1984

I have another book checked off on my 888 list!  Actually, I finished 1984 a couple of weeks ago, but I have been waiting to do my review until after we met for book club so I didn’t give anything away.  Plus, I needed some time to process it.  My initial reaction was that I hated it and couldn’t believe it was considered a “classic”.   It was very disturbing.  I knew it would be dark, but I don’t think I was prepared for the yuckiness.  Sadly, I was the one who chose this book for book club.  I really didn’t know much about the book except that I kept hearing it referenced in a number of other works I was reading.  Most recently I read about it in Approaching Zion, by Hugh Nibley.  (That book is fabulous by the way.  I can’t wait to finnish it.  That review will be a much easier one to write...)  When I read about it there, I finally decided I needed to find out what all the fuss was about.  

This book is labeled as a “negative utopia”.  It was written in 1948 and was a, then, futuristic view of the year 1984.  In this world everything is controlled by “the party”.  All actions, emotions, relationships, everything, down to the minutest detail, is under the observation and careful scrutiny of “the thought police”.  Anything out of the ordinary is noticed, and those people who do not conform are “taken care of”.  The book is about one man’s plight to discover truth in a world where truth is almost impossible to find.  

The premise of the book, and the ideas it brings out are fascinating.  I loved the theme presented in the book of “the minority of one”.  The main character struggles with the question of ‘If you are the only one who believes something is true, but you are certain that it is, does that make you insane?’  It was a captivating idea, and one that I sometimes feel I can relate to, so I appreciated it all the more.  I also found the parallels to our day very compelling.  There was a device that everyone had in their homes and were unable to turn off called a “telescreen” (remember this was written in the 40’s...).  The telescreen filled their days and nights with information and told them what to think and believe about the party and the life the party was creating for them.  Sounds a lot like television doesn’t it?  We might have the ability to turn it off, but the statistics show that most people don’t most of the time.  Another parallel is the way the party uses doublespeak to describe its’ inner workings.  Basically, they call good evil, and evil good.  We see plenty of that happening in the world today...  

Most of the reviews I have read about this book either praise it or condemn it because of its warning against communism or totalitarianism.  While I think those warnings are clear and true, the greatest warning I saw in the book was against the “dumbing down” of society.  The party’s whole objective was to create an unthinking populace who did whatever they were told.  That was how they gained power over the people.  That was the scariest and most timely message in the book to me.  Scary, because that is where I see our society headed in a fast and seemingly unstoppable way.  We swallow what we’re fed, and rarely question if it is what is good for us or not.  From our public education system, to our “public policies” in most any form.

All of these ideas and several others were very poignant to me.   I just wish that Orwell could have left out the sex and violence.  It was probably tamer than most modern novelists would treat this subject matter, but there were many times when my spirit was offended.  I have been struggling to reconcile the relevance of the message with the questionable content and I’m not sure if I can.  Would I recommend this book to others?  I don’t know.  I think the story was very captivating, and the message was extremely significant, however I have a hard time recommending a book with shady material. 

Writing this review has been very therapeutic for me.  In fact, I wish now that I would have written it before our book club.  There are so many ideas that we didn’t discuss that I wish we would have.  I have to admit I actually like the book much more in retrospect than I did while I was reading it...  

There is no Frigate like a Book

A Book

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away,

Nor any coursers like a page

Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take       

Without oppress of toll; 

How frugal is the chariot

That bears a human soul!

The poet we have been studying this term is Emily Dickinson.  The poem of hers that we decided to memorize was this one.  I love this poem!  It is so true.  Each book we read is like an adventure that takes us to places that we have never imagined before we enter it’s pages.

We just finished our second term for the year and have had some wonderful adventures that have just come to an end.  Today I thought I would share a few of our favorite excursions.  Isaac and I read a couple of books that we both loved.  The first one was The Little Duke.  It was based on the life of Duke Richard of Normandy, who became the Duke at the age of eight, when his Father was cruelly murdered.  It was a fun and exciting story, but also taught beautifully the virtues of courage and mercy.  We were sad to see it end.  We also read The Wind in the Willows this term and it has to be one of my favorite books of all time.  Kenneth Graham has such a magical way with words!  He has the ability to express things in a way that often left me wanting to reread the phrase again and again to soak in the beauty of the words and the scene he had created with them.  Here are a few of my favorites, although almost any sentence he wrote could qualify.

