I took this quiz and got:

Agnes Wickfield is the serene heroine of Dickens' David Copperfield. David thinks that Agnes is exemplary, but he doesn't realize that Agnes loves him. Throughout the novel Agnes tries to be selfless, even making friends with David's wife. She is very loyal to her family, too. She detests Uriah Heep's abuse of her father, and heartily refuses to marry him and compromise her beliefs. In the end, Agnes' patience wins through, and she is able to marry David, the man she has loved quietly for many years.

...which seems to pretty much sum me up, not counting the pining away for a married man thing ;)

Under the Weather

I've been quite ill for the last week, with a sore throat and headache, so no new posts and no new clothes or anything. Actually, last weekend I made a travel bag modeled after on in Godey's. It's quite nice, made of red-striped cotton ticking, and I'm ever so excited to use it for my first reenactment in two weeks. I've had word from the ladies making my corset and my dress, which should arrive within the week, so I believe I'm all set to go! I'd really like to make another set of drawers and another chemise, but I fear that other responsibilities have got to come first. Perhaps I can whip out another set of drawers at least next weekend - it would be so nice to have clean underwear for both days of the weekend.


Today, the last day of my extended sick "holiday", I walked 'round our country property. The day has been as beautiful as can ever be offered, the perfect Texas day. It was about 50 degrees F, with a perfectly clear blue sky, a bright sun, and refreshing breeze. Of course, I was accompanied by our most loquacious cat, Puss-In-Boots:

I only get to visit home on the weekends, and next year I'll be much farther away, and will only visit on holidays, so I try to soak up as much of this beloved place as I can, whenever I'm here.

I walked down to the pond, which is delightfully full and brimming with rainwater from our prolonged deluge these past few weeks. (By the pond is our traditional campfire round, with spare wood and log seats, in case you wondered.)

(This picture doesn't do the pond justice! It was really lovely, not so brown in the person.)

It was so lovely, I sat down right on the bridge and soaked in the glorious sunshine. Of course, Puss-In-Boots would not leave me alone, so I was forced to either be continually petting the large fellow, or deal with his loud and demanding vocals. He could wake a whole village from its slumber with a few choice meows!

When I started on my walk again, I felt decidedly the chill, and reconciled myself to go back inside.

(isn't that sky just glorious?)

There I commenced to making the four valentines I'm giving this year.

One for father, 

one for mother, 

one for my brother, (can't get it upright!) 

and one for my only living grandparent, Genie. (this one too! :( Picasa hates me )

To follow up on my last, and shamefully cryptic post, here are a couple pictures of my finished travel roll. When buying fabric for my case, Mom was buying fabric for a rolling case of her own to store her watercolor brushes in. She needed something sturdy, so she made hers of thick cotton ducking. I had selected the cotton ticking I mentioned at the beginning of this post, but it was a little flimsy, and Mom had the great idea of lining my travel case with the scrap ducking from hers. It worked brilliantly, as she had just enough left by for me, and my case is much the stronger for it. 

And here I am, back in the big city, anticipating an early morning of school, missed assignments, and late work due. I'm most certainly wishing it were already summer! And it's being so far away, at least if it were Spring Break... Ah well, this is my last year of high school, I did willingly choose to go to school (rather than homeschool), and I oughtn't act so put upon by it all. I promised myself that if I didn't like school I'd quit and come home, but I guess I was too stubborn to be "beat" by school. It's not as if I made any "bosom friends", as Anne would say. But for some reason I've stuck it out, and now that it's almost done I don't rightly know if I'm happy or sad about it. Perhaps the old phrase "bittersweet" fits it best.

p.s. I have some (4) pictures of our sheep and Mom's mostly neglected garden that didn't fit into my narrative, so I'm tagging them on at the end. 

Cadfael, our Black Welsh Mountain wether, who broke off his left horn last year :(

Devon, our Shetland wether (very skittish, to the point of neurotic)

Tanzy (short for Titania), our Shetland ewe, and the youngest by a couple years.

Finally, Mom's garden:

I'm trying to make this! We'll see if it works.

Valentines Day

This is what we had to type in my technology class today, and I thought it was kind of interesting. I wish it had talked a bit about Victorian practices, which produced the "Valentine's Day Culture" we now have. Oh well.

Valentines Day is a special day observed on February 14. On this day people send greeting cards called valentines to their sweethearts, friends, and members of their families. Many valentines have romantic verses, and others have humorous pictures and sayings. Many say "Be my Valentine"

History

Beginnings: Different authorities believe Valentine's Day began in various ways. Some trace it to an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. Other experts connect the event with one or more saints of the early Christian church. Still others link it with an old English belief that birds choose their mates on February 14. Valentine's Day probably came from a combination of all three of those sources – plus the belief that spring is a time for lovers.

