Victoria (13)

“We have to go,” said the black rider when Aritka had stepped into the room.  He pushed the door back in place.  “I didn’t intend to stay the night.  We must get to Jinjan tonight.  We only needed to avoid a pack of Jakgrare that were between us and our destination.”  He went out and ran to the stables.
    “We have those in the Kinly territory,” Aritka told Geneeva, “but we call them Rikaks.  One took my mother when I was young.  But they do not usually make house visits.”
    “Things are different here, dear,” said Geneeva, rummaging in a chest.  She drew out a majestic purple cloak and threw it around Aritka’s shoulders.  Aritka tapped her own forehead by way of gratitude in the manner of her tribe and handed back the cheesecloth.  “Do care for yourself,” said Geneeva, leading the young girl to the door.  “Haste be yours.  You’ll need it to get to Jinjan without capture.  And I’m sure you’ll win the prince’s fancy.”
    “I do not wish for it,” said Aritka.  “I do not think he sounds like a kind sort of person.  He sounds foul.”
    “Yes, you might be right,” said Geneeva, watching as her husband and the black rider led the mounts out of the stable.  “Still, how disappointing for you to have been torn away from home, dragged across hostile territory, and so close to life of highest heaven, only to lose it.”
    “I can think of better endings,” Aritka said lightly, but she saw that Geneeva had an argument.  She mounted the pack mule and the black rider secured him to the stallion.  “Thank you, Geneeva,” Aritka said, touching her forehead, “and you, Gangar.  I will care for the cape and try to arrange for its passage back to you.”
    “No need,” said Geneeva.  The matron stepped out of the way and smiled warmly.  “You are a great beauty.  The cloak will make a good impression when you get to town.  Use it well.  Use it often.”
    “Thank you, katinka,” said Aritka gratefully.  “Raise petitions that I find a mother for the child.”
    “We will,” said Geneeva, after a moment of faltering over the girl’s strange dialect.  “May all protection be with you.”


To Be Continued....

Um... "Victoria"?

I have neglected to post "Victoria", which for those you who don't know, is a story I've written and decided to post in parts.  I'm sorta proud of it, sorta not.  And actually, I haven't finished it.  But this month, the busiest yet, I failed to post any Victoria at all.  And all of a sudden, it's the end of the month.  Now, because I am only partially proud of it, and because all my attention is directed at another novel, I don't really care if I keep posting it or not.  I will probably stop posting it unless you tell me you want to keep reading it.

The name Victoria came from the leading lady's original name "Victoria".  When I had to save the document, I typed in her name real quick so I could identify the file later.  Since then, I've kept it as a sort of Latin title, victoria meaning victory.  I've thought of changing the name to the English meaning - do you object?  Of course you don't, of course you don't.  I mean, what right have you to object, anyhow?  But since I have already demonstrated the fact that I don't care, I'm interested in your opinion anyway.

(I've also neglected to post entries from Titheneth's diary.  Goodness, and the month is gone!  But I will give you a few more installments of my April Fools prank before the month is out, that I promise you.)

~Meggy

Godbrother dear

Last night was supper club and Bible study.  We're working on Revelation right now and it is very interesting - if only I could pay attention.  I don't have a book to follow along in and I begin to go crazy just sitting there, so last night, I got out a pattern for a dress I'm working on.

My god-brother Sammy is two and we are thick as thieves.  I was so fond of that little guy, and I'm usually the first person he looks for when he comes over.  Last night, he was running in his bare feet all over my fabric, which I had laid out on the dinning room floor while I listened to the Bible study.  My fabric is white, but I let him.  He calls my name, which he can finally pronounce.  "See!"  And he runs off.  "I'm running!"  "Yes, you are," I say, smiling, and I start pinning the pattern in place.

"Yours?"

"Yes, Sammy, they're mine."

"I do it!"

"Uh-uh, these are pins.  They're too sharp."

"Too shark?  Too shark?"

"That's right.  Nope, don't touch.  Those are sharp and they'll hurt."

"Shark?"

He starts spinning on my fabric.  Not only is he going to ruin my fabric but I can just see him slipping and cracking his head on the floor.  "No no, Sammy.  Hey.  No spinning."  I snap my fingers at him to get his attention.  "No spinning."  Of course he starts again so I scoop him into my lap, point at him, and remind him, "No spinning."  He tilts his head down, looks up through his eyelashes at me, points in my face, and says, "No shpinning."  "That's right, Sammy.  No spinning."  He giggles and repeats it.  So I imitated him.  He erupted in giggles, throwing his head back.  And we went on doing that for several minutes, no doubt distracting some people who were really trying to pay attention to the Bible study.

