A bon mot about a good meal

I ran across this in a book I was browsing in this weekend while Christmas shopping and it amused me, so I copied it down:

If the soup had been as warm as the wine, and the wine as old as the fish, and the fish as young as the maid, and the maid as willing as the hostess, it would have been a very good meal.

-- Anonymous

Readings from Rivendell

December 4, 1 p.m. at the Southeast Community Library in Dinkytown: "Readings from Rivendell." Meeting at the Southeast Community Library (Mpls, near the U of MN East Bank Campus), 1222 Fourth Street. SE, diagonal from The Library bar in Dinkytown. Limited off-street parking available. A helpful detail on parking for anyone who finds the library's limited parking all full up -- there are two parking lots a block away from the Library, on 5th Str., one across the street on 5th Str. and 13th Ave., and the other around the corner to the right in the middle of the 1300 block. Not expensive. Expected readers will include Ruth Berman, Dan Goodman, Eric M. Heideman, Margaret M. Howes, Joan Marie Verba

I plan to attend at least part of the session, and I will read bits from the ice palace book.

Gee, I better finish that Lake Nokomis scene.

House names

I have wanted to have a name for my house for a long time. I have known friends who lived at places named things like Toad Hall or Courts of Chaos, and I liked that. It seemed right and natural to honor the place that you live, that holds so much of your identity, to articulate in a well-chosen name what your home means to you. I'd also like a name that sounds lovely. (Remember Misselthwaite Manor?) But I haven't really thought of anything that seems quite right for my own house. We live in a house built in about 1918 (I believe), and it is filled with books and the other accumulated debris of a happy, busy family (where at least one member is a confirmed packrat). It is set on a hill that faces west. There are no trees that are particularly remarkable, and no rose garden (although I might put roses in someday). I do have a cottage garden on the side that is pink, and a vegetable garden in the back.

I spent a little time cruising house names sites today, trying to come up with something. "Swanhurst" was one idea, but heck, I want to move on emotionally from The Wild Swans and after all, there are no swans around here. I have a sneaking love for "Rivendell" (for some reason that speaks to me more than, say, "Lothlorien" or "Meduseld") but I don't know whether Rob would go for it. I should ask. Perhaps there are other place names out of Tolkien I could use. If I had a brook anywhere on my property, for example, I would love to somehow use his beautiful word "Withywindle" in the house name.

On a list of Irish house names I found "Aisling House." "Aisling" means dream or vision. I paused over "Nestledown" for a moment.

But the strongest possibility may be "Gray Gables." Because we really do have them. Kind of nice for a Lucy M. Montgomery fan.

Does your house have a name? Are you pleased with it, or are you hunting for another one? How long did you search for the right one? Have you heard of somebody else's house name that you really liked? What was it?

Edited to add: A sneaky way to get two allusions at once might be Gray Gable Haven (Or Grey Gable Havens. Or Grey Haven Gables). Hmm. Must think on that.

Car report

From the garage diagnostic shakedown: the alternator and battery. The brake pads are about 80% worn, so they suggest replacing those, which seems reasonable. The car's electrical system needs replacement, too: spark plugs, spark plug wires, the rotor thingummy associated with the spark plugs, etc. First garage quote: $1100. Second quoted roughly $800. We're waiting to hear from the third.

They did say that on the whole the car looked to be in good shape, though, and well-cared for.

Glare report: 12/2/04: language tweaking pass on Lake Nokomis

Words: 200 tonight
Words total: 12800
Stopping because: It's a half hour past my bedtime and I'm short on sleep.
Notes: A little reassured by my progress, but still not entirely satisfied. I haven't finished the scene, but I focused on microwriting tonight. It felt as though I was trying to reassure myself: do I still have it in me to write really beautiful prose, interesting in a detailed, sensory way? Whatever that mysterious it is? I am a bit nervous about the reading on Saturday. I'm not sure I'm going to get the scene done. I'm not sure whether that is more important to me, or the quality of the micro writing is more important. Will try to work on both and will probably be satisfied with neither.

Books for November, 2004

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. Re-read. I needed to soothe my shattered nerves after the election.

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl. This was a re-read because I read it to the girls. They enjoyed it highly.

Goodbye, Pink Pig by Carole S. Adler. First time read. This is one of Fiona's books that I picked up that I rather liked, which squarely addresses the question: "Is fantasy "mere" escapism? Is that crazy, dangerous or helpful?"

Moral Politics: How Conservatives and Liberals Think by George Lakoff. First time read. Lent to me by minnehaha. Although I agree with minnehaha B. that it isn't well-written, this is the book that I'm recommending to everyone this month, because it explains so much of what is puzzling about American politics today.

Fredrica by Georgette Heyer. Re-read. Picked up as a stress escape.

Icy Pleasures: Minnesota Celebrates Winter by Paul Clifford Larson. I'm putting this down although technically I didn't finish it. I did read everything on point needed for my research, I think. Pretty well written.

There and Back Again: An Actor's Journey by Sean Astin with Joe Layden. First time read. I felt quite sympatico with him, reading about struggling with self-doubt as he tries to improve at his craft.

Right now I'm in the middle of Right Nation: Conservative Power in America, another loan from minnehaha, so that will be first on next month's list.

[kijjohnson, I haven't forgotten about the portion of Kylen you sent me. The problem is how rarely I get to sit down at my computer, and then I feel I should be working on my own. But I'll try to get to it this month.]