I gave up on Burger King when their ad campaign had the catchy slogan, “Sometimes it’s okay to break the rules.” But this is much worse (please do not bother to read the post unless you are one of those people who absolutely needs the context and you don’t want to take my word for it). The burger chain tried using some very explicit innuendo in order to peddle their product, treating women like the animal flesh they sell. It’s almost enough to make me become a vegetarian (but not quite). They pulled the ad after some surprisingly righteous indignation was expressed, but what were they thinking?

The following quote from the Business Week blog, says it all:

This business of screeching “oh my, oh my” every time a kid under the age of 15 might be exposed to a se*ual overtone is madness. The world, the schoolyard, the summer camp and the workplace is full of se*ual overtones. The point is to deal with it appropriately, not seek to ban it from the media.

How many times have I heard that argument from cultural relevantists, on a plethora of subjects, defending exposing our children and ourselves to the raunchy and the rude, dude? I’ve given up counting the ways.

You take the low road, I’ll take the high road, and I’ll be in Scotland afore ye, Lord willing.

I am an unreconstructed Country Mouse.

Even though we live in California (swimming pools, movie stars), we live on many acres, we have chickens, and we have occasionally grown stuff we were able to consume (not counting the blackberries). We are not farmers and we are not likely to ever be able to wear that noble title, but we are agrarian sympathizers (see Samantha’s sidebar for her “Prairie Muffin Sympathizer” picture). Sometime I will talk more about the many fine facets of agrarianism, but I want to do something here that I don’t think has been done before (correct me if I’m wrong).

I’m going to start a list of Agrarian Picture Books.

These are titles of books from my library with elements which agrarians and sympathizers will appreciate. If you are a country mouse, or if you dream of country life, you might enjoy sharing these books with your children. If you are a city mouse, these stories of simple living might inspire you to slow down and smell the flowers (I like sniffing lavender better than roses), and remind you not to take those country hicks for granted.

Right now I’m just listing titles and authors; later I may add links to Amazon or other sources, as well as short descriptions.

1 is One by Tasha Tudor
ABC Book of Early Americana by Eric Sloane
The American Family Farm by Joan Anderson, photo essay by George Ancona
Appalachian ABCs by Francie Hall, illus. by Kent Oehm
Around the Year by Tasha Tudor
Barn by Debby Atwell
Barn Dance by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Ted Rand
Barn Raising by Craig Brown
Becky’s Christmas by Tasha Tudor
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Charlie needs a Cloak by Tomie dePaola
A Country Mouse in the Town House: A Hide-and-Seek Fable by Henrietta (a DK Book)
The Cow Who Fell in the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky, illus. by Peter Spier
Down, Down the Mountain by Ellis Credle
An Edible Alphabet by Bonnie Christensen
Family Farm by Thomas Locker
Farm Alphabet Book by Jane Miller
The Farm Book by E. Boyd Smith
Farm Counting Book by Jane Miller
A Farmer’s Alphabet by Mary Azarian
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen by Maj Lindman
Haystack by Bonnie and Arthur Geisert
Homespun Sarah by Verla Kay, illus. by Ted Rand
Just Plain Fancy by Patricia Polacco
Leah’s Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich, illus. by Michael Garland
Least of All by Carl Purdy, illus. by Tim Arnold
The Little Farm by Lois Lenski
The Log Cabin Quilt by Ellen Howard, illus. by Ronald Himler
The Midnight Farm by Reeve Lindbergh, illus. by Susan Jeffers
Mountain Town by Bonnie and Arthur Geisert
Mountain Wedding by Faye Gibbons, illus. by Ted Rand
Nothing Here But Trees by Jean Van Leeuwen
The Old Woman Who Loved to Read by John Winch
Once Upon a Farm by Marie Bradby, illus. by Ted Rand
Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
Portrait of a Farm Family by Raymond Bial
A Prairie Boy’s Summer by William Kurelek
A Prairie Boy’s Winter by William Kurelek
The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau, illus. by Gail de Marcken
The Raft by Jim LaMarche
Raising Yoder’s Barn by Jane Yolen, illus. by Bernie Fuchs
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Stephen Gammell
Reuben and the Fire by Merle Good, illus. by P. Buckley Moss
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, illus. by Barbara Cooney
Seasons on the Farm by Jane Miller
Small Pig by Arnold Lobel (An I Can Read Book)
Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky, photographs by Chrisopher G. Knight
This is the Farm by Nancy Tafuri
Thundercake by Patricia Polacco
Town & Country by Alice and Martin Provensen
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
Up North at the Cabin by Marsha Wilson Chall, illus. by Steve Johnson
What the Old Man Does is Always Right by Hans Christian Anderson
When I Was Little by Marcia Williams
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Diane Goode
The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
Yonder by Tony Johnston, illus. by Lloyd Bloom
Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli

I am an unreconstructed Country Mouse.

