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Saint Catherine of Genoa and Her Contemporaries
On the 13th of January 1463, the notary Oberto Foglietta, of Genoa, registered the marriage settlements of Catherine Fiesco, in the parish of Saint Lawrence, in a house belonging to the bride's family in the lane called "del Filo," and of Giovanni Adorno, also of noble birth, the contracting parties being the widowed mother of the bride and her two brothers on her behalf, and the bridegroom alone on his, while two neighbors signed their names as witnesses. The instrument sets forth the amount of the dowry, a thousand pieces of silver – which, reckoning by the lira, or present franc, would come to about $250 – two hundred francs of which were given by Adorno and eight hundred by Francesca di Negro, the bride's mother and widow of Giacomo Fiesco, who promised four hundred in jewels, gala-dresses, and cash at once, and the remainder in two years, at present invested in a house in the same street where her own dowry was invested, and which during that time she agreed to give up to the young couple as a residence. The bridegroom, in his turn, swears to settle the amount upon his wife, the security being a house of his own on the street known as that of Saint Agnes.
Such complicated documents are not infrequent in the city archives of Genoa, and represent correctly the ordinary legal machinery of marriages and their attendant circumstances. Catherine Adorno, sixteen years of age at the time of her marriage, became the well-known Saint Catherine of Genoa, an extraordinary and gifted woman, who, though visited by very wonderful signs of supernatural origin as her contemporaries and, later on, her canonizers agreed was for thirty years directress of the city hospital, almoner and visitor of the city poor, and keeper of the accounts, and would have been, with more opportunities, an excellent writer, her spiritual treatises having a remarkable stamp of individuality, being expressed in fluent, elegant, and appropriate language and bearing much likeness to the quaint allegorical poems of Calderon. Yet education in her time was on a low level, that of social intercourse being the only one worth mentioning as an influence in mature life. Girls, whether in convents or at home and both systems were in full operation during the great days of the Genoese republic were taught chiefly Bible and church history and religious dogmas, besides elaborate needlework and polite demeanor. Their future was fixed almost from their birth; one daughter out of several was usually intended to marry and the others to take the veil, a wedding portion being regarded as so much money taken out of the family treasury. Thus, without regard to the inclinations of the children, crosspurposes were often effected, and sometimes disastrously, for scandals would follow and family rapacity was shown up as, for instance, in the case of Paolina Franzoni, who had been forced into a convent by fraud as well as violence, and whose profession was voided and annulled at Rome by the papal authorities on the facts being represented by her advocate several years later, when her sister, married to a Durazzo, and who had profited by Paolina's loss of worldly goods, was her most strenuous adversary. On the other hand, girls who had a true vocation, or at any rate a decided inclination, towards conventual life, but whose beauty or priority of age made their marriage more convenient to their parents, were more or less forced into alliances which only their sense of duty made bearable to them. Catherine Fiesco was a noteworthy example of this, the more so as her husband's temper proved both eccentric and vexatious and reacted disastrously upon his business affairs. Before ten years of her married life were over he had contrived to fritter away most of his own and her money, and they were reduced to unpleasant straits; while his fits of jealousy were such that, to please and soothe him, she spent the earlier years of her marriage in an unaccustomed seclusion. Genoese customs contained a mingling of outward devotion and actual laxity, and gave occasion to severe repressive statutes from the Council of State and equally stringent remonstrances from preachers, confessors, and episcopal authorities. The domestic annals of the middle ages, on the one hand fruitful in lives of extraordinary sanctity, are also distinguished on the other by perpetual abuses of sacred things and occasions, and among the literary productions remaining to us from mediaeval times social satires by indignant reformers, chiefly priests, form an important part. A social sketch recently published in Italian by a Genoese notary, familiar with the state archives and the details of domestic life revealed in them, gives interesting and abundant proof that human nature was not more heroic and self-restrained in days gone by than it is at present, although the temper of the special people among whom Catherine Adorno spent her life was fervid enough to explain the thoroughness with which they entered upon any occupation, whether worldly or spiritual.
