ICK: Something Engie mentioned in yesterday's comments made me wonder how I know of John Ruskin. It's almost all second-hand (save a few anthologized passages here and there), and from knowing people like William Morris, Tolstoy, and Gandhi revered him. I knew he was radical and sort of a socialist precursor and that he was a friend of the working class because Ruskin College in Oxford offers adult education. (Ruskin was an art prof at Oxford, Ruskin College is not part of the Oxford system, however.) I thought I'd read his Wiki to learn more... there were no big surprises except about his statement, "I like my girls from ten to sixteen" and learning he'd asked women whom he'd met when they were preteens to marry him. What is it with Victorians and the fetishization of prepubescents? That's already ruined Alice (Lewis Carroll) and Little Nell (Dickens) for me. And hurt who knows how many children in real life?
Pic: YAY for yesterday's egg hunt: Huck, Nu, At, and Max.
I... we all.. missed Scout so much. We were so, so lucky to have him last year. This was Max's first, and I hide puppy treats in the eggs as well, so he really got into this new game.
This year the easiest clue rhymed "...arboreal" with "...Scout's memorial." They had a tough time with "...you could"/ "...birthday dogwood" (the dogwood tree my dear friends got me for my birthday). They didn't get it even after I explained it. "DOG WHAT? DOG WOOD?" They kept asking me. How do they not know what a dogwood is? Should I have taught them better? It made me laugh so much because they sounded so clueless! They're so sweet for still being all in about the egg hunt though.
6 comments:
Whoa, that is pretty gross and creepy. Well, people contain multitudes, although that person contains a horrible one.
Oooh, Nicole, with the reference to Walt Whitman! Love, love, love Walt so much. Thank you. That reminds me to bring out "Song of Myself" and celebrate National Poetry Month.
And, oh! The Victorians and all their odd proclivities. Sigh. It's important to remember that Childhood wasn't really a bona fide stage of development to the Victorians. Only the Romantics created the idea of little children who were able to frolic around, free of responsibility and cares. Most Victorians viewed kids as small versions of adults, just weaker and less wordly/intelligent. More vulnerable--and that has its charms to some people.
Anyway, lesson over from the person whose specialization was in Victorian lit.
I love your All-In Easter Egg Hunt, maya. Even the pups get to find treats and have fun!
That is awful, and sadly, not as rare as one would hope, as you point out.
Your egg hunt reminds me of a treasure hunt (with rhyming clues) Noah organized at my mom and stepfather's house once when he was in elementary school. He had variations on that activity at all of his birthday parties from age 8 to 11, if I'm remembering correctly, but we never did it for Easter.
I am sorry you are missing Scout. The cat next door has taken to spending a lot of time in our yard and it's been nice, having a surrogate cat. North is lobbying to get new cats and I am considering it.
Nice.
Women really and truly have been mistreated in this world.
My niblings did an egg hunt and I was so impressed that the older ones played along. Yay for fun scavenger hunts!
Nicole: :/
Nance--Yes to all of this. Thank you.
Steph--I remember that Noah's story! I bet his rhymes were cool. I saw your surrogate cat pics, and wondered if you were feeling ready. <3
Gillian--Thanks!
Engie--History is such a reality check. Yes, yay for the moments of joy. <3
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