“ Never in his life had he seen a river before -- this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver -- glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble.  The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated.”

“It was a cold still afternoon with a hard steely sky overhead, when he slipped out of the warm parlour into the open air. The country lay bare and entirely leafless around him, and he thought that he had never seen so far and so intimately into the insides of things as on that winter day when Nature was deep in her annual slumber and seemed to have kicked the clothes off. Copses, dells, quarries and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while, till they could riot in rich masquerade as before, and trick and entice him with the old deceptions. “

My favorite chapter was #7 “The Pipers at the Gates of Dawn”.  It was a beautiful chapter that pulled at my heart. 

“Slowly, but with no doubt or hesitation whatever, and in something of a solemn expectancy, the two animals passed through the broken tumultuous water and moored their boat at the flowery margin of the island. In silence they landed, and pushed through the blossom and scented herbage and undergrowth that led up to the level ground, till they stood on a little lawn of a marvellous green, set round with Nature's own orchard-trees -- crab-apple, wild cherry, and sloe.  ‘This is the place of my song-dream, the place the music played to me,' whispered the Rat, as if in a trance. `Here, in this holy place, here if anywhere, surely we shall find Him!'

   Then suddenly the Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror -- indeed he felt wonderfully at peace and happy -- but it was an awe that smote and held him and, without seeing, he knew it could only mean that some august Presence was very, very near.”

Isaac loved the book too, but he was more partial to the adventurous chapters.  Especially the exploits of Mr. Toad.  I am sad to have ended the book, but look forward to reading it again with Grant in two years.

Harrison had longer books this term, so his are still being continued into next term, but we did finnish our second Shakespeare play, Measure for Measure.  We liked it, but I think it is a play that is better suited for an older audience.  I had to use some very guarded explanations of what was going on.  We enjoyed last terms play, Twelfth Night, much more.   It has been exciting to see Harrison begin to understand more and more of the Shakespearean language.  There is still a lot I have to explain to him, but I’m surprised he is getting as much as he is at age 9...

There are many more books we are still in the process of reading, and loving.  All of the wonderful books we get to read, and great ideas we are able to discuss because of them, is one of my favorite things about homeschooling.  When I was in school I didn’t get to read any of the amazing classics I am reading with my kids and I am so grateful I have this opportunity to experience them even though I am not so young any more.  There is nothing like sharing the new worlds and ideas found in a book with your young and eager children.  These are memories I will cherish forever.

Green Hour Challenge #6

I have not had much time to post lately, but we are trying to keep up on our nature study. However, with our beautiful spring weather (notice the shorts?) we have moved our focus to the garden.  Part of Barb’s challenge this week included starting a collection in your area of focus.  Well, our area of focus is birds, so we are not collecting anything related to that.  But, if I’m not stretching things too far, I would say that a garden is a collection of sorts. ;D  Truthfully, it is one of the greatest ways  I have found to get the kids fully immersed in nature.  There is something about using your hands to prepare the soil for life, planting seeds, and watching them grow that bonds you to the earth.  

I am always planning a garden and each year they end in varying degrees of success.  Last year I was very pregnant in the spring and had a newborn in the summer, so our garden was not well tended.  This year we have a lot of work to do to get it ready for planting.  We have six 4x4 square foot garden boxes and yesterday, and today we got four of the six ready for planting this Saturday.  Here is what we had to start with.

YIKES!!!

The kids were troopers though, and helped quite a bit to get the weeds out and prepare the soil.  Here is H. Man working diligently in one box.

We found a caterpillar in here and had a fun break observing him for a while.

Here is G. Diddy with his mostly finished box.

