No.887: Last Week at the Farmhouse // Pursuing the Intellectual Life

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Pursuing the intellectual life in three easy steps!

I’ll preface this by saying that I’m fairly new to this endeavor, but I loved this quote from the article I shared last week and want to use it as my guide in 2025: “The true classical scholar is simply an ordinary person who loves truth, beauty, and goodness. He is not puffed up with self-importance, nor does he try to make a show of what he knows. His humility is a beacon of light, allowing him to emanate the true spirit of the classical tradition.”  So with my limited experience, below are the three steps I recommend for a successful reading year.  Hopefully it’s helpful!

1. Determine what you are curious about. // If you’ve ever looked at my weekly “Additions to The List” books, you know I find recommendations everywhere.  As you go about your daily life, start jotting down topics that interest you.  It may come from something in the news or a list you find online.  It may be something mentioned in a book you’re currently reading.  It may come from an ailment you’re suffering or an activity you enjoy.  It might even come from reflecting on your favorite subjects in school!
2. Choose your books. // Now that you have a few topics in mind, start collecting the books.  This can look like going on a shopping spree or just jotting down a physical list.  Now is also the time to reflect on how you read.  Do you like to read one book at a time or are you a multiple book kind of person?  (I like to have multiple books going at one time, as long as the subjects are significantly different from one another.)
3. Find pockets of time to read and make it a habit. //  This step takes a bit of time as you begin, but don’t give up!  I have found that I enjoy nonfiction books in the morning/early afternoon but by bedtime, I’m ready to curl up with a fictional story.  Start with a habit of ten minutes in the morning, half an hour before bed, etc.  Can you replace some scrolling with a book?

One last note: it seems common in today’s society to be ridiculously competitive about reading (ie. I read 250 books in one year, I stayed up for 48 hours to finish 20 books..).  Don’t fall into the trap!  This pursuit is about quality vs. quantity.  It is completely okay to read one single book – maybe just a paragraph or two a day! – as long as you keep going and really ingest the information in a deeper way.  We’re looking for greater wisdom here, not gold stars and accolades.

Happy Reading!

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. New scrunchies! // “Making do” project of the week!  I have a bad habit of putting up my wet hair with an elastic and apparently that’s terrible!  Lately, I’ve tried to mitigate the damage by using a scrunchie instead.  I only have one, so was looking into buying more until I realized I could try to make my own!  My daughter and I used this tutorial and it was pretty easy.  We’re hooked and can’t wait to make more.
2. A less bloated stomach. // Wheat belly is a thing.
3. Seed catalogs in the mail. // ‘Tis the season!  Thankfully, I have plenty of leftover seeds from last year, so I only need to order a few.  I also found the planting schedule I made a few years back so I’m all ready to go for Growing Season 2025.
4. A hardwood floor update! // We finally heard back from insurance and the money has been approved to move forward.  We’ve been in a constant state of disarray since mid-October so suuuper excited to get this process going.
5. My go-to illness arsenal. // By the end of the week, we all got sick with colds and sore throats.  I pulled out all of our favorites: Cold Calm, Vitamin C tea with a spoonful of honey, Emercen-C, and Ricola cough drops.  Add in a lot of rest and we tend to bounce back quickly.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• cut up an old chambray dress to use as fabric (and saved the buttons too!)
• listed a few things on ebay/Poshmark
• altered two dresses that had slits a little too high (now much more appropriate for church, ha)
• made chicken broth from frozen chicken backs to bring out to the pigs
• invested in another 50 pounds of flour
• shredded some unneeded documents/junk mail to add to my compost pile
• made homemade bacon from sidemeat from our pigs using our meat slicer (delicious!)

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 13 was the Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor.

To Listen: Hilary of Poitiers: Exile and Understanding from the Way of the Fathers podcast

To Read: Saint Hilary of Poitiers by Pope Benedict XVI

To Add to the Library: On the Trinity

To Quote: “The privilege of our Church is such that it is never stronger than when it is attacked, never better known than when it is accused, never more powerful than when it appears forsaken.”

Reading //

• The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 5 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
• The One Hundred Pages Strategy from Matthew Walther at the Lamp
• The Need For Adults from Freya India at GIRLS // Very, very thought provoking.
• New Year’s Resolution: Bring Back The Aunties from Mary Harrington // “Aunties, assemble! We have nothing to lose but the next generation’s loneliness.”
• Basically Beavers from Sarah W Rowell at Blind Mule Blog // “We learned that being friends was just as fun as being lovers, and often a lot more useful.”
• The Power of the Good, the True, & the Beautiful by Joseph Pearce at The Imaginative Conservative // “If the Good, the True and the Beautiful, as a reflection of the Trinity, are the end to which we strive they are also, through their manifestation in love, reason and creativity, the means by which the end is achieved. Love is the path to goodness; reason is the path to truth; and creativity is the path to beauty.”

New Additions to The List // 

• St. Rita of Cascia: Saint of the Impossible by Joseph Sicardo, OSA
• When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss

Watching/Listening //

• Lesson 2 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute

from the archives…

WEEK THREE 2024 // The Soul Craves Beauty