Marginalia Notes #4: Plodding, Fairies, and A Love Poem

I have reckoned with the fact that if I don’t write a tiny bit each day, or every other day, I’m simply never going to recover writing in the way that I’d like to, so cheers to plodding! (What this means is this short post may very likely have taken two to three days to accomplish by the time you see it!)

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We are settling into our new cottage nicely (palace or castle felt like overkill, and there’s a true, English cottage style home right up the street so…), but I am neck deep in relearning rhythms, where things go, how long it takes to do tasks in this home, etc. One of the things I’ve relied heavily upon in the past that has also been fairly open and go here is the Clean Mama Homekeeping Planner, but she also has so many helpful, free lists in her printable library. I’ve learned with this book that it really does take about an entire 12 months to go through an entire household and add a bit of organizational or interior design touch to it. I’m telling myself things won’t *truly* feel like home here for at least 24 months. Honestly, my own impatience is what made me such a bad homemaker for so long. Perfectionism is paralyzing. Gosh, I could talk about this forever…

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We drove to southern Utah last week and my oldest chose some amazing books to bring along. I only got to read the introduction, but this book looks fascinating! My understanding is that the author takes an encyclopedic approach to survey the vast beliefs present within a parish that he was new to pastoring. When you start to realize a belief in fairies (among other creatures) is actually within the realm of orthodoxy, the world finally begins to make more sense. (Similarly, are there any books out there that can help one get inside the Medieval mind? Apart from Lewis, that is.)

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Someone asked me about my past with writing and poetry (bad at it, ok? But I love to do it and it was my emphasis in school) and this book got brought up, though at the time I couldn’t remember the author. I specifically liked her book of poetry titled, Sketches of Home. If I had to pick a style that I liked writing in, it would be similar to Rhodes’. Her content reminds me of a modern Anne Bradstreet. I did cry reading some of her poems, so beware.

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Speaking of Bradstreet, I love her poem to her husband so, so much. Finding her writing is actually why I didn’t drop out of college (well, and, my husband made me stay in school…contrary to what most people would probably like to believe. Story for another time). And since today is our 13th wedding anniversary, I’ll leave you with it here:

To My Dear and Loving Husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

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Oh, I had fun meeting people at the conference who told me they’ve tried recipes I’ve posted here and loved them, so I better keep that up! If you don’t have an IKEA near you, these Swedish meatballs should scratch the itch. I’ve been making them forever and I made them again last night after a very busy day where my husband wasn’t really home until 9 P.M., so I feel like they’re fairly easy to make. I have lots of little hands who like to chop potatoes for mashing now, so everything comes together quickly.

xoxo