And here is I. Mac with his completed box, and the caterpillar.  

I. Mac decided that the collection he wanted to start was a “bug zoo”.  He has an ant farm and he thought he could add to that the potato bugs and caterpillar he found in the gardens.  Unfortunately, mom was supposed to be keeping an eye on Fred (that’s what the kids named the caterpillar), and he somehow got away.  

Perhaps we should change our area of focus to insects.  We didn’t see a single bird in our yard either of the two days...  It sure was wonderful though, to be out in the fresh air and warm sunshine so much!  We had some great conversations about weeds and how they relate to the habits we allow to form in our lives, and how we need to constantly be on the lookout for sin and root it out of our lives.  All in all, I would say that our nature study was a success this week. 

Confessions of a Happily Organized Family

No, this is not about me.  I wish it was.  This is the title of the book I just finished. (One more down on my 888 list!)  I saw this book on Cellista’s 888 list and decided to read it.  It was basically a collection of many different ways to keep your home and family organized.  I certainly need help in these areas, hence the reason I decided to read this book.  I feel that I gained some valuable tools to help me in my quest to be more organized.  Most of the tips that she gives were ones that I ended up saying “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?” 

 Here are some of my favorite ideas from this book.  The “three bag” cleaning tool.  When you are cleaning a room, bring three bags and put anything that goes into another room in one bag, garbage in the second bag, and laundry in the third bag.  When you have finished cleaning that room, you can then put away the items in the three bags in their appropriate places.  That way you (or your kids), aren’t constantly running to different rooms and getting side-tracked while you’re cleaning.  I loved her creative storage ideas, (using shower hooks on your closet rod to hang belts, using drawer dividers for socks, underwear, p.j’s, using a shoe bag in the bathroom to hold often-used toiletries, using towel hooks in the bathroom to make it easier for kids to hang their own towels...).  One of my favorite ideas was something she did with her kids in the summer.   Since we homeschool and the public school here is on a year round schedule, I think we will use this year round. She made a sign with the picture of a bee that said, “Sorry, kids, we’re busy as bees, come back later if you please.”  The neighborhood kids knew they couldn’t knock on their door until she took down the sign.  I love this!  We have kids here who ring the doorbell every fifteen minutes to see if the kids can play yet.  It drives me crazy!  I am so going to start using this!   There were many other ideas that I am excited to implement too, but I’ll leave some things for you to discover on your own...

My only problem with this book is that it is apparently the sequel to another book she wrote, Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, and she would frequently mention a tool or method she uses, then tell you that if you want to know about it you have to read her other book.  There were times when that was so frustrating and I felt like she had only written this book to get you to buy her first book.  I did end up getting her first book from the library because I wanted to see what her detailed menu-planing ideas were, and she only hinted at those in this book.  

All-in-all, I thought this was a valuable book for the organizationally challenged, as well as for those who want some creative solutions to every day organizational problems.  We’ll see if I become a more organized person as a result.  Wish me luck.

15 Amazing Years!

I can’t believe it, but fifteen years ago today, Doug and I were married.  In some ways it seems like only yesterday, yet it is also hard to imagine life when we weren’t together.  These have definitely been the best fifteen years of my life.  In honor of this day, I thought I would share my fifteen favorite memories of our life together.  

1- Our Wedding Day (of course).  It was the most beautiful, amazing day ever.  There have been few times in my life that I have felt Heaven as near as I did that day.

2- Our Honeymoon to San Francisco.  Our first trip together, my first trip to San Francisco, and the whole thing was awesome!  Great food, amazing sights, exploring the art galleries, sleeping in, and enjoying being together and the newness of being married...

3- Our first Christmas.  We were young, and poor, but it was so fun to be together starting our own family and traditions together.  (Doug, do you remember the Newton...? :D)

4- The trip to Kanab.  Most people have never heard of it, but it was one of the funnest trips we ever took. We spent the week riding mountain bikes, golfing (my first, and only attempt) and enjoying the beauty of Southern Utah together.

