marginalia

"But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."
- Lord Byron

aoristic- not occurring in a specified time period

leaftail- in great demand

bayadére- a fabric of contrasting horizontal stripes

brontophobia- abnormal fear of thunder

dystopia- an imaginary place or state in which living conditions are as bad as possible, as from deprivation, oppression or terror

bel esprit- a cultivated, witty person; someone who is intellectually gifted

tautology- the unecessary repetition of meaning in different words, such as "free gift"

pococurante- an indifferent, nonchalant person

euonym- an appropriate name

camarilla- a group of scheming, private advisors to a person in authority

Sadly I did not find these words while reading a book already on my list. A friend lent me a copy of Rare WORDS II and ways to master their meanings. It is full of extraordinary words, which I happen to enjoy prerusing through. =) (thanks Corey!)

marginalia

I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your Marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2

"On the day of judgement, surely, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how well we have spoken, but how well we have lived." -Thomas á Kempis from his book The Imitation of Christ

imprecation- a spoken curse

salubrious- health-giving

tonsure- a part of a monk's or priest's head left bare on top by shaving off the hair

avaricious- having or showing an extreme greed for wealth of material gain

concatenation- a series of interconnected things or events

innocuous- not harmful or offensive

spume- froth or foam, especially that found on waves

machinate- engage in plots and intrigues

In Honor of a Birthday

May 16th is a very special day to me because it marks the anniversary of the life of a very sweet, dear friend. So in celebration of the precious life of this special friend and mentor, I am going to list several (there are tons!) of things I love about her. 

Mrs. Poff:

1. loves the Lord with all her heart, mind, and soul.

2. continually praises God for His abounding goodness.

3. is (along with Mr. Poff) raising seven precious children to walk in the ways of the Lord. 

4. is an amazing example of godly womanhood; I admire her tremendously.

5. keeps a home not a house; it always smells nice, looks beautiful, feels like home, and overflows with love. 

6. encourages people with words of inspiration, notes of kindness, and gifts of love. 

7. challenges me to think about the things I do and read. 

8. allows me to practice being a "mother's helper."

9. has a countenance of joy. 

10. shares stories, struggles, passions, and hopes.

11. is willing and able to actually discuss classic books (if I could ever actually finish one). 

12. challenges friends and family through frequent blog posts on life, books, and thoughts. 

13. considers children as blessings from the Lord and has placed her family size in God's hands.

14. remembers and prays for the things going on in friends' lives. 

15. shares in the joys and sorrows of friends.

16. is a wonderful role model and mentor.

I am so BLESSED to have you in my life Mrs. Poff. I love you! Happy Birthday. =D

MOCOW part3

It was a lovely morning--no wind, rain, or hot sun, the birds were out chirping, and the flowers still blooming (sounds like the start to a storybook, just put a "once upon a time" at the beginning)--I went for a nice long walk this morning down Blaine to 6th, down 6th almost to main, back to the apartment, then over to 3rd (I saw a really neat looking flower the other day, but didn't have the camera with me, so I went back to get it), and then back again to the apartment. Here's what I found:



every shape, size, and color of tulips can be found around town










a porch swing...imagine how nice it would be to sit out there with a friend or a book




a side gate








paper whites















this is actually a tree in bloom








it looks like they even come up "volunteer"


a furry little friend




most of the streets have large trees that over hang the sidewalks and some of the road




a gardener must live here--the whole front yard is covered in flowers as dense as these!


look at the moss!


























this house reminds me of Ms. Lavender's cottage in the Anne of Green Gables books




a colorful house


pansies on the ground...without a fence around them...bunnies must not be a problem here =)




my favorite picture =)


lots of people bike here!


the really neat flower:

is it a bleeding heart?

Classics =)

Barnes and Nobles has a great price on editions of hardback classics (which I love! Caity prefers paperback). So I picked up some to add to my collection of books. I am hoping to read more and more classics as I have time. 

The titles are "The Odyssey" (for a class next year), "Great Expectations," "Peter Pan," "The Scarlet Letter," "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I have "A Tale of Two Cities" awaiting my attention after I finish "The Virginian." =)