Sometimes I look ahead to the future.  When I'm thirty, he'll be fifteen.  Someday, I'll tell him about these things and he won't believe it.  Someday, all I'll have are the memories of right now.  I won't race Hess cars with him, won't be able to scoop him up in my arms and tickle him, won't be the person he clings to and depends on when his mother isn't there.  We used to stick our tongues out at each other and now we have "no spinning!"  But a few years from now, he won't know that he ever did these things.  He won't remember screaming bloody murder when we watched 'Monsters Inc', he won't remember his morbid fear of all bugs, he won't remember those late nights when his mother was out and I was patient with him until he fell asleep in my lap.

My mother assures me that I'm building a special bond with him that will never leave us.  But I fear that then I'm thirty, married, and have my own children, we'll never again be as close as now.  I fear that he will acknowledge me as a person but not as a close friend and special person.  I fear that when I come and visit, he'll pay me little attention.  And besides, playing with him now is so easy.  What will we do together years from now?

But whatever does happen, I will always love that little boy.  I adore him so much and I would do anything for him.  He is so happy, so confident, so affectionate and playful.  "Guns?" he says, looking around for my brother.  "Aaron's not home right now.  When he gets home, you can play with the Nerf guns."  "Cars?"  "Sure, we'll go get the cars."  Yesterday, we took turns throwing an invisible ball.  "Here you go," he says, picking up something off the couch and putting it into my hand.  I throw "the ball" across the room.  I give him "the ball".  "Thank you."  "You're welcome, Sammy."  He begs me to share what I'm drinking, takes my hand to look at a monster with him, and leads me to the dinner table.  I shoot him with my fingers and he falls over backwards.  Then he gets up and hits me with a pillow, squealing with delight as I keel over and die.  "Home?  Home?"  "Yes, Sammy, time for you to go home."  And as he holds on to his mother's hand, walking out the door, he looks back and waves and says, "Bye!" and he fumbles with the syllables of my name in his mouth, and it just warms my heart.  I love that little kid.

~Meggy

Four Temperaments

I believe it was Victoria at Raindrops and Moonlight who recently mentioned having choleric-melancholic temperament so I looked it up and found a very interesting web page about it, which I assume she was referring to.  I found it very interesting, and there are a few people I know that fit the descriptions very well.  It also gave me insights into my own personality.

If you were to look up 'four temperaments', you could get confused with all the different results that come up, so I'll link to the page I mean: http://www.gloriana.nu/temperaments.html  The page layout is bad but the information is really fascinating and not too long.

If you don't mind sharing, what temperament are you?

~Meggy

Ted and Cedric

Hiya, everybody.  Before I get on to the meat of this post, does anybody get heartburn?  I get heartburn when I eat banana bread.  Searching online, I've found that some people get heartburn when they eat bananas, but I have never noticed heartburn after a banana, only after banana bread, and it is almost immediate.  Does anyone know why?  It's probably similar to why whole wheat bread makes my throat sore.  ???

Anyway, Ted is one of my favorite characters in a book that, actually, I'm writing.  He plays a deplorably minor role in the whole thing but I just love him.  He's an all-around good guy.  Are you allowed to love your own characters?  I don't know, but anyway, this is a section that I just wrote from a book that I have posted about before.  It has undergone so many revisions you wouldn't recognize it, and, at the least, the opening paragraphs will undergo many more.  But here is a section from the second chapter:

Cedric and Ted Carlyle headed home from an Underground meeting together that night.  Ted was humming and he was very cheery lately.  “What has you in such good humors?” Cedric asked him.
 

“I’ll tell you but it’s a secret,” said Ted.
 

“If it’s a secret,” said Cedric, “then don’t tell me.”
 

“Gee, what has got you so foul lately?” asked Ted.  “You’re always scowling.”

“I shall tell you if you promise you will not tell Mariah,” said Cedric.
 

“Why, Cedric, I would never tell Mariah something told in strictest confidence,” said Ted, pretending to be deeply offended.
 

“I never can be sure with you,” said Cedric, not unkindly, “and you know that nothing Mariah knows is long a secret.  And this is about Miss Mitchell.”
 

“Oh?” said Ted.
 

