Narration -- The Divine Comedy

Canto I
ARGUMENT: The author tells how she began to read Dante's Divine Comedy, and what has happened in Cantos I and II of Book I -- Inferno (Hell), in a manner mimicking the poetic style of that book.

I

looked upon the bookshelf, so many
Good choices there upon that wooden shelf!
Mine eye espied one volume, in color
Red, in thickness not too daunting to me.
"What may this volume be?"-- I grabbed it, and
Behold! In mine hands did rest that Dante's
Masterpiece, called The Divine Comedy.
I pondered o'er the pages -- should this book
I read? This book, remembered for one part,
The 'Inferno' -- should this book I begin?
All written in verse -- dare I even try?
"Fear not!" cried that spirit, a worm-like one,
Who is the guardian of such as I,
And those who would read rather than, perhaps,
Eat. "Fear not! It is not too difficult!"
Then I, emboldened, cried, "This challenge I
Accept!" And so began this here journey.
        Dante is his main character within
'Divina Commedia'. Thirty-and-
Five is he, and wandering lost in some
Dangerous forests, when, lo, a mountain
He sees. This he ascends, or at least tries,
But numerous beasts prevent his ascent.
Despairing, he retreats, and comes across
Virgil; not alive, no, but a spirit,
Sent unto Dante by Beatrice, the girl
He loved, and now a spirit of pure good.
Beatrice pitied Dante, and sent Virgil;
Though offering the dead Roman no kind
Of reward, the pureness of Beatrice was
Enough to convince Virgil to do the
Noble task of escorting Dante through
First Hell, then Purgatory, then Heaven.
And so the two start up the mountainside.

'Old Familiar Faces', Pt. 2 - Nature Journal, July 2015

July 3rd, 2015 Friday   Garden Center Creek
I feel like I should give the creek a nicer name than just 'the garden center one'. It's really my favorite spot at work, and it deserves a nice name. 'Gardenside Brook'? I wonder if there is a difference between 'creek' and 'brook'...

Lead of a weed.
They've got sinister
dark splotches in the center
of the leaves.
Color is perhaps a little more
dark blue-green.

Must identify these plants I draw!

July 10th, 2015 Friday   Garden Creek
The sun is out, and the sky is blue! This week has been wet and rainy. Really, the whole 'summer' has been miserably wet.
Yesterday I went home early because it was constantly drizzling. I've been parking at the garden center so I don't have to walk far in the rain.
Today's high is 76*F. I don't think it's hardly gotten in the 80's this year.
I'm surprised at how long some plants can keep on living in the squares and pots, even though the soil is practically all roots instead of dirt.
Found out that canna lilies are not perennials. You have to dig them up & replant in the spring, if you want to make sure they survive. This confused me, since out cannas came back every year, on their own. Jeanne [at the garden center] says they must have been in a good, protected spot.
Almost regretting getting rid of them.
The new flowers we put in seem to be doing well! We really need to weed, though.

July 16th, 2015 Thursday   Pymatuning Lake Campground

Here we are, once again, at Pymatuning Lake! Our camping spot is different, though, because some eagles are nesting where we used to go. We are still next to water, though!

There is a crabapple tree two or so spaces down. A walnut tree, too? There was a strange sight on that tree -- hundreds of fuzzy white caterpillars! They covered the surface of leaves and branches. They were black-bodied with white fuzz.

July 17th, 2015 Friday   Pymatuning Lake

It is cloudy and chilly today.

There was a tiny caterpillar on my tent this morning, green-bodied with white fuzz.

Dad and I saw duck, too -- ten of them! I just call them 'the brown kind', I don't know what kind they were. I certainly have a lot to research when I get home!

Heard that weird yowling bird, but of course didn't see it. I will find out what you are!

The 'black-bodied'

caterpillar --

actually white

w/black spots

For some reason, one of the trees

had random clumps of leaves that

had turned red. Some had dropped.

