Pages & Perspective – The Millennium Kingdom

I am reading a book by Dr. David Jeremiah titled The Coming Golden Age. If you need a boost of hope in this current age we are living in, Dr. Jeremiah’s book will certainly be a blessing to you.

I’ve known of the Millennium reign of our Lord and Savior, but I didn’t know or understand all the facts surrounding it. After listening to Dr. Jeremiah in the YouTube interview I’ve included at the end of the post, and purchasing the book, I’ve had a sense of great joy within me. I’ve also understood a bit more why the song, Joy to the World, will sometimes burst out of me all through the year. Perhaps my subconscious has somehow known it is more a song of The Millennium reign of Jesus Christ, than it is a Christmas Carol. (Page 34 in the book)

Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
And heav’n and nature sing.

Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns;
Our mortal songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts

I also had little idea of the amount of Bible verses that mention the ‘Golden Age’.

…I’ve been digging them up-hundreds of verses about the coming Golden Age, the impending thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ on this planet. Some commentators say it is the single most mentioned subject in all of God’s Word. ~Dr. David Jeremiah

Program, Pages, and Philm – A Mystery and Romance

Photograph of Agatha Christie courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

I love mysteries, and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is very good. I recently watched the story for the first time through an Acorn Subscription on Prime Video. The television broadcast was divided into three parts and was very suspenseful. I didn’t figure it out, and that is a very good thing. There were some actors well-known to me and a few new faces.

Miss Christie’s mystery and older versions of the movie have been around for decades. The book was first published in 1939, and a movie, which is free on YouTube now, was released in 1945. Miss Christie was a talented individual, and I am listening to an audiobook biography of her life, titled Duchess of Death by Richard Hack.

The classic Somewhere In Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, is a romance movie for the first weekend of February. I can watch it over and over again and never tire of it. Christopher Plummer, a favorite hero of mine in The Sound of Music, plays a very believable villain.

All of these are fairly easy to find through video subscriptions, prime video, youtube, public libraries, and Hoopla, a free service through public libraries.

Pages – A Biography and History

This past week, I finished reading The Bronte Sisters, The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef. It was an excellent biography of the Bronte sisters who authored several books. Between them, the sisters wrote Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Shirley, Villette, The Professor, and a volume of poetry called Poems.

Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, is far and away my favorite. I have read and listened to it on Audiobook, and I especially enjoy viewing the many versions of it on movie screens and television. I want to enjoy Wuthering Heights, too, and I do, somewhat, but it is a dark story and I’ve never taken to it like I have Jane Eyre. 


Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard are excellent writers and always find a way to make history enjoyable for me. Confronting the Presidents is not an exception to that fact. I am a quarter of the way through and beginning to read the chapter on President Zachary Taylor. I am strangely mesmerized by the peculiarities and eccentricities of the presidents who helped form our country. Believe me, they all had a few. Did you know one of the early presidents skinny-dipped daily in the Potomac and was often joined by staff and occasionally pedestrians walking by? 

I’ve enjoyed this book because it reminds me of long-ago learned history, which has settled at the bottom of my brain. I have loved being reminded of The Louisiana Purchase and other significant events brought about by the first presidents. 

Since chronological order doesn’t matter, I read the end chapter on President Donald Trump. I felt lukewarm about O’Reilly’s assessment of President Trump’s first presidency. I was offended by Martin Dugard’s opinion on President Trump, but he is entitled to think as he will. 

I recommend both of these non-fiction books. 

Pages, Philm & Place – Chester Zoo/England

I’m reading Our Zoo by June Mottershead. The book tells the story of how the Chester Zoo in England came into existence. Goodreads has some interesting comments from readers who enjoyed the book.

I found the book by watching the six-episode series Our Zoo. The series can be found on Paramount, Hoopla (available free through some libraries), and other streaming services. I enjoyed this adaptation of the true story.

The Chester Zoo is still open in Upton-by-Chester, Chester, England. The website has excellent photographs of the zoo through the decades.

Here’s a short video that looks behind the scenes of the series.

Pages & Product – Farmer’s Almanac

Did you know that the next full moon happens on January 25th, and it is called The Wolf Moon? As I write this, the current moon phase is a Waning Gibbous, and the moon is 88% full. I learned these things by visiting the Farmer’s Almanac Web Page.