The little pamphlet above mentioned vividly reproduces the background of the picture in which she forms an exceptional and admirable feature. Outside of the circle of the really pious and devoted women, whose number in all places and ages has been a minority, society in mediaeval Genoa was intensely frivolous, and well justified the horror which "the world " inspires among saints of that time. Society, though it made festivals an excuse for dissipation, never questioned the principle of festivals; the state gravely and effectually supported the church, but quite as much by policy as by conviction. The half-oriental seclusion of women found a counterpoise in the exceptional liberty allowed under the pretexts of collecting alms or attending processions, when marriageable girls and married women were both allowed by custom to wear such disguises as afforded them chances for escapades, whether innocent or otherwise. The penitential processions known as casaccie, peculiar to Genoa, took place long after their original character and aim were lost sight of, and the sackcloth with holes for the eyes and mouth only, which had been the dress consecrated to this particular occasion, became a convenient mask for gadding and gossiping women visiting their acquaintance on the pretence of making distant "stations" at country churches or even within the city limits. Again, the collection of alms in church, known as bacili, became, like the similar French custom in modern times, and like our own too frequent churchfairs, etc., occasions for scandal and abuse; women in rich, and not seldom immodest, dresses, bedecked with flowers and jewelry, sat, wand in hand, at the door of the church and solicited alms, touching the heads and shoulders of their friends, either playfully or gallantly, in somewhat profane imitation of the forms of bestowing certain indulgences forms still kept up in Saint Peter's at Rome. The synod of 1567 forbids women under fifty to collect alms in this fashion. Archbishops, popular preachers, and state councillors alike inveighed against the dress and manners of women in church, enacting penalties and maintaining spies to report upon the conduct of women, generally of high rank, and to guard the young from actual dangers; ecclesiastical orders were issued against the opening of churches before daylight or the prolonging of ceremonies far into the night; and some sorrowing and indignant persons, at the time of a French invasion, petitioned both the council and the archbishop to revert to the apostolical custom of dividing the sexes in church, believing, as they did, that the national calamities of the war were a punishment from Heaven. At one time there was a decree of the council, or Signoria, bidding the clergy of San Siro remove the special chairs, desks, and carpets which a Princess Doria had insisted upon keeping for her individual use in a chapel belonging to her family, and there was again a similar decree in the case of a Princess Orsini who had upholstered her pew in San Francesco with velvet benches and cushions, while unseemly quarrels of precedence often took place between noble ladies and the wives of rich and rising citizens. While the fixed seats were thus prohibited, sacristans and others managed to elude the law by providing removable ones of various degrees for various prices, and so arose the present custom of piling chairs for use at Mass in a corner or chapel of a church and renting them out. Many churches, however, have modified. the latter detail by making the chairs free; and no one can accuse these seats of coarse straw and ill-planed wood of luxury.
