a very wordy yarn long: mid-december 2022

A lovely stack of books and a crumpled heap of squishy blanket.  

That's what I'll remember from this December.

I'm re-reading, or actually reading for the first time since my first experience was an audiobook, That Hideous Strength, probably inspired by this essay.  (Looking at it now, I realize I didn't read the whole thing because it's behind a paywall.) Mid-November, I had a sudden urge to revisit the world of Mark and Jane Studdock, N.I.C.E., and Mr. Bultitude, a world eerily like our own.  Lewis captures so exactly the secret and deepest longings of humans; his understanding amazes me.  Mark's journey, his interaction with Dr. Dimble immediately before his arrest, the scales falling from his eyes as he sits in prison: these are the parts that strike me this second time around.  Books meet us each reading with something new, don't they?  

During our homeschool morning meeting, we're finishing Freckles and beginning Great African Americans.  They're two very different books, although they both tell very compelling stories.  I can't wait for Little M to be old enough for A Girl of the Limberlost.  Our poets this term are Browning and Poe, and I purchased Poe's complete stories and poems, hoping to read the stories in my free time.  Someday.

We've re-discovered the treasures of our library after some disappointments in its catalog.  Most of the books we prefer to read are no longer available on library shelves, but there are still gems.  T has been exploring cookbooks, which has led me to the adult stacks with him.  I picked up one a couple of weeks ago, needing an infusion of new recipe ideas for our Nativity Fast.  It's been years since we used "replacement" ingredients other than vegan butter and plant-based milk. (Yes, I know vegan butter is terrible for us.) I've stopped trying to substitute non-lenten foods with vegan ones because they're mostly gross.  But my teen, pre-teen, and tween sons are at an age where the only foods they really want are bacon, beef, chicken, eggs, and cheese.  This cookbook might bridge the preference gulf?  We'll see.  G used up a whole pad of sticky tabs to show me which recipes he wanted me to try.  We're attempting the nachos from the cover image tonight.  I remain skeptical, but open to trying new things.

House Thinking has been an interesting read, although I didn't finish and I think it's overdue.  (Must check that.) It's a room-by-room exploration of the evolution and purpose of the house.  Much of the psychology I had never even considered; much of it resonated with me.  

Two projects occupy my attention right now.  Realizing it would be another two decades until I had enough scraps of sock yarn to finish my granny strip afghan, I ordered some very inexpensive yarn to fill in most of the body.  I'll tootle along with this Cloudborn Highland Fingering, which is much more taupe than cream in person, until there's a bit of the blanket left and then I'll revert to stripes.  Maybe there'll be enough left of the Highland Fingering for a sweater for me?  

I'm using the last of my Linen Quill (in Stillwater Blue) to make a simple ribbed hat, 2x2 by Ida Wänstedt.  K2, p2, k2, p2, k2...soothing and mindless for an intense season.

Sending warm and cozy wishes your way, friends!