2026: Treatise on Prayer and Meditation

 For the book chat group of which I am  a member, we ready Treatise on Prayer and Meditation. 

I read this book also in 2025: https://dearmarmie.blogspot.com/2025/10/2025-treatise-on-prayer-and-meditation.html

Mild Rainy Day and Cooking

I love a Saturday with intermittent rain and mild weather. I let the hens out in the backyard and have the backdoor open (screen door only) so I can hear/watch them throughout the morning and early afternoon. The hens are able to meander in and out of the run as the rain stops and starts. While they do this, I focus on various tasks that keep the chickens in the line of sight. It also allows me to cook at a slower pace or try new recipes-something I can't do during the busy work week. 

Today, I adapted a recipe from Delia Smith this particular rainy Saturday. 

I washed, cut, and parboiled potatoes ( used 2.5 pounds from a 5 pound bag at $3.99).

As the potatoes boiled, I baked a pound of uncured bacon ( $5.69).

Once the potatoes were almost completely cooked, I drained and then added to a cast iron skillet with the rendered bacon fat. I added salt, pepper and an Italian seasoning packet ($.60).

I added the bacon to the skillet as the potatoes crisped and here is the result! 

The potatoes were crispy on the outside and a soft interior. The flavor was layered and quite delicious. 

Overall cost: $8.27

2026: The Catholic Guide to Loneliness

 

 I read another of Dr. Vost's books in 2022:

https://dearmarmie.blogspot.com/2022/04/2022-reading-list-four-friendships.html

They play off of each other as the themes are about understanding true friendship, being a true friend, and helping those who do struggle with loneliness. 

In this day and age of continual connection, one would think this wouldn't be a problem, but the numbers are record breaking. 

People are lonely. 

Interactions have gone from face to face, to telephones, to social media and text messages.  Young adults are struggling with anxiety just to make a phone call! 

Dr. Vost leads us down a very thoughtful path, and you can tell he wrote this with much compassion. I like his writing (excluding the modern Catholic references) and do recommend the book for anyone struggling with loneliness or dealing with a family member/friend who is experiencing this right now. 

Reach out to someone folks, let them know you see him/her. 

2026: Moby Dick by Herman Melville

 

The husband and I decided to form our own little book club. Unofficially, we had read a book at the same time in 2025, but never discussed it.

For 2026, we made it official and, after going through a list of possible choices, landed on Moby Dick. I had never read it, and it had been many years since the husband had cracked open the book.

The book had been described to me as being a story about  a captain obsessed with chasing down a white whale. 

Having that expectation in mind, I began the reading adventure and I was absolutely frustrated.

This book isn’t just about a whale obsessed captain, it is much more than that and, had I known this beforehand, my expectations would have been different and I would have enjoyed it for what it was -at least to me.

The book has a narrator (Ishmael) who proceeds to tell a story of which he was witness. However, I would describe this as more of a commonplace book: the writings of a man who tells a story about his experience, seems to add context from points of view of other persons, describes scenes he would never know, and then throws in various chapters of science and biology. There is an underlining current of religious opinions throughout and possibly an allegory in the characters of many. 

The characters appear to allegorical meanings behind them.

The book read choppy at times and then the ebb and flow from the story to the inner musings and scientific writings reminded me of the waves of the sea.

It is obvious Melville researched much to write this book. It is also obvious, that one needs some kind of knowledge of archaic ship words, the Bible, pagan beliefs, European history, American history, and world maps to understand and enjoy more deeply.

My husband asked me if I would re-read this book again. Yes, I think I would, and with a deeper appreciation now that I come in understanding better what it was and not the shallow description often given to the book.

 

 

 

2026: From Sin to Sanctity: The Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm

 

I don't think Saint Anselm would have been keen on Tan's Novus Ordo footnotes. 

In a word; ruined. 

After realizing that these notes would all be Vatican II crap, I opted to just read the prayers/meditations. However, those also had been changed to make them more "readable". 

I do have a rhetorical question: should we publish every private writing by a saint? 

Reading this, it seemed to me to be a very intimate conversation between Saint Anselm and Our Lord. 

R.I.P. Mable

 

Little Mable was laid to rest today- she was a good little chicken and loved to be cuddled and loved!

2026: Sense and Sensibility

 

Can you go wrong with Jane Austen?

No, no you can't. 

  Haven't I already read this book? 

Yes, yes I have, but not the annotated version! 

I took a risk and decided to join a book club hosted by Dr. Adam Walker.  He would provide a lecture at the beginning and then open it up to questions/answers.  I realized that the annotated version of this book allowed me a deeper knowledge because the annotations captured the period of time in which the book was written/set. The annotations allowed one to understand the social classes, laws in effect at that time and the expected etiquette for that time. 

I would recommend a annotated version of any of the Austen books!