What do you know about pom-poms? Well, a Farmer’s Almanac webpage is devoted to precisely that: information about pom-poms. Wow! I was going to post about the Almanac magazine and calendar I purchased for myself, and now, as a bonus, I have found this amazing webpage; a freebie to throw into the mix, offering you three good ways to keep up with the moon, the weather, and with all kinds of interesting facts. 

I will glom onto each calendar page and visit the website every day. Another newbie today is the word glom, courtesy of One Daily Word Prompts challenge word. I didn’t know that to glom is a term from the Scot’s dialect, glaum, which means to grab onto.

Everything Must Belong Somewhere, the Ragtag prompt for today, perfectly describes how my daily calendar will sit by my computer, prompting me to tear off a page daily. Reading this calendar will enlarge (FOWC challenge) my gardening ability and give me a few conversation starters when visiting my friends.

A Postscript: Try a few of the one-word challenges this coming year. They are fun and get your brain cranking.

Pages & People – The Warner Sisters

Left to Right: Susan B. Warner, Anna B. Warner, William B. Bradbury – Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.


After reading Book One of Then Sings My Soul, I was happy to see there were two more volumes. Written by Robert J Morgan, a pastor who loves hymns, the books brings to life the history of each song. In Book One and Two, on the left side of the page is the hymn, the facing page is the history of author and sometimes the composer. Book Three goes into more depth on author and hymn. The story of the Warner sisters is in Book Three.

Have you ever wondered about the author/composer of ‘Jesus Loves Me?’

The author of the words is Anna Bartlett Warner. (1827-1915) Her poem was composed for a novel called Say and Seal, written by her sister Susan B. Warner. (1819 – 1885) The sisters lived in a house on Constitution Island, near West Point. I learned their history in the third volume of Then Sings My Soul. I have all three volumes of these wonderful books. They are filled with hymns and history. The stories are inspiring; I read them in the morning as part of my devotions. I have finished the last volume of the series and would definitely purchase a number four if it is ever written.

The composer of the music, and the well-known chorus is William B. Bradbury. William Bradbury wrote the music for many hymns, a few you might be familiar with are: Just As I Am, Sweet Hour of Prayer, and My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
As He loved so long ago,
Taking children on His knee,
Saying, “Let them come to Me.”

Jesus loves me still today,
Walking with me on my way,
Wanting as a friend to give
Light and love to all who live.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.

Pages/People/Philm – Legends

I am near the end of Killing the Legends – The Lethal Danger of Celebrity – by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The book is excellent, there are many facts included I did know, and several new insights into the lives of all three men of which I was unaware. The book is so well-written you read along at a quick pace. The book has a few photographs, but not many; I would have enjoyed more photos.

As far as the legends are concerned, I was always fond of one, disliked the other, and was a bit ambivalent about the third. My feelings haven’t changed much after reading, and I realize I should always trust my instincts.

ELVIS was one of three films that lured me into a movie theater in 2022. The other two, Downton Abbey – A New Era, and Where the Crawdads Sing were the others. I enjoyed the latter two, but ELVIS was my favorite. Where the Crawdads Sing was a close second, and after I saw the movie, I bought and read the book.

I am reading Chicken Soup for the Soul – Best Advice I Ever Heard, now, and loving it. A few days ago, I read chapter 51 by author Laurie Davies. Her topic was advice she received from a teacher on how to overcome her fear of elementary school recess. “Walk out onto that playground like it’s yours,” the teacher told her. This is advice I sure wish I had lived by in the past when uneasy or thinking myself out of place. Maybe in my senior years I’ll manage to live by her wise words. That brings my thoughts back to Elvis. He owned the stage he performed on, but through most of his career, offstage, he was owned and controlled by others. He couldn’t escape the web they wove, and was, in the end, consumed by the prison of success.

Pages – Kindred

I read Kindred for the first time in 1979/80. Written by Octavia Butler, the story is about time travel, a setting I love. Flash forward to 2022, and I am utilizing my Hoopla app, reading/listening to Kindred once more as an audiobook. It still entrances me. My interest was renewed when I recently heard that the book was going to become a mini-series. I hope it is true, and most of all I hope they faithfully follow Ms. Butler’s excellent writing.

Phlower & Quotes & Pages – Mr. Lincoln Roses

These gorgeous Mr Lincoln roses were blooming in the mid-November sun this Sunday morning. Somehow, their petals stayed intact through rather heavy rain Friday and overnight. They began to emit their compelling fragrance as they warmed up in the house. Not many roses can surpass Mr Lincoln blooms for scent and beauty.

I usually don’t expect such a perfect rose in November. These blooms are part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.