Very waxy, shiny leaf.

July 18th, 2015 Saturday   Pymatuning Lake

It thundered and rained a bit last night. Later in the afternoon the clouds cleared a bit. Wore a long-sleeved shirt, and jacket most of the day.

This morning is much brighter & warmer than yesterday. It was actually warmer Friday night than Thursday night.

There was the 'green-bodied' caterpillar on my tent again -- it's actually an off-white, with a greenish tinge, with yellow spots on its sides and black spots along the top.

There was a goose with something wrong with its neck that like to stand on one of the logs out on the water. The feather on its neck were gone -- scratched a lot at it, and there were sores. It also cleaned its feathers almost obsessively. Mom said it might be a nervous habit; she said she doesn't see why animals wouldn't have that, like people.

The water is murky brown-green. There's a film on it in the morning, but it fades later.

Farewell, Pymatuning! Until next year!

'Old Familiar Faces', Pt. 1 - Nature Journal, July 2014

The title 'Old Familiar Faces' comes from the poem by Charles Lamb. It popped up a few times in my college class study on Frankenstein, since the phrase is used in the novel. I'm using it here because July of last year and July of this year were very similar. Looking through my nature journal, July's studies were from the little creek at my job at the garden center, and from camping at Pymatuning Lake. I'll be doing a second post, with the entries from July of this year.

I've tried to copy the format of my journal entries here, and added a few [bracketed] phrases for clarification.

July 1st, 2014 Tuesday
Half of the year has gone by!
We will go camping this month, on the 17th & 18th, at Pymatuning Lake. I will definitely have to bring this [journal]. Last year we saw so many neat things!

Twig from a

tree by my

lunch break

area

The berries

have a thin

fleshy layer,

and then

a hard

pit

July 2nd, 2014 Wednesday

I know this isn't a true statement, but it seems the only color in summer is green!

Let me list what isn't green:

-Brown of dirt

-Brown of bark

-Blue of sky

-White of clouds

-Gray of storm clouds

-Yellow of sunlight

-Clear-blue of water

-Rainbow of flowers still blooming

So, it isn't all green, after all!

July 3rd, 2014 Thursday

Much cooler today!

There's a grape vine growing

on one of the trees

by my lunch area

July 6th, 2014 Sunday

Dad put out a double-hook stand for the bird feeders out back. So many birds go to it! Cardinals and mourning doves and purple finches and house sparrows and goldfinches and red-winged blackbirds and starlings! Squirrels like it, too, of course. Most of the birds browse under the feeders. Interestingly, I don't see any robins at the feeders. I guess they prefer soft, juicy worms to nuts and seeds.

Stevia rebaudiana

grows 10"-12" (shown is about half of its height)

edible leaves are very sweet

July 17th, 2014 Thursday

We are at Pymatuning Lake! We got the exact camping site we had last year, right by the water.

It hasn't been very warm today (it started out rainy), cloudy and a bit breezy, maybe 70*. Jeff and I went swimming, anyways.

Before we went to the camping area, we went to the Spillway, where you can buy bags of bread and feed the giant carp. Hundreds of gaping mouths, bodies swirling in a mass - it's a sight to see! We threw chunks in the air for seagulls to catch - sometimes they actually caught them!

6pm, we got a fire started. It smoked a lot; I think the magazine shreds were to blame.* The fire is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. *No, some of the wood was damp.

At night there were fireflies and bats fluttering around. The lights across the lake made for a pretty scene.

Dad burned one of his magazines, and it made the flames green!

At night Dad shined his flashlight into the water. We saw a few crawdads, tiny fish, and HUGE spiders! Dad slipped on a rock and ended up in the water! Thankfully, he didn't land hard on any rocks.

We didn't see any little sharks, like we saw last year.

July 18th, 2014 Friday

Whenever a boat passes on the lake, a series of small waves splash at the rock with a gentle sound. Sometimes fish splash up in the lake for bugs and leave a ripple. A few times really big ones halfway leap out of the water.

