Monday, May 23, 2016

Hazel Stellamaris


Hazel

The hazel is a deciduous tree common in the Northern hemisphere and especially important in the British Isles.



The Perindens Tree.:


Trees hold nearly universal significance across cultures, symbolizing life, redemption, kinship and tradition, wisdom, sustenance, shelter.

In the Christian tradition we find the Tree of Life, the Tree of Jesse, the Rood--all images intertwined, enriching each-other, all speaking of life in Christ and in the Church, life blossoming, producing fruit, Life in abundance.

In medieval European consciousness the hazel tree was associated with water: frequently found planted around holy wells and places of spiritual significance.

“And she shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth her fruit in season; her leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever she doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3

Medieval pilgrims, especially in the British Isles, carried staffs made of hazel wood. These staffs symbolized the life of grace, pilgrimage, and were often buried with their owners.

Book of Hours, MS M.19 fol. 165v - Images from Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts - The Morgan Library & Museum:

St. Patrick, it is said, expelled the snakes from Ireland using a rod of hazel.

An old pious legend claims that it was a hazel tree that sheltered the Holy Family on their flight to Egypt.



Stellamaris

Stella Maris, Star of the Sea,” is an ancient title of the Virgin Mary.


Love […] is an ever fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
                                                                 Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

Stella Maris, the “sea-star” is another name of the star Polaris, also called the “lodestar” or “steering star” because, since ancient times, mariners have used it for navigation at sea.

In Christian tradition Mary becomes the “lodestar” of the Church: the light that guides us to our ultimate destination, the “true North”: Christ.

In the 12th century St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: “If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary.”

Monday, May 2, 2016

Back on Wise Road







Dear Blog.

It has been a long, long time. The fact that you exist still on the internets has haunted me for almost a year now. But I needed a bit of a break--from the blog and, if truth be told, from the farmhouse on Wise Road as well. 

Things were tough at the farmhouse for a long time. Devin and I have been humbled, truly, discovering just limited our renovation knowledge and abilities truly are. Every trip up to Wise Road seemed to be fraught with peril, anxiety, and an inevitable disaster of one kind of another. The sunsets were stunning, the quiet mornings awe-inspiring, but the days between were hard. Overwhelming.

So last Fall we made a decision. 

Some friends of ours introduced us to a wonderful family of missionaries, back in KC between assignments. Mark and Lora were living with family but looking for a little bit more space for their kids. Mark, a talented contractor, was looking for some renovation work. 

Would Mark and Lora, we wondered, be interested in living at the farmhouse and helping us finish the work we found we were unable to do? We offered them the house and the work and they accepted. 

I can say without a doubt that having Mark and Lora's family up at Wise Road has been the best decision we have made to date. They are a family filled with joy. Their children truly enjoyed roaming free on the beautiful land and taught our kids how to interact and enjoy a hitherto intimidating landscape. Just having their happy, holy family in the house completely changed the feeling of the place, like all our own anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion had been driven out.

Beyond this--let me just say that Mark is magical. He is a talented and resourceful worker, I can hardly remember all of the things that were wrong with the house that Mark put right. In the first week after they moved in he had disposed of our resident pack rat, who was living under our kitchen and causing no end of expensive and disgusting damage. Little things that had somehow overwhelmed us he fixed: Ikea cabinets that were misinstalled, cracks in floors that weren't repaired by the floor people, patching that the contractors left, window shades that I had funked. All these things Mark fixed. 

And then the real work began. Mark tore off our "third bedroom" (i.e. nasty, stinky, rotting lean-to) and used salvaged wood to rebuild it into an *actual* bedroom with a closet and AMAZING built-in bunks and a mudroom with a utility sink and (heated!) stone floor:

BEFORE

BEFRORE





After that Mark built our amazing front porch, complete with tongue and groove floor, Haint Blue ceiling and outlets *specifically* for Christmas light installation. As if this wasn't enough Mark and his kids found huge pieces of limestone around the property and dragged them, Stonehenge style, to the front of the house and built them into stone steps. One of these pieces is probably 7x7 feet across and an 18 inches thick. It must weigh a thousand pounds. I have no idea how they moved that piece of stone.

I can hardly remember all the things that Mark and his family have done on the property. They have cut down trees, removed underbrush, planted and pruned fruit trees. They sealed and insulated the underside of our drafty old hardwood floor, installed a new washer and dryer, chopped firewood. The list goes on and on!'

In March Mark and Lora finished the project and we have, once again, taken possession of the house on Wise Road. We celebrated with barbeque, a bonfire and a house blessing.

Now Devin and I are ready to give the Wise Road another go--and I hope I can find time to get back to the blog as well! 

A lot is going on these days! Not least a NEW BABY, who I will introduce in the near future! In addition to THAT (!!) this year will mark the first year of official homeschooling in our house. I have so much to share about our kindergarten year (now complete) and my hopes and plans for the next year! 

So till I find time to sit down once again at the computer I will leave you with sunset on Wise Road.








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