War and Peaceable Kingdom

Recently I joined a book club, which was kind of a difficult decision for me. I am very jealous of my reading time, as it is  limited at this point in my life, and I don't want to mess around reading something in which I have no interest. The first two selections I enjoyed and would have read anyway.  However, January's selection, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, was another story altogether. I dreaded reading this book. I knew several people who had read it and reported that while it was a very good read, it was a difficult one due to the subject matter. I was advised not to read it before bedtime. Ack! I read up to a certain point and then put it down, thinking I would just have to wimp out and beg off this month's discussion. However, by the time the brutal part arrived, I found myself not being able to put the book down, even taking it to bed with me to finish. It is an incredible story; and while I rarely recommend books on my blog, this is one that I highly endorse. So far, my book club is three for three and my decision to join has been reinforced.

Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks ca.1834
National Gallery of Art
In the public domain

So that's the "war" part of this post. The"Peaceable Kingdom" refers to one of my favorite motifs in American art as portrayed no less than 61 times by Edward Hicks, one of my favorite artists. The symbols in Hicks' works refer to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:6, which reads, "The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." 

Birds & Beasts Rejoice
by Bittersweet House
for Christmas of Olde
©2001

How happy I am when I can find the peaceable kingdom expressed in needlework! I stitched a sweet little sampler this week with this very theme. I will probably finish it as an ornament rather than framing it, using Vonna's tutorial. The fact that I stitched Birds & Beasts Rejoice the same week I read Unbroken was pure coincidence, but it was a very appropriate bookend to a story about the horrors of war.

As for the news from the Coop de Grace, it is a mixed bag. I have been waging my own little war against red mites, which in spite of my preventive measures, have invaded on the wings of the wild birds. I will spare you any photos. Dolley has started to molt with a vengeance, which means the end of her egg production for awhile, but Abigail has resumed giving us her gorgeous brown eggs. Let all the birds and beasts rejoice over that one!

Until next time have a happy, peaceful week, everyone!