A nice warm morning, no clouds in the sky!

Dear Blogger... -- Narration for Anne Frank's 'A Diary of a Young Girl'

Tuesday, 7 July, 2015

Dear Blogger,

I have been reading Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl. I've always just called it 'Anne Frank', though. It's really hard to understand that it was the diary of a real person. I've read historical fiction diary-type books before, so it's hard to see Anne as real.

I was surprised how soon she and her family had to go into hiding. In real time, it was a few months; but reading it, it's only a few minutes. I like how she remarked, "What's it like to disappear? I'm not really sure, myself, yet."

Obviously, they must be very quiet at times, but life goes on fairly normal. Anne even has friends over to stay the night in the "Secret Annexe".

I suppose I didn't explain the events well, did I? It seems like on of those books where everyone knows the main story already. Anne and her family, being Jewish (during Hitler's time), go into hiding in the back of an office building. It's called the "Secret Annexe". They are living there with the Van Doon (Daan) family -- a dad, a mom, and a son named Peter. Anne's family is Daddy, Mummy, and her older sister Margot.

Like I said, things are pretty normal. Anne even does school.

Anne seems like such an easygoing, yet sensitive girl. She's called a chatterbox, yet her entries are thoughtful. No one seems to think her very bright, yet her entries are surprisingly insightful. Anne understand herself as a person, and just wishes everyone else would see her that way.

That's all I have to share today.

Yours, Lee

(Phrases in parentheses are later edits on original narration, for clarification and correction. Narration is mimicking Anne's own diary entries.)

CMI Conference 2015

For those of you who don't know, the 17th through the 20th, Mom, Fox, and I went down to Wilmore, Kentucky, for the Charlotte Mason Institute's 2015 Conference. This was our second CMI, and like last year's, it was a great conference!

I must say the highlight for me was getting to meet two of my online friends, Willow and Nettle (names changed). We 'met' through AmblesideOnline's teen forum, but since they live all the way down in Florida, we'd never met in person. I was SUPER excited to meet two people who have gone through the same curriculum as I have, and get a chance to become friends with them.

From left to right: Willow, Nettle, Fox, and me!
(Photo courtesy Willow)

I'll tell you a little bit about them: Willow and Nettle are brothers, Willow the second youngest, Nettle the youngest, of six kids, all homeschooled up to college. Both are now graduated, and are starting college. Willow likes to write, do photography, and wear cool hats. Nettle enjoys Smash Up, Myers-Briggs personalities, and acting.
Both are very experienced CMI-goers (I believe this was their sixth conference). Nettle found us and greeted us right away, and from then on, the four of us couldn't be separated!

The first plenary of the conference was by Dr. James C. Peterson, about genetics and morality. He presented an argument against the notion, "It's in my genes, I can't help it." We are predisposed to be or act certain ways by our genetic coding, but as humans, we are able to act beyond the coding. "We are responsible for what we do with what we have."

'Directions in Courtship and Marriage' was one of the chats I went to. We learned some key lessons from Jane Austen's novels, Anna Karenina, and Far From the Madding Crowd. Some of the key points I especially took notice of:
-The right kind of love makes you a better person
-Keep a good head on your shoulders
-Keep an open mind
-Don't trust words over actions
-A person is a person, therefore, not a status symbol, tool, or ideal
Perhaps there wasn't any, what I thought, practical information, such as, "Do such and such", but why would there be? Each relationship is as unique as the people in it. I took away many good principles to ponder over, and to keep in mind for when I do meet that special someone.

Mom, Nettle, and I went to a workshop on Dry Brush for nature journaling. The key is not 'pretty pictures', but an accurate representation of what you are painting, whether you capture the shape, the color, or some little detail. I struggle with this, being rather a perfectionist. I also struggle with painting in general, and so I ended the class rather dissatisfied with my work. Not dissatisfied with the topic itself, however. I just now know that I need to work on my dry brush and nature journaling skills. Did you know the primary colors in painting are not red, blue, and yellow, but rather magenta, cyan, and bright yellow?

