In Freedom's Cause chs. 7-9

Chapter 7- Archie and his band are still hiding out in the cave, but Sir John Kerr has found them and he means to smoke them out. Archie sends some of his lads to explore the windings of the cave and they find a passage that, if widened, will let them escape. They set to work, while the English are building a fire at the entrance. The lads take off some of their unnecessary clothing and make bundles of it, stuffing the clothes with earth and making a barricade at the entrance to the tunnel to keep the smoke out. The Kerrs think that the lads are dead, but really they escaped and they burn some more houses to show this.

Still in Chapter 7, Archie goes with his band to try and get Sir Robert Bruce to meet with Sir Wallace. He lays in wait on a cliff over looking the road for several days. On the fifth day, Sir Robert came along the path with just his brother, Sir Nigel, and three of his sisters, with just four men-at-arms. Archie arranged his men so that the little company would be surrounded. Sir Robert came with Archie after some parleying.

Chapter 8:
Sir Wallace gets Sir Bruce to throw in his lot with them, and Sir Bruce goes back to command his vassals. Sir Wallace goes to Stirling to attend a council with some other Scottish nobles. Sir John Kerr spots him and tries to kill him. Archie arranged an escape plan, and puts it into action. Sir John is killed by Wallace, and they make it out to the marshes where a boat is waiting. They get across the river and then they are safe.

Chapter 9:
Archie is given Sir John's castle by Sir Wallace, who is acting as temporary king of Scotland, and Archie starts fortifying it. He makes it strong enough to withstand a siege, because Sir Allan Kerr is almost certain to try and retake it.

More soon!
Bell

In Freedom's Cause, Chapters 4-6

In chapter 4,  William Wallace captures Lanark by strategy. He sneaks in a sally port and the townspeople join him in killing the English.  Archie brings the lads that he had played at war with in the village to join Wallace. They are primarily messengers, but when needed they could fight.
In chapter 5, the English governor invited many Scottish nobles to his town to discuss something. Wallace accepted the invitation, but Archie was uneasy. He sent Cluny and Jock into the town to see what they could find out. When he joined the band, Cluny had brought some of his sister's clothes with him. He used those now. They found out that treachery was intended by some words of the governor's, and ran back to Wallace with much haste. Wallace did not go, and they put men on the roads to warn people against entering.
Afterwards, they found out that when each man entered, he was stopped just inside the gate, and killed. Many good Scotchmen were killed that day, but Archie's uncle escaped. He was always late and this had saved his life.
In chapter 6, Archie took his band and they harried the Kerrs, burning barns and making mischief. They made Sir John very angry, the more so when they knocked the drawbridge down while people were crossing it, and many of Sir John's men were drowned. He kept trying to kill Archie and his band, but could not succeed.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage, 1/2 Ch. 8

They were getting used to life at sea. It was interesting to see how their priories had changed from when they first started out. The skipper was making a pudding when a wave landed on top of them. Everyone dived to save the pudding and ignored everything else. The spatula had been washed clean across the boat but no one had payed any attention to it!

Trondur had a new trick for getting food. He put a piece of whale blubber on his fishing hook, and cast it out where a flock of fulmars were resting. They pecked at it and were soon squabbling over who should get it. One greedy fellow took the whole hook in his mouth. Trondur reeled him in, and cast the line back out. But soon the birds wouldn't fall for it. Then Trondur told Edan to reel the line in slowly. The birds followed it, trying to keep one eye on the bait and the other on the strange boat. When they got close enough, Trondur hit the nearest one over the head with the boat hook, breaking its neck.  They boiled the seagulls to make a kind of soup, and it was a success. It was a nice supplement to their diet of dried and preserved foods.

Brendan made it to Iceland safely. She landed in the harbor of Reykjavik without any trouble at all.

More soon!
Bell

In Freedom's Cause: Ch. 3

Archie's mother finally let him go to his uncle, Sir Robert Gordon, so that Archie might learn more advanced swordsmanship. He had already learned as much as Sandy could teach him. Sir Robert found a man whose skill was famous in the town of Lanark, Duncan Macleod. He had in trials of skill beaten the best in the English garrison easily.

Archie practiced as much as he could, and his instructor was very happy with him. Duncan had learned his trade in France, where they were more skillful than in Scotland, where they trusted more to strength.

Sir William Wallace was a frequent topic of discussion at firesides all over Scotland. Sir Robert spoke little on this subject, except to point out that Sir William did not really help Scotland, for he wanted no war.  He was alarmed by Archie's enthusiasm for the man. There was a girl, Mistress Marion Bradfurte, who came by to do embroidery with Archie's aunt. Though she was quiet and spoke little, Archie could see that she was of his mind in the matter. He had escorted her back to her house one night, and she told him that if he wanted to see Sir William, he should come tomorrow. She had left a piece of embroidery on the table, and it would be a good excuse for him to come and see her. She then told him that she was married to Sir William! This startled Archie, but he said he would be there the next night.

He came, and Sir William was pleased with him. He said he would be glad to have Archie in his band as soon as the lad was 18. Archie was to join sooner than that, however. He was taking a message to someone in town for his uncle, when he saw a large crowd and went over to see the reason why. Sir William and another knight were pressed against a wall, with many English soldiers attacking them. Archie joined in, and Sir William said he was able to strike a good blow, as he killed one man and  disabled another upon joining them. They then had to make a retreat or the soldiers would have cut them off.
They had gotten to the house in which Marion was staying, when she opened the door and called for them to come in. They did, but Sir William wasn't happy with her. The governor would hurt her or do her some mischief, he was sure.  But she just urged them to get out quickly, and they escaped. In the midst of all this, the Kerrs, father and son, had come and Sir John had tried to kill Archie. But Archie instead nearly killed him. The son, had, however, seen him so it was not safe to go back. He joined Sir Wallace, and went with him back to his hideout. Soon they recieved the news that Marion had been killed by the governor's orders for helping him.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage--1/2 Ch. 8

They set out for Iceland with their new crew member, Trondur. He was a very good fisherman, and soon Brendan was wearing a new decoration: Fish. There were fish everywhere, and they were a good supplement to their diet. Some curious whales came up and investigated Brendan, but they didn't bother her.

The monks had a story about this: they said that a "sea monster" had been chasing their boat when another "sea monster" came up and killed the first one. It floated away to the beach where it made food for the monks. They saw a killer whale pack one day, and one of them came over to investigate Brendan. However, the killer whale didn't think that they would make a good meal, so he left them alone. Some whales came up later, and they were very disturbed. Trondur suggested that killer whales might be chasing them. The killer whale is well named, and for a good reason the Spanish called them "lobo del mar," wolves of the sea. They are ferocious as the tiger.

On July 8th they got a good wind, which was especially good because they were off the south coast of Iceland. This was a very dangerous coast, and if the wind was blowing wrong they would be smashed on the rocks.

More soon!
Bell

A Midsummer Night's Dream--Act 1, sn. 1

Theseus, duke of Athens, was preparing for his wedding with Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. It is to be celebrated 4 days from now, at the New Moon.
Egeus, father of Hermia, comes to Theseus with a complaint against his daughter. She is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. If Hermia does not marry who her father wants her to, she will either have to die or become a nun. She has until the New Moon only to decide.
Helena, Hermia's best friend, loves Demetrius, but he does not love her.
Lysander and Hermia decide to flee Athens that night, and meet in a wood outside that city. From there they will travel to his aunt's house and be married, outside of Athenian law.
They take Helena into their confidence, and she decides to tell Demetrius to win his favor.