Outside of the regular ceremonies, whose frequent recurrence gave life and animation to the female world of Genoa, there were particular "functions," special festivals, processions, and also private or popular devotions in house-oratories or at street shrines; and for all this, for the oil or candles which supplied the only street-lighting of the city, for the flowers and ribbons destined for a favorite image, or for the money to be distributed among certain favored poor, special collections from door to door were made by women, or windows were adorned and balconies turned into temporary shrines with rich hangings, fresh garlands, and multitudinous little lamps. Youth and high spirits could not but often turn these opportunities to worldly account; and an education which, restricted as it generally was to the catechism and needlework, was supplemented by the legend-lore and superstitious influence of old servants not too severe on clandestine love-affairs, resulted in a disposition to Romeo-and-Juliet lovemaking. What was innocent was crushed by an artificial standard of manners, while what was disreputable was unfortunately condoned with less severity. Public opinion was everywhere more lenient than civil and ecclesiastical authority, which it too often set at defiance. Such a world necessarily seemed to enthusiastic souls too corrupt to be reformed, while an individual refuge was afforded by open renunciation of it and isolation from its customs and concerns. Many of the convents maintained an honorable reputation from their foundation, the Capuchin nuns and the Turchine being especially exemplary and never' having deviated from their original strictness; while others became scarcely less worldly than the world itself, and needed the hand of a Saint Teresa to bring them out of the state which the Prior Silvestro Prierio, one of the consulting theologians of the Council of Trent, described in forcible terms. Neither was there any lack of vulgar contentions and small, feminine spite in ancient Genoese society, whether among nuns or lay women. Again, want of education and of serious interests was to blame for the vehement partisanship of women for such and such an individual or order, in the choice of a confessor; in one convent a dispute about the organ resulted in a disintegration of the instrument, of which each sister retained one pipe as a memento or trophy; in another a ludicrous assault in the garden resulted from a personal preference for a regular over a secular spiritual adviser.
The city life of young girls was comparatively dull, excepting such occasions for display as have been mentioned already or the excitements of a friend's wedding, which, however, were confined to visiting and gossiping among their own sex; for unmarried girls (and such is the custom in Italy even at present) did not 'appear at marriage festivities. Little children were never taken beyond the walls of the house (a garden was attached to every house of any note and size) after their baptism until the age of seven, when they were taken to church to hear Mass; but even grown women frequented the streets very little, and of course never alone. The occasional infraction of this rule which is another still practically surviving in Italy was generally the cause of deplorable incidents; for at one time it became a custom for young men of inferior station to use violence or offer rude liberties in public to girls of noble birth and reputed wealth, with a view to compromising them sufficiently to make a marriage likely between the maiden and her rough suitor, the object being generally not the girl but her dowry. Of more villanous practices also, in the reversed case of an unprotected girl of low position and a dissipated young noble, there was no lack in a city which, like all the rest, had its hired ruffians and complaisant go-betweens in the favor and pay of its best families.
A peculiarity of Italian marriages before the Council of Trent was what we should call their civil character, although in intention they were legitimate religious ceremonies and were always styled "according to the rites and custom of the Holy Roman Church," although as a matter of fact there was seldom any church ceremony. The betrothal and wedding were both performed in private, and generally, but not necessarily, in the presence of a notary-public, who registered them as well as the accompanying settlements. Sometimes an old friend of the family took the place of a notary, and an ecclesiastic not seldom appears on the registers in the character of this friend, his clerical capacity, however, being simply an accident. After the Council of Trent this custom was changed and the ceremony with which we are familiar substituted under pain of severe religious penalties. What really served as a proof of marriage in the earlier middle ages, in Genoa and many other Italian cities, was the public passage of a bride to her husband's house, witnessed by the large concourse of people usually crowding the streets. The receipt for the dowry was also taken as legal evidence. These bridal processions were gay and picturesque, and gave occasion to so much display that the council, time after time, enacted sumptuary laws limiting the number of cavaliers and servants attending the bride, and the sum total expended in the ornamentation of her saddle, harness, litter, or other trappings. In the twelfth century her dresses even were carried in public behind her, hung on frames or lay figures, much as our milliners now exhibit their goods; but the council deemed this an abuse and forbade it, though as soon as one technical point