The small hymnal in the first photo, The Gospel Hymn Book, is signed and dated 1890. Surprisingly, I found it in a local library, shelved in the Books for Sale section, available for purchase for only fifty cents. Oh my! I am blessed to have it. It is very fragile, dog-eared and spotted, bound with aged string, but the wisdom within is full of strength, power, and timeless. Under a title of Sweetness of Prayer is printed the following verse:

Come, Holy Comforter, Presence Divine,

Now in our longing hearts graciously shine;

O for Thy mighty power,

O for a blessed shower,

Filling this hallowed hour with joy divine.

Here from the World We Turn

Words: Frances Jane Crosby

Music: Tryst | William Howard Doane

People & Pages – Throwback Thursday/Shirley Temple and Dr. Seuss

Last week I purchased this beautiful book on Shirley Temple. Written by Jerome Beatty and published in 1935, the book is as lovely as the subject.

I loved watching Shirley Temple movies as a child. I still love them in my adult years. Last week, thinking back on the sweet stories, I realized that there were some scenes in the movies that would be deemed politically incorrect in our current age and state of affairs. While there are some portrayals that might need to be explained to a child in today’s politically correct climate, it would be apparent to even a six year old that no harm toward anyone was intended by what is now considered questionable moments.

I was so elated to find the book I began to wish I had all Shirley Temple’s movies on DVD. Would the cancel culture of the 2020’s rip away all evidence of her body of work? I researched buying a set of her movies, found what I was looking for, and placed it in my shopping cart to mull over a bit before I committed to buying. I wish I had bought the set right away.

Fast forward to this week.

Dr. Seuss…criticized, cancelled, perhaps banned. How can this be my world? I must have read Go Dog Go! to my sons well over a hundred times. I can still remember holding them on my lap as I read, and yelling out, ‘A Dog Party,’ at the end of the book. How could anyone sane cancel or ban Dr Seuss? They can’t…this is insanity!

As soon as the brouhaha of the Dr. Seuss fake fiasco reached my ears my indecision vanished; I went to my shopping cart to purchase the Shirley Temple DVD set. It was no longer available. My only choice was to pay $25.00 more for a similar set. Either someone bought all the available lower-priced versions, or the company itself was taking advantage of what they foresaw, as did I, would be the next sweet thing on the chopping block.

The moral of the tale: if you feel something is in danger of being cancelled, or might disappear, find a way to save and treasure it. I am happy to say, I have at least three Dr. Seuss books in the house. They aren’t the books in question, but you can be sure I will look for those in every thrift store I visit.

Pages – Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Hoopla

I’ve been planting in the garden like a madwoman, hence, not as much time as I’d like to blog and keep up with the never-ending housework. Happily though, I’ve been reading, or should I say listening, to a good book while I am tending to the weeds and seeds. Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan is a wonderful novel about the friendship and love of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. As with the best of books, any nagging thought or worry I’m facing at the moment disappears when I’m listening to the story. You can read a good synopsis of the story on GoodReads/Becoming Mrs. Lewis. I’ve found that fiction based on true-life often prompts me to delve further into biographies and photo records of the subjects; this has been the case with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis, the main characters in the novel.

I’m listening to this book on a digital streaming service called Hoopla.

Hoopla Digital is a web and mobile library media streaming platform for audio books, movies, music, ebooks, comics, and TV. Hoopla allows library patrons to download or stream media content. Hoopla Digital is a division of the Holland, Ohio-based company Midwest Tape, and is housed in the same facility.” Wikipedia

I joined Hoopla free through my local library. Many libraries offer Hoopla. Check with yours to see if you can download and use this free service.

I am sometimes hesitant to use photo images of book jackets for my ‘pages’ reviews. Here’s a good article written by The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say Shhh, that puts most of my fears to rest over violating copyright laws when I use a book cover image on my blog: Book Cover Images.

Pages & Philm – Vanity Fair

I’ve been watching, and enjoying, an Amazon Prime Original of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair.

I have also found a free Librivox  recording of Vanity Fair. I’m about to start Chapter One today. I can listen on my tablet as I work at completing odds and ends around the house. Librivox is a wonderful site filled with free audiobooks of public domain works. There are many classics available for your listening pleasure on Librivox. Since I’ve never read Vanity Fair, I’m looking forward to meeting Becky Sharp through the audiobook as well as Amazon’s well-done series.

