Words, Words, Words
We have one of those refrigerator poetry sets. It’s the plain old starter set—no Shakespeare, cat/dog lovers, or farm version. Just the basics. And whenever guests visit our home, the tiny black and white magnets pull them to the fridge with extraordinary alacrity. Strange things happen then.
The other day I caught a glimpse of an absurd statement staring at me from the mess of words. And another . . . and another. Apparently it had been a while since last I read my refrigerator. (Which is not necessarily a good thing. Quite frightening, actually.) For example:
if you love me, incubate a thousand peaches
Complete absurdity . . . in my house! For your amusement, see below.
together at the puppy sausage
please swim in the car
a frantic woman is like a power spray — just ask your mother
in delirious sleep is a vision of a diamond white sky shining through the rain
If you are the creator of any of these absurdities, please confess. I will then congratulate you. (And if you guess correctly the source of the quotation in this post’s title, I will congratulate you again.)
Appalachia
For the two of us, no autumn is complete without having spent some time in our favorite section of the Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. For the past few years we have camped there during the fall; however, due to someone’s crazy job schedule (I will not mention his name), we were unable to spend any weekends in the mountains this year. So, this week we did the next best thing—spent a weekday afternoon in a small mountain town and on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We simply cannot get enough of these mountains at any time of the year, especially in October, when the leaves are beyond beautiful and the weather is crisp. As we drove, I thought about how there really is no scientific purpose for the leaves turning colors (that I know of). Leaves could just go from green to dead. God makes them change just because He wants to. Because it pleases Him.
We are extremely thankful that God allows us to share in many of those things that please Him. He made the trees beautiful, and we are able to enjoy them in their splendor along with God. Because we are His children, and He loves us.
Of course, no trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains is complete without a view of one of the most beautiful peaks there—Cold Mountain. (And I’m not just saying that because of my recent reading of the book.) The ridges on this mountain are well-defined, numerous, and elegant, and its peak towers above those others nearby. This is my picture of an Appalachian fall . . .
Their Eyes Were Watching God
I love reading books in which a majority of the dialogue is in cultural, racial, or local dialect. For some reason these books seem more “real” to me. In my mind’s eye I see the characters as real people, whether they actually are or not. Dialect personalizes.
However, I must say that reading early 20th-century southern black dialect proved a challenge. An enjoyable and eye-opening challenge, however. And yes, this is a beautiful story. Touching.
The following two quotations seem poignant in light of the situation with my brother, because of which I have pondered in recent days countless thoughts, facts, and beliefs about God and why He does what He does in the world. In fact, the sentiments in the second are spot on with what has been present in my soul for the past several days.
No hour is ever eternity, but it has its right to weep.
It is so easy to be hopeful in the day time when you can see the things you wish on. But it was night, it stayed night.
This isn’t a Christian novel, but I gather having read it that Hurston must have gone through “similar but different” situations during her lifetime as well. She demonstrates experiential, not just intellectual, knowledge in this novel. Evil will not remain forever . . . until Christ returns, but not forever. But moments stretch for miles and miles, and as one forces his feet to move forward tiny bits at a time, the end of the road seems beyond eternity. Impossible to reach.
The third quotation just seems true somehow. I’m not exactly sure why.
If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don’t keer if you die at dusk. It’s so many people never seen de light at all.
My eyes are watching God. He is my only hope . . . and the best hope.
They Said It Then
Almost finished with Their Eyes Were Watching God, I thought it might be interesting to record the idioms in the story. The problem is, I was about ten pages from the end when this thought came to mind. So here are a few. I know there are more, but by the time I thought to write them down, I couldn’t remember what they all were.
Anyway, I guess they used these in the thirties, too.
It doesn’t amount to a hill of beans
Knocking someone’s teeth down his throat
Barking up the wrong tree
You’ve got more nerve than me
Mind your own business
He wouldn’t harm a fly
It’s kind of funny to think about people in the 1930s using some of the expressions we use today. Or perhaps it should be the other way around. (Think about that one.)
No Others
There are no other people in the whole United States with the same name as me (first and last together). I feel special! How many people have your name?
Quiz Question
South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, Indiana, California, Washington, Colorado, and London. What do all of these places have in common? (I’m curious to see what your answers are.)
An Old Song
Farewell, vain world! I’m going home!
My Savior smiles and bids me come,
And I don’t care to stay here long!
Sweet angels beckon me away,
To sing God’s praise in endless day,
And I don’t care to stay here long!
(Chorus:)
Right up yonder, Christians, away up yonder,
O, yes my Lord, for I don’t care to stay here long.
I’m glad that I am born to die,
From grief and woe my soul shall fly,
And I don’t care to stay here long!
Bright angels shall convey me home,
Away to New Jerusalem,
And I don’t care to stay here long!
Right up yonder, Christians, away up yonder,
O, yes my Lord, for I don’t care to stay here long.
Back To Cold Mountain
A couple of years ago, after camping in the North Carolina mountains, my husband and I journeyed to an overlook to take photographs of the view. There, unbeknownst to us at the time, stood the sharp peak of Cold Mountain (visible in the photo below). This, my friends, is a gorgeous place.
Much later I saw the film Cold Mountain, based on the novel of the same name, written by NC native Charles Frazier. I do not usually like to view a film before I read the book upon which it is based, but there appeared no great desire in my literary senses to read Cold Mountain. However, the film drew me back to my elementary school fascination with and love for Civil War history, and the phenomenal character portrayal gave me a thirst to know more about these characters—Ruby, Ada, Inman—as if they had really lived and had biographies. Like I had met them and wanted to get to know them better. (Is there anyone else out there that watches a film and then feels eagerness to learn more about the characters, so he goes and reads the book? Really, I cannot remember any previous occurrences of this in my life. An awfully romantic idea for a realist, I should say. Perhaps I’m crazy. Or maybe I simply have not watched closely enough.)
Like Games?
This made me laugh and was kind of fun besides. Click here to play. (Make sure your speakers are on.)