5- Starting Doug’s first business.  We were still young and naive, and we both quit our jobs to start a business that we really knew nothing about.  I loved working together to try to achieve our goals.  It was crazy, but an adventure that led us to where we are today...

 6- Harrison’s birth.  That day and every other child’s birth was the only other time that compared to the spirituality I felt on our Wedding Day.  We had tried for 5 long years to have a child and it was such a miracle to finally have him here.  Watching Doug immediately fall in love with him, made me love Doug even more.

7- Isaac’s birth. The first child was scary for both of us, so we hired a doula, but for Isaac, it was just Doug and I.  He was so calm and supportive and knew just what I needed.  My labor was so fast, that it was literally just the two of us until it was time for Isaac to be born.  It was a beautiful experience.

8- Our Disney Cruise.  This is something we will probably never do again.  I have always loved Disney, but there is such a thing as too much Disney.  It was way too hot, and humid and our kids were too young to enjoy (let alone remember) any of it, but that is what made it so memorable.  It was beautiful and fun, in it’s own miserable way. ;D  Any time that we can spend alone together as a couple, or as a family is always wonderful, just because we’re together.

9- Our trip to France.  Doug served his mission in France and Switzerland, and he always talked of taking me there someday, but it took us 7 years to be able to afford it.  It was definitely worth the wait!  Six days in Paris, three in Aix-en-Provence, three in Cannes, and then back to Paris (with lots of side trips in between.)  It was a dream come true!  Amazing food, awe-inspiring sights, shopping, train rides, beautiful beaches, time alone after three years with kids...  I could go on, and on.

10- Grant’s birth.  We had Grant at a birthing center and were able to do things how we wanted.  Every child’s birth is amazing, and every one has brought us closer together as a couple.  There is something undefinable about the beauty of bringing another child into this world.  It is a miracle that never grows old.

11- Camping in Santa Cruz.  This was our first trip alone since France (about 4 years) and  it was wonderful.  There were beautiful hikes, fun at the beach, a scary visit to a certain beach..., the best sushi I’ve ever eaten, bike rides along the coast, and the fun day in San Francisco watching the bike race.  It was a much needed break.

12- Harrison’s Baptism.  This was an amazing spiritual high for our family.  It was so awesome to have Doug baptize and confirm him.  Harrison was so excited, and so prepared.  It was one of those crowning moments in the history of our family.  It is hard to put into words.

13- Our trip to yellowstone.  This was a week of fun with the whole family.  Two years later, we are all still talking about it, and wishing we could go back.  Camping, fishing, canoeing, watching geysers in the sun and rain, enjoying the majesty of God’s creation, church in the most amazing setting imaginable, campfires, etc, etc, etc...

14- Our trip to Vegas.  (More alone time!)  I hate Las Vegas, but we had to go for a convention and it turned out to be a ton of fun!  We stayed in a great hotel (in a non-smoking room that was actually free from the smell of smoke), we had fun at the convention (it was a bike convention, Innerbike), did some shopping, went to the temple in St. George, and just had fun being together.

15- Carol’s birth.  We were rather adventurous with this one (for lack of a better word) and we had Carol at home.  This was the quintessential birth experience for us.  Everything was so calm and relaxed.   As always, Doug was so supportive and helpful.  We had planned to send the kids to my mom’s when I went into labor, but after a few false alarms, we ended up letting them sleep.  (I had her at 1:00 in the morning.) After Carol was born, Doug woke up the kids and it was so awesome to have everyone there to welcome her into the world.  It was a major bonding experience for our whole family.  It was so wonderful to be home and not in a hospital and rest in our own bed, and begin our own family routines together.

These are obviously our major memories, but there are lots of little wonderful ones in between.  From the time Doug told me he thought my hair was “pretty” (on our first date), to all of his funny jokes, the kind and thoughtful acts he is always doing for me, cheering for him at his bike races, him cheering for me at my triathalons, his unconditional support and love, the birthday celebrations, and and all the little things that have made our life together better than a dream come true.  I love you Doug!