Pages – Crafty Books

On a recent trip to Longwood Gardens we admired this arch created with books folded into interesting shapes and flowers. The base appears to be created with gnarly branches and moss.

As a lifelong lover of books, I have mixed feelings about using books for crafts, although I have done so on numerous occasions. I enjoy cutting phrases out of books to use on greeting cards. You can see a sample and how-to on using these cut out phrases on The Flower Ark/Tulip Greeting Card.

I might try to make a few of these book page flowers for a Valentine’s Day Centerpiece.

Pages – Indoor Plant Decor

What do you do when a dreary Saturday has you rained-in (again) and you’re fighting a ‘humbug’ attitude because of too much to do? Well, my solution today has been to eat a handful of cookies (I’m in the midst of beginning the third batch of the day), and read a good book while more Christmas cookies bake. My book choice is Indoor Plant Decor by Kylee Baumle and Jenny Peterson. Thoughts of houseplants thriving and this book’s ideas and photos have actually elevated my mood. (Or is that the sugar I’ve eaten?😒)

The photograph of a plant inside a handbag gave me an instant uplift of mood. I also smiled over the plants in old instruments and the bottom of chairs. The book features 142 pages of tips and stunning photographs. I know I’ll come away inspired  to create fun houseplant displays throughout my home.

“With more and more people (5.9 million-plus) working from home or retiring from the workforce (10,000 new baby boomers retiring every day) the quality of the home environment is becoming more important than ever. Jenny and Kylee know that adding living plants to the decor pays off in enjoyment, pride of place, and an increased sense of well being (not to mention lower blood pressure, higher creativity and cleaner air quality).”
~ Goodreads

Pages – A Piece of the World

I recently finished reading Christina Baker Kline’s fictionalized account of Christina Olson in the book ‘A Piece of the World.’ If you love a good story that has many actual events woven throughout, this book is a perfect choice.

Most of us have seen the famous painting of a girl in a pink dress looking towards the house depicted on the novel’s book jacket.  Christina Olson is that girl/woman. Christina’s World, a painting done in egg tempera, is one of Andrew Wyeth’s most well-known works of art.

I enjoyed every page of this book. I felt like I was living alongside Christina Olson throughout the story, and very much enjoyed the insights into the painting style and life of Andrew Wyeth. Terrific read!

Pheathers & Pages – The Life of Birds and Bird Cams

life-of-birds

I can’t remember where I found this book on ‘The Life of Birds,’ written by David Attenborough, most likely on a library, thrift shop or yard sale treasure hunt. I’ve read through the first chapter, and have found the accompanying BBC/PBS series available on Amazon. This weekend I’ll watch the coinciding show of the series and then read another chapter in the book.

One of the joys in my life is the birds that I see and hear throughout the day. This week I took my camera with me on a walk around the block. The trees were filled with red-wing blackbirds, grackles, starlings, and other birds that flock with them.

img_4957-2

http://https://youtu.be/NIOoe8HXnQg

I have included the Cornell Lab of Ornithology bird cams in my posts many times, and will probably point the way to them in the future also. They are amazing, and just about now some of the birds might be ‘feathering’ their nests in preparation for new life.

Take a look at the Sapsucker Woods Bird Feeder. I enjoy the sounds as much as the sights of these live cams.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Sk6-LIvDc

All the bird cams can be found here: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Cams. Some aren’t online now, but will probably be back soon.

Pages – Surprises

I love to search through antique shops, flea markets, and boxes of books at yard sales. I often find treasured volumes I’ve read in the past and feel as if I’ve reconnected with old friends.

trees

I came upon a pleasant surprise when I opened “The Book of Trees” by Alfred C. Hotte, published in 1932. Within the pages lay a letter and pressed leaves. I wonder as I study the letter, the brittle leaves, who placed them inside and why.

trees 2

Underlining and personal notes written on book pages never fail to make me wonder why the readers were moved enough to comment or underline. It’s funny, I’ve even come upon my own written comments in book margins, long forgotten, but often still applicable to my life now. A week or two ago, I found pressed plants in a book gathering dust on a shelf, several four leaf clovers found in a patch of grass on a long ago day. I didn’t remove them, instead I shut the cover and laid it away once more, to rediscover “good luck’ another day.

Pages – Thanksgiving Journal Page

Thanksgiving

I’ve begun a new blog called, “Whatjadoing?” The blog posts will contain more involved instructions for several different art/craft techniques. My first entry in the new blog is posted today.

Take a Look – “Whatjadoing” Blog at WordPress