Even though we live in California (swimming pools, movie stars), we live on many acres, we have chickens, and we have occasionally grown stuff we were able to consume (not counting the blackberries). We are not farmers and we are not likely to ever be able to wear that noble title, but we are agrarian sympathizers (see Samantha’s sidebar for her “Prairie Muffin Sympathizer” picture). Sometime I will talk more about the many fine facets of agrarianism, but I want to do something here that I don’t think has been done before (correct me if I’m wrong).

I’m going to start a list of Agrarian Picture Books.

These are titles of books from my library with elements which agrarians and sympathizers will appreciate. If you are a country mouse, or if you dream of country life, you might enjoy sharing these books with your children. If you are a city mouse, these stories of simple living might inspire you to slow down and smell the flowers (I like sniffing lavender better than roses), and remind you not to take those country hicks for granted.

Right now I’m just listing titles and authors; later I may add links to Amazon or other sources, as well as short descriptions.

1 is One by Tasha Tudor
ABC Book of Early Americana by Eric Sloane
The American Family Farm by Joan Anderson, photo essay by George Ancona
Appalachian ABCs by Francie Hall, illus. by Kent Oehm
Around the Year by Tasha Tudor
Barn by Debby Atwell
Barn Dance by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Ted Rand
Barn Raising by Craig Brown
Becky’s Christmas by Tasha Tudor
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Charlie needs a Cloak by Tomie dePaola
A Country Mouse in the Town House: A Hide-and-Seek Fable by Henrietta (a DK Book)
The Cow Who Fell in the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky, illus. by Peter Spier
Down, Down the Mountain by Ellis Credle
An Edible Alphabet by Bonnie Christensen
Family Farm by Thomas Locker
Farm Alphabet Book by Jane Miller
The Farm Book by E. Boyd Smith
Farm Counting Book by Jane Miller
A Farmer’s Alphabet by Mary Azarian
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen by Maj Lindman
Haystack by Bonnie and Arthur Geisert
Homespun Sarah by Verla Kay, illus. by Ted Rand
Island Boy by Barbara Cooney
Just Plain Fancy by Patricia Polacco
Leah’s Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich, illus. by Michael Garland
Least of All by Carl Purdy, illus. by Tim Arnold
The Little Farm by Lois Lenski
The Log Cabin Quilt by Ellen Howard, illus. by Ronald Himler
The Midnight Farm by Reeve Lindbergh, illus. by Susan Jeffers
Mountain Town by Bonnie and Arthur Geisert
Mountain Wedding by Faye Gibbons, illus. by Ted Rand
Nothing Here But Trees by Jean Van Leeuwen
The Old Woman Who Loved to Read by John Winch
Once Upon a Farm by Marie Bradby, illus. by Ted Rand
Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
Ox-cart Man by Donald Hall, illus. by Barbara Cooney
Portrait of a Farm Family by Raymond Bial
A Prairie Boy’s Summer by William Kurelek
A Prairie Boy’s Winter by William Kurelek
The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau, illus. by Gail de Marcken
The Raft by Jim LaMarche
Raising Yoder’s Barn by Jane Yolen, illus. by Bernie Fuchs
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Stephen Gammell
Reuben and the Fire by Merle Good, illus. by P. Buckley Moss
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, illus. by Barbara Cooney
Rusty, Trusty Tractor by Joy Cowley
Seasons on the Farm by Jane Miller
Small Pig by Arnold Lobel (An I Can Read Book)
Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky, photographs by Chrisopher G. Knight
This is the Farm by Nancy Tafuri
Thundercake by Patricia Polacco
Town & Country by Alice and Martin Provensen
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
Up North at the Cabin by Marsha Wilson Chall, illus. by Steve Johnson
What the Old Man Does is Always Right by Hans Christian Anderson
When I Was Little by Marcia Williams
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Diane Goode
The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
Yonder by Tony Johnston, illus. by Lloyd Bloom
Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli

Yesterday we watched a replay of the Shuttle Discovery’s launch into orbit. When those rockets ignited, so did something in my little boys! They were bouncing up and down on their seats and squealing with excitement. Tomorrow we’ll be taking advantage of the teachable moment* and reading some books about space, as well as watching the shuttle dock with the space station.

