John Eliot and the Algonquin Language

In the 1600s in the American colonies, many of the groups of settlers tried to convert Native Americans to Christianity. William Penn saw it as part of his holy mission in Pennsylvania to convert the Native Americans there to Quakerism and the Puritans in Massachusetts tried to convert many Native Americans to Calvinism.

The Puritans did not understand the Native American culture because it differed so much from their own. To the Puritans, the Natives acted like uncivilized animals. They thought the Natives ran around in the forest, practically naked, like children and considered it their religious duty to "civilize" them.

The Puritans ended up kidnapping Natives and sending them to small villages called "Praying Towns" where they were taught religion, how to dress and act like the English, writing and math. These praying towns were not effective until one man, John Eliot decided to take a different approach. With help of a Native convert, Eliot studied the Native language and in 1663, translated the Bible and Puritan Catechism to help teach the Native Americans. He also gave sermons to them in their language. After this many Native Americans were willing to go to prayer towns and learn to live like the English.

Eliot's Bible inadvertently helped save the Algonquin language, which did not have a writing system.Today, fewer than 2,700 people can speak the language but many Native languages were wiped out completely.

For those of you interested in the Algonquin language, Eliot's "Indian Grammar" can be read online for free here. There is an excerpt of the book below:

What is Going On?

ShoeBoxBlog.com

Normally the blogging community is very friendly and encouraging but recently, at least four people I know have gotten nasty comments on their blogs. I don't mean comments that share a differing opinion or comments that contain constructive criticism, but, truly nasty comments.

 I know that nasty comments have very little merit can be deleted quickly and as much as you pretend it doesn't bother you, it will make you feel a little hurt. I understand the need to share differing opinions and believe that it actually makes the blogging community more intelligent as a whole. But why is there need to couple a differing opinion with a nasty comment aimed at the writer?

If you have that much of an issue with a writer or something that a writer has said, I believe you should discuss it with the person in a personal manner (e-mail, private message, ect.) There is no need to try to discredit a person in front of their readers or make fun of someone just because they are different or don't agree with you.

To Quote Eleanor Roosevelt:

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

Lets stick to discussing ideas. 

I couldn't help but post and link that cartoon. Sometimes it really does feel that way! (Although, I think it would have been just as funny without the use of profane language.) Our grandmothers would tell us "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything," and our Civil War predecessors would say "Image she was your sister," before you criticize someone. Can't we all just take this advice and be nice to each other? This post actually was inspired by my sister. Someone left her a nasty comment on her website and she came to me in tears. A few other people recently got hate-comments as well. What is going on?

Please share your stories of nasty comments to help others think more carefully before they press enter.

Blarney Castle Painting and Irish Potato Candy Recipe

I've been working on this watercolor of Blarney Castle for a really long time. I finally vowed to finish it before St. Patrick's Day.

I don't really know anyone who really likes to use watercolor as their favorite medium. My favorite medium is pencil, so watercolor is as different as you can get in terms of control. Pencil does exactly what you want it to, watercolor does what it wants.

I'm not sure that the painting is 100% finished right now, but it's finished enough that I would only have to put 15 or 20 minutes of finishing touches on. I am considering slightly more detail on the bush and maybe some clouds in the sky.

I always paint and draw on the floor, I don't know why, I do have as easel, I've just never used it. Fortunately, my easel doesn't go to waste  as my sister uses it a lot. You can see some of her drawings here.


I only use a few supplies which is great if you like to paint "in the field." I have never painted on location, although I would like to try sometime. I dislike when people watch me paint or draw.
 

I use cheap paints (the $5.00 for the whole set kind) because I have found that the expensive paints have added ingredients which helps the paint dry faster on the paper. I am told that you can buy "stuff" to make the expensive paint not dry so fast but it seems like a waste of money when the really cheap paint works well.

I once had to take a watercolor class for college and I hated every minute of it. The teacher made us buy expensive paint ($5.00 a tube and we needed about 7 tubes.) Then he made us "experiment" constantly. If I was going to experiment, as a student, I wish I wasn't using $35.00 worth of paint and $60.00 worth of paper.

I do still have a lot of expensive paints left over and I keep telling myself that when I get really good at using watercolor, then I'll use those paints. I am told that they will not fade as much as cheap paints. I'll have to do a "fade check" to see.

Below I have a St. Patrick's Day Recipe for Irish Potatoes. These are American coconut candies. The candies are rolled into balls to imitate little potatoes and then rolled in cinnamon to look like dirt on the potatoes. If you like coconut, you will probably love them.

Irish Potatoes

Ingredients:

- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar

-2 1/2 Cups Flaked Coconut

- 4 ounces Cream Cheese (1/2 an 8 ounce package)

- 1/4 Cup Butter

- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

- Cinnamon or Cocoa Powder

Instructions:

Cream the Butter and Cream Cheese together in a medium sized bowl. Once smooth, add the Powdered Sugar and Vanilla Extract. Add Coconut, you may have to use your hands to blend it together. Pour the Cocoa or Cinnamon onto a small plate. Make 1 inch balls of the "dough" and roll them in the Cocoa or Cinnamon.

