Can it be? Is this possible? March has come and gone, for us, like a:
Though I googled it, I found no significance of that; no one seems to know (or possibly care) what happens if March comes in like a lamb and leaves it like that as well. Perhaps I've already spent too much time on this. So I will wish you a showery April. Please note I said 'showery' and not 'torrential flooding'. And although we may have had it easy comparatively, our back garden (and those of our neighbors) are veritable squidgy fields of mud. It's the kind of mud in which shoes get stuck and faces get splattered. But, thankfully, though we get dirty we can get clean.
Happy spring, lovelies! tIO x
PS: For those of you asking (or wondering out-loud to yourselves), I have not abandoned either the 'banner day' or 'mid-week music'. Nor have the conundrums been forgotten. I have quite a few of the former in queue, and the latter strike me as impolitic as of late. But stay tuned... x
PPS: A reminder that today is 'Educator Day' at The Learned Owl. Support your independents!
To answer the burning question:
which, according to the idiom, does not bode well, weather-wise, for the rest of the year.
It may be against the norm, but it has happened before - proof via Edith Holden's 'Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady':
"March has come in like a lamb with a warm wind‥from the South-west."
Have a wild and woolly one! tIO x
PS: For more information - or a more salient response to the whole "lion v lamb" question, check-out "The Weather Guys" - and click-on their link to Jack Horkheimer's explanation as well.
Oh where, oh where has the Optimist gone?
Oh where, oh where can she be?
- With her bangs cut short and her skirt so long -
Oh where, oh where can she be?
(I found her over at Betsy's house
Trading books on Nancy Lancaster.
Then she sat back down to read "Papers and Paints"
And ponder the cracks in her plaster.)
I haven't done the three things I'd hoped to do in January: 1. paint the insides of the bookcases this color 2. unclutter the boys' clothes closets and bins, and 3. organize my fabrics (ostensibly to make room for more). I have done these three things however: 1. read seven books, including this one 2. made this (several times), and 3. watched the boys learn this. I am also thoroughly enjoying this and our new post-supper ritual of this.
January was a toasty and fun month. Here's to a hale-and-hearty February, which is also known as 'Solmonath', 'Kale-monath', 'Hornung', and, my personal favorite, 'Helmikuu'.
Today's conundrum: Who better to portray 'Dory' than Ellen Degeneres?
Future conundrum: In July, is Boston hotter than New York?
Thanks for perusing this blog; blog you again soon! tIO x
Oh, happy day! It's banner day again! And I am so excited to feature a long-time Etsy 'favorite shop': ModernJune. The festivities begin at this kitschy site banner:
What a great start, right? But the cute doesn't stop there. Owner/blogger/tweeter/homeschooler and all-around cool SAHM, Virginian Kelly McCants has been sewing for 20+ years and selling on Etsy since 2006 "as a simple creative outlet for a semi-desperate housewife." Indeed! Kelly sews the things that we all use - or need to use - everyday: aprons, chalkmats, tablecloths, pillows, splat mats, and totes. And her banners - from celebratory to the 'happy holiday' varieties - are sweet and sturdy, made from oilcloth to "brave summer showers" or maybe even wisps of winter whiteness! Have a gander:
Aren't they wonderful?
In fact, as soon as I post this, I'm packing up the laptop and turning to my sewing machine. Guess who just got a package of oilcloth from Kelly? *grins sheepishly* Time to make the oilcloth stocking for the stocking competition at the Grey Colt! Wish me luck! (Or if you're in town on 2 December, stop by the shop. Katie Coulton and her crew always host a wonderful event for charity.)
TTFN, lovelies! And make it a banner day! tIO x
PS Want more of Kelly and ModernJune? Find her here: http://modernjune.com/ and at her Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/modernjune and blogging here: http://modernjune.blogspot.com/ and here: http://oilclothaddict.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Modern-June/119464333979 and on twitter here: @modernjune. (She knows her social media!)
(Setting: a well-lighted breakfast table, cluttered with dishes and books. In one of the chairs, our protagonist sits down in front of her laptop. She is dressed comfortably, and is non-plussed with the excited banter about Wii Ski coming from the adjoining room. She opens a tab and begins surfing.)
"Hmm...what's this?" she asks, eyebrow raised, as her amazon homepage flashes it's new banner at her. As she clicks through to find out more about what she's just seen, her mouths goes slack. She frowns slightly, then grins.
"Where did you come from?" she whispers.
(scene)
OK. I'm not a playwright/screenwriter. But, I did just start using this. It's Kindle for PC.
And I love it.
First, let me just say: free books! Classics, required reading, and even "recommended resources" - available at the touch of a button. (sigh) A reader's dream. Second, I have an e-reader and can e-read books from my local library, too. But this technology is superior in almost all respects, both with the reader itself and the search engine. Finally, I have the added benefit of reading the amazon readers' reviews, some of which are very insightful and others of which are rather humorous.
As advertised, not all titles are available. For example, can you get The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler?
Well, no; not yet. But I "recommended to the publisher(s)" that they be formatted for the Kindle. The Narnia books, Black Beauty, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and even the Federalist Papers are available though. And again for little or no cost. While sitting at a computer to read a book is not ideal for me - and won't replace holding a battered-and-beloved copy of Pride & Prejudice in my hands, it does provide another option in my quest to be never too far from the books I adore (or have to read). And I like options. So now, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin awaits. And I have miles to go before I sleep. Which reminds me: Frost is available, too.
(Still at the breakfast table, our protagonist finishes typing her post. Again, she sighs and smiles at the computer screen.)
"The homeschool will seem a bit brighter and more organized in the morning, I think."
(And she presses the 'publish post' button.)
Today's conundrum: What kind of ROI can I expect on printed books going forward into the digital information age?
Future conundrum: Where did Snapple find "even better stuff"? Or do you prefer an "Orange Whip" as I do?
UPDATE: After re-reading my post, it occurred to me that the books mentioned might be a bit skewed toward younger readers. I will attempt to redress this imbalance, and let you know that many of the recent prize-winning authors (and nominees) are available on Kindle, as are most recent releases, e.g. Juliet, Naked, The Help, The Lost Symbol, and Wolf Hall. Again, many of the classics, e.g. Pride & Prejudice, The Old Man and The Sea, and Shakespeare's plays are available, too. And so are the Harry Potter books, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and Cold Comfort Farm. Hope that helps! tIO
Thanks for perusing this blog; blog you again soon!