“I can not make up my mind what to think about her,” said Cedric.
 

“Explain.”
 

“She is so sweet, so sensible,” said Cedric, “but she hates The Underground.”
 

“Yeah, I noticed that.”
 

“The other ladies - present company’s lady excluded, of course - are too simple for my tastes,” said Cedric.  “Kate has a mind and she is wise and thinks deeply about things.  About everything , that is, except this blasted Underground.”
 

“You shouldn’t worry that I’d repeat this to Mariah with the kind of language you’re using,” Ted teased.
 

“Pardon me,” said Cedric.  “Do you think I could change her mind?”
 

“Miss Mitchell’s?”
 

“Of course.”
 

“Do you need to?”
 

“Well, she is wrong about this whole business.”
 

“Well, then, do you intend to?”
 

“I intend to try.”
 

Ted shook his head.  “But why, my friend?”
 

Cedric sighed.  “What is your condition?”
 

“Oh, I ordered an item through the general store and it arrived today,” hedged Ted.
 

“But you have had a bounce in your step for days,” said Cedric.
 

“I guess it was just the anticipation of it then,” said Ted.
 

Cedric sighed.  “Very well, I shall ask you right out, if that is what you want,” he said.  “What did you order?”
 

“A ring.”
 

“A ring?”
 

“Yep, a ring.  I ordered it special from a big city.  I’m going to ask Mariah to marry me.”
 

Cedric stopped in his tracks.  “You are?”
 

“Of course,” said Ted.  “Haven’t you noticed how much I am in love with her?”
 

Cedric tried to recall.  “I have noticed that you spend much of your time with her.”
 

“You know what your problem is?”
 

“Enlighten me.”
 

“You’re oblivious to much of what is going on around you.”
 

“Oblivious?”
 

“Well, not necessarily.  You could be naive.  One or the other.”
 

“That is very encouraging,” said Cedric, stepping forward again.  “I am glad you are my friend.”
 

“Hey, Cedric, why not make it a double wedding?”
 

“Who else did you have in mind?”
 

“What about you and Miss Mitchell?”
 

Cedric raised an eyebrow at his friend.
 

“Oh, come on, everyone has been expecting it for months.”
 

“They have?”
 

“Oh, come, my friend, you haven’t noticed?”
 

“No one told me so.”
 

“For all the prompting they have been giving you, my friend, they may as well have told you straight to get married right now,” said Ted.
 

“I think you are exaggerating to pressure me,” said Cedric, “although I cannot think why.  If I ever do decide to marry Miss Mitchell, I shall do it.  I will not need any prompting.”
 

“That is exactly why we are prompting you,” said Ted, and Cedric shook his head in bewilderment.  “If you are not looking to marry her,” Ted continued, “then perhaps you ought to let her know.”
 

“I beg your pardon?”
 

“It is not fair to the other men in the community if you do not intend to marry her,” said Ted.  “I hear Leith likes her very much.”
 

“Leith fancies Julia, and you know it,” said Cedric.  “Of course I intend to marry her.  You think I am some kind of casanova or something?”
 

“Well, so long as you aren’t serious about Miss Mitchell, I just thought the other men might take a chance with her,” Ted said.
 

“That sounded all wrong in every way,” Cedric pointed out.  “Anyway, I did not say I was serious about her.”
 

“Then what are you waiting for?”
 

“I am not sure I am interested in marriage just now.  I am not even sure she would want to marry me.”
 

“If you were sure, you wouldn’t have to ask,” said Ted.
 

“I thought of a proposal as more of a courtesy,” said Cedric, “a sort of game for the woman, part of the courtship.”
 

“Ah!  My friend,” said Ted, “I have always admired your sire for his great dignity and care in bringing you up, but now I see where he failed, and failed indeed.  You are much to proud.”
 

“I am not.”
 

Ted laughed.  “Well, in any case, I intend to marry fair Mariah, if she will have me, and I am sure we shall be delighted to have you join us, if you have the mind,” said Ted.  “Now, I’ve gone too far and I’ll have to double back.  I’ll see you on the morrow!”
 

“Till tomorrow, Ted.”