The ancient Romans held the festival of Lupercalia on February 15 to ensure protection from wolves. During this celebration, young men struck people with stripes of animal hide. Women took the blows because they thought that the whipping make them more fertile. After the Romans began their conquest of Britain in AD 43, the British borrowed many Roman festivals. Many writers link the festival of Lupercalia with Valentine's Day because of the similar date and the connection with fertility.

The early Christian church had at least two saints named Valentine. According to one story, the Roman Emperor Claudius II in AD 200's forbade young men to marry. The emperor thought single men made better soldiers. A priest named Valentine disobeyed the emperor's order and secretly married young couples.

Another story says Valentine was an early Christian who make friends with many children. The Romans imprisoned him because he refused to worship their gods. The children missed Valentine and tossed loving notes between the bars of his cell window., This tale may explain why people exchange messages on Valentine's Day. According to still another story, Valentine restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter.

Many stories say that Valentine was executed on February 14, about AD 269. In AD 296, Saint Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as St. Valentine's Day.

In Norman France, a language spoken in Normandy during the Middle Ages, the word galatine sounds like Valentine and means gallant or lover. This resemblance may have caused people to think of Saint Valentine as the special saint of lovers.

The earliest records of Valentine's Day in English tell that birds chose their mates on that day. People used a different calendar before 1582, and February 14 came out on what is now February 24. Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet of the 1300s, wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, "For this was on St Valentine's Day, / When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate." Shakespeare also mentioned this belief in A Midsummer Night's Dream. A character in the play discovers two lovers in the woods and asks, "St Valentine is past;/ Begin these woodbirds but to couple now?"


 

 
________________

Source:

Carol Bain, MA, Former Archivist, Folklore Archives, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Whew! I've had word from Kay Gnagey about my dress, and from Kay Demlow about my corset, and both will be done and shipped in plenty of time! I do look forward to the day I can make my own dress, and perchance, even my own corset, but for now I think I've got the second best coming my way :-)
I've been reading Persuasion recently, and am thoroughly enjoying it. The only other Jane Austen I've read in full is Pride and Prejudice, which I also loved, but already knew quite well from watching the BBC's miniseries. With Persuasion, I only know that Capt. Wentworth and Anne will get together in the end (how could they not?). Otherwise, all plot twists are new to me - what fun!
I vowed to practice long and hard on my Bach today, but in piano class we had a guest performance. Which was lovely, really it was. Still, I feel that Mr. M has subjected us to so many guest performances this year we never have time to practice! I ought to practice now, but I am so tired I don't know that I will. I'll eat dinner and then will probably have a "second wind" to tickle the ivories.
Yesterday I ventured into the local Sally's Beauty to find pomade (Beyond Zone: Wax it Up Texture and Definition Pomade) and a comb. The pomade I got is halfway acceptable, being clear and having a sturdy, but not crisp, hold, but it has an awfully strong (in my opinion) scent. You know the one: fruity, flowery, and decidedly 20th/21st century. If anyone knows a good brand, I'd love to hear of it!

February Objective: Music and Little Women

This week marks eleven weeks between me and my upcoming senior piano recital, the culmination of four year's work at my performing arts high school. I am terrified! I still have three pieces to learn (our of an eight piece line up), which shouldn't be so daunting, but somehow I always forget exactly how to learn music between pieces. This is also the first time I've had to maintain a repertoire; in the past, I would prepare one piece for each concert, and then move on after the show. Now I'm trying to keep up with five pieces, and learn new ones as well! I am feeling the squeeze, let me tell you!


I have decided to drop all sewing endeavors for the next two weeks, to focus on my senior recital rep. However, in two week's time I'll be back at it, hopefully making another set of drawers and another chemise for Henkel Square. I'm also hoping to participate in the Little Women of 2010 challenge put on by Rebecca at www.sewinginthepast.com. Here's the banner I liked best:

I'm hoping to do a photo shoot, and perhaps a post dedicated to Jo or Meg. 

Item list: inventory for Henkel Square 2010

Hard ware:


pitcher and basin
period-appropriate soap
two plain towels and a washrag (hand-knit)
oil lamp or
paraffin candles w/ appropriate holders
ink, paper, pen, wax
bandage
pocket knife
needle and thread (repairs)
snacks (ginger snaps, fresh veggies)
drinking water
period-approp. reading material


Toilet:


comb
hair pomade
sunscreen (well disguised) or
slat bonnet (if made in time)
lip balm
hair pins
lavender oil
tooth brush (find really plain one at dollar store?)
tooth paste (also well disguised)
all held in a "lady's toilet sachet"(Godey’s, May, 1859)


Accessories:


hair ribbons (?)
fashion bonnet
slat bonnet (see above note)
small golden hoop earrings
small golden necklace
fan (?)
shawl
warm hood (really want to make one!)


Can I get it all together? I certainly hope so!