was struck at the ingenuity of private luxury devised another vent. The bridal procession was known as the "traductio" and took place sometimes on the same day as the wedding, though almost as often two or three days after. Sunday was the favorite day for marriages, because a state rule allowed wedding banquets on the three first days of the week only; at times the dissipation consequent on these suppers called forth still more repressive legislation, and the bridegroom was required to limit the number of the friends he might ask to the feasts at his father-in-law's to two for the first and to eight for the second. If the traductio did not occur the same day as the marriage the bridegroom returned alone to his own house and waited the bride's arrival, which in other Italian and some Spanish cities, if not in Genoa itself, was occasionally delayed by the performance of a counter ceremony called the serraglio, consisting of a make-believe carrying off of the bride by her relations. The savage ideal of a bridal being an affair of force and sale survived in this odd custom long after any significance but that of a rough game remained to it in the mind of the people. However little reality there was in this fashion, it still gave opportunity at times for unpleasant practical jokes or other unseemly disturbances, and the local authorities in most cities repeatedly put bounds to these excesses or forbade the continuance of the custom, till at last a commutation came to occupy its place, and the bride gave a ring or other costly pledge, which was presented by her relations next day at the bridegroom's house, and redeemed by the groom with a sum of money to be spent in a convivial meeting by the supposed protectors of the bride. The morning after the bride's entrance was also marked by the custom of a public offering of broth or cordial, carried to the door of the bridal couple's room by the mother-in-law, or some ancient female relation of the groom if his mother were dead; and various other requirements of etiquette marked the days on which she received congratulatory visits, and the first day on which she went out in state to return them. Our notion of honeymoon privacy did not make its way to Italy until the beginning of the present century, when a few rich and travelled people began to escape from the old tedious publicity by retiring for a week or two to their country villas, and thereby much scandalizing the conservative members of society, who saw nothing but perfection in those "good old times" which were really rather coarse. Marriages have gradually come to be, even among antiquated circles in Italian society, something more than "alliances" not universally so, by any means, for personal experience recalls to my mind many cases, not twenty years ago, in which these old fashions were closely followed; but still the principle of love-matches is not wholly ignored, and it follows that where there is inclination a natural desire for retirement accompanies it. But in republican Genoa of old it would have been somewhat of a contradiction to shut up together for a month two young strangers, one of whom had been looking forward to her marriage as the period of her comparative social emancipation. All that the bridegroom rejoiced in having secured was a suitable bearer and transmitter of his name, while the bride's special subject of joy was her possession of so much jewelry, lace, and gold cloth, and the appropriate display of them to her intimates. Although the people were practically less ceremonious, even their marriages were the subject of diplomatic arrangements, and contracts of great solemnity are registered concerning business and family matters combined, though the amount of money involved is often very small. An exceptional arrangement was one recorded as occurring between a smith, Domenico Deferrari, in 1488, with another smith betrothed to his daughter, in which he promises in cash, clothes, and jewelry a dowry of four hundred francs, but fixes the date of the marriage at four years hence, admitting his future son-in-law to his home, table, and business partnership during the interval, subject to the latter forfeiting all these advantages if he should misbehave himsell towards his future bride, or even persuade her to a clandestine marriage. Though exceptional, such an arrangement is explained by the fact that, to make a marriage tolerably certain, girls of tender age were sometimes given away on paper, and such promises, and virtually marriages, were considered legal after the child, either boy or girl, had attained the age of seven, though twelve was the actual age required by the canon law for a real marriage. Such facilities for laying hands on important estates or dowries also explains the frequent trials, resulting in a dissolution of marriage between the two parties, which occur in the records of Genoa. Marriage-brokers, also, were a peculiarity of the middle ages, and something not unlike them, though no longer legally recognized, exists to this day. In old times it was a legitimate profession, and poor men, both lay and ecclesiastics, kept regular registers of marriageable youths and maidens, with personal and genealogical details, and especially commercialones touching their possessions or prospects. "Fast" women, too, were not unknown even among the jealously watched and guarded wives of the rich; a Princess Doria who figured somewhat disreputably in a divorce suit in the lax times of the eighteenth century was stated in the evidence given at the trial to have ridden on horseback in a man's dress, attended by her male friends and