~Meggy

Uh, lots of stuff? (pirates, misery, corpses, and "moore")

So, uh, I didn't mention it at the time, but I was feeling really miserable this weekend.  Saturday was the worst, and then I rallied myself for the folk group and my grandparent's visit on Sunday.  I went out in the rain and planted some potatoes, but though my thoughts were a little unclear and I was worn out, I was agreeable.  Yesterday was rainy and foggy and I felt kinda lousy and I just wanted to stay home, but I had a mandatory pointe class.  Well, I dragged myself over there, hid a piece of gum in my cheek, and got through the class with surprising success.  My teacher (granted she is rarely paying me much attention lately) only asked after me once and didn't press me so I must have been putting up the act pretty well.

But as can be expected after all that and a rotten night's sleep, I feel under the weather again today.  Then I made dinner and bleh.  Boy, am I tired!

Good news though!  I took my last American Government test!  I just have a paper to finish and that should be a cinch (a cinch to finish, not a cinch to get a good grade).

I also wasted a lot of time today.  Did you see 'On Stranger Tides', the Pirates of the Caribbean movie?  I didn't, and for two reasons: I doubted that it would be an amazing film and it looked rather adult-ish and my parents would never let me bring it in the house.  And I certainly have no business going alone to the theaters.  But for some reason, I was discussing the first three movies with my siblings and my brother and sister disagreed on a point about one of the movies.  When we got home, I went on an exhaustive and exhausting search to find a clip on YouTube.  I finally found it and suddenly found myself wasting an hour or two watching funny Jack Sparrow - oh, sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow moments.  During that time, I watched a lot of fourth movie clips.  I always knew that I would see it at least once - for closure reasons, you know....  But now I kinda really want to.  I don't expect it to be the epitome of great film, but I was just wondering if any of my readers had seen it and if they had anything to say about it.

(Good!  I kin go like this.)

After I finished my test, I felt I was entitled to a reward so I watched an episode I'd found before of the Mary Tyler Moore Show - with Ted Bessell!  I knew that Ann Marie's boyfriend had kissed Mary on the MTM show because I had seen a very brief clip of it.  It felt so wrong!  Now, watching the whole episode - ewwwwwwwww.  My word.  Don Hollinger is not that man.  Yes, I know, he's only an actor, but I'm a wee bit naive, okay?  It was just plain wrong all over.  Even so, I grew to like him in this new role.

(Plus see "One Boyfriend Too Many")

(Btw, I like "Rhoda" better than the Mary Tyler Moore Show".  Just thought I'd mention that.)

Well, well, what else is up in my life?  Well, 'That Girl' moved from nine-thirty at night to eight in the morning, while I'm at daily Mass.  Well, you can bet your life I'm not ditching Mass I'll have you know!  But I can get 'That Girl' through Netflix so....  Plus now I don't have to stay up until ten to watch it.  (Now I can stay up until ten doing other things.... ;P )

Can I say more?

...Yes.  But I won't.  MTM show just started, and sick as I am, I feel like watching it.  ...Savvy?  X)

Luv y'all and etc.

~Meggy

(Love this duet)

Fun with Vegetable Gardens

If you want instant success with a vegetable garden, plant beans.  Okay, not instant success, but you can see results in just a few days.  And over just a few weeks, you'll notice palpable results.  They grow really fast, and it is super fun to pick and eat them.

I recently remembered something I did as a kid once with my best friend that was really cool.  I'd like to share it with you in case you were not blessed with this awesome trick and in case you have a boggart in your house that convinces the young ones they don't like beans.

I don't know if you can tell what that is a picture of - I realize it isn't very clear.  It is a picture of a glass, stuffed with (illustrated) paper towel, with a bean pressed against the glass.  Actually, I have four seeds in that glass and I planted them two days ago - look that the results already!

Okay, find a clear glass or jar with your mom's permission (or that you don't mind sparing if you are mom).  Take a sheet of paper towel and shove it down in there, sticking your hand down the middle to press the towel against the glass.    Then just drop a seed down between the paper towel and the glass - it should just fall into place, but you can work it into place with your fingers if it isn't where you want it.  Then gently pour water over it - using your judgement.  It doesn't really matter how often or how much, but if you notice that the paper towel is drying out (just touch the edge with your fingertips), it is time to water it.

The size of your glass depends on how long you intend to keep it in there.  You could, in theory, leave the bean growing in your glass forever if you want.  But if you use a small glass, you'll probably have to transplant it later on.

I've also seen people do this with cotton balls, which is a better choice (for stability reasons) if you intend to keep your plant in the glass.

This is a bean plant that I planted in March or late February.  I have already picked one bean but these two are not quite long enough yet.  When picking your beans, I read that they are at their best when they are long but not quite defined yet by the pods inside.