More soon!
Bell

In Freedom's Cause Chs. 1-2

The village of Glen Cairn was without a Scottish leader at the moment because he had been killed by the Kerrs on his own hearthstone. The Kerrs were the formally recognized leaders, but really the villagers (at least the other lads) saw the young son of Sir William Forbes as their future leader. His mother saw that if the attention of the Kerrs was drawn to her son he would be in grave danger. She told him not to take command of the other lad's play, but to treat them strictly as equals.
He practiced the art of sword-fighting with Sandy, the man who tended to the gardens and made sure that things were going right about the place. Lady Forbes had been allowed to stay in the castle as long as she did not stir the people up to rebellion. Archie was told stories of Sir William Wallace, for as quiet as his mother seemed, she really burned for her injuries to be avenged.
Archie wanted to know one night why the Kurrs were the lords of the village, and why the English lorded it over them. His mother told him to wait for the morning, when she would tell him the whole story.
He reminded her the next morning, and she told him how the only children of the king had died, the king himself had died, and many claimed the throne. The king of England had said that he would judge who was to be king of Scotland, and all the nobles agreed to this to have a chance at becoming king. They had made a treaty with him that strictly stated that Scotland was a free kingdom.
But after a king was made, they had to acknowledge the king of England as their lord paramount. Then some of them were required to appear in England, which was not allowed by the treaty. When they refused, Edward seized some of the towns and would not give them up unless they obeyed him. The king of Scotland, Baliol, soon found that he was just a puppet in the hands of Edward. He was forced to give up his office because he would not submit. All the nobles made peace with Edward, and it was shameful how they all flocked to make peace with a underhanded, mean man. The treaty had been revoked because Edward forced Baliol to do so, and Edward had made sure that the revoking covered all treaties that were made and that might be made. They were all illegal.

Archie was filled with indignation at this, and he said that he would one day help to free Scotland. Unknown to all but the participants, he formed a band of lads, all the same age as himself or older, and they had mock battles with each other. They said that they had been playing rough if they were asked about their bruises, and none suspected the existence of the Scottish Avengers. 
One day they were surprised by Red Roy, one of Sir John Kerr's henchmen. He asked them questions about what they were doing, and one of the older boys answered. They had been playing Picts against Scots, that was all. Yes, they had been fighting rather hard, but they did not mind, and it was all better training for when they should serve under Sir John's banner. No, Archie did not really participate, he did not do well with a bow and his mother did not like it if he came home with some hard knocks. Red Roy went off, satisfied. They had been playing Picts and Scots, because no one would be called English,  even in play. Picts, however, was fine, and it proved well that they had taken that title for the other side.

More soon!
Bell

New Book: In Freedom's Cause

In Freedom's Cause is a book about Wallace and Bruce, defenders of Scotland a long time ago.
Bell

Ivanhoe, Ch. 15

Waldemar Fitzurse went around gathering people to Prince John's side. He would hold out to them promises that would best appeal to the person/people he was speaking to at the time. He held out promises of freedom to wild young nobles, to nobles that were greedy he promised much land and wealth. In short, he gathered much support for Prince John.

When he got back to the castle, he found that De Bracy had changed from his banquet clothes into an English yeoman's garb. He told Fitzurse that he meant to get a wife like the Israelite tribe of Benjamen. He proposed to swoop down on the Lady Rowena, and carry her off. He and his men would dress like outlaws, and would not be suspected.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage, 1/3 Ch. 7

They were suddenly hit by a gale that snapped the mast stay and sent them flying along at 20 knots. Brendan was breaking all the records for skin boats! George struggled to keep Brendan on course. Edan and Arthur moved out of the way of the mast, so that if it broke they would not be squashed. They missed one of the Faroes Islands, Vagar. They were caught right in the middle of the tide race now, and there was no getting out. Then the lower bonnet snapped and broke free. Edan grabbed it before it could sail overboard. They brought down the mainsail, and Arthur pounced on it. Before bursting, the sail had done its work. It had driven them almost the whole length of the Sound. Just then, a fierce burst of wind came along that flattened the waves. If the sail had still been up, the mast would have broken.
They managed to land on one of the other Faroes Islands. The Faroese were very interested in Brendan, as they grew up around the sea. Here they picked up another member of the crew, Trondur.
When Edan and Arthur showed a strange enthusiasm for doing the breakfast dishes, Tim and George followed them one day. They were tracked to a seaman's hotel, where they were eating a second (and free) breakfast while admiring Faroese girls did their work for them.

The Faroese had a lot of hospitality. They helped get Brendan ready for the journey to Iceland.

More soon!
Bell 

Twelfth Night, last half of Act 5, Sn. 1

Just then, Sir Andrew comes in and says that Cesario came to them and beat them up. He has a bloody head himself, and says that Sir Toby is also suffering from the same complaint. Sir Toby comes staggering in drunk, and says that he was beaten, and that Sir Andrew is a coward and that he hates drunken fools.  Sir Andrew helps him off to bed, and Olivia says that they must be looked to. Then Sebastian comes in and clears things up. He greets Olivia with love and knows Antonio. He sees Viola, and asks her some questions that clear up the fact of their looking alike. She discloses the fact that she is a woman, and tells them about the captain who has her woman's clothes. Olivia and Sebastian are married, and Viola and Orsino will be later.

THE END
Bell

Ivanhoe, Chs. 13-14

When the name of Ivanhoe was spoken, it went around the lists like an arrow. Prince John was surprised, and not that pleased. He had given Ivanhoe's land to Front-de-Beuf, and now Ivanhoe might, nay would, want it back. However De Bracy said that the champion was wounded and might die.
Now it was time to have the archery, so as not to make the people mad. Prince John told his men to look for the "insolent braggart" who had spoken to him earlier. This yeoman was not shooting, saying that these yeomen, the best in England, were much better than he was. His name, he said, was Locksley. (I am sure that this is none other than Robin o' Locksley, or Robin Hood.) Prince John told Locksley that if he did not compete, his bow would be broken and he would be branded a coward. If he did compete, but was beaten, he would be whipped out of the lists with bowstrings. He competed against Hubert, a well-known archer. Hubert shot first, and his arrow landed near to the center of the target.  Locksley's landed two inches nearer. Hubert shot again, and this time it landed in the center. Locksley's arrow landed on top of Hubert's and split it to bits! (This sounds like Robin Hood, does it not? ) He then asked Hubert to shot at a mark he designated. He plucked a willow wand, and, peeling it, set it up against a tree. Hubert said that no one could hit that. Locksley hit it fairly in the middle. For his first two shots, he did not even really aim seemingly. For his last shot, however, he changed the string and looked to his arrow.

Now we will move on to Cedric and Athelstane, who attended Prince John's banquet. Insults were given them in the form of compliments, and they left early after drinking the health of King Richard the Lion-Heart, Prince John's brother. Prince John was very angry, and they were lucky to get away.
More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage, 1/3 Ch. 7

Brendan was going lazily along. They got a position check from the Lord Jellicoe and later when they were listening to the news broadcast they heard the Lord Jellicoe ask if the leather boat had been carrying a crew of mad Irish monks. They didn't hear the reply because they were all doubled up with laughter!
The only worrying thing was that the skin near the H-frame was slack and not looking good. But Brendan was still holding up well. Most people had expected her to sink after just 5 days, and she had been afloat much longer than that! It was helping that the weather was getting colder. When it really got chilly, they put on wool clothes instead of their artificial fiber clothing they had been wearing. Their metal tools had already rusted, and had been replaced when possible by something made of a natural material.
The medieval sailors were much better equipped then many people think they were. Their things held up, and they could repair them without a lot of tools.

Brendan was going through the middle of the Faroes islands, when she ran into a gale off the Mykines cliffs. These were dangerous cliffs, and if Brendan ran onto them, she would be sunk. The wind was blowing them onto the cliffs, and they were going forward very slowly!

I'll stop here. Next time: How they got out of this hole.
More soon!
Bell

Twelfth Night: Act 5, 1/2 sn. 1

Orsino meets with Olivia's Fool outside her house and sends him to go get her. She comes, and says that she has already been betrothed to Cesario. Cesario/Viola says no, they are not betrothed. But Olivia has the contract fetched, and Orsino is mad at Viola/Cesario for forsaking him. She declares that he is wrong, but he will not listen. Then the officers come in with Antonio, who declares that Cesario has wronged him. Cesario/Viola says no, she does not know who he is. Everyone is very confused by now. Then Sir Andrew comes in to say that Cesario came and beat himself and Sir Toby up. Cesario/Viola has not done that either, and she says so. Sir Andrew is very angry, and so is Sir Toby. They go off the have their heads mended.

