The Lighthouse

the lighthouse

22 April 2014

Rewarded


Ok, that was a stretch, but award doesn't start with R, so I fudged a wee little bit.

One of my favourite writers - and the author of three of my favourite blogs - Nancy, has nominated The Lighthouse for a Liebster Award. I was stunned but excited (extunned? stunited?) to see my name in her list of nominees, but rather than go all Sally Field about it, I'll do as my mother taught me, and say Thank you very much, Nancy!  It means a lot, coming from you, so I am honoured to accept.

Thankfully, instead of a skill-testing question involving numbers requiring more fingers and toes in my possession, in order to receive the award, I must use words to answer 11 questions devised by Nancy. I will then nominate my own Liebster Awardees, and bestow 11 questions of my own upon them.

Here we go:

1.    What is your favorite Bible verse, or book of the Bible?

Isaiah 61 (The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me...).  Favourite books are Isaiah.  And Jeremiah.  And Habakkuk. The prophetic, poetic books.

2.   If you could re-live one year of your life, what year would that be?

There was a year in my mid 20s that seemed absolutely perfect. I knew it at the time, was aware of it as I lived it so I have no regrets about missed moments or anything like that. It was a golden time, and it was good.

3.   If you could live in any period of time besides this one, when would it be?

I love this question!  It’s also a difficult question to give one answer for.  I’m drawn to the late 17- to early 1900’s (A happy blend of yore and plumbing). I’d also like to be in Vienna during the time of philosophical and musical flourishing – or Oxford during the Oxford movement or later for the Inklings.

4.   What is your favorite colour?

Tiffany blue.  Or that exact shade of orange.  Or green.

5.   What's your favorite song or piece of music?

My favourite song is What is this love by Blue Rodeo and Sarah McLachlan. And Brothers in arms by Dire Straits.  Also The Love you save by The Trews (an excellent Canadian band – check them out!) My favourite piece of music is the Adagio in G minor by Albinoni. (Disclaimer, these answers suppose that unwritten in the question was “Aside from Depeche Mode...”)

6.   What are your three favorite books?

Ack!  The others will feel snubbed when I don’t mention them!  But ok, I’ll give it a try:  Jane Eyre, Brideshead Revisited, Anne of Green Gables.  Unless it’s Persuasion, Fr. Elijah, The Little Princess.  And some days it’s The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society, Outlander, and Abandonment to divine providence…

7.   What was your best and/or favorite subject in grade (primary) school? 

Language Arts was my best, and social studies was my favourite.

8.   Favorite subject in high school? (for Australians, that's ages 14 to 18 or thereabouts - I don't think you call it high school there?).

The same two, only in high school we called them English and History.

9.   If you could return to or go to University today, what would your major be?

For my own interest, I’d major in history. I’d like to study the cultural life of different time periods in Europe. If I went in order to change field of work, I’d like to study disaster management.


10. Make up a question you'd like someone to ask you.  Then ask you.  And remember to answer you.

Question: Is it true you know everything?

Answer: No. I only like to pretend I do.

11. Tell us one random thing about yourself.

I was born without wisdom teeth.  That explains a lot.

 

I don’t read many blogs – not regularly, anyway.  The ones I do keep tabs on, quite naturally enough, I believe are terrific, and am more than happy to nominate them for a Liebster Award.

KR Smith (A straight-up writing blog, featuring the work of KR himself.  I admire how polished, inspired, and witty his writing is – even the somewhat dark and twisty bits.)

Out of her tree (Carly writes about her family, the quirks and foibles of life, customer service, and education. She also shows off her creative side with photos of the stunning cakes she has made, her beautiful photography, and the occasional craft project. While I read her as a friend, I find the voice of the writer is so truly ‘her’ that I feel as though I’m listening to her tell me the stories in person.)

Peter’s Barque (An unstintingly honest and heartfelt blog about Catholicism and the life of a Catholic. Coming to The Barque is always a thought-provoking visit. I appreciate the conviction and thoroughness he brings to the topics he writes about, and the fact that he writes, as he has called himself, as an Ordinary Catholic, not an academic or specialist.)

 

With these three I am far short of the desired 11 nominations but I offer them with all due enthusiasm and appreciation for their fine contributions to the blogosphere.

Here are my questions for them (and you, if you like) to answer:

1.What is the clearest memory of your childhood?

2. If you could be teleported anywhere in the world, where would you go?

3.What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

4.At the end of a long day, what is your go-to meal for supper?  (Share the recipe!)

5.You’ve won the lottery!  After gifts to family, friends, and charities, what would you do for yourself?

6.Why do you write? And, if you care to share (and have the time) why do you blog?

7.Do you have a favourite word? Is there a word you overuse?

8.Whose writing do you most admire?
 
9. What skill or superpower would you most like to have - that you do not already possess.
 
10. Someone else is doing the cooking and cleanup. Invite one living and one dead (This is imaginary, so both will accept, and neither will be dead when they arrive at your door) person to dinner.
 
11.Is there a book you reread over and over again and it's always as good as the first time?
 
There you go!  If you accept the award, let me know, make your own nominees (if you'd like to) and 'Liebster it forward'.

7 comments:

  1. I love this post :)! Loved your answers, and would like to hear you answer some of your OWN questions as well.

    For instance: whose writing do you most admire? And what book do you read over and over again?

    I got the Potato Peel Society book (hey- I can't remember my own name, much less that one; probably will after I've read it?)from a relative. Seeing that you like it is a HUGE nudge for me to actually begin it!