And while we're on the subject of my indoor garden, why don't I show you where it's at now:

 

<Squash>

Most of the pictures here are of my squash.  I also have cucumber, six small peppers, a few tomatoes, and some pitiful chives.  And I have some flowers - Blue Boys, Morning Glories, and Sunflowers.  Some I have already moved outside.

I have yet to have a successful vegetable crop due to vacations or just a lack of TLC, and I am open and eager for advice from those who have loads more experience.

This is the first time I used the manual "setting" on our camera so tell me how the pictures came out!

~Meggy

Instructions for planting beans in a bag

Prayers for a missing girl

Caleigh Harrison went missing yesterday afternoon while playing with her mother, her older sister, and maybe their dog on the beach.  Taking many articles, news stories, and so on into account, the details are not clear.  But it would appear that they were playing with a ball when the ball went over a wall that separated the beach from a cottage.  The mother went over the wall to retrieve it and when she returned, Caleigh was missing.

The strong waves could have swept her out to sea, she could have wandered off, and no one is ruling out foul play.  Divers were searching the near-freezing waters off Rockport, MA last night, but adverse conditions called off the underwater search temporarily.  They would resume, I heard, as soon as possible, and in the mean time, the other searches would continue.

Caleigh was two and her older sister was about four I believe.  Some have wondered why Caleigh's older sister couldn't tell them what happened, but I just spent daily Mass this morning with a two-year-old on my lap and a four-year-old sitting beside me.  Although the four-year-old would certainly say what had happened if she knew what happened, there is certainly no guarantee that she would have been paying attention to what her younger sibling was doing.  Caleigh's parents claimed that she was not the kind to wander off alone, but anything is possible.

Whatever happened, please pray for Caleigh and her family.

~Meggy

A news video about the incident 

Some notes on Murder in the Cathedral

(play by T.S. Eliot)

This play tells the story of Thomas Becket's martyrdom, and is about temptation to avoid unpleasant things and, moreover, Christian mourning and joy.

This is an easy read as plays go and I recommend it.  You may take note:

Chorus:  These women are poor folk who relish being left to themselves.  Ever since the archbishop (Thomas) left, they have largely been allowed to sort of settle into a spiritual lukewarmness.  They dread Thomas' return because they know they won't be able to remain neutral.

Messenger: knows that there is neither war nor peace, but expects this "peace" will not last

First Priest:  He is fully aware of the proud nature of both the king and the archbishop; he is afraid for the archbishop and for the Church and worries that the people will "forget" their friend the archbishop

Second Priest: has all his faith in the archbishop; he wondered what the archbishop could be doing in France and what good it could do; he is glad the archbishop has returned and believes the answer lies with him

Third Priest:  He seems to be the wisest; he says the least; he sees the inevitable downfalls of temporal government; he recognizes that the king and the archbishop are like "the hammer and the anvil", and he knows that something must happen, be it good or bad - it cannot remain unresolved

Comparing the Priests:  The first is perhaps the least trusting in God of the three.  The second, on the other hand, has misplaced his trust.  He trusts that the archbishop will come out victorious.  He can almost see the archbishop conquering the king, coming out of the battle carrying a banner, victorious!  The third, those the wisest, lacks joy and seems to lack hope.  He does not know how things will end, but he know that will go one way or another.

First Tempter:  He is worldly; he thinks of comfort and easy living without strife against something; he tempts Thomas with the familiarity that he once had with the king; he proposes a sort of compromising of values

Second Tempter: thinks that the archbishop should accept the Chancellorship again, resigning his current spiritual position, in order to be of more influence to the poor, etc.; he tempts Thomas to value worldly power over the greater spiritual responsibilities that he now possesses

Third Tempter:  He obviously has a political agenda; he sounds like a politician; notice that he represents barons and tempts Thomas to allegiance against the king

Fourth Tempter: notice that Thomas did not expect this one, making it the most dangerous; pretends to think just as Thomas thinks; notice he quotes Thomas' words, making them seem to say what the tempter wants them to say; asserts that Thomas was right to avoid those temptations: if you want glory, be a martyr; he tempts Thomas to accept martyrdom for his own glory


As the play goes on, we see that all three priests stand on the same ground - they are scared, they fear for the archbishop, and despite their earlier attitudes, they all urge Thomas to do the same thing.