More soon!
Bell

Ivanhoe, Ch. 12

People hurried to get seats to watch the tournament from, that they might have a good place to see from. The knights divided into two parties, some under the Templar, Sir Brian, and some under the champion of yesterday's combat.  There were some rules to prevent unnecessary bloodshed or death; no daggers, no thrusting with the sword, knights on the ground could fight with other knights of the ground but horsemen were not permitted to fight with a knight on the ground,  when Prince John threw down his baton all combat stopped, and if you were forced against the railing, you were vanquished. The combat began, and the first shock of the meeting threw half the knights off their horses. The ones on the ground that could fought each other, and the ones on horseback did the same. At last, there were just a few knights on each side, so Sir Brian and the Disinherited Knight were able to fight. The Disinherited Knight's party had had the worst of it, because of Front de Beuf's arm on one side, and Athelstane's on the other. These men both attempted to help Sir Brian run down and unhorse the Disinherited Knight, and he would have fallen had not a new man come to help him. This was the knight who, because he showed no inclination to fight, was termed The Black Sluggard. He rode up, crying "Desdichado, to the rescue! (this term came from the Disinherited Knight's shield)," and struck Front de Beuf down with his sword, then turned to Athelstane and, wrenching the battle axe from his hand, struck him such a blow as to stretch him out on the ground! Then he went back to the other side of the lists, and let the two leaders deal with each other. Ivanhoe easily threw down Sir Brian, and, getting down from his horse, commanded him to yield. But then Prince John threw down his baton, and ended the combat. The Disinherited Knight was not allowed to hide his face any longer, and when Rowena saw it, she gave a faint scream. However, she did not faint, but placed the crown of flowers on his head. It was Ivanhoe, Cedric's banished son! He swooned, and it was found that he had a spearhead buried in his side.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage- 1/3 of Ch. 7

They started to get ready to sail to the Faroes, a group of islands that were a milestone in Brendan's journey. They had a Doubting Thomas who was sure that they were going to sink. He kept asking sea-wise questions, and always ended with "I wouldna want to sail with you."  Arthur mimicked him, his Irish accent turned Sots for a moment and uttered a mocking warning--"We're all doomed! Aye, we're doomed for sure!" Edan also banished any despondency. They were ready to take off when he said he had forgotten something. Almost an hour later he came back running. He had found the last bottle of Pimms in Stornoway.  He also tried to grow watercress seeds, but a wave washed it overboard. As for the Pimms, he accidentally knocked it over with his foot and spilled the contents into he bilge.

Edan and the Skipper divided the cooking, so Arthur and George did the dishes. No one bothered to shave or wash, because it would have been a waste of fresh water and there was no need. The leather and the sheepskins smelled far worse than they ever would.
Each person had his own area of responsibility. George made regular inspections of the sailing gear, and they were constantly needing to repair ropes that had gotten frayed or mend a tear or sail. Every piece of cordage needed constant adjustment, because the flax ropes stretched slack when dry and shrank into iron rods when wet. It was best to stretch them taut when dry, then keep them wet with sea water. Arthur was the photographer, and he had a way with them, keeping them working in spite of the salt that clogged the shutters. The skipper had charge of navigation and radio communications. He would try to establish contact every 24 hours, and he often succeeded. The radio was amazing, holding up under much abuse. It was powered by car batteries, which were recharged by Lucas solar panels that only gave a small charge. The radio operators were also helpful, listening for Brendan at a time when the airwaves weren't cluttered by other traffic.

More soon!
Bell  

Twelfth Night, Act 4

Note: Act 4 was so short that I just did the entire act.

     Sir Andrew, Sir Toby, and Fabian come upon Sebastian and, thinking he is Cesario/Viola, Sir Andrew fights with him. Sebastian responds to the blow he receives, and fights him off. Sir Toby draws his sword and prepares to fight, but Olivia comes upon them and tells Sebastian to come with her. He does so, and she asks him if he will marry her. He says yes, so they are betrothed.  Meanwhile, Sir Toby has the Fool dress up as a priest and talk to Mavolio. He asks that he be let out, and says that he is in the dark and that it is as dark as hell. The Fool won't let him out, and pretends to think that he really is a madman. Then he talks to Mavolio in his normal voice, and pretends to hold a conversation with Sir Topas. He then goes for paper and ink and a light for Mavolio.

More soon!
Bell 

Homeschooling

If you are interested in homeschooling, here is a website about what it is like to be a kid homeschooled with the Charlotte Mason curriculum: http://jklivingston.home.mindspring.com/bell/

Bell

Ivanhoe-ch. 11

Gurth was traveling along a dark lane, when he was attacked and seized by robbers. They took him to a clearing in a thicket, and relieved him of his purse. Gurth told them that his master was the Disinherited Knight, that he had redeemed the armor of the knights all but Sir Brian's at 50 zecchins apiece, that he would take nothing from Sir Brian but his life's blood, and that he, Gurth, had not spent the 30 zecchins of his because he wanted to buy his freedom. They asked why he had been traveling, and Gurth replied that he had paid Issac the Jew for the horse and armor that he had lent the Disinherited Knight for the tournament, he had paid Issac 80 zecchins, and he had been given back 100. The robbers said that this could not be true, but Gurth told them to look and see if it was not. When they all bent down to look, Gurth freed himself and, snatching a quarterstaff from one of the men, hit the Captain over the head and grabbed the money. He was, however, quickly re-caught and the purse again taken from him. The robbers saw that his tale was true, so they gave him a quarterstaff and he fought the Miller. He won, and was given his freedom and the money as a reward.

More soon,
Bell

News Site

If you are looking for a news website to keep up with what is going on, I recommend Ricochet.com, a site with conservative news commentary.

Bell

Brendan Voyage-Ch. 6

Peter, the injured crew member, couldn't stay with Brendan. He had strained the muscles on the side of his chest, and if he did that again, it would be more serious. Besides, they might not be able to get him to a hospital. So, sadly, Peter packed his bag and left. They had a temporary replacement for him, Wallace Clark, from the Irish Cruising Club. They took Brendan over to Iona, one of the Hebrides Islands.  On the way, a rope broke that held up one of the sails. The whole sail came crashing down, but no one was under it at the time. When Wallace went back to his office after a long weekend, he sent some much better flax rope.
In Iona, they got a replacement for Wallace. Edan joined them and soon became Brendan's live wire and joker. He needed a couple of days to settle his affairs, so they took Brendan over to another of the islands with only 4 people. There was a fog, and they got stuck in a bay and had quite a time getting out. Then Edan joined them, and they got some new flax rope from Wallace. It was of much better quality then their old stuff. They got out into clear water, with a good wind blowing. They put up every scrap of canvas they had, and Brendan fairly flew over the water. She was making 12 knots, going as fast as many modern yachts. After two hours, they took down the extra canvas and sailed into Stonorway as if they had been sailing medieval boats all their lives. The lifeboat crew was disappointed, because they had expected to get a bit of exercise rowing them in. But it was thought that they would get it later.

More soon!
Bell

Twelfth Night-Act 3, 1/2 sn. 4

Sir Toby wanted Sir Andrew and Cesario to fight. So he told each of them that the other person was ferocious and mean, and they were very scared of each other when they met. But Antonio, thinking that Viola was Sebastian, came in and broke it up. Then officers came and arrested Antonio. He asked Viola for some of his money back, and was hurt when she said she did not know what he was talking about. But he mentioned Sebastian, and so she was happy because this meant that her brother was alive! Meanwhile, Sir Toby and Fabian, who staid with Viola while Sir Toby talked with Sir Andrew, told Sir Andrew that Cesario/Viola was a coward, so Sir Andrew wanted to go thrash him for it.
More later,
Bell

Ivanhoe-Chapters 9-10

Flashback: The Disinherited Knight won the tournament, and was to choose the Queen of Beauty.
He rode up and down the lists, looking at the faces of the ladies. Some blushed, some averted their gaze, some laughed, and some drew their veils over their faces, having had the honor many times before. At last, he laid the crown at the feet of the Lady Rowena to choose her. Prince John was rather surprised at the choice, but he came into the lists with his train and told Lady Rowena that she had been chosen, and asked her if she would not assume her position as queen of the tournament, and come to the banquet with her father and friends. Cedric replied for her in Saxon that she did not speak the Norman tongue, and neither he or Athelstane practiced any but the ways of their fathers, so they declined the invitation to the banquet. He then put the cornet on her head to say that she accepted the temporary authority that was placed on her.

The Disinherited Knight would not reveal his name, and he also declined to come to the banquet. People hazarded guesses as to his name, and Prince John had thought that it might be his brother, Richard the Lion-Heart. But it was not. Richard was much bigger and stronger.