One book we’ll read aloud is Destination Moon by astronaut James Irwin. In the back is a poem which you have probably heard but it is appropriate to read again while our heads are above the clouds:

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

PILOT JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE, JR.
No. 412 Squadron, RCAF
Killed December 11, 1941

For those who would like to join us in taking advantage of this teachable moment, here are some poetic devices to look for: assonance, alliteration, personification, imagery, metaphor. Also, ask your children what the rhyme scheme is and what form of poem they think this is. Can you figure out the meter?

You can find some coloring papers, puzzles and games, and other links to space-related education here.

Our local hardware store has some used (but clean) jumpsuits (like a mechanic wears) for sale. I already bought one along with a full-face visor for my older boys to wear while weed-whacking. I’m going to get another and sew a NASA patch on it to make a nifty flight suit for an upcoming birthday.

*Note: part of the education that takes place will involve discussing the constitutionality of statist space programs vs. the promise of private space exploration, and the ineptitude of bureaucrats who keep making the same stupid decisions at the risk of others’ lives and at the expense of taxpayers, in order to stay on schedule. (I still love you ladies married to the rocket scientists!)

While my children are listening to some riveting speakers this week, I’m left behind, but not pining away. I’m reading the latest edition of The Chalcedon Report, whose theme this month is The Eschatology of Victory. If you have heard about that strange perspective (no, not that one) called “postmillennialism,” if you have grown weary of the endless parade of gloom-and-doom end times fiction (you’d think it would come to an end eventually), if you wonder why you should be making plans for your golden years and looking forward to dozens of grandchildren, this magazine’s for you. It’s chock full of good writing on last things by eminently sensible scholars who are also godly men.

Here’s what you’ll find there:

The Meaning of Eschatology by the late R.J. Rushdoony
Eschatology and Psychology by Mark Rushdoony (whom my children are learning from this week)
The Impotence of Dispensationalism by Joe Morecraft (ditto, and don’t try saying that second word with a southern accent…I wonder how Pastor Morecraft says it?)
Chalcedon and the Study of Last Things by Christopher Ortiz
Glossary of Eschatological Terms by Kenneth Gentry
The Case for Historical Optimisim by Kenneth Gentry
Dispensationalism in the Light of Scripture by Greg Uttinger (Friedrich family friend from church)
Practical Implications of the Postmillennial Hope by William Einwechter (Many of his articles are on Vision Forum’s ministry site.)
Book review by Byron Snapp of The Last Disciple (I finished reading this novel recently, and found it to be a helpful fictional glance at the real horrors of “The Great Tribulation” during the last days of temple worship in Israel.)
Arise! Shine, For Thy Light is Come by Chris Hoops
Review of Rev. Ovid Need’s book Death of the Church Victorious (Rev. Need is married to Jennie Chancey’s mom, and his book is about the rise of dispensationalism.)
The Meaning of the “Millennium” by Kenneth Gentry (this article is online)

Mr. Einwechter says:

Dispensational premillennialists and many amillennialists believe that we are the “terminal generaltion” (or close to it). With this dreary veiw, there are no future generations for which a family should plan. But postmillennialism provides the basis for a vision of multi-generational faithfulness in a family because of its view that history still has a long way to go and its belief that the Kingdom of God will grow to encompass the world. The long-term victorious perspective of postmillennialism encourages the goal of raising up many sons and daughters and training them for the work of God’s Kingdom. The Christian family is an essential component of the Kingdom of God. It will not only share in the future victory of Christ’s Kingdom, but it will, through fruitfulness and faithfulness, contribute significantly to that victory.

May God use our families as a means of victory in every area of life!