Yellowing White

Are your whites turning yellow?  There are dozens of tricks you can find online that depend on the kind of yellowing.  For example, there's the storage-yellowing and there's the body oils-yellowing.

My own sheets were quite disgraceful.  Except for an occasional wash maybe twice a year, my sheets remained on my bed - for years.  Perhaps yours looked like mine - white as white at the bottom and yellow at the top.

Well, regular washing with detergent doesn't get that out - I've realized after many, many years of washing.  Now that spring has set in, I was determined to get some real cleaning done, and that included bright white sheets.  I tried adding bleach in with a regular wash to no success.  But if I had looked it up online, I would known that this method is notorious for not working.  Well, you know what they say about experience anyway.

Some say to let whites soak in oxygen-based bleach in hot water for twenty-four hours, and then wash.  I don't know if there's a difference between the effects of oxygen-based and non-oxygen-based (I assume there is) on fabrics, but anyway, bleach is notorious for damaging or coloring whites.  Some sources said to hang whites in the sun - that may be effective for whites that have yellowed in storage.

But what I tried was a run through the washing machine in hot water with about cup of white vinegar.  Well, I'll just let the results speak for me - white as white from top to bottom of my sheets!  I'm so, so glad.

So if you have yellow sheets, I encourage you to try!  Also, if you have Oxi-Clean, I'd be very interested to know what it does to yellowing whites (with hot water).

~Meggy

Divine Mercy Sunday

Don't forget your Chaplet!

~Meggy

Easter Saturday

Tag, you're it!

1. It is imperative that these rules be plainly visible to all who can see and will see your blog. Therefore, post them at the top.
2. Because random facts about people tend to captivate interest, post 11 personal and insignificant facts about yourself. 
3. Answer your friend/acquaintance/fellow wanderer's 11 questions as well and as fully as you are able.
4. Ask 11 more questions on hopefully philosophical orotherwise thoughtful subjects.
5. Find 11 more  friends/acquaintances/fellow wanderers to tag--gently, please. 
6. Go to their blogs and inform them of the happy fact that they are now Officially Tagged and Must Do Your Bidding.

Okay I got tagged again.  Do I mind?  Nope!  Although the keeper of time is probably getting frustrated 'cuz he keeps lending me time and I keep wasting it.  I hope you like to read these things, 'cuz we all know how fun it is to talk about yourself!  Well, first, eleven personal but insignificant things about myself.

1.  My hair is close to the color of this fox.  This is its actual color according to the camera on my computer.

2.  My eyes are often mistaken as brown these days, but they used to seem to change color.  They are actually hazel.

3.  I wish I was a truly "accomplished" young lady.

4.  If music is playing, I'm either playing, singing to it, or dancing to it.  When music isn't playing, I'm usually thinking of a song in my head while I'm working.

5.  I sometimes wonder if I'll ever finish my novel.

6.  I sometimes wonder if I'll ever finish senior year.

7.  Words mean a lot to me.  Don't insult me because I will be deeply hurt, and even after we've made up, I never forget it.

8.  I love knitted tops - unfortunately, they can't go in the dryer.

9.  After I grow my hair down really long, I plan to cut it super short and donate it.

10.  My big goal is to raise and home school a large family on a farm, maybe here in my small, rural town - which already has extensive farm acreage, some of which isn't used.

11.  I have sometimes thought that if my husband dies before I do, I will definitely contemplate religious life again.  (12.  Right now, I'm pretty sure that's not my calling.)

Okay, insignificant facts?  Mmm, maybe not.  But nothing I don't feel comfortable telling you.

Now for Rosamund's questions (from A Wanderer in the Shadowed Lands - see the blog list in my sidebar)

1.  The last book I read was probably "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis, which I read for school but loved!  Or perhaps it was that magic glass book by Diana Wynne Jones, which I recently finished reading to my sister.

2.  What is the best method of transportation?  Gee, do I have to pick one?  First of all, walking is fun but not efficient or ideal (at least where I live), riding a bike is fun but not safe (where I live the roads are not ideal for cars and pedestrians), and driving a car is awesome but I feel so cut off from the world - unless I'm driving my dad's precious sport's car convertible.  And motorcycles are, yes, romantic. (LOL ;))  Then again, walking is the most frequently used type of transportation.  But if I had to travel a decent distance and was given the choice, I'd probably pick a horse-drawn carriage or, ideally, just a horse!