Then the Disinherited Knight went to his pavilion, but would suffer none but his squire to tend him. This was none other than our friend Gurth, who played the  part of a Norman squire rather well. The knight ate after Gurth helped to remove his armor, and soon the squires of the vanquished knights came to redeem the armor and horses of their masters. For the armor and horses of all the knights except Sir Brian de Bois-Gulibert, he took 50 zecchins each, but he would not accept the armor of the Templar, for they were not done with their feud. The squire assured him that the Templar  would never wear the armor or ride the horse again, so the knight bestowed it on him. Then after they had gone, the Disinherited Knight sent Gurth to Issac to pay him for the horse and armor. Gurth paid Issac  80 zecchins, and Rebecca secretly gave him 100. The knight had given Gurth 10, so with the 20 that were his after he gave the knight the 80 for what he had paid Issac. So he started back to the pavilion.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage, 1/2 Ch. 5

They were in the Aran islands, and everyone seemed determined to help them. The curragh men brought more lobster and crabs, and the local wives took it in turns to bake more scones. A volunteer flew out and installed their radio. They had not had time to apply for a license, so they came up with the call sign Curragh Brendan. When they set out, school children were out to watch for Brendan and to report her progress. All the people were very helpful!

Then they set out and had clear seas for a while. They caught two fish and cooked them. They also caught a young seagull and managed to set him free unharmed.  Then they ran into a storm, and lost radio contact because of an electric storm. Then the storm let up, and they discovered that many of their stores were ruined by the water. The next day they were able to tidy up the cabin some and make sense of the mess. The tried rowing some, but seemed to get nowhere. Then Peter called the skipper and told him that his arm was hurting. He took some pain killer, but an hour later the pain had spread to the side of his chest and it was hurting him to breathe. They called in and a fishing boat towed them into port, where an ambulance came and took Peter to see a doctor.

More soon!
Bell

Twelfth Night-Act 3, 1/2 Sn. 4

Mavolio comes before Olivia, smiling grotesquely and wearing yellow stockings cross-gartered. She thinks he has gone mad or is crazy with midsummer madness, and she delivers him to Sir Toby to treat. Sir Toby decides to put Mavolio in a dark room, bound, as befits a madman. He then reads Sir Andrew's challenge and decides he will deliver the challenge by word of mouth to scare Cesario with fiery descriptions of Sir Andrew's power.

More soon!
Bell   

Ivanhoe Ch. 8

The tournament started. The challengers came out in formation, and exhibited such good horsemanship that they were loudly applauded. Then five knights came out and each touched the shield of the challenger that each wished to fight with. There was a system used to say whether or not they wished to fight with sharp weapons; if they used the non-sharp end of the lance, they did not want to fight with sharp weapons, if they used the sharp end, they did want sharp ones. All the knights used the non-sharp ends, and they were all defeated. Then several more waves of knights came, but all were defeated. Then there was a long pause, broken only by the heralds, who were trying to rouse the knights to fight. But none would. Then a knight rode into the lists, and he had written his name as the Disinherited Knight. He touched the shield of Sir Brian de Bois-Guilibert, one of the challengers, with the sharp end of his lance until it rang. Sir Brian, rather astonished by this rudeness, came out and did battle with him. The Disinherited Knight won, because the girths of Sir Brian's saddle burst, and he did battle with the four other knights and won them all. That's all for now!
More soon,
Bell

Brendan Voyage-Ch. 5 1/2

They had set out, and now have to arrange their stuff so that five men can fit in Brendan. Boots and Rolf were on each side of the foremast, and the other three were in the center shelter. There was just too much stuff in the center for three men to have space to lay down in. George had an idea: Throw out some of the buoyancy foam, and put the extra stuff there. They did so, and then tackled the cabin mess. It was 6 x 6 feet, and somehow they had to fit three men, the radio, the cameras, and the navigation equipment. They put the radio on a makeshift shelf, and heaped the kit bags to make a partition across one-third of the shelter. It was Tim's privilege as the skipper to occupy this space, but it was very small, so small that you had to lay on your side to fit. George and Peter had the rest of the space, but if George turned over in his sleeping bag, he was sure to kick Peter, and when Peter got up, it was almost impossible to avoid stepping on George. They also found out that only Tim could really cook well, so he did all the cooking. They landed on the Aran Islands, and they had a dinner of lobster, donated by some fishermen. They had covered 100 miles in 36 hours.

More soon!
Bell

Twelfth Night, Act 3, Sns. 1-3

Scene 1 

Viola/Cesario goes to bring Olivia another suit from the Duke, and runs into Sir Toby, the Fool, and Sir Andrew on the way. She give the suit to Olivia's private ear, and is told that Olivia loves her, not the Duke. 

Scene 2

Sir Andrew wants to leave, convinced that Olivia will never love him, but Sir Toby convinces him that he can gain her love by dueling Cesario. So Sir Andrew goes off to write a challenge. In the meantime, Maria comes to tell them that Mavolio is about to incur wrath when he appears before Olivia. 

Scene 3

Antonio tells Sebastian that he can't come into the town because of a incident in his past. So Sebastian arranges to meet him at a tavern called the Elephant.

More soon!

Bell

Ivanhoe Ch. 7

Flashback: The Palmer recieved  a horse and armor from Issac the Jew, and wants to fight in the upcoming tournament.
Prince John had set up a tournament, and nothing could keep the people from coming. Prince John had a glittering retinue, and the Prior was in much defiance of the clothing rules of his order. They rode up and down the lists, where people were fighting for seats. Issac was trying to secure a place for his daughter, Rebecca, and himself, in the lower balcony. He pushed without hesitation, because he was lending money to several people and they would protect him. Prince John saw this, and he ordered the Saxons in the balcony above to make room for him. But Athelstane, who was sometimes called the Unready, was sitting there with Cedric. He did not respond quickly, and so Prince John became impatient. He ordered Issac up there, and asked if anyone dared oppose him. Cedric would have, but Wamba saved the day. He answered the Prince's challenge, and said he would. He then drew out a piece of brawn, and brandished his wooden sword. The Jew missed his footing, and fell down the steps. The spectators found this very amusing. Then Prince John reminded the Prior that they had not chosen the Queen of Love and Beauty, and he said he liked Rebecca. But too many of his followers opposed a Jewess being in any high place, and so he had to give in. They decided to let the winner chose the queen, to inspire the ladies with love for the knights who could give them high honors.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage: Ch. 4: Departure

It was the 16th of May, Saint Brendan's day, the day that they were supposed to depart. But a full-blown gale was raging, and they weren't going anywhere. The whole boat was a jumble of supplies, food, and other things. They had not stowed  it away yet. Each member of the crew was colour-coded, so that clothing would not get jumbled. Tim had yellow, Rolf Hansen had blue, Peter Mullet had red, George had orange, and as befitted the Irish member of the crew, Arthur Magan had chosen green. There were five crew members in all. Arthur was nicknamed Boots, because when he had showed up at the boatyard he had on size 12 boots. He was very brief, and did not volunteer information unless asked. Peter was Brendan's photographer. He had heard about Brendan, and had arrived at the boatyard with a large suitcase. He opened it, and it was divided in the middle by a partition. On on side were his cameras, and on the other was a carpentry kit. In his red sailing suit, he looked more like a cardinal than the London sparrow he was. May 17th dawned bright and clear, and Tim Severin asked Tom Leahy when it would be a good time to cast off on, and Tom said to wait until the tide was going out. All that morning, people gathered. At last, it was time to cast off. No one had time to be worried, there was too much to do. The anchor caught on the rocks, but with the help of a fishing boat it came off. The wind died down as if on cue, so they rowed out of the harbor. They were off! 

More soon!
Bell 

Twelfth Night, Act 2 sns. 4-5

Scene 4

Viola/Cesario is called into the Duke's presence to listen to a song with him. She expresses her love for him in a story about her fake sister. He gets lost, however, in wanting Olivia.

Scene 5

Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew forged a letter to look like Olivia wrote it. They laid it in the path where Mavolio was very likely to see it, and hid to watch and wait. Not long after, Mavolio comes along and picks up the letter. It tells him that Lady Olivia loves him, and that to show he loves her, he needs to go around with yellow stockings, cross-gartered, and smiling. In a speech, he praises his stars and Jove for this, and thinks the letter is real. 

More soon!

