Living and Learning: The Week Ahead

In My Garden

My roses continue to delight me!  I do need to give them a little tender care this week...  they've developed some black spot, so I need to remove and burn the infected leaves and spray some fungicide on the bushes to prevent it from returning.  I also would like to prune my hydrangea bush and "water dry" the blooms.  Finally, while on the hunt for chrysanthemums in the perfect shade for the front porch, I spotted a large and healthy eucalyptus plant at the nursery for two dollars! I snapped it right up and just need to give it a nice pot and a place on the patio.

Inspiration

I absolutely love following Rebekah Markewich on Instagram and was thrilled when she mentioned that she had resumed blogging.  Matushka Rebekah's photography is stunning and I love the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere that she has created on her social media accounts.

Watching

I really enjoyed this video on Getting Dressed in the 18th Century:

 

In the Kitchen

I thought that the days of peach galettes were gone until next July, but then my friend, Lila, gave me six gorgeous and fragrant peaches on Friday and that's all I've been dreaming of since.  I think that I'll make one this afternoon!

On My Bedside Table

Lately, I have felt drawn to read a mystery and have found just the thing:  The Complete Stories of Miss Marple.  I think that Miss Marple just might be my favorite lady detective!  Agatha Christie wrote quite a few books about Miss Marple, so I have lots to look forward to!

An Overnight Away

 

The children and I tagged along with Papa for some diocesan meetings and were able to cram quite a bit into a little overnight away.  After dropping him off for the first day's meetings, Friday included a quick lunch at Chipotle, the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. for a quick spin around the exhibits, and an all-too-short visit with my dear friend Lila and her trio of little girls.  Saturday began with Liturgy with the clergy of the diocese, lunch and a little bit of autumn shopping for our long-legged daughter, and a stockpiling at Trader Joe's.  It was a bit of a whirl-wind, but we will be reliving those lovely traveling hours for quite awhile!

Basketball

 My husband was quite a basketball fiend when he was growing up and it seems as if our children are following in his footsteps.  In lieu of the homeschool gym classes that we have taken almost since the start of our homeschooling careers, our older two children have enrolled in a once-a-week basketball clinic (there is a later one for their brother's age bracket).  If they like it, we will continue with the basketball team that begins in November.  It will be a more demanding schedule than we are used to, but I foresee quite a lot of reading and knitting time on the bleachers which I cannot complain about!

Joyous Feast!

O Lord, save Thy people, 

And bless Thine inheritance. 

Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians 

Over their adversaries. 

And by virtue of Thy Cross, 

Preserve Thy habitation.

The Baltimore Aquarium

September 11

Memory Eternal!  We happened upon the 9/11 Memorial in Baltimore, Maryland just at about the time that the towers fell in 2001.  The beams on top are from the wreckage of the Twin Towers and the names of those who died from Maryland are engraved in the marble base.  The monument is cleverly situated so that each event on the engraved timeline along the side is illumined by the sun at the exact time it happened on that fateful day in September.

The Renaissance Faire in Photographs

One of our favorite things to do in the autumn is to visit our state's Renaissance Faire.  We all have such a lovely time with lots of fun, food, music, and people watching.  This was the first year that I spent a little time in a costume shop today.  I loved seeing all of the beautiful garments...  many made with natural materials like wool and linen.  The Faire is always a feast for the senses!