admirers, several times back and forth between her villa and the city. But turning from mere social effervescence such as processions, serenades, mattinatas (the song at dawn under a bride's window), or the less poetical and derisive welcome of tins, pots, horns, and mocking laughter which awaited a second marriage and still survives in Spanish popular custom, and which in Genoa went by the name of tenebra to the more substantial consequences of marriage, it is curious to see how, as far back as the eleventh century, a wife's right to a third of her husband's property was maintained by law, whether she had children or not; and how, in the case of the husband's bankruptcy, her dowry was the first lien on his estate, and might be redeemed by application to the council before other creditors could touch anything. Also, before her first child was born, a woman had the absolute right of willing her property the only instance in which she could act by and for herself; for in all these documents the signatures are almost invariably those of male relations acting for their sisters, daughters, nieces, etc. But ignorance often deprived a woman of her few privileges, and young widows sometimes had almost a valid excuse for a second marriage in spite of the popular prejudice against; such unions in the rapacity of relations of their first husband who would try to cheat her out of her share. Dress was considered of so much importance in mediaeval times that a provision was made by law for the widow's weeds out of the husband's estate, and bridegrooms, as they do still in France, presented gala-dresses to their brides. In fact, it is chiefly the English-speaking nations who have evolved the independent ideal of a bride who scorns to receive necessaries from a man before he is actually her husband. A good many women, not at all given to nonsense about woman's sphere and duties, are highly shocked and offended at the notion of even their trousseau linen being marked in their new name, and resent it as suggesting the idea that "they never had any clothes worth speaking of before they were married." Artificial scruples had less weight with the Genoese women, who cared little whence came the supply of finery which they craved. Indeed, as a rule, the parents and husband divided the burden of supporting the bride, and her property was duly secured on certain real estate, often house property, belonging to the bridegroom.
The country or rather the autumn villeggiatura, for Italians know nothing corresponding to what we call the country was the chief delight of Genoese women, and especially of unmarried girls, who were there given a dangerous liberty in foolish contrast to the equally dangerous repression in the city. The dnnghters of the rich enjoyed dances, suppers, concerts, and gossiping leisure in their beautiful villas, where young men had opportunities, unchecked by custom, to make love. This, however, even with the most honorable intentions, generally came to an abrupt and disastrous ending through the pressure of the arbitrary code of social life. But of genuine country life and its healthy pursuits as we know them the Genoese were ignorant, as are most Italians of any position even at present. Conviviality was the amusement of the older men, gossip and gambling that of the older women, the latter passion being strangely intense in Genoa. Women of high rank were always the foremost, and, before the present lottery system was invented, vied with the men in betting on public, social, or domestic events. They had fortune-telling wheels and sundry like devices, and gathered together round tables covered with embroidered carpets of rich stuff representing numbers and combinations of figures; in the sixteenth century loto was introduced, and from that came the present popular Italian lotteries which have done so much mischief. The ecclesiastical as well as civil laws recorded in the Genoese archives were constantly prohibiting such abuses, and signalize the dangerous consequences of betting on births in illustrious families (this was prohibited under pain of mortal sin), and many other details on which the gambling propensity spent itself, both among men and women. Politics and municipal elections, as well as domestic events, were favorite betting subjects. Again, drunkenness and license we are accustomed too lightly to suppose that the former does not exist in wine-growing countries are often mentioned in these warnings, pastorals, laws, and regulations. At marriages the old Greek custom of libations, and a symbolic participation of the same cup by the bride and groom, was early perverted into an excuse for drinking and noise, and repeated injunctions under pain of mortal sin were issued against the custom by the church authorities. The use of sweetmeats of various kinds at weddings goes at least as far back as the later Roman times; nuts being the sine-qua-non of Genoese marriages, as cake is of ours, though at present fashion has tabooed these as vulgar, and boxes of French sugar-plums are the correct substitute, so that, except in country districts among the mountains, the saying, "When will you send me the nuts?" as equivalent to the query, "When are you going to be married?" has lost its meaning. At the ceremony of the taking of the veil or the profession of a nun similar customs were kept up, and the archbishop received certain vials of syrup and boxes of homemade sweets and candies as part of his fees, the vicar-apostolic and others sharing the latter. In later times the presents of candies were commuted for money contributions, paid out of thedowry of the novice or professa.
