viduous
a rare adjective meaning 'empty.' William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) uses this word to describe a heart as a 'viduous mansion' for rent after the loved one is gone, going on to say that the new tenant finds a miniature, or portrait, of the first love hidden away somewhere within it.
Just looked at the Oxford University Press web site and found all these lists you can subscribe to that are about words. I already get a word of the day but they have Weird Words and Slang Word of the Day and tons more. I always think that is so interesting.
I was searching for a book published by OUP and found it second hand for $1!!
My kind of price. It is called "Reverence; Renewing a Forgotten Virtue by Paul Woodruff. Reverence is an ancient virtue dating back thousands of years. It survives among us in half-forgotten patterns of behavior and in the vestiges of old ceremonies. Yet, Paul Woodruff says, we have lost sight of reverence. This short, elegiac volume makes an impassioned case for the fundamental importance of the forgotten virtue of reverence, and how awe for things greater than oneself can--indeed must--be a touchstone for other virtues like respect, humility, and charity.Ranging widely over diverse cultural terrain--from Philip Larkin to ancient Greek poetry, from modern politics to Chinese philosophy--Woodruff shows how absolutely essential reverence is to a well-functioning society. He tackles some thorny questions: How does reverence allow not only for leaders but for followers? What role does reverence play in religion? Do some religions misuse reverence? Must reverence be humorless? In the process, Woodruff shows convincingly how reverence plays an unseen part in virtually every human relationship.
This seemed a book worth discussion so I hope that other people will read it too so that we can talk about it.
I also started re-reading The Magus by John Fowles. I read it years ago and remembered it as a compelling read. The publisher says:
Filled with shocks and chilling surprises, The Magus is a masterwork of contemporary literature. In it, a young Englishman, Nicholas Urfe, accepts a teaching position on a Greek island where his friendship with the owner of the islands most magnificent estate leads him into a nightmare. As reality and fantasy are deliberately confused by staged deaths, erotic encounters, and terrifying violence, Urfe becomes a desperate man fighting for his sanity and his life. A work rich with symbols, conundrums and labrinthine twists of event, The Magus is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, a work that ranks with the best novels of modern times.
Well, we shall see if it holds up to my memory of it.
It is going to be too hot today and I do have two errands I have to run. I am hoping to have help from boys as I have to get a 50 pound bag of pigeon food and gas. Much house cleaning to do today as I have neglected it for a week during Susan's Felting Symposium. Sure had a great time at the Symposium though. I think Susan might do it again right away next year. Probably
the best idea to keep momentum for the venue in motion. It sure is a lot of work for Susan. We will see, I guess.
Well, that is it for me right now, talk to you later,
Lynda
The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil.
But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
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