Another pleasant spring day. Maybe we’re getting somewhere.
Clare came this morning. We thought about going on the parish trip to Toulouse and Lourdes at the end of May. People would have to put up with me as part of their Christian (and Lourdes-focused) duty, but I fear it would be too much for them. Especially when it got to the nitty-gritty aspects of the commode.
Later in the day I thought about buying “Vegan Chinese Food”. I may still come around to that one. It’s well spoken of (and much cheaper than flying to Toulouse). Do any of you know it?
My recently-planted salad factory is coming on nicely. I really must get back to the Catalogue Room and to showing you some pictures.
Franklin has launched a sock-knitting course for his patrons. We’ve only had the introductory essay so far. There are some wonderful sock yarns out there these days.
I haven’t done any knitting today, and I am beginning to be afraid that I am holding back because it is pleasant to knit round-and-round without getting anywhere, but finishing-off is going to be much more demanding.
Thank you for your comments. I am continuing to enjoy Lane Fox on the Iliad. And my new Loebs arrived. The new traslation (for such it is) is very simple and clear, and very closely related to the Greek.
Wordle: I am the class dunce again today. My two starter words gave me one green vowel and two browns. I struggled mightily but couldn’t think of anything. I finally gave up and typed in a Jean-word — qualified in every respect except that it re-used a previously eliminated letter. The result was no progress at all — I still had one green and two browns, although by now I knew one more place, for each brown, where it couldn’t be.
That was line three. I did much better on four — my original letters were now all green, but I had made no progress at all with the two letters that had been missing from the beginning.
I thought of something that fit, from the diminishing stock of available letters. And it was right. Five for me.
Mark, Rachel, Ketki, and Alexander all had four. Three for Thomas — he’s clever, that boy.Theo and Roger both scored three as well. They’re clever, those Americans.
I remember reading The Iliad my freshman year at University of Michigan for a Great Books course in 1960. I still have my Penguin paperback marked up. That course nearly killed me as there was so much reading and so many papers to write. But I still remember that book and all the others we read that semester.
ReplyDeleteI am presently reading Black Lamb Grey Falcon by Rebecca West. It is a huge book written in 1937, about her travels in Yugoslavia. I am enjoying it so much. Her writing is delicious. She uses many unusual (in today's world) words but on the Kindle you can look them up on the page which is so helpful.
I'm glad you are posting every day as I really enjoy hearing from you.
Sarah in Manhattan
I'll probably spend next month's Audible credit on Robin Lane Fox's Iliad book, thank you, Jean. Years ago I gave my husband his book on Alexander the Great. I listened to the Robert Fagles translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey a few years ago, haven't yet tried Emily Wilson's although I keep reading good things about them. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon is in our house - we have family in Slovenia and have visited there, and in Croatia - but neither of us has cracked it in the several years it's been sitting there. Thanks, Sarah, for your impression of it.
ReplyDeleteI am not a vegan, but vegan Chinese food can be really delicious (vegetarian Chinese food without egg? Not much dairy in most Chinese recipes if not from far border edges of modern China). Dumplings with green vegetables. Lots of noodle options. Crunchy salads with peanuts. Smoked or five-spice flavoured tofu. Quick-fried cabbage with chilies.
ReplyDeleteOh I am hungry already!
Lisa R-R, Toronto
All local kitchens with a big Buddhist presence tend to have fantastic vegan food because when Buddhist higher-ups dined with secular higher-ups they used to get the same food, but vegan, and it was a point of pride for the cooks to make it the same quality. (I learned this from the daughter of the owners of our local vegetarian Chinese restaurant.)
ReplyDeleteMy dad goes on the parish Lourdes trip every other year, but he's a bit more mobile - he uses a wheelchair for the longer walks only and can do his own basic care. That said, if you want to go, there should be a way! Maybe they can engage a local volunteer?
I wonder if the crowds at Lourdes ebb and flow with the state of the world. I should look it up.
ReplyDeleteThat was/is Chloe. Hit Publish prematurely. Yes, please, we would like some pictures.
ReplyDeleteHave been dipping in your archives for some older ones. Maybe a relative could help you there?
(Sigh) Here I am again. Back in the 60’s I read a book about Lourdes more from the Pilgrimage side (lots of pictures of abandoned crutches and wheelchairs) than the religious. If anyone finds it at a used book store it might be worth a flip-through. As a wide-eyed 20-something, I found it fascinating. Am considering the Rebecca West book. Travel and “delicious writing” spoke to me! Chloe
ReplyDelete