Such was the society in which Catherine Adorno found herself at the time of her marriage. Her early childhood had been, say her biographers, remarkable for devotion, bodily mortification, and obedience; her health was always delicate and precarious. Her style she wrote several spiritual dialogues and a treatise on purgatory was pure, elegant, and impassioned. Saint Francis of Sales was accustomed to read the treatise twice a year, admiring its literary merit as well as its religious import; and Schlegel, who translated the dialogues into German, considered them models of style. Her life, which was that of a Sceur Rosalie transported into mediaeval conditions, is chiefly associated in the minds of Catholics with her work and services at the city hospital, where, before becoming the head, she labored some years as a subordinate, her husband living there with her. It is quite possible, though her historians do not say so, that Adorno's circumstances were such as to make such a home desirable; for he was both extravagant, careless, and eccentric, while her executive abilities and her peculiar tact had long been known to her large circle of friends. The hospital was very likely an honorable retreat as well as an important charge. Saint Catherine had the care of the accounts as well as of the patients, and kept them accurately and faithfully. Brought up as she had been in the use of devout practices, she experienced, nevertheless, so passionate a spiritual change some years after her marriage that she always dated from her " conversion"; but this event was only the culminating-point of a long and painful trial of mind. Her Italian biographer says that one day toward the climax of her suspense and uneasiness of mind, and her nervous depression at the vexations of her husband, she went into the church of Saint Benedict and prayed, in a species of desperation, " that for three months God would keep her sick in bed." For five years after the first years of her married life, when she secluded herself to please her exacting husband, she " sought solace for her hard life, as womem are prone to do, in the diversions and vanities of the world, . . . external affairs and feminine amusements, . . . yet not to a sinful extent . . ."; and in connection with this brief indication the foregoing social details of Genoese female life are interesting. It is a pleasure to reconstruct in fancy the ordinary and legitimate surroundings of great or holy personages, and the few glimpses afforded of Saint Catherine's gatherings of friends at her own house, when she would discourse on holy things to them; or of her own absentmindedness, her trances, her extraordinary fasts while still living with a household of her relations and receiving visits, walking in her garden, superintending her servants, according to the domestic programme of her rank, are very interesting.
After the culminating moment of her "conversion," which was during a 'confession she was making at the suggestion of her sister, who was a nun, she experienced a singular self-knowledge of her smallest sins, which state lasted fourteen months, but which she took to be in itself an intellectual expiation of those sins, so that she tells us herself that, this satisfaction having been made, God " relieved her of the sight of her sins so entirely that she never beheld again the least of them." She gathered about her a devoted knot of spiritual followers, forming a society apart, a guild of charity and .devotion, who helped her in her outer works, and forced her to give them advice and guidance in their own daily life and troubles. She began her life of self-denial by visiting the poor of the city under the auspices of " the Ladies of Mercy," who, according to the custom of her day, gave certain moneys and provisions into her charge for the purpose of distribution, something after the fashion of modern district-visitors or of the members of the Brotherhood of Saint Vincent of Paul. She was deputed to cleanse the houses of the poor and to cook their food, to tend the sick in their own homes, and to take home ragged and filthy clothes to be cleansed, pieced, and mended by her own hands. Spiritual teaching formed part of her duties as visitor, and naturally she continued these ministrations when attached to the hospital. Many years after she had been there a rector was appointed, who became her spiritual friend and director; but for the greater part of her life she says that God allowed her no special spiritual help but such as he directly gave her in internal visitations. Her dialogues, exalting and celebrating divine love, remind one very much of the fourth book of the Imitation. While remaining within the church's limits" of doctrine concerning grace and free-will, she was strangely and deeply impressed with the natural perversity of human nature, and its helplessness unless assisted by God, and she repeatedly dwells upon the superior sinfulness of man as a being possessed of a double instrument of rebellion; " for," she says, " the devil is a spirit without a body, while man, without the grace of God, is a devil incarnate. Man has a free-will, … so that he can do all the evil that he wills; to the devil this is impossible, . . . and when man surrenders to him his evil will the devil employs it as the instrument of his temptation." She was as acutely distrustful of self-love as it was natural considering her intimate union with God, and, in the quaint, direct way that characterizes mediaeval literature, she says in one of the dialogues: " Self-love is so subtle a robber that it commits its thefts even upon God himself, without fear or shame, employing his goods as if they were its own, and assigning as a reason that it cannot live without them. And this robbery is hidden under so many veils of apparent good that it can hardly be detected. . . ." In many of the dialogues she treats " Self " as a separate being and a born enemy, Humanity appearing as a sort of Caliban, hindering the soul's perfection and acting as a clog, even when only asking for toleration of its physical needs.
