about it and found a few things. First thing I found was his story retold at a Tabernacle Choir concert featuring Edward Hermann (an actor from one of my favorite shows--Gilmore Girls). 

There are of course many versions of the song/poem sung by many other people too. It's a very pretty song. I also found some books that I would love to read. I will share those after I have found and read them. It's kinda fun getting sucked into a rabbit hole of learning for myself once in a while. Also, poetry is something I'm starting to love more lately. I don't know if it's age and wisdom, or just taking the time to really understand it better, but I am enjoying it a lot these days.

Wordless Wednesday: Front porch sittin'

 A new rocking chair for the front porch, and my blooming Camelia...

Books I finished--October

 Finished 2 again for the month of October. Here they are!

Just David by Eleanor H. Porter

This is a book that is part of the High School level 1 Literature/Language Arts course for The Good and the Beautiful. I read it too because I had never read this one before. It's a sweet story of a small boy and his view of the world and how it changes as his life circumstances change very drastically.

Quotes:

p. 63--"With the coming of Monday arrived a new life for David--a curious life full of 'don'ts' and 'do's'. David wondered sometimes why all the pleasant things were 'don'ts' and all the unpleasant ones 'do's.' Corn to be hoed, weeds to be pulled, wood boxes to be filled; with all these it was 'do this, do this, do this.' But when it came to lying under the apple trees, exploring the brook that ran by the field, or even watching the bugs and worms that one found in the earth--all these were 'don'ts'."

p. 73--"Very soon, however, David discovered that there was something to be found in his wanderings besides squirrels and roses--and that was people. In spite of the strangeness of these people, they were wonderfully interesting."

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

This was such a cozy fun fall read. It has the feel of a Hallmark movie or Gilmore Girls with a small town feel and love in the air. This book also came with a music playlist on Spotify. A first time having something interactive with a book.

Last but not least, some new reading shirts! These are so fun and comfy.

Wordless Wednesday