St. Patrick, St. Cuthbert, and John Rutter Walk Into a Pub...

Beautiful Wisconsin
in the springtime

Join Joyce and the Gang
for

She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog post

and join in!

1. On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you're looking forward to in this season of the year.

When you endure a long winter, as we do here in Wisconsin, the weather of spring/summer/fall IS what's on our minds this time of year. We cram a lot into those months from April through October: good country walks, visiting friends and family, campfires, day trips, and other general outdoor adventures. Oh, and I mustn't forget moon walks! We've plans with friends for the Full Moon Walk the end of April. - check out Carla's blog. 

One of three photos I took at

our St. Patrick's Day party on Saturday evening.

After dinner, the kids gathered to play Liar's Dice.

There were a lot of CrockPots in use that evening!

2. When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards? Clean out closets or clean out the garage? Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases? Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside? Any of these tasks recently completed?

This reminds me of the 'would you rather' questions that my grandkids ask: 'Would you rather be thrown into a den of rattlesnakes or be stung by 100 scorpions?'  but if I had to choose any of those, it would be to dust the bookcases. Although I have a lot of them, that would be the least objectionable of any of the jobs listed. And besides, I can always pick up something to read.

3. Your favorite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese? Sour cream? Whipped cream?

I love cream cheese/chicken in the CrockPot. To a can of green chilies, I add a block of cream cheese, stir well, and pour it over four boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Delicious meal in 6-8 hours! Sour cream? I put sour cream in the Shepherd's Pie that I  made for our St. Patrick's Day dinner (along with an entire bottle of Guinness). Making the Shepherd's Pie took far longer than rounding up a flock of sheep, but I'll have to admit that it was certainly tasty and sticks to the ribs (and hips and waist). Whipped cream? My favorite thing with whipped cream would be the strawberry freezer dessert made with a blend of strawberries, lemon juice, whipped cream, and spread on a shortbread-type crust, then frozen. Another delicious treat!

4. I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation?

I don't usually have a problem with pronunciation until it comes to names - and those are pronounced however the owner chooses, of course. But I am one of those people who loves it when someone includes a pronunciation guide for people or place names, because I like to be able to pronounce them. If I can't, they stick in my mind, continually pestering in the background, while my brain is trying to figure them out. That's very annoying.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch  - It's a place in Wales. And I've long since given up on trying to pronounce it. 

Well, maybe not, now that I've found this:

via WalesOnline

5. What's a song you love* with the word 'rain' in the title or lyrics?

* emphasis added.

LOOK AT THE WORLD, by John Rutter

(listen, below, in 'Random')

Look at the world: Everything all around us
Look at the world: and marvel everyday
Look at the world: So many joys and wonders
So many miracles along our way

Praise to thee O Lord for all creation
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share and every blessing
All things come of thee

Look at the earth: Bringing forth fruit and flower
Look at the sky: The sunshine and the rain
Look at the hills, look at the trees and mountains
Valley and flowing river field and plain

Praise to thee O Lord for all creation
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share and every blessing
All things come of thee

Think of the spring, Think of the warmth of summer
Bringing the harvest before the winters cold
Everything grows, everything has a season
Til' it is gathered to the fathers fold

Praise to thee O Lord for all creation
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share and every blessing
All things come of thee

Every good gift, all that we need and cherish
Comes from the Lord in token of his love
We are his hands, stewards of all his bounty
His is the earth and his the heavens above

Praise to thee, O Lord for all creation
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing
All things come of thee
All things come of thee

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

As I write this blog post on Tuesday, the following event is still three hours in the future, and how I'd love to be there!:

SPECIAL SERVICE - 

ST CUTHBERT’S DAY FESTAL EVENSONG AND PROCESSION

20 March 2018

7.00pm

This joyous service commemorating the life of St Cuthbert includes the Lucernarium (the blessing of the light), and the offering of incense. The service concludes with a procession to the Feretory where the Cathedral Choir will sing the late John Tavener’s work, Ikon of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, written specially for Durham Cathedral. 

Part of St Cuthbert Festival.

(From durhamcathedral.co.uk)  

Note: I've written a handful of posts about St. Cuthbert, which you can find, if you so wish, by typing 'St. Cuthbert' in the search bar to the right of this post.

***

And one last thought:

I asked Tommy what he thought of the vet putting him on a diet.

***

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!

Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

 

Lemongrass & Eucalyptus (and lavender!)
Natural Vegan Soap

Delicious fragrance,
Moisturizing and gentle
No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Large bars, labeled and wrapped.

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

 

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning

Te Deum Laudamus, St. Peter & St. Paul, Blockley

Te Deum Laudamus

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.

To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein.

To thee cherubin and seraphin continually do cry,

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.

The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.

The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.

The noble army of martyrs praise thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee:

the Father of an infinite majesty;

thine honourable, true and only Son;

also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,

thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.

When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,

thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.

We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.

We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,

whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.

Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save thy people and bless thine heritage.

Govern them and lift them up for ever.

Day by day we magnify thee;

and we worship thy name, ever world without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.

O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.

O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.

O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.

Photos from St. Peter & St. Paul Church, Blockley
in the Cotswolds

For many photos of the interior of this late Norman church, built about 1180, check out my Anglophile Friday post. 

And because I know you'd love to hear Te Deum Laudamus in song, here it is, word for word:

Comments are closed today.

