AMDG I just finished Medea and logged it. It was a quite nice afternoon of reading by the fire! Medea by Euripides . . . a harrowing tale of the revenge of Medea on Jason. Jason, upon the quest for the Golden Fleece, held by Medea's father, meets Medea. They fall in love and he marries her. To get away with this, Medea ends up traitress to her father and country and murderess of her brother. Having fled Colchis, the land of her father, she, Jason, and their two boys have settled in Iolcus, Jason's hereditary homeland where Medea, hoping for advancement for Jason, murders Pelias the king and uncle to Jason. Medea, et al are exiled to Corinth. That, though, all happens before the play opens. Upon the opening of the play, Jason has taken to wife the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth. In her rage at having been cast aside, Medea plots her revenge and carries it out. She secures a place of exile. She poisons a dress and coronet. Under the guise of begging for protection from exile, her innocent children present the dress and coronet to the bride. The bride dies a horrible death. Creon comes to her body and is caught in the poisonous dress and also dies an horrific death. Jason returns to Medea to accuse her of this only to learn that she has also murdered their children in order to hurt Jason. The Medea is the darkest of all these dark plays and poems I've read so far. Some items of interest: at line 85+ Tutor: What is strange in that? Have you only just discovered that everyone loves himself more than his neighbor? at line264 Medea: . . . but, when once she is wronged in the matter of love, no other soul can hold so many thoughts of blood. I found this sadly true and have, alas, counseled Filia to very carefully choose to whom she reveals her cleverness. at line 292 . . . This is not the first time, Creon. Often previously through being considered cleter I have suffered much. A person of sense ought never to have his children brought up to be more clever than the average. For, apart from cleverness bringing them no profit, it will make them objects of envy and ill-will. If you put new ideas before the eyes of fools, they'll think you foolish and worthless into the bargain; and if you are thought superior to those who have some reputation for learning, you will become hated. 319 A sharp-tempered woman, or, for that matter, a man, is easier to deal with than the clever type who holds her tongue. Jason reveals his own reason for marrying the new bride (whose name I forget): 352 Involved, as I was, in every kind of difficulty, what luckier chance could I have come across than this, an exile to marry the daughter of the king? It was not -- the point that seems to upset you -- that I grew tired of your bed adn felt the need of a new bride: nor with any wish to outdo your number of children. We have enough already. I am quite content. But -- this was the main reason -- that we might live well, and not be short of anything. I know that all a man's friends leave him stone-cold if he becomes poor. Also, that I might bring my children up worthily of my position, and, by producing more of them to be brothers of yours, we would draw the families together and all be happy. You need no children. And it pays me to do good to those I have now by having others. Do you think this a bad plan? 581 The plausible speaker who is a villain deserves the greatest punishment. Confident in his tongue's power to adorn evil, he stops at nothing. Yet he is not really wise. At some point I began to consider that the idea of sorceress didn't seem to include magic but mostly just evil. Poison figures in here. at one point Jason reflects that he should not have married Medea because she was a traitress to her country and father. I agree. Having shown that one is not trustworthy, one should not be trusted, I think. Of course, I think that people make mistakes and should be forgiven, especially me, but trust finally having been breached . . . I also want to record the part about children but it's so long to type out and I don't really have time. Maybe later. I'd have preferred a more lovely translation.

AMDG I got a statue of Mary that my daughter painted; fiddle lessons; and a generator that will run fridge, deep freeze, and a window unit or space heater (we lost a lot of food during the last power outage and I really, really, wanted this).

AMDGHey! I have that guy! Love it!

AMDG Well, I think it was very rude of KungFuPanda to steal my idea but since it was in the spirit of charity . . . I forgive. :tongue_smilie: and now I don't have anything to say except that there are some cool freezer-to-crockpot recipes/ideas that I think would be just the thing. If you do that, you could spend a Saturday morning or some afternoon doing up a batch into single servings. THen in the mornings, just grab the one you want and toss it in. This is just one of many sites. http://whoneedsacape.com/2013/09/20-meals-in-2-hours-slow-cooker-freezer-meals/

AMDG Mine hasn't any alcohol . . . And neither, it seems, did Marilla's raspberry cordial. But yeah . . . If I were going that route I'd lean on the alcohol. Thx!