    Thanks for a fun post!

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  2. The Ordinary Catholic, with astonishing promptness, provided the following reply:
    Imagine my surprise when I saw Peter's Barque as one of your nominees Tess! Never in a million years would I have thought this possible! Yet there it is. Thank you young lady. I am truly humbled.

    As for the questions I will do my best to answer them in all honesty. Ready? I'm not, but here goes nothin'.

    1.What is the clearest memory of your childhood?

    I remember clearly still sleeping in a crib. Being poor and no funds to buy another bed, my parents figured since I was a wee lad and I still fit it worked. Even at six years old ;)

    2. If you could be teleported anywhere in the world, where would you go?

    Probably the same place I would live: anywhere in the world where I could have a house in the middle of 500 acres with the nearest neighbor at least 3 miles away.

    3.What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

    Being of French-Canadian decent, we had a tradition called 'Reveillon' which was a Christmas Eve celebration where all the relatives would come to the house on the Eve and we would all go to the midnight Mass as a group. After Mass, we would return home and feast till the wee hours of the morning! They always seemed to leave just in time for Santa to arrive. Go figure.

    4.At the end of a long day, what is your go-to meal for supper? (Share the recipe!)

    I love many foods and I've cooked many exotic and gourmet meals, but my favorite is and always will be the lowly hamburger with mustard and raw onions. Life does not get better than that!

    Recipe:
    Take some ground beef, form it into a pattie, heat up your cast-iron pan with butter and fry that baby up!

    5.You’ve won the lottery! After gifts to family, friends, and charities, what would you do for yourself?

    I would buy restored models of my late father's first three cars and drive them on Sundays only. I have fond memories of my youth of rides we took as a family in those cars

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  3. [following is the remainder of The Ordinary Catholic's reply]
    6.Why do you write? And, if you care to share (and have the time) why do you blog?
    I will have to answer those two questions in one fell swoop for they are related. I have never written anything since having left high school. Never. Nothing. Nada. Why did I start and with a blog to boot? I write because my head was ready to explode with all the thoughts and ideas I had swirling around in my brain with no one to share them with. I do not know of many within my little circle of life who share or even agrees with my interests especially my faith let alone talk about them, so my thoughts needed a release valve.

    As a Catholic I have been pained to the quick to see our Church decimated the way it has been by those who claim to hold to the same Faith. I could no longer stand by and allow that to happen on my watch without an attempt to clarify and set straight errors and lies that have been allowed free rein within our holy walls and those of this society. Have I made a difference? I'm not sure. I wonder if Simon of Cyrene asked himself the same question once he found out who's cross he helped carry.

    7.Do you have a favourite word? No, not really.
    Is there a word you overuse? Yes I do... Really???

    8.Whose writing do you most admire?
    That is like asking me what I like most on my hamburger, onions or mustard..., but I have to say Peter Kreeft. There is a man with an outstanding mind and faith AND the gift to be able to share it with those who do not have the intellectual acumen that he possesses and make it intelligible to this high school grad of yore.

    9. What skill or superpower would you most like to have - that you do not already possess.
    The superpower to hold my tongue when necessary and to keep it civil when unleashed.

    10. Someone else is doing the cooking and cleanup. Invite one living and one dead (This is imaginary, so both will accept, and neither will be dead when they arrive at your door) person to dinner.
    Alice von Hildebrand and Archbishop Lamy, first Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico and my ancestor.

    11.Is there a book you reread over and over again and it's always as good as the first time?
    Peter Kreeft - Handbook of Christian Apologetics. There is simply too much information to take it all in even in several readings.

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  4. Nancy, thanks for the questions. Some, like what I'd go to school for, were really fun to think about.

    When I wrote out the question about whose writing do you admire, I was trying to decide what my reply would be. Once again, it seems I don't have one straight forward answer, as there are several I admire, for different reasons. I stand in awe of the Great Jane Austen, because her writing is so effortless the reader isn't aware of the structure doing all heavy lifting behind the scenes. She's like Frank Lloyd Write. (haha!) I love - truly love - Georgette Heyer's writing because I tumble headlong into her stories. The way she plays with words is like playing with soap bubbles on a sunny day. I admire Dorothy L. Sayers because her fierce intelligence and love for language shines through everything she writes (and her Lord Peter Wimsey surpasses even Mr. Darcy as my ultimate literary hero). And for his adept skill with the craft of writing, I study William F. Buckley. Politics aside (not that I disagree with him, I just don't want to put people off my point) his work is a master class in grammar and vocabulary. I absolutely can't leave out Tolkien, because he managed to craft a masterpiece, and did it while breaking nearly every rule about how to write a book people will want to read.
    I'd better stop there.
    A book I reread? I'm happy to reread any of the authors I mentioned above, and very frequently do. Aside from those is the Hound and the Falcon series by Judith Tarr.

    Oh Nancy! I do hope you enjoy the Potato Peel Society book. I would recommend it to every person (well, lady) who asked for a suggestion at the library. Let me know what you think! I look forward to your review.

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  5. I've never been nominated for an award before, but you have all these questions for me?! Some of these might take a little time to answer... I hope there's not too much of a time limit! I feel like it's the day before the big algebra test!

    I'm not sure how all this works, but I will post them on my blog. About the only time I have right now to write is my lunch period at work (busy time of the year), but I will try!

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  6. I am working on a reply! So little time right now!

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  7. OK, I have at least part of my Liebster acceptance out there!

    http://www.theworldofkrsmith.com/2014/05/liebster-award-part-i.html

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