Bell

Ivanhoe, Ch. 6

The Palmer went on his way to bed, and was asked to give news of the Holy Land in the kitchen, but he refused this offer. The steward was not pleased, so he gave the Palmer the room next to Issac the Jew's. Gurth the swineherd slept in the next room. The Palmer was going there, and on the way was asked to come and see Lady Rowena. He did so, and after that went to bed. He awoke in the early morning, and went into Issac's room. He touched him with his staff, and when Issac awoke, the Palmer told him that the Templar was going to have his Moslem servants take Issac to the castle of Reginald de Front de Boeuf or Philip de Malvoisin, both of whom were very mean to Jews. Issac gathered his few things, and the Palmer went to call Gurth to open the gate. Gurth would not, until the Palmer whispered something in his ear. Then he started up as if electrified, and opened it. He got the Palmer a mule, and gave Issac his. Then the Palmer and Issac set out to go to Sheffield, so Issac could get protection. They arrived at Sheffield safely. Issac wanted to repay the Palmer for his help, and gave him a note that told a kinsman of his to give the Palmer a horse and armor. Issac had guessed that the Palmer was a knight because of his speech, and he had seen his knight's chain under his clothing.

More soon!
Bell

Brendan Voyage: The last part of Ch. 3

Tim Severin found John O'Connell,  and they started piecing the oxhides together. It was tiring work, and if it wasn't right, they had to start the whole line of stitches over again. Strength didn't matter here, but having a knack for it did. More people came to help them, and the best was a mere slip of a girl with less arm strength than anyone else, but with a knack for it. She made a neat line of stitches that left the oxhides as though welded together. They learned the backstitch first, then moved on to the two-handed stitch. The stitchers had to work in pairs, one below and one on top. This was difficult work, and even with all the helpers, they were not going to finish in time. So he asked the leather instructor for a college in London to send some students over to Ireland. The instructor was not sure about that until he heard that John O'Connell was helping. So the students came, and stayed two days longer than expected because they were having so much fun helping. Brendan was finished in plenty of time, and there were spare oxhides left over for repairs, if needed. They had doubled the leather on places that were likely to be stretched, and there were four thicknesses in places that might be scraped against rocks.
Brendan was ready to be launched, but they needed to test it first.
More soon!
Bell 

Twelfth Night, Act 2, sns. 1-3

Sn. 1:
Sebastian, Viola's brother, is rescued by Antonio the sailor. He is very grateful, and hopes that his sister is saved. He and Antonio go to the Duke, though Antonio risks his life to do so.
Sn. 2:
Mavolio "returns" a ring that was supposed to have been given to Olivia by the Duke to Viola. Viola realizes that Olivia loves her, thinking she is a man, and she can't do anything about it.
Sn. 3:
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are having a party at Olivia's house, and Maria comes in to quiet them. Mavolio comes and tells them to be quiet, or be thrown out of the house. Maria plans revenge on Mavolio.

More soon!
Bell

Notes on Ivanhoe

• Notes: The Palmer and the Pilgrim are two names for the same person, but he is called both. 

• The Prior is supposed to be a religious person, living simply and devoting his life to helping people, but you see he is very rich. You can't blame Robin Hood for robbing them!

• Jews were despised and hated back then, as they were not too long ago. They were not Muslims, Christians, or heathen. They were unsaved, in between people who had a lot of money and so were misused to get money. People would borrow from them, and then refuse to pay it back. 

That's all!
Bell 

Ivanhoe Ch. 5

The Jew entered the hall with many deep bows of humility. His garment was a was an outer robe of dingy stuff over a dark purple tunic. Cedric nodded coldly to the the Jew, in return for his bows. The Jew went down the benches asking with his eyes for a place at the table. Cedric might have insisted that his servants give the Jew a place and treat him with more courtesy, had he not been engaged in a conversation with Prior Aymer about hounds, which he would not have interrupted for more important matters than a Jew going to bed supperless.  But for the Pilgrim, poor Isaac would have had no supper that night. The Pilgrim got up from his seat be the fire, and gave it to the Jew, saying that his clothes were dry and the Jew's wet.  He drew near to the high table, were Cedric was pledging his guests in a cup of wine. The Prior asked Cedric why he never used the Norman language, but always the Saxon? and Cedric replied that he could hunt and live quite well without it. He did not have to urge on his hounds with fancy terms, or name each call on his horn with some outlandish name. Then he pledged those who bore the Cross and fought in its name. This turned the conversation to the knights in Palestine, and the Templar started to say that the English knights were second only to--and here the Palmer broke in and said that they were second to NONE. He gave as evidence that a a tournament in Palestine, King Richard and 5 of his knights had challenged all comers. They had each run three courses and thrown to the ground the other knights. He gave a list of them:
King Richard(Cedric said he forgave him his descent from Duke William), the Earl of Leicester, Sir Thomas Multon(A Saxon! exclaimed Cedric), Sir Foulk Doilly("Saxon by his mother, at least!"), Sir Edwin Turneham("Pure Saxon, by the soul of Hengist!"), and here the Palmer pretended not be able to recall the name of the sixth knight, but remembered that the knight was young and rather unknown. But the Templar said it was the Knight of Ivanhoe, Cedric's son. He had bested  the Templar, but the Templar said he would best the boy next time.
The Palmer said that Ivanhoe would win, and so he gave as a pledge a portion of the original cross against the Templar's golden chain. With much reverence, the Prior gave the box with the piece of cross in it to one of his brothers, and put the gold chain, with many greedy looks, in a pouch in his sleeve lined with perfumed velvet.  Then the company went to bed.

More soon!
Bell 

A new Joke

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Owls go.
Owls go who?
That's right. Owls go "Whoooo."

Get it?
Bell

Twelfth Night, Act 1, sns. 4-5

Viola disguised herself as a man, and took service with the Duke, Orsino. He commissioned her to take his message to Olivia. She did so, and was able to make contact with Olivia. Viola praised her beauty, and Olivia was not displeased with the supposed man, Cesario. That was Viola's assumed name, because she was disguised as a man. Viola delivers her message, and then departs. She informs the audience that she loves the Duke.

More soon!
Bell 

The Answer to the last Joke

What do you get if you cross a rooster with an alarm clock?
A wakeup at the crack of dawn!

Bell

Ivanhoe--Chapters 3-4

Cedric, the Saxon thane, or franklin, was worried. Gurth had not turned up, which meant that the herd might have fallen prey to marauders. Also, Wamba, his fool, had gone with Gurth, and Cedric wanted his favorite fool. He wore a gold collar around his neck, with gold clasps on his sandals and bracelets of the same on his wrists. His robe was trimmed with fur, and he sat in the chair reserved for him as the master of the house. His ward would occupy the other chair when she came down to supper. The Lady Rowena was by no means to be called plain. In fact, she was quite the opposite. She was not so tall as to call attention to it, but not short enough as to be called so.
But now to the chain of events. There was a knock at the gate, and when Cedric asked who it was, he found that the Prior Aymer was at the gate, in the company of one of the Knights Templar, Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert. Cedric was under a vow not to take more than three steps from his dais in meeting other than people of Saxon blood. The Prior made a rather foolish speech, and then they had supper. The Prior did not obey the rules of his order, but rather acted as if they were made to be broken. He partook in no temperance of the wine, pledging his host in a full cup. The chapters close with a Jew asking and getting admittance.

More soon!
Bell

A Joke

What do you do get if you cross a rooster and an alarm clock?

See if you can figure it out!
Bell

Whaterver Happened to Penny Candy Chapters 5-6

Next election, take a good look at what the politicians are doing. They promise people a lot of new, "better" things, and then when they get elected, they print a lot more money to pay for all that. But here is something important: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. TANSTAAFL.  They can promise all they want, but they give out a big lie. The person who says it most convincingly gets elected. The Big Lie is that they will give you all you want, and you don't have to pay for it. TANSTAAFL. They can't do that. Instead of raising the taxes, because that would get them thrown out of office, they print more money. The wage/price spiral is caused by that. The workers want more money, so the employers give it to them when they go on strike. Then the employers raise their prices, the workers want more money, and it repeats itself. They can't raise prices a ton, like up to 10,000,000 dollars, because there is not that much money in circulation yet.
Hope that explains things a bit.

Bell

Sorry!

