A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
"Life is better at the Lake" my couch pillow reminded me, as I looked up from my work when I noticed how quiet the girls were all of a sudden. The pillow stopped me from yet again nagging them to get ready because the guests were about to arrive and we had a whole list of things we were supposed to do that morning, etc., etc. The quote brought me back to my overall intention for this summer, which was to stay put in this one property long enough to truly enjoy it, and thereby to make it our home. The more spontaneous moments of relaxation they experience in this space, the quicker it will begin to feel like home. I also noted, when taking in this tranquil scene, that Cordelia had hung her stained-glass light catcher creation on the wall-mounted television monitor stand that once held a screen, which mysteriously disappeared just before our return. I was, of course, my children's prime suspect in the theft but I am actually innocent of the crime. Its disappearance has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as last summer we used that same screen to watch one Jane Austen adaptation after another and no art was created. This summer, by contrast, the artwork has been accumulating in this small space at a rapid rate, and the production team here show no signs of letting up.
"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Bishop Barron's reflections today.
Sanctoral: Bonaventure (1221-1274), who was born in the atmospheric "dying city" of Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy in 1221, where you can still see the front door of his family home and the cave where he lived as a hermit. He joined the Franciscan Order and went to Paris for his studies. He was made General of his Order and deserves to be reckoned its second founder for his work in consolidating an institution that was as yet ill-defined in nature. St. Bonaventure died at Lyons in 1274 during the general Council between Greeks and Latins held in this city. Dante had already included him among the inhabitants of his "Paradise." He is known as the Seraphic Doctor.
Human: The Dioscuri festival in ancient Rome, during which Romans worshiped Castor and Pollux, the divine twins. The Dioscuri cult came to Rome from Greek colonies in the south of Italy and gained great popularity because of their similarity to the Roman twins, the sons of Mars. July 15 was supposedly the day the Dioscuri’s descended from heaven to help win the Romans with their enemies and personally brought the news of victory to Rome.
It's the birthday of Thomas Bulfinch, born in Newton, Massachusetts (1796). He was well educated and tried his hand at business but was never very successful; at age 41, he settled into a job as clerk at a Boston bank and had no desire to move up the ranks because it left him time to write. He is best remembered for his three-volume study of mythology and legends. The first volume, The Age of Fable (1855), was a retelling of classic Greek and Roman myths; the second, The Age of Chivalry (1858), covers the legends of King Arthur, Robin Hood, and other British folk tales; and the third, Legends of Charlemagne (1863), recounts stories from France, Germany, and Africa. The three books were later combined into one volume, entitled Bulfinch's Mythology, first published in 1881 and never out of print since. The book was one of the most important of the 19th century, making mythology accessible to the common American reader for the first time.
The Writer's Almanac edition for today.
Natural: Valentina surprised me today by informing me that ostriches do not, in fact, put their hands in the sand. They do, however, dig holes in the sand for their eggs and put their heads in to rotate them. So, I guess there goes one of my favorite expressions.
Italian Word of the Day: Schifo (gross / yuck / disgust)
Quote: "Let food be thy medicine." -Hippocrates
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