Armour of Light – Page 6 – All Things Good

Falling Into the First Day of Autumn

Jennifer Rose Armour of Light September 23, 2015April 11, 2017Autumn, Emily Dickinson, Emily Dickinson poems, Fall photos, Fall poems, OnBeing, Parker J. Palmer, the morns are meeker than they were, Thomas Merton 0 Comment

Yesterday was the first official day of Autumn, and it just so happened to be a picture perfect day where everything was “just right” – the soft blanket of blue sky, the sunny warm and still air, the full-blossomed, perfectly poised purple petunias. But “just right” never stays long – things change as nature, a “trustworthy guide”*, shows us season to season as we now watch the coming and going of summer to autumn. The turning of leaves into an exhilarating brilliance ends with a falling into a cooler, darker, and heavier season. The lightness, openness and warmth of summer has departed leaving behind the “meeker” chillier mornings that Emily Dickinson wrote about in her poem about autumn below:

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on. Read more

All Things Constitutional

Jennifer and Katharine Rose Armour of Light September 17, 2015April 11, 2017A Time of Choosing, By The People, Charles Murray, Charles Murray By The People Review, Constitution Day, Heritage Foundation, Ronald Reagan, Ronald Reagan quotes, Ronald Reagan Speeches, Ronald Reagan The Great Communicator 0 Comment

In celebration of Constitution Day, ATG highlights the book By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission by Charles Murray, an American libertarian political scientist and author who first became well known for his book, Losing Ground: American Social Policy 1950-1980.

In Chapter One, “A Broken Constitution”, Murray argues that “the Constitution that once sustained limited government is broken, and cannot be fixed by a Madisonian* majority on the Supreme Court.” He explains how our “legal system is increasingly lawless” and that the “legislative process has become systemically corrupt no matter which party is in control.” Read more

September: Serving Up The Last Delicious Drop of Sumptuous Summer

Jennifer Rose Armour of Light September 4, 2015April 11, 2017Al fresco dining, al fresco meaning, all’aperto, aperto dining, dining all'aperto, James and Kay Salter, Leonardo da Vinci, Life Is Meals 0 Comment

Eight days remain. Eight golden days of Summer, until it swiftly departs at sundown on September 23, giving way to a crisp autumn morning on the 24^th.

While we may lament the end of August, the month of September is the perfect time for what we Americans refer to as “al fresco” dining, a phrase borrowed from the Italians meaning “in the cool air.” (Interestingly, Italians refer to outdoor dining as “fuori” and “all’aperto,” since “al fresco” is slang for “in prison”).

What better way to celebrate the closing of the summer season then to dine outside in the cool September evening air, seated at an intimate table with pleasant company, surrounded by a picturesque, beautiful view of a distant mountain, still lake or sailboats in the distant ocean horizon, accompanied by fine wine and delicious food. Read more

Are You A Good Houseguest?

Jennifer Rose Armour of Light August 29, 2015June 15, 2017Emily Post, Emily post houseguest etiqutte, Emily Post Institute, Good houseguest, guest etiquette, guest manners, Hospitality, house guest manners, Lizzie Post, Pamela Fiori, Social Graces, Town & Country Books 0 Comment

A widely utilized, well-meaning phrase, “Mi casa es su casa” is a fun way to extend a welcoming greeting to a guest, friend or acquaintance as they arrive and settle into your home. Intended as it is to make people feel comfortable and relaxed in an unknown place, good house guests know that there are certain boundaries that come with the “mi casa es su casa” invitation (some people will take it literally and stay at your house unbeknownst to you while you are on vacation!)

As with most everything in life, it always takes some time and experience to learn not just the art of being a good host, but also – and more importantly – the rules and etiquette for being a good guest. In fact, it is not necessarily the experience of being a guest that teaches, but rather that of being a host that instructs one on how to be the kind of guest who is pleasant and easy to have around. Read more

The Luminous Light of August

Jennifer and Katharine Rose Armour of Light August 4, 2015June 11, 2017Facts about sunflowers, Helianthus, Helianthus annuus, heliotropism, Light in August, Light in August quotes, photosynthesis, Summer Reading List, Sunflower information, sunflower pictures, tropism, William Faulkner, William Faulkner novels, William Faulkner quotes 1 Comment

“…in August…there’s a few days somewhere about the middle of the month when suddenly there’s a foretaste of fall, it’s cool, there’s a lambence, a soft, a luminous quality to the light, as though it came not from just today but from back in the old classic times. It might have fauns and satyrs and the gods and – from Greece, from Olympus in it somewhere. It lasts just for a day or two, then it’s gone…the title reminded me of that time, of a luminosity older than our Christian civilization.” –William Faulkner, Light in August

Otherwise known as Helianthus annuus, the sunflower is the perfect flower for summertime, deriving its name from helios (sun) and anthos (flower).

A favorite flower of ours, it is believed to have originated in Mexico and Peru and is thought to be one of the first crops grown in the United States. One might be surprised to learn that, today, the countries making up the former Soviet Union are the world’s leading producers of sunflowers, followed by Argentina, France, China, Spain, and the United States.

Aside from producing a sudden feeling of gaiety and euphoria when encountered, sunflowers are known for their seeds, oil and petals that are used for dye.

