Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Beautiful Blue! A Homemade Life, Willa Cather and Finished Remains


I am happy show show that another square of my 
blued checkered blanket is done! 


I am just beginning the third square of section three! 


Rookie mistake: 
I began the section thinking the beginning was the top
of the next section, 
thus I would have the dark square on the top 
where it was on the bottom of the first section,
all to realize that by knitting that one first,
it would be on the bottom...
but no problem, I will simply bind off and switch it 
so it is that. :) 


I read a bit of Molly's Homemade Life
and started on the introduction to Cather's 
Song of the Lark


And I finished 
Remains of the Day
in the end it was not as suspenseful as the one 
section was showing it to be, 
and in the end I saw it as a man
narrating his 30 year career serving as a top crust English Butler 
who was seeking to be as good as his father, 
an English Butler before him,
and how he had to come to terms with the life - and death - of his
employer, Lord Darlington, who was well meaning
but used by the Nazis and in the end you see
Stevens not only come to terms with things which for him
was being able to name what had happened...
and he began to let himself be a human being instead of
a constant total always in character
of a perfect English Butler,
who served, was utterly unflappable and always at the height of 
what it means to have dignity
*
So I have read two books that my beloved Mr. Husband read
in graduate school and he asked me which one I like more,
Remains of the Day or Saint Maybe
and well, they were so different, so I could not say
one or another though to me it is clear that the 
characters in Saint Maybe had a deeper turn 
and growth in their lives
because they saw that they were incomplete on their own 
and went looking for something greater to help them.
I think that this is the crux of many lives, if not all lives,
though not all, like Stevens the Butler, admit that they have
need of anything greater to personally help them.
*
Well, as a Christian I have gained so much help
and I still see that my life can be a mess of confusion at times 
and a constant struggle;
Fr. Thomas Hopko's 55 Maxims shows that one 
must except struggle and temptation to one's last breath,
and I can say through experience, through observation, 
through reading, that I can't imagine 
not having that which is greater to help me;
and by this I mean the Holy Trinity whose 
Second Person Christ is willing and waiting to provide that 
greater help.
*
Well, a more philosophical/theological yarn along post
but with me and my blog I find I never
know what will be next!
*
I really appreciated the author of Remains of the Day
and how he shows a time period and culture in England that
was quickly passing away after WWII and his sad
yet beautiful book.
*
It would be interesting to compare it to 
L'Engle's A Severed Wasp that is dealing with a culture
in the States that is also in many ways passing away
and what is found there in.
*
So with all that...
what are you reading and creating? 
Yarn Along with us! 

15 comments:

Paula said...

I haven't read the book, but I found the movie rather boring (which is unusual for me and period movies). I usually like to read the book first.

I LOVE the blues of your afghan. It's going to be so beautiful.

Reinventing Mother said...

Good save! We all make errors:)))

karen said...

love the blanket progression and both books sound good, I think I own remains of the day...not sure!

Donna said...

You made a mistake but you were able to at least fix it! Those blues are really working well together.

steph said...

the blues are really coming together so nicely!!! lovely! (and I loved homemade life...hope you do too!)

Ranee @ Arabian Knits said...

I've never read _Remains of the Day_, but I started _Saint Maybe_ when I was in high school (?) and didn't care for it. Perhaps I'll give it a try again.

Mimi said...

I've only read one of his books, but "The Remains of the Day " definitely looks good

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing your heart! Your blanket is coming along! Yay for you! *hugs* :)

Peacocks and Sunflowers said...

Thankful for Fr Thomas' talks and writings on so many aspects of life in Orthodoxy. Memory Eternal!

elizabeth said...

Anna ~ I did not realize that he has just passed this afternoon, and I just posted of him this morning! Indeed may his memory be eternal! we owe him a great debt in how he taught so much through his writings and podcasts!

Nicole said...

Your blue blanket is coming along very nicely! I love the shades together :)

Rosemary said...

I love that you're reading books that your husband read in grad school. :) How lovely to create that connection to him as a younger man, even though you can't actually be with him at that age!

pippasmum said...

I love the blues you are using - my son ADORES blue and I'd like to make him something in a similar palette down the road!
I haven't read The Remains of the Day but I loved The Severed Wasp. You are making me curious to read it!

Amy said...

I enjoyed "A Homemade Life". The French toast is super good. She recommends cooking it in vegetable oil but due to the health concerns of veggie oil I used coconut oil. I read it around the same time that I read the book that I gave you for Christmas two years ago... The title of which I can't think of right now!

elizabeth said...

thanks Amy, everlasting meal is the other book! we will have to talk about this book by Molly sometime; I am taking a break from it till after Lent...