A goal I got to check off was 'learn a ballroom dance'. Imagine my excitement when I read on the schedule, 'Friday Night at the Park: Ballroom dance demos & lessons'!

And twirl!
(Photo courtesy North Laurel)

We learned the basic box-step of the rumba, and another routine of the rumba where I got to twirl around. This was, of course, a much more toned-down version of the rumba (I was shocked to later learn what the rumba is usually like). Willow and Fox decided against dancing, but Nettle was happy to be my dance partner. I can't say I was very graceful at all, but we both enjoyed ourselves a lot, and I didn't step on his toes!

The four of us spent Friday night after the dancing doing short scenes from Shakespeare. We chose scenes from 'Much Ado About Nothing', 'Love's Labour's Lost', and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The last one was especially fun. Nettle had the idea to switch the genders of the actors, so that the part where Demetrius and Helena enter the forest, I was Demetrius, and Nettle was Helena. Fox and I acted out the Pyramus and Thisbe story in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', also gender-switched. It made for some laughs!

What did I take home from the conference? Materially, a bag and a mug; it's hard to pin down the rest in items. Each talk left lasting impressions, that I'm still pondering. I got some motivation to continue reading and learning. I decided to read more of Jane Austen's novels; I recently finished Mansfield Park. I've picked up my nature journaling again. I made two friends. I found out that Kentucky is a really nice state. Beyond these, I know that there are many concepts working in my mind, and that there will be a gradual change of mind and character from this.

It was a wonderful three days, spent learning new things and forming new friendships. Those three days will, I'm sure, have a lasting effect for a long time to come.

Thanks for a great time! Thank you for paying for and taking us, Mom; thank you to everyone who worked to make the conference possible; thank you for the fun times, Willow and Nettle. I hope we can do it again next year!

Looking Across the Hall (A Graduation Speech of Sorts)

In third grade, my classroom was one of two at the end of a short hallway. Right across from it was the fourth grade classroom. When it came time for lunch or recess, my class would line up at the door. The fourth graders lined up at their door, too, and while we waited to go, we'd look across the hall at the 'big' fourth grade kids, look at them with a mixture of fascination and intimidation. We always wondered what it was like over there, being a big kid, across the hall.

Next thing we knew, we were the fourth graders. Instead of going to the left door, we went right, and there we were. When we lined up, the third graders were across the hall, lining up, too. And it was weird. Suddenly, I was the 'big kid', and the third graders were looking at us, just like we had done, in fascination and intimidation.
I'm not really quite sure what it was that third-grade me expected being a fourth grader would be like, but whatever it was, the reality of being the 'big kid' was not what I expected. In some ways it was better, in some ways it was harder.

From this, I learned something: the future -- looking across the hall -- is fascinating, intimidating, and not what I expect.

I've done this a lot -- looked across the hall, at moving - multiple times; looked at new schools; looked at homeschool -- always fascinated, always intimidated. Now, at graduation from homeschool high school, I'm looking again, looking across the hall at college, living on my own, pursuing a career, and, Lord willing, someday getting married and starting my own family. It's extremely fascinating. It's extremely intimidating.

But I don't have to be worried about it. I know this because I can also look back across the hall, at the past, and see how God worked in my life in ways I never expected. I never expected to live in Nebraska, Wyoming, or Ohio. I never expected to be homeschooled. I never expected being saved by Jesus Christ, and being given a new life. All of these changes, God gave me the strength and ability to walk across the hall, and enter those new classrooms. I never expected them, and had I had an idea, I may not even have wanted them, but I am extremely grateful to God, because they all changed my life and made me who I am today.

