Random Five

1. This guy who reminds me of a four-year-old human kid. In and out, in and out the door. Snuggle with me; don't snuggle with me. Feed me; never mind, I don't want to eat; gets filthy then comes in and gets his feet all over the couch; whines when he doesn't get his way; only listens to what he wants to hear... But too cute to give away to the next passing caravan of Gypsies. Dawsey Marie. Chilling out on my knee even as I type.

2. This healthful recipe for pumpkin bread. 

Yum! Thank you Allison and Ryan for the Eikorn Flour!

3.  My new favorite prayer. Written out to put in my missal.

4. Written out, I say, because I actually did write this prayer out in cursive in the little tiny book I keep in my missal. The physical act of writing is a cathartic things for me -- like ironing -- (don't judge now; we all have our quirks...). Call me crazy, but I like looping and circling and laying all my letters neatly on a line. (Ahh... Satisfaction!) It's the weirdest thing to me that the disciplines have flipped. When I was growing up, everyone learned how to print legibly and write in cursive, but we were only just encouraged to learn to type -- as rather an extra thing that we might appreciate knowing at some point in our life. Nowadays, though, pretty much everyone knows how to use a keyboard (even if it's just henpecking or using a thumb on an i-phone), and learning to write with a pen or pencil is more an elective skill, certainly not stressed in conventional schooling situations. 

In recent years, I'd begun to have some hope that this writing/typing thing would flip back. You remember, back in the olden days when people discussed things other than viruses and vaccines and politics? There had been some general acknowledgement of the loss of hand-writing, in general, and cursive, in particular -- and a small push had begun to revitalize its use in some enlightened quarters. I understand that there are, arguably, bigger fish to fry right now -- with the threat of CRT and the realization of many parents that their children have learned to be card-carrying communists, but don't know how to read... 

But, this discipline of cursive writing may be more important than we've thought. Moms and Dads who educate your own children or who have influence in your parochial schools, you might want to consider the importance of stressing the tactile skill of cursive writing again -- for all its many goods -- but maybe most of all, for its importance in your children's mental development! Read about this fact here, here, and here. Pop over here if you'd like some free printable worksheets for the kids to practice with, or you can go here or here to order Catholic workbooks for penmanship mastery. 

The natural next topic for #5, would be the importance of learning to string words together in sensible sentences and paragraphs -- and all the wonderful things those can become -- and how important this also is for mental development and just getting on in life -- but, this being a random five, and my having a hundred and one things to do before Dan and I head out for a week in the Wisconsin wilderness, I'm going to avoid looking up any more links, and leave off here, with all my best regards to all who pass by! Please pray for the reign of Mary's Immaculate Heart throughout the world, remember our priests and seminarians daily! I'll be back next week!