Some time before his death Catherine Adorno's husband became a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis, as many pious laymen were used to do from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century; but his natural impatience was far from quelled, and broke out in excusable though vexatious bitterness during his last illness. He was sick for a long" time, and bore his sufferings as most men do; but as his death became more and more certain his wife grew very anxious about his salvation. She prayed incessantly for him, and.some inner warning seemed to tell her that her prayers were heard at least so she once hinted to one of her younger followers in the path of holiness. Her friends firmly believed in the omnipotence of her prayers, so much so that they went to her as to a spiritual physician, and even strangers to her followed their example. The story of her adoption of a young widow, Argentina del Sale, illustrates this trait. Marco del Sale was sick of a cancer, and became so impatient over his hopeless disease that his wife, as a last resort, went to the hospital and begged Saint Catherine to go and see him, which the latter did at once, and marvellously calmed him by "a few humble and devout words." Argentina then accompanied her back, and on their way they stopped at the church of Our Lady of Grace, and there prayed for the sick man. When the poor wife returned home she found a great change for the better in her husband's temper; he felt resigned to whatever might be God's will, and was anxious to see Catherine again, which was readily granted him next day. But the saint and the sufferer alike had forebodings of the fatal end of the disease, and Marco, telling Catherine of a vision he believed he had had, revealing to him his approaching death, said: "Therefore I pray you, most kind mother, that you may be pleased to accept Argentina as your spiritual daughter, retaining her always near you; and I pray you, Argentina, to consent to this." He died the eve of Ascension day, as he expected he would, and the legend adds that " his spirit knocked at the window of his confessor's cell, crying, i Ecce Homo,' Avhich when the confessor heard he knew that Marco had passed to his Lord." Argentina attached herself to Saint Catherine and became her constant companion. A lady friend of Saint Catherine, and a great contrast to her, was Tommasa, a cousin of her own, and, like herself, a married woman anxious to live a more than commonly devout life. She prudently gave up by degrees the ordinary and legitimate occupations of her rank, and dedicated her many talents to devout purposes; but Catherine, in her superior fervor, wondered how Tommasa could make such slow progress and could dream of the possibility of turning back. " If I should turn back " (by which she meant only a return to blameless and somewhat dull occupations), " I should not only wish my eyes to be put out, but that every kind of punishment and insult should be inflicted upon me." Madonna Tommasa, however, wrought a good work in a frivolous world, and, after the death of her husband, became a nun in an Observantine (Franciscan) convent, whence, after twenty years, she was sent to another convent of the same order, to reform it by introducing the strict observance which she had contributed to restore in her first monastery. She was a skilful writer, painter, and embroiderer, had exquisite and affable manners, and, though zealous, was never either fanatical or inconsiderate. Her prudence and discretion won her many disciples. Among her writings were two treatises, one on the Apocalypse and the other on Dionysius the Areopagite; her paintings and needlework were delicate and dignified representations of holy scenes, Biblical allegories, etc.; she illustrated manuscripts and copied the text with great skill. In her we see another exceptional specimen of Genoese education. Another of Catherine's friends, an unmarried woman, who lived some years in her house and is said by the biographer to have had " a powerful intellect," was, to the belief of those about her, possessed by the devil; at any rate, she was subject to violent paroxysms which lasted till her death. Catherine's presence always soothed her, and she called the saint Serafina, from her fervent spirit of heavenly love.