Sorry about that! I've got it fixed now.
Bell

Brendan Voyage, Chapter 2, Part 2

He asked some leather scientists about ways to make leather water-resistant, and they ran some tests on the leather. Oak-bark leather was the best, coated with wool grease. Everyone was putting leather in water, and saying that the boat would not last for more than 5 days. But Tim was lucky and found several men that would help him: John Waterer, Harold Birkmin, Dr. Sykes, and Colin Mudie. Dr. Sykes ran the leather tests, John Waterer and Colin Mudie helped with leather tips and drafts of the boat, and Harold Birkmin helped in the construction. The Croggon brothers, leather tanners, supplied all the oxhides for Brendan, and worked painstakingly with them to make sure they were of the finest quality.

More later,
Bell

Note on Brendan Voyage

Sorry! I did not see that I had split Chapter 2 in half as well. I'll get that fixed.
Bell

Brendan Voyage Ch. 3 1/2

Only in Ireland is it possible to walk into a boatyard and say, "I'm building a medieval boat, and I want you to build the frame. I'll cover it with ox hides myself." Tim Severin went to the Crosshaven boatyard, were it was said that they preferred never to build two boats in the same style, because it was "too dull." This was the place where the Irish lifeboats were sent for rehauling. This was also the place where Sir Francis Chichester build his record-breaking Gypsy Moth V. Pat Lake was the head shipwright, and he helped build it himself. They used ash for the boat frame and stringers, and heart of oak for the double gunwales. Pat Lake didn't like the choice of ash, because it rots if you keep wetting it and it keeps drying. But Tim was certain that it needed to be ash. He was lucky and found Glennon's timber yard, a family business. Paddy Glennon ran the yard, supported by the Glennon family. He found the right trees for Brendan, and gave them to the project.  The boat was built gunwales first, finishing with the keel. He experimented with different knots, and managed to find one that worked. He and his friend, George, with a little help at times from other people, tied the whole frame together with leather thongs. No metal was used in fastening the frame.

Next part soon!
Bell

Another Joke

Here is another good joke to play on people:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Boo.
Boo who?
Sheesh, why are you crying? What did I do?

Bell 

Twelfth Night - Act 1 sn. 3

Sir Toby Belch has brought a friend of his, Andrew Aguecheek, to woo Olivia. She will see no one, and this man is a coward and a fool. He is a heavy drinker, they both are, and is thought by the more prudent in the town to be destined for an early grave. He wants to back out of wooing Olivia, but Sir Toby gets him to stay. She will not marry the duke, because he is above her station, so Sir Toby counters Andrew's argument that the duke loves her with fact that she will not marry him.
Hear more about this odd story in a bit!
Bell

Answer to the last Joke

Here is the answer to this joke: What international catastrophe would happen if the waiter dropped the platter on Thanksgiving?
The downfall of Turkey, the overthrow of Greece, and the destruction of China!
(Get it? The countries and the things on the platter!)

Bell

Ivanhoe

Gurth and Wamba, the jester, are overtaken on the road by the horsemen.  They are the Prior Aymer, his retinue, and a Knight Templar, Brian by name. The Prior was a monk, but he did not behave as one. He was dressed richly, and was known for a fondness for the chase, and for staying longer at banquets than might be expected from a monk or a priest. The monks at this time had fallen from the standard of simple living that they had at one time followed, and now they lived better than most common people. They had liven simply so that they might devote themselves to prayer, but had become like the Pharisees, loving to pray aloud in public places, and getting the best seats, and so forth.  He wore the robe of a monk, but it was made of fine Flanders cloth, and the sleeves were turned up and lined with rich furs. It was fastened at the throat with a golden clasp, in defiance of the rules of the order. In short, the monks did not follow the standard that had been set for them. His companion also wore a monk's habit, but he was clad in chain mail.

So much for the dress of the men, for we must continue with the story. Wamba gave them directions that were correct, but for the fact that he said left instead of right at the fork. When the company had departed, Gurth asked Wamba why he had misguided them. Wamba replied that he had set them on the path to Sherwood, which was a better place for them than Cedric's castle. Note: From this I gather that Robin Hood, or Robin of Locksley, was in operation.
But when the Prior got to the fork, he and the knight disagreed as to the right road. They woke a man sleeping there, and he guided them to the castle.

So ends this part of the tale.
Bell

A new Joke

What international catastrophe would happen if the waiter dropped the platter on Thanksgiving?
See if you can guess! Tell me your guess in the comments.

Bell 

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy

Inflation happens when the government prints a lot of money. There is a lot of money, so the value of money is going down, and the prices are rising. This is inflation. It's not happening only to the American dollar, but also to the British pound, the franc, you name it. All over the world, politicians are printing a lot of money so they can buy every thing they want. This means that there is also inflation all over the world. Those pieces of paper called dollars are not dollars. They are just pieces of paper that are not backed up by any precious metal. They are Federal Reserve Notes, not dollars. Back in the colonial days, they were backed by silver. One dollar meant one ounce of silver. The dollar was a kind of IOU. But now, there are too many dollars and not enough silver for this to be true. Bell

Brendan Voyage Chapter 2 First Half

There was just one major problem: Leather rots in water, so it is not possible to make a leather boat. But it was tested, and the scientist found that leather tanned in oak bark would float! All the other kinds absorbed water and sank, but this leather was two to three times more resistant. So it was true that the boat was leather! But the problem was, how did you get a boat that would be sturdy enough? Tim Severin went out on a walk one day, and found four curraghs, small canvas boats with a wooden frame and tarred to make them water-resistant. He was able to get some men to take him for a sail in this remarkable boat, and found that it was just the same as a skin boat but with canvas instead of leather. It was very maneuverable. He went to see the curragh maker, and learned all he could about this type of boat. He was told that once, when a steamer was in danger on the coast. The lifeboat was not able to do anything because of the heavy sea, and then two of the curragh men took their boat out and helped. That frail-looking little boat made it where the lifeboat could not! Some of the legends sounded impossible, but when you looked at them carefully, they made sense. The monks landed on a whale's back, thinking it was a rock, and lit a fire. That woke the whale, and it dove back into the sea, giving the monks just enough time to get in the boat! They saw a floating pillar of crystal, and at one island, were pelted with burning rocks! These are just a few of their adventures. More soon! Bell

A note on Brendan Voyage

For a while, I am going to split the chapters in half, because they are rather lengthy. Bell

A note on Shakespeare

When I read Shakespeare's works, I like to get the Folger Library books. They have notes on the text on the left-hand page, and the text on the right. They are useful for understanding the text, and you don't have to go looking through the whole book for the notes. I really recommend these for studying Shakespeare. Bell

Twelfth Night by Shakespeare, Act 1 sns. 1-2

Twelfth Night is a play about a girl who has a twin brother that looks just like her. They are shipwrecked, and the girl does not know where her brother is. She has been saved, and the captain of the ship helps her to get boy's clothes so she can take service under the duke of that country. The duke, Orsino, is madly in love with the widow Olivia, and she is in mourning for her brother, and vows she will stay veiled for seven years. So this is the first part, and the rest has to wait! Bell

Ivanhoe

King Richard is in prison, and the Saxons were mightily oppressed. Here we met with two people, Gurth, a born thrall, or slave, and a jester, both Saxons. Neither of them is happy with the state of things, and Gurth speaks angrily of the Normans. The jester reminds him to be cautious in speaking of their overlords. They do not like to have their servants speak ill of them. The jester wore a purple tunic, with a short cloak that was very wide, of yellow. The tunic at one time had been splotched in an attempt to paint grotesque figures on it. He wore red and yellow hosen, to complete his appearance. The swineherd, Gurth, wore a tunic of skin, with the fur left on, but it had fallen off in many places. He wore sandals, as did his companion, and had bark wrapped around his calves for leggings. They collected the swine, and headed back to the castle, because guests were coming, and the jester would be wanted. More later Bell

Ivanhoe

This is a new book. It is by Sir Walter Scott, and is set at the time King Richard the Lion Heart has been made a prisoner of the Duke of Austria. Bell