Deeply rich in nutrients, dried sunflower seeds are an excellent source of potassium, thiamine, magnesium, folic acid, pantothenic acid, copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron, niacin and vitamin B6. For this reason, many professional athletes chew on sunflower seeds in place of chewing tobacco. Read more

Late July: Summertime Musings

Jennifer Rose Armour of Light July 31, 2015April 11, 2017A Dream of Summer: Poems for the Sensuous Season, Dylan Thomas bio, Dylan Thomas Fern Hill, Fern Hill, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Summer inspirational quotes, Summer poems, Summer quotes, Summer readings, Summer sayings 0 Comment

Summer. It’s a season we long for in the midst of winter, plan for in the blossoming of spring and fondly recall in the crisp autumn air.

It is here, but almost gone, forever coming and going like the rhythmic nature of the ocean’s tide and perpetuating a sense of longing most acutely felt in the remembrances of innocent days from our childhood past.

Summer is light and airy, colorful and calm. It is waves, rivers, streams and sand; mountains, hillsides, gardens and picnics. Summer is the intensely vivid ocean sunrises and the heavenly, soothing evening skies.

It is wild and invincible – a time to “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air”, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote. Read more

Rediscovering “Gift From The Sea”

Jennifer Rose Armour of Light July 9, 2015May 1, 2017Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Anne Morrow Lindbergh Bio, Beach sunrise, Bottlenose Dolphin, Gift from the Sea, Gift from the Sea quotes, Hilton head Island beaches, Horseshoe crab, Loggerhead sea turtle, Sand shark, Seashells, Starfish 0 Comment

I first read Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s* Gift from the Sea in my late twenties, early thirties when I was a busy young mother of three with an innocent, idealistic view of the world and the life I had ahead of me.

I remember it as a neat little book that spoke to the duties and responsibilities of raising children, and the never-ending business of making and keeping a home. I remember thinking to myself how lucky she was, as a mother of five children, to be staying at a beach house by herself with enough time to compose such beautifully expressed sentiments, written in such a calm, lyrical and soothing manner.

I read her book with the eyes and mind of a young, inexperienced and naive woman, mother and wife who had little knowledge of the trials and tribulations that life’s journey would inevitably bring. Read more

ATG’s Summer Reading List

Jennifer and Katharine Rose Armour of Light June 24, 2015April 11, 2017All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr, Flannery O'Connor, George Washington Biographies, Marcus Aurelius, Marcus Aurelius Meditations, New York Times Bestselling authors, New York Times Fiction Bestsellers, Pat Conroy, Paula Hawkins, Southern literature, Summer Reading List, Summer reading recommendations, The Girl On The Train, The Habit of Being, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides 2 Comments

Summer is officially here and while not everyone may be able to travel to an idyllic paradise or vacation in a far off land, there’s plenty of room for escape in a good, captivating read.

Below you’ll find ATG’s suggested summer reading list, ranging from all things contemporary to ancient. Happy summer – and happy reading!

ALL THINGS CURRENT

The Girl On The Train (2015)
Paula Hawkins

Mystery and thriller lovers are sure to enjoy Paula Hawkin’s debut New York Times bestselling novel, The Girl on the Train. Rachel, an alcoholic who seemingly ruined her relationship with a man she loved, becomes captivated by a couple she observes from afar during her commute to and from London each day. When she learns that the woman, Megan, has gone missing, Rachel willingly involves herself in the investigation, which is made all the more convoluted by her unreliable memory and repeated episodes of drunken incoherence. A true psychological thriller and page-turner, it leaves you guessing until the very end. Read more

Spending Father’s Day “Drinking Beer With Dad”

Jennifer and Katharine Rose Armour of Light June 19, 2015June 5, 2017Drinking Beer With Dad, Father's Day, First Kiss Album Review, Kid Rock, Kid Rock First Kiss, Richard Bienstock 0 Comment

You might not necessarily think of Kid Rock – the rap-rocker-turned-country-star – as entirely relevant in today’s music landscape. His latest album, however, proved to be a pleasant surprise and is a reminder that sometimes artists develop their most influential work later in life.

Released in February of this year, Billboard music critic Richard Bienstock wrote, “First Kiss is hardly [Kid Rock’s] most adventurous project, but it is perhaps his most easy going, tuneful one. The production is crisp and clean, the guitars are sparkling, the vibe is rollicking but relaxed…he sounds better here than he has in a long time.” Read more

If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Limoncello

Jennifer Rose Armour of Light June 12, 2015June 15, 2017Fabrizia Spirits, Lemon Blueberry Bread, Lemon Pie, Limoncello, Mastroianni bros bakery, Mastroianni brothers, When life gives you lemons 0 Comment

“If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Limoncello”

That is what the Mastroianni brothers (pictured below) did in 2008 when they opened their Salem, New Hampshire-based “Fabrizia Spirits”, which has become one of the finest Limoncello distillers in the country.

Nick and Phil Mastroianni are second-generation Italian-Americans who grew up outside of Boston. Well acquainted with the inferior quality of Limoncello that was served in Boston’s North End, they became inspired to make their own after a “life-changing visit to the family’s home village in southern Italy.”

According to the brothers, Limoncello should have a “fresh lemon floral note” and a slight subtle burn. You should taste the alcohol but it shouldn’t be “rocket-fuel.” The inconsistent quality that they have experienced in other limoncellos is the result of the use of artificial flavors and colors that “corrupt the ‘sacred-mix’ of the traditional recipe.”

Below you’ll find recipes for limoncello, lemon pie and lemon blueberry bread. We hope you enjoy! Read more