Knowing this, that however fascinating and intimidating the future may look, that God will work things out in unexpected ways, I have courage to make plans for my future. I know that, however big my plan may seem, God will work out something bigger. I know that my plan right now may not be what He has planned -- and I'm excited about that. I'm excited, for both the future I can see, and the one I can't see.

The future I see right now starts with enrolling in Massillon Baptist College's One-Year Bible Certificate Program. Before I set out on the rest of my college journey, I want a firm foundation to stand on. From there, I plan to go to Cedarville University and earn a Bachelor's in English. What I will do with my degree is still a little far in the distance. I know there are so many more paths than I can imagine that I can take with an English degree. God has given me a passion for reading and writing -- I will leave my future with my degree open for Him to use, according to His plan.

As fascinating, intimidating, and unexpected as the future across the hall is, I have to remember something else. It was only at recess and lunch that we lined up and looked across the hall. The rest of the day was spent in the classroom, reading, working, learning, and not giving the classroom across the hall a moment's thought. Life can't be spent staring across the hall -- it's meant to be lived in the classroom, in the present life that God has given. I look forward to someday having a job as an editor, or a teacher, but right now, I enjoy my job at the garden center. I look forward to going away to college and meeting new people, but right now, I enjoy my time with my family.

Please pray for me as I start this new part of my life. Pray that I will stay content with what God has given me now. Please pray that He will provide the funds for my college education, through scholarships, work, and family, so that I can avoid taking out any loans. Pray that I will gain a firm foundation from Massillon's program, and pray for guidance about choosing whether or not to go to Cedarville University, which is a Christian college, but not fundamental Baptist.

I'm looking forward to what fascinating, intimidating, unexpected things God has for me across the hall.

Thank you!

Graduation and Beyond: Continuing My Education

I am officially D-O-N-E with high school!

What next?

I've decided to continue my education. I may be done with official, formal high school, but there are so many books I didn't read, or didn't finish, from AmblesideOnline's booklist. I started AO with year 7, and went up to Yr 11/12. The years before that I missed, but my brother got to start with year 5. From him often I heard about these books that he greatly enjoyed, that I missed. Being a book lover, naturally, I must have a list of books to read, but I can't just read literature (though I would really like to just read Jane Austen and Sherlock Holmes...)

So, I went to AO's grand booklist, and picked a few!

Booklist:

Bible - continuing reading

The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel - Bible topic

Ourselves, by Charlotte Mason - Citizenship; finish reading

The Complete Book of Marvels, by Richard Halliburton - Geography

The Microbe Hunters, by Paul de Kruif - Science; finish reading

Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman - Worldview; restart

Silas Marner, by George Eliot - Literature; restart

The Once and Future King, by T. H. White - Literature

Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank - History

The Birth of Britain, by Winston Churchill - History

Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt - Economics; finish reading

On Writing Well, by William Zinsser - Grammar/Writing; finish reading

Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves (Fairie Queene), by Roy Maynard - Poetry

Paradise Lost, by John Milton - Poetry

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams - Free Read

The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins - Free Read

Vaughn Williams - Composer Study

Artist Study - continuing alongside Fox's study

Hymns/Folksongs - continuing alongside Fox's study

Julius Caesar - Shakespeare

Additional Study:

Nature Study

Handicrafts

Art

Writing

Japanese

Piano

For right now, this is just a beginning list - I have another, larger one, for sure! Now, how am I going to tackle this list, working full-time as I am? I am going to set up a schedule for my reading, in which these books are spread out during a month. If I want to get through any of this list, I'll have to read several books at once (that's hard for me - I like to read through one book at a time, quickly). Some of them I will only read once a week, or every other week, or perhaps just once a month.

I'm still working out the details of my schedule, but at least for now I have my list. I'll be using my blog to track my progress, and share with you from my readings and projects. I plan to post at least twice a month.

This is my new focus for my blog - the continuing education of Lee, CM and AO graduate, author, poet, artist, reader.

Until next time!