3.  Top three modernish authors - uh, not in order, Regina Doman, um Robin McKinley?, and perhaps Diana Wynne Jones?  Actually, C.S. Lewis is in there too, if that counts as modern.  Do you mean modern style or modern times?  And G.K. Chesterton?  Okay, okay, the first three are fairytale authors.  Lewis, Chesterton, and Tolkien are just awesome - although I couldn't read Tolkien when I tried.

Top three classic writers, eh?  Well, I'll have to get back to you on that....  I like this and that from different authors.

4.  Well, are you talking movie wise or book wise?  I'm told that Sam wasn't as mean as in the book.  Either way, I'm not sure how I'd treat Gollum.  Probably more like Sam than Frodo.  But not exactly - I'm not as zealous and intensely loyal as Sam I think.

5.  The best thing about where I live:  It is quiet and diverse but not too much so.  There are lots of seemingly hidden corners to explore.

6.  Two most read books of the Bible?  (*clearsthroat*)  Uh, the letters of Saint John?  I don't think I've ever read anything all the way through more than once.  But if you don't care about whether I've gotten through the whole thing, then I probably look through the books of Saint John and the books of Jeremiah the most.

7.  The book I have read the most is possibly Boston Jane or Howl's Moving Castle.  Possibly Dragon Rider.  If manga counts, then definitely Lovely Complex.  But yeah, that doesn't really count.

8.  I guess I blog because there are so few people in my regular world who agree with me or have the same interests.  It is refreshing to share common interests and values.

9.  If I could rewrite a book, it would be my own - Molly's Magic.  I would fix every darn imperfection and then I'd get one copy of it in hardbound form to put on my shelf and admire.  But otherwise, I would probably rewrite something like "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" or whatever that was called.  And it a little less depressing and pessimistic.  Ghastly, truly ghastly.

10.  Of course, I have to say that the brightest moment of my week is daily Mass or Adoration - and it's true because they keep me strong.  But other than that, seeing my god-brother Samwise (nickname) might also be the brightest moment of my week.  I love him so much and he loves me.  We are best buds (he's two) and he likes to be with me.  We played with Hess cars the other evening, and those things zoom across the hardwood pretty well.  Then he asked for a paper cup, sat in my lap, and asked for some of the sparkling water I was drinking.  I figured if I just gave him a sip, he wouldn't want any anymore, so I gave him a little.  He took a sip, went into convulsions, and drank more.  "I like it!" he slurred.  Oh jeez, little man, you're so cute!

11.  Ah, the last is always the biggest.  My deepest fear:  In order to answer this question, I have to be a little personal.  My deepest fear isn't exactly material.  It isn't of snakes, the monsters under the bed, the dark, heights, or even spiders (I do sorta fear spiders).  My deepest fear is being completely stripped of my security.  I fear losing all I believe in, being abandoned and/or hated by those that mean the most to me, being scorned by those I look up to, and having my walls torn down and my very weakest self being exposed.  I really fear Hell.  Fortunately, the recent religious holiday gives cause for hope!

Well, that's enough about me.  Now it's your turn.

1.  Would you trade your siblings (or other relative) for anything in the world?  (I invite you to be creative. XP)

2.  If you could spend a day as another animal, what would it be and why?

3.  When you were picking a name for your blog, what were some of your ideas, and did you type them into Google to see if someone else had used it?

4.  Did you ever get caught lying?

5.  Try to picture yourself ten years from now.  What will have changed?  What do you hope for by then?

6.  If you were to lie on the couch and stare up at the ceiling, what do you think would be the first thing to come to mind?

7.  What is one thing that, more than once, you have longed to do?

8.  Who is your favorite character from Lord of the Rings?  Why?

9.  If you had been given the choice of periods in history, which one would you pick to be born in?

10.  If you could change one thing about your country, what would it be?

11.  If you had been betrothed from birth to someone you don't know, would you marry him anyway?

And while we're playing this game of tag, I look around and I narrow in on:

Nessima at Arda Nessimava (but she's gone for a while)

Emily at Meaningful Words

Victoria at Raindrops and Moonlight

Mae at Imaginations of a Princess

Mandi at The Thoughts of Mandi

Maggie at A Window on the West

Constance at Laudate Dominum

WinterRose at Soaring High

Adela at The Artist Desk

Any of the members of ASA at ASA Productions (although it's not a blog, so they don't have to tag anyone)

And I'll tag Rosamund back as pay back for wasting two hours of my day - got ya!

Well, have fun, ya'll

~Meggy