You can eat these right away but they are best slightly cold and keep for a few weeks refrigerated. If you are going to refrigerate them, put each individual candy into a tiny fluted liner, available at craft stores.  

Andy and I always make Irish potatoes (covered in cinnamon) and Chocolate Blarney Stones (rolled in cocoa powder.) We make the Blarney Stones more rectangular in shape, similar to the actual Blarney Stone. Making two batches uses up one whole package of cream cheese and adds variety. Many people like the cocoa covered ones much better than the cinnamon, but the cinnamon is traditional.

Movies for St. Patrick's Day

The Rock of Cashel, Ireland (Carraig Phádraig)

The Rock of Cashel is said to be the spot that St. Patrick converted the King of Munster to Christianity in the 5th century. The buildings on the rock date back to the 1100s but many buildings were present before these were erected. It is one of the greatest archaeological spots in Ireland. There is one account that stated that St. Patrick died on March 17, 460 CE. In Ireland, and among Catholics, March 17th is a Holy Day, in the United States, it is a day of festivity and parades.   

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than watching a good Irish movie and eating Irish food? Since St. Patrick's Day is an Irish holiday and the St. Patrick's Day Parade, an American one, these movies include both Irish and Irish American movies. The St. Patrick's Day parade was first held on March 17, 1762 in New York City to honor the Irish fighting with the British Army.

  
Waking Ned Devine: A hilarious story about a man who wins the lottery and the whole town that cashes the ticket. It's actually a lot funnier than it looks and has a great soundtrack. Warning: Brief nudity (Rated: PG.)

The War of the Buttons: Two rival gangs of Irish children and their idea of what it means to be adults. I believe the whole thing is available on youtube or OnDemand rent from Amazon for $2.99. Warning: Brief nudity (Rated PG.)

Angela's Ashes: The serious memoir of an childhood in the slums of Ireland. Warning: "Irish" language. :D They are bad words there but not here. (Rated R, but personally I think it is appropriate for mature teenage audience due to the historical aspect of the movie.)

Good Will Hunting: An Irish American genius works as a janitor at MIT and doesn't have aspirations beyond that until he is caught fixing math equations by a leading mathematician. Warning: Language. (Rated: R.)   

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: A coming of age story about second generation Irish and Austrian tenants in Brooklyn. I believe the whole thing is on youtube, it was made in 1945.

Hope you enjoy! I think we will be watching Waking Ned Devine and War of the Buttons this year. A lot of people like to watch The Quiet Man on St. Patrick's Day but I can't stand watching that movie for more than 5 minutes. Andy really likes it though. (I don't know if it's the bad acting, the bad storyline or John Wayne.)

I guess I'll add The Quiet Man for all of you masochists out there. :D

** Between Andy and I, St. Patrick's Day is also known as "The day we get to  feel like normal people." :D (Those of you who know us well, know why.)

Colonial Kitchen Garden for March

I hope to be officially starting my garden today, although I still have some chives growing from last summer and hope to grow some garlic chives for next year. Garlic chives, or Chinese chives are a delicious staple of Asian cooking. It is frequently the ingredient that makes Chinese food not taste right when you make it at home. They have a very mild onion flavor with a hint of garlic--they're delicious.

I'm going to be taking a lot of hints from "Every Man His Own Gardener," published in 1767. I always seem to plant things too early or too late and this book dictates what should be done in a garden and when.

Locally, the rule of thumb for planting is " after Mother's Day (2nd Sunday in May,) but the cold-hearty plants should be okay.

   

For March it recommends:

• "About the eighteenth or twentieth of this month, is the time to begin to sow the cucumbers and melons which are to be planted under hand or bell glasses."
•      "Plant cabbage plants of all kinds, the beginning, or any time this month, but the sooner it is done the better. Let them be planted in good ground, at two feet and a half distance each way, or thereabouts.
       This distance is to be understood of such plants as are to remain to grow to their full size; but such as are to be cut young, may be planted closer ; and eighteen or twenty inches a-part will be sufficient.
  Sow the seeds of cabbages, of any sort the beginning or middle of this month, for autumn and winter use: let them be in an open spot of ground, each sort separate.
       Red cabbage seed should also be sewn about the middle, or latter end of this month, to raise some plants for winter service.  "
•  Other plants to be planted: Lettuce (transplanted from the winter,) Spinach (planted every two weeks to ensure a constant supply,) Onions, Leeks (sewn at the beginning of the month or in February,) Radishes (planted 3 times in March and thinned out,) Carrots and Parsnips, Asparagus, Artichokes, Beans, Peas, Turnips, Celery, salad greens, Nasturtium (for salads,) Purslane, Potatoes, Dill, Fennel, Chives and Mint.
• "It is the custom now with such people as are obliged to make the most of every spot of ground, to sow a thin crop of onions the first year, on the new asparagus beds ; and this may be done without hurting the asparagus, provided the onions are not suffered to grow about the plants. "
• Using lettuce or parsley for borders around plant beds.

I think I will just be enriching the soil, planting, chives, leeks and onions, and starting my tomatoes indoors (something that was not found in colonial gardens except for show.) I thought that the winter would have killed the chives that are already out there, we had so much snow this year, and I did nothing to cover them. Has anyone already planted?