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy

We don't have really bad inflation right now, but in the 1970's and 1980's there was double-digit inflation. This is where inflation is rising at the rate of 10% or more. But history repeats itself. The Romans tried to secretly clip the edges of the coins and make new ones with the clippings. The people caught on, and decreased the value of the clipped coins. So the government tried a new thing. They added more medals of lesser value than silver. So the people hoarded the good coins, and used the bad ones. That is the natural reaction to bad coins. They drive the good coins out of the market. This has happened with American money, too. Now we have clad coins, but not the real silver ones. Those were hoarded by the people who have them. Now coins are really tokens, because real coins are made of precious medals. Bell

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy

This is a new book. It is about Economics. Bell

Brendan Voyage, Ch. 1

Tim Severin and 4 companions, Peter, Arthur, George, and Rolf, set out to cross the Atlantic in a leather boat. Why? Some old manuscripts had been found, dating back to at least A.D.800. They told of how Saint Brendan and some monks sailed across the Atlantic in a leather boat. People doubted that these authentic, well researched Latin texts were true, and the idea of a leather boat settled it. Leather rots in water, so that was not even possible! To prove that it could be done, these five men set out in a boat made of of ox hides, made very much like the boat that Saint Brendan was supposed to have sailed in. The Latin texts told how the boat was made, and they were certain the boat was made of leather. So Tim Severin and his crew set out on May 17th, from Brendan Creek on the Dingle Peninsula, in one of the strangest craft ever seen. Not more than two weeks later, here they were, caught in a bad storm. After a long and frightening time, the gale let up. They were not more that 35 miles off the coast of Ireland, and all navigators gave that coast a wide berth. Many ships, with better steering than Brendan(she lacked a keel)had been wrecked on this coast. If the wind had blown towards the coast, Brendan would have been smashed on the rocks. Brendan flexed with the sea, almost as if she were breathing. This storm was the first one of the voyage, and it had been especially fierce. After they made it through the storm, they were almost run over by a trawler. Brendan, as they were to find out, was invisible to radar. The leather did not reflect the beams, and the metal reflector was drowned out by the waves. More later, Bell

New Book

I am starting several new book narrations. Brendan Voyage is the first. Bell

I'm Back!

I'm back! I'll have some new books to write about, starting Monday. Bell

A short work on the state of the present Government

The government of the Founding Fathers was a republic, for all to have a voice in, and one with a constitution that allowed for human weakness. The present government does not think we should follow this same constitution that has been our successful guide for many years. This government has deteriorated into something not unlike Communism, though it is not that bad yet.

The crime Edward Snowden is charged with is treason. Show me basis for that! He revealed nothing that would hurt us, but let Americans know what was going on. He is to be praised, in my opinion, for letting us know of the illegal activities carried on by the government.  We need to use that warning he has given us, and hold the government accountable for this.

The government is not formed up of elite people, the only ones eligible to hold an office! They are men and women of the same cut we are. They all came from our ranks, and depend on us to keep them in office. If we don’t like them, they do not get to stay. We decide. We send them up to Washington D.C. to do a good job of representing us and/or running the country.

 America, at the next election, read up about each candidate and find out what they believe in. Don’t believe 75% of what they say they are going to do, because they just want you to elect them. Politicians make promises that they don’t mean to keep, so you will think they will do what you want. Look at their voting history, what they have supported. If what they say goes against it, they probably are just saying they will do this or that. People don’t change their habits often, so what they have done is a good way to determine what they will do. Statistics are out there, and we use them for other things, like what to use against pests, for instance. People try things, and keep using them if they are successful. The stock market is predicted by statistics, too. People’s actions can be predicted, too. If the shoe fits, wear it!    

A good way, sadly, right now to determine which candidates to vote for is to look for the people called crazy, nutty, those things!? Our nation has come to a sad state when this is the way to tell that a certain person gets things done, does things right and according to the rules!

David Simpson is a State Representative in Texas, and people call him all sorts of things. But he gets the job done! He looks for reasons to do things, instead of just doing them! He is the kind of man we need, the kind that follows the rules as things that have a reason for being there, that hold others to do the same! Ted Cruz is another example. He is the junior Senator for Texas, and he makes them all mad up there in Washington D.C! He is getting things done, changing things that need it, making this country better!!

America, I want to challenge you. At the next election, take some time to look at the candidates’ backgrounds, what they have voted for and what they have not, and decide which ones are the best for America. Yes, it takes time, but time spent making a better country, to give your children a better life! Surely time well spent is worth it! You will not regret it. I challenge you, America! Show you care about your future and your children’s’!

Bell

Break

 I wanted to let you know that I will be taking a break for a while. I will have the rest of If for you then!
Bell

Philopoemen

He went to Crete to fight because his country did not like him so well any more. His soldiers knew he was the one general that no one would fight! When he came back, he stirred up the soldiers a bit to get back at the people. I do not think he should of done that because trouble may arise from it. He may start a civil war! That would not be good for Rome.

More later,
Bell

Philopoemen

Philopoemen was distinguished in all the theaters of Greece, but not without the secret ill-will of Titus Flamininus, a Roman consul. Titus made peace with Nabis, and Nabis was killed by the Aetolians. Things being in confusion in Sparta, Philopeomen laid hold of this, and coming upon them with an army, prevailed with some by persuasion, with others by fear, til he brought the whole city over to the Achaeans. As it was no small matter for Sparta to become a member of Achaea, this was met by infinite praise by the Achaeans. Accordingly, Sparta itself, who hoped the Achaeans would defend their freedom, sent a present to Philopeomen, and no man wanted to give it to him, but said: 'not I, but you', til they laid the office at last on Timolaus, with whom Philopeomen had lodged  at Sparta. Timolaus went, but could not give it, the same thing happening the 2nd time. But the 3rd time, with much ado, and faltering in his words, he acquainted Philopeomen with the good-will of the city of Sparta to him. Philopeomen listened obligingly and gladly; and then went himself to Sparta, where he advised them, not to bribe good men and their friends, of whose virtue they might be sure, but to buy of and silence ill citizens, who disquieted the city with bad speeches.

The men did not want to give Philopeomen the gift because of his honesty, which goes to show it was real, not faked.

More later,
Bell 

Philopoemen

Philopoemen when he was general himself, upon some new misdemeanor of the Lacedaemonians, he brought back those who had been banished, put, as Polybius writes eighty, according to Aristocrates, 350, Spartans to death, razed the walls, took away a good part of their territory and transferred it to the Megalopolitans, forced out of the country and carried into Achaea all who had been made citizens of Sparta by tyrants, except 3 thousand who would not submit to banishment. These he sold for slaves, and with the money, as if to exult over them, built a colonnade at Megalopolis. He is different now, and seems to have changed and become bad, not good! He is trying to get all credit for himself, and is being mean.

I do not think Philopoemen really is putting his country first. He is trying to win honor for himself, not his country! He is off track.

more later,
Bell 

Philopoemen - The End

Philopemon is in prison, having been captured, and he asks the man if the horsemen got off, and the man said yes, mostly, and Philopemon says" It is well that we have not been every way unfortunate" and he drinks a cup of poison! He died in a few minutes.
I think him has always cared for others, and wants to make sure that people were safe. However, he was often mean, too.

The End
Bell 

A study of Titus and Philopoemen

Titus                                                                                
Failings:  Ambition and greed for honor.  
Strengths: Caution, loyal to friends, merciful, generous.
       Philopoemen 
Failings: Obstinacy, greed for honor, and Ambition, lack of caution, often mean and cruel. (See my posts on him.)
Strengths: Valour, did many brave things, had it in him to command, in or out of office.

A bit about them: Titus was not in battle, but he did command his men well. Do you think he should get less credit for having his army ready made? I don't think so. He could have wrecked the whole thing, even though it was already there. Have you ever seen a well-run organization have a change in management, and the whole thing goes downhill? That could have happened. He still had to run it well. Just having it there did not make it easy.
Philopoemen was very brave, but he often put himself first. He was often very mean to conquered people. He did have to build his army up, and keep it going, and he had to have a lot of courage, more so than Titus, to oppose Rome. He was not nice, however, and did not act with discretion in war, but wasted away his life by acting prematurely. He prodigalled away his life, by acting with haste, not like Titus, who acted with caution, as did Fabius, yet Titus moved, and did fight many battles. So I think better of Titus. Titus was kind, and combined the good points of Fabius with the good points of a "fights lots of battles" general. If you want to learn more about Philopoemen, look at my posts about him, under the label "Plutarch." I wrote them a long time ago, so they are not the best. However, Philopoemen was very honest. He changed, however, and was very mean to the Spartans.

