Good morning! It's nice to be back. First of all, I must apologize for having you all add me to your feed readers, only to change my blog address on you. My address is now http://www.quietude.blogspot.com/ Makes a little more sense than the old "bitter gamer" one, no? If you have always wondered, the bitter gamer is my brother, who gave me some webspace years ago. When I first started my blog, I didn't really have plans of making it public, and so didn't worry about the address. However, I eventually got me some visitors, and then when people started asking me for my blog address in real life, I realized how bizarre it sounded. :-P I am just now getting around to changing it, since Blogger has disabled FTP support. I also felt it was time for something a little less "blah" than the white Blogger template. Hope you like it! I think it says, very firmly, that this is a Woman's Blog. Now, if you've been reading Quietude for a while, you probably noticed that I began to gradually lose my blogging steam in the months after my marriage. I eventually got to the point where I was just "guilt-blogging," which is not fun for me or for you. When I first started my blog, I hoped to use it as a chronicle of the quiet joys and beauties of day to day life. Somehow along the way, I veered away from that. Now I am hoping to recapture that first purpose, but also expand and shift my blogging topics to reflect the season of life I am in. My "hobby" interests currently take a back-burner to the more important tasks of being the best wife and mother that I can be, so it may be that I will not have as many posts on vintage clothes, sewing, books, etc. But, I pray that I can find beauty and joy in the humble task of serving those I love best, and share that with you! I'm back! I enjoyed my break from blogging but I'm glad to be back to posting. First of all, I must apologize for having you add me to your feed reader, only to change my address on you! My new blog address is now http://www.quietudeblog.blogspot.com/ Blogger discontinued FTP support recently and it seemed like a good time to switch over to a new address; one that fits my blog a little better than the old one. ;-) (If you have always wondered, the bitter gamer is my brother, who gave me some webspace years ago. When I first started my blog, I didn't really have plans of making it public, and so didn't worry about the address. However, I eventually got me some visitors, and then when people started asking me for my blog address in real life, I realized how bizarre it sounded. But I haven't gotten around to changing it 'til now!) For the time being I will leave the archives up here, but all new posts will be at my new address. So please update your links, feed readers, etc. to point to http://www.quietudeblog.blogspot.com/ See you over there!

A favorite passage

"'Well, aged parent,' said Wemmick, shaking hands with him in a cordial and jocose way, 'how are you?'

'All right, John; all right!' replied the old man.

'Here's Mr. Pip, aged parent,' said Wemmick, 'and I wish you could hear his name. Nod away at him, Mr. Pip; that's what he likes. Nod away at him, if you please, like winking!'

'This is a fine place of my son's, sir,' cried the old man, while I nodded as hard as I possible could. 'This is a pretty pleasure-ground, sir. This spot and these beautiful works upon it ought to be kept together by the Nation, after my son's time, for the people's enjoyment.'

'You're as proud of it as Punch; ain't you, Aged?' said Wemmick, contemplating the old man, with his hard face really softened; 'there's a nod for you;' giving him a tremendous one; 'there's another for you,' giving him a still more tremendous one; 'you like that, don't you? If you're not tired, Mr. Pip -- though I know it's tiring to strangers -- will you tip him one more? You can't think how it pleases him.'

I tipped him several more, and he was in great spirits."

--Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, published 1861