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

Hodgepodging Awe and Wonder

Winter Past

Join Joyce and the Gang

for

She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog

and link up.

1.What's something you wish you knew how to do, but feel like it's too late to learn?

I think that unless someone aspires to be a brain surgeon, there probably aren't many things one can't learn to do at just about any point in life, providing one's health is adequate to the task. Recently, I made myself some musical notation flash cards for the notes above and below the staff which I never learned comfortably well, and should have done when I was about 10. I can often guess, but it would be nice, rather than guessing or having to figure out that, oh yes, that's the D above high C, I would know it at a glance. I want to finally get those firmly planted in my brain because I love to sit down and learn a piece of music on the piano, and not have to stop and figure out a note.

I just purchased a wonderful spiral-bound Carol book, titled  "100 Carols for Choirs," edited and arranged by David Willcocks & John Rutter. I love these arrangements and had been hunting for a book that would contain the carols I love from The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols sung at King's College, Cambridge each Christmas Eve.

Pay no attention to the prices on Amazon. I think I got mine for about $19.00 at Alibris.com with free shipping. It's new and spiral-bound. Perfect.

2. Your least favorite thing to shop for? Why?

Clothes. For one thing, they're always overpriced, and not made as well as they should be, and very few items really appeal to me. I know what I like, and it's usually not there, probably because it's at a better shop with higher prices...but also, I dislike shopping for clothes because I hate dragging an armload of clothes into a fitting room, trying them all on, and not finding anything I like anyway. Needless to say, I don't go clothes shopping very often...like almost never.

3. How has the celebration of Thanksgiving today changed from when you were growing up?

When I was growing up, all the cousins would be there, around the table. Today I don't even know where most of my cousins live.

4. What's something that when other people see it, reminds them of you? Explain.

I have no idea what, or if anything, reminds other people of me. Possibly if there's a snowstorm, they might remember me complaining about the snow and cold. If they see a book by Chesterton, Sproul, Lewis, or Wright on bookstore shelves (fat chance that), or if they hear John Rutter music, they might possibly be reminded of me.  OR if they see photos of Yorkshire sheep. Maybe.

 Sheep at Bolton Abbey

Do they get any cuter than this?? 

 Sheep and 'fence' near Hawes, North Yorkshire

5. If you could guest star in a TV show, what would it be and why?

If I could guest star in a TV show, I'd probably overdose on the last of my painkiller to avoid it.

6. Have you ever farmed or spent any time on a farm? Are there farm stands in your little corner of the world and do you make it a point to shop there? If so, what item do you particularly like to buy from a roadside stand or farm shop?

I grew up on a farm and live on a farm now, so I have a lot of experience with farms. We grow vegetables and berries and apples, along with lots of volunteer burdock and crab grass, so I rarely go to a farm stand. When I do go to the farmer's market, it's to walk around and see all the pretty stands of vegetables, fruit, flowers, woodcrafts, handmade items, and get a bison burger for supper.

7. What's something you've experienced recently that made you feel a sense of awe or wonder?

 Sunrise, November 24, 2015

Starting with the gorgeous sunrise, there are so many things which daily make me feel a sense of awe toward God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. Not just beautiful trees, rushing rivers, fields of grain, intricate designs in nature, and animals to share this world with us, but also Beauty, Music, Joy, Love, Kindness, Peace. These are all from God, and oddly enough, He allows even those who hate him to experience these wonderful gifts, for the time being. That's grace.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

For an audio and visual treat, here are the boy treble choristers of St. Paul's Cathedral singing, 'For The Beauty of The Earth.' I love this arrangement.

For the Beauty of the Earth

- John Rutter

For the beauty of the earth; For the beauty of the skies, 

For the love which from our birth over and around us lies,

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, 

Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light,

Sun and moon and stars of light.

 Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, 

friends of earth, and friends above, 

For all gentle thoughts and mild,

For all gentle thoughts and mild.

 Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine 

to our race so freely given, 

Graces human and divine, Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n,

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n.

 Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

Moonrise, November 24, 2015

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends!
Counting blessings,

This post is linked to

Good Fences

and

Saturday's Critters

and

Skywatch Friday

and

Mosaic Monday
and
Roses of Inspiration

Note:  I will not be blogging for a week or so. I hope everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends this weekend. Stay safe.

St. Paul's Cathedral Choir

St. Paul's Cathedral Choir

 I hope you will be as blessed by these words and this music as much as I am. Praise God for music, which, like all things, He created to bring glory to Himself!

St. Paul's Cathedral Choir
For the Beauty of the Earth, arr. by John Rutter
Source: YouTube, of course.

For the Beauty of the Earth -

by Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1864

 For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the wonder of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale and tree and flower,

Sun and moon, and stars of light;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind's delight;
For the mystic harmony,
Linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child;

Friends on earth and friends above;

For all gentle thoughts and mild;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

 For Thy Church that evermore

Lifteth holy hands above,

Offering up on every shore

Her pure sacrifice of love;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

 For Thyself, best gift divine,

To our race so freely given,

For that great, great love of Thine,

Peace on earth, and joy in heaven:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

Folliot Sandford Pierpoint, author of "For the Beauty of the Earth" was born in 1835 in Bath, England. He graduated from Queen's College, Cambridge University in 1857. He spent many years at Somersetshire College as a classics master. After retiring he lived in various places in the West Country. - from Songs and Hymns website.

Have a great weekend, everyone.