AMDG I had to order a new gasket for my pressure canner. While I'm waiting, I thought I'd make a soothing cordial for my kiddo's throat/cough. AND while I'm at it, I could double or tripple and put some up. But no . . . Are you telling me that Marilla Cuthbert just left that raspberry cordial just sitting in the pantry? Anyone have a trusty recipe?

AMDG Hello, All! I'm so excited to join! I am reading my way through the Great Books and started in September (really maybe the beginning of October). I read The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides by Aeschylus, Trojan Women adn Alcestis by Euripedes, Aesop's Fables, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone by Sophocles, Hippolytus by Euripedes. Just want that on my permanent record, thankyouverymuch! I just started Histories by Herodotus and am about a third of the way into the first chapter/book/whatever. V.E.R.Y. Entertaining! I'm thinking about joining the reading around the world challenge but I also would like to have my own Virtues Challenge that I've been thinking about so . . . we'll see about that. I really love reading everyone's posts! and I really feel like an event Tee is in order. Maybe one for the original 52x52 challenge and one for each mini challenge. Ya'll need to get on that one! eta: And how did I forget Theogony by Hesiod and Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus???

AMDG Our plan as a family is to continue with our Scriptue study group. We have read through the entire Bible once in the first one which took almost a year and discussed so many amazing topics. Now we are going through a book at a time for more indepth study. We're using Jef Cavins' studies. We all really enjoy his stuff!

AMDG Rosie! You guys don't have cactus down there? I never thought about it before but there are so many deserty dry looking areas (in the movies) that I guess I would assumed you had the cactus to go with it. No? Well, I just googled it and, Surprise!, no native cactus in Oz. I never knew.

AMDG Even as we speak!

:grouphug: Jeanie Weanie :grouphug:

AMDG It's winter with very little produce in season . . . Are you freezing something else? I plan to put in a few batches of pizza crust. I'd be open to something else interesting to freeze.

AMDG So, now come find the What are You Freezing? spin off and let me know what you're up to in that department!

AMDG I usually spend January canning beans. In fact, I just wrote in my goals for January and my preserving goal was 4 kinds of beans. I dont have to can beans b/c I can cook them all day just fine but havjng canned beans on hand is a saving grace on days I forgot, they burned, I'm sick and somekne else cooks. Et c. I always do quite a few and always use them by the year's end. Also, we just can't live without canned ck peas b/c it makes hummus a quick convenience food. We also use it for a couple of stews. So, I make more of them than anything else. And fyi, home canned make a creamier hummus than cooked or commercially canned. And we like it that way!

AMDG The title pretty much says it all. I have quite a few crockpot recipes that I depend upon a great deal and I use my crockpot a lot but, I would like something very nice for Sundays. I would like it to be a much-better-than-weekday kind of recipe. We prefer vegan but vegetarian is good, too! Any ideas?

AMDG MY PLANNER STARTED WITHOUT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it! MY PLANNER BEGAN AND I DIDN"T KNOW IT! Thanks, guys! :001_wub:

AMDGOh, Tammy, I'd love to see your embroidery! Could you post a pic?

AMDG !!!!!!! Going to stalk planner to make sure it doesn't start today!

AMDG We lost our sewing teacher to a move in august. We had plans to continue via skype but she's an older lady and . . . It didn't work out. She was such a great teacher, though, that we're having a really hard time finding someone to replace her. So, my goal for this year (January, really) is to find a great new sewing teacher!

AMDG Sounds like you need that dutch oven bread recipe, that would satisfy both your needs . . . Let me see if I can find it. Eta: well, puddleglum! I can't link to the video on my phone but here is a link to the recipe at the new york times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html I recommend the you tube video. Makes it lok soooo do-able! and here's that youtube vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

AMDGNo, I'm not crazy about black eyed peas, either. I can and do eat rhem but if it weren't for my daughter who really likes them, I'd only have them on new years day. Love lima beans, though, especially baby limas.

:bigear:

AMDG Mmmmm, --drizzled with balsamic vinegar --Isreali salad -- cukes, roma or other tomatoes, onion, parsley with evoo, lemon juice, salt. --Tzatziki -- plain -- to dip hummus

AMDG My thoughts exactly! And . . . Well . . . No thanks! ; )