The End
Bell  

If, Part 2

If you can wait, and not be tired by waiting,
Be lied about, don't deal in lies, 
Be hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good or talk to wise,


More later,
Bell

Titus Flamininus

Titus is getting old, and he has a fault of pride. When he went to a country as an ambassador, he was not happy when he found that Hannibal was there. Hannibal was old, and was harmless. But it angered Titus to find him still alive. He filled the tunnels that Hannibal had made for escape with men, and Hannibal killed himself. The Romans were greatly angered, and got mad at Titus. They compared him to a man who had won many victories against Hannibal, and had been kind to him as well. I think that Titus should have controlled his anger, but the Romans should have reacted that way. Titus was brave, and he had done many great things, too. It was not one man who had defeated Hannibal, but many men.

More later,
Bell

If, a poem by Rudyard Kipling-Part One

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust your self when all men doubt you,
Yet make allowance for your doubting too,

More later,
Bell

Titus Flamininus

The Senate gave Titus the position of Censor, only given to ex-consuls. It was a very honorable position to have. He had friends all over, in different Greek States and other nations, and they gave him many honors, for he was just, kind, and honest. He was able to say things with grace and firmness at the same time.
 An example: A man once got rather drunk at a supper party, and then danced in women's clothing. He then asked for Titus' help with a big important issue, and Titus answered that he was surprised that a man could do such things, and yet get drunk and silly.
Another time, when one state's ambassadors were listing the divisions of the army with long, hard words to another state's ambassadors, he said to the ambassadors that these were just people armed in different ways. 

Here is one of the few blots on his career:
He had a rather nasty brother, and a man named Cato, a censor, removed this man from office, and did some things that made Titus think that Cato wanted to give him dishonor. This was not so, but Titus got mad about it, more so since this was his brother. This is one of the few blots on his career. I think he shouldn't of gotten mad, because his brother did some pretty bad things, and he probably would have done the same thing had the positions been reversed.

More later,
Bell 

Even More Good Books

I should put this one first: The Bible.
Galileo and the Magic Numbers
Winston Churchill's History of World War 2
Did you know that Winston Churchill has more words in print than Dickens and Sir Walter Scott combined?!

The End
Bell

M.A.A.N.- Act 4, Sn. 2

Note: When the watch heard Borachio and Conrad talking, they became suspicious. (Act 3, one of the last scenes.) So they arrested Borachio and Conrad, and then here in this scene are questioned.

End of Note
The master constable, Dogberry, is not that bright. He doesn't understand how to question a person. The Sexton, after some denial as to guilt by the 2 men, asks the watch what they heard to make them arrest these two men, and one of the watch says that they heard the men talk about the money they got for deceiving Claudio and Don Pedro. The men are bound, after some struggle, and they take the men to Leonato.

More Later,
Bell

More Good Books

Here are some more good books to read:
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Men of Iron
A Little Princess
Swiss Family Robinson
Robinson Crusoe
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons forever!)
Swallows and Amazons


More next time!
Bell  

Titus Flamininus

The Aetolians are trying to stir up trouble, not by themselves, but by helping Syria. Rome sent a consul and Titus as his lieutenant,to help the Greeks. The Syrians were defeated in a battle at Thermopylae, on the spot of a great battle between the Greeks and the Persians many years ago.
Titus helped them to renew their trust in Rome, and he made things right with the consul. The consul is not behaving, and he married a young girl. He is an old man.
Titus helped the gild to escape with her friends, and the consul wanted to kill all of her people. Titus stopped him, and in gratitude the people made songs in his praise,and dedicated buildings to him.
 So happily ends this part of the story.

More later,
Bell 

Good Books

Here are some really good books to read:

Lord of the Rings
The Hobbit
The Hiding Place
The books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The original Sherlock Holmes
The Little White Horse 

More coming!
Bell

S.A.U.- Ch. 12

The building of the Panama Canal alarmed the french and other Europeans. They thought that the canal would let the currents go through, and that it would erase the Gulf Stream's warmth, causing colder winters. It did not do that, but the ocean currents do effect the weather. The Gulf Stream (like a warm water tap) brings warm water to Europe, while the two cold currents (like cold water taps) mix with it to bring down the heat.(The Atlantic is the bathtub.) The Gulf Stream is sometimes warmer than on previous years, meaning less snow and ice for Europe.

The ocean is a heat regulator. The ocean currents and the winds together distribute the heat and cold over the whole globe, making up in this way for the fact that the Sun heats the Earth unevenly.

The ocean and the air work together, and they have a lot of influence over each other. The atmosphere warms or cools the ocean, and gets the vapor from the ocean when it evaporates. The weight of the air determines how high the ocean is. The moving air, winds, make some of the waves.

The ocean has even more influence over the air. It gives back the heat given to it by the air with interest. By doing this, the ocean directs storms. How? The air gets heavier when cold, and lighter when warm. And that means that the pressure changes too. Cold air, high pressure, warm air, low pressure. 

More later,
Bell

A Good Cookbook

My favorite cookbook is "How to Cook Everything." Of course, it does not have everything, but it has a fair amount. One of my favorites is Salmon in Red Wine, but I use chicken stock or broth instead. There is an app for Apple that has the recipes.

Bell

M.A.A.N. Act 4 sn.1

Claudio unwisely tells everyone that Hero has wronged him, instead of asking her about it privately and finding out all. Hero fainted, and Claudio, Don Pedro and Don John leave. The Friar saw some things in Hero's manner that showed him that there was and error somewhere. He ells the grief-stricken father to say that Hero died. Benedick and Beatrice tell each other of their love. Benedick goes to challenge Claudio to a duel.

More later,
Bell 

Popsicle recipes

Popsicles are a good summer treat, as well as being easy to make. We used self-picked strawberries. You cut the tops of some strawberries, at least 1 cup, and blend them up with some honey. Then you can use molds or take an ice cube tray, and pour it in there. Cover it with plastic wrap for the ice tray, and put them in the freezer. Freeze over night. When you take them out, for the ice tray, stick toothpicks or Popsicle sticks in for the handles. Special molds have handles already.

Bell

Titus Flamininus

Titus fought a war against Nabius, a Spartan tyrant. He does not capture or kill him, but makes peace. He did this when he foresaw that destroying Nabius would have ruined many, many Spartans. So he forbear, saving those people.

The Greeks had many Roman slaves, taken in the war with Hannibal(a general for the Greeks). They were dispersed about the country, but the Achaeans, paying five pounds a man, got them, and they were returned to Titus, who was very pleased. He had taken none from their owners by force, though he had opportunities to do so.
Titus had a splendid Triumph. The freed Romans marched behind him, wearing the dress of freed slaves. Titus really likes to have honor and recognition, and this could cause problems later. 

More later,
Bell

Sneak Peak: What happens next?

Claudio denounces Hero in front of everyone, shaming her and her father. She did not talk with a man out of her chamber window, that was Margret. This is a plot to rid them of happiness.

The whole story later!
Bell  

M.A.A.N. Act 3 Sns. 4-5

Sn. 4
Hero gets ready for the wedding, and disputes with Margret over what dress to wear. Beatrice enters, suffering from a bad cold. Margret makes several witty speeches, (probably the longest in the book) about being in love with Benedick.

Sn. 5

Trouble is coming fast. The Master watchman and his assistant try to tell Leonato about the arrest of Borachio, but he can't understand what they are saying. He sends them away.

More Later,

Bell

Old T.V. shows

Did you know that those old T.V. shows like Marvin the Martin and Bugs Bunny are on YouTube? If you are looking for fun entertainment, these are great! Roadrunner and Duck Dodgers are out there as well.

Bell

Titus Flamininus

Titus set about freeing the Greek cities at once, thereby keeping his promise to the Greeks. He reconciled Greek to Greek, and exhorted them to follow the laws, and to be just and friendly towards each other. That is a bit surprising coming from a Roman. In some ways, Titus was more Greek than the Greeks. (This is a Paradox.)

Rome and Titus both gained fame and honor from their kind treatment of the Greeks. It is important to Titus to have honor and to gain more. Many nations, kings, and cities asked for Rome's protection. This was often granted, and in this way the Romans had most of the world as they knew it doing homage to them.
Titus thought more of the liberation of Greece than of any of his other actions.

More later,
Bell