Catherine's writings partook of some of the qualities that distinguish those of Saint Thomas, and abound in pleasing diversities as well as literary merit, Here they sound like a theological treatise, there like a sweet poem such as the Minnesingers of Germany in previous centuries had composed. Of the action of grace she says: " Grace increases in proportion as man makes use of it. Hence it is evident that God gives man from day to day all that he needs, no more and no less, and to each according to his condition and capacity; . . . because we are so cold and neglectful, and because the instinct of the spirit is to arrive quickly at perfection, it seems as if grace were insufficient." Poetical fancy was not wanting in Saint Catherine's writings, but among similes common to most poets the following appears original: " At length that befell the soul which happens to a bombshell when, the fire being applied to it, it explodes and loses both fire and powder; thus the soul, having conceived the fire of pure, divine love, suddenly lost that which had before inflamed her, and, deprived of all sensibility, could never more return to it." The language of the Imitation continually occurs to one's memory.
She constantly interchanges the personal for the abstract in her allegorical account of the journey of the Soul, the Body, and Self-Love, which reads very like some of Calderon's poems. Occasionally the Spirit, meaning the higher part of human nature, is distinguished from the Soul, though not systematically. The Soul and Body agree to call in Self-Love as an arbiter, so that neither shall be wholly starved or confined, but both enjoy some part of the delights peculiar to each. This partnership, however, fails to work satisfactorily, and the Body, after much fasting and subjection, breaks loose and asserts itself so as to cripple the Soul, who sorrowfully allows it for a time to have its way, but subsequently is allured by earthly delights and comes down to the level of the Body. Then follows a period of sin, in which Remorse plays an occasional part as Mentor, but is often stifled, and at last, after much conversation in the mediaeval style, the light of God is restored to the Soul, who gains definitive mastery over her companion and dismisses their common arbiter. The conceit is entirely foreign to our notions, the nearest thing to it in later English being some of Herbert's poetry.
Saint Catherine's treatise on purgatory has some very poetical similes, and the leading idea namely, that the soul's consciousness of the requirements of divine purity is such that it voluntarily casts itself out of God's presence until purified is almost identical with that of Cardinal Newman's poem on death, "The Dream of Gerontius." A rather original simile is that of the single loaf destined for the satisfaction of the hunger of mankind. Purgatory is likened to the pains of the hungry man who is detained from possession of the loaf, the sight of which alone is supposed to appease hunger, while hell is portrayed by the despair of the man who is certain that he never will possess the mystic bread. This has a flavor of the legends of the Round Table, and would serve well for Tennyson's pen. One thing more is worthy of remark in Saint Catherine's writings on this subject. She warns devout persons to rely upon daily watchfulness against sin rather than upon the gaining of plenary indulgences and the precarious fact of actually possessing perfect contrition, for she says: "Did you know how hardly it is come by you would tremble with fear and be more sure of losing than of gaining it."
– from , July 1881


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text:
Highway Crashes Kill at Least 2 in South Dakota
At least two people died in separate highway crashes over the July 4th holiday weekend in South Dakota.
The Highway Patrol says 59-year-old Richard Rolsma of Hetland was killed shortly after 8pm Saturday in a rollover about seven miles northwest of Arlington.
Then, about two hours later, a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 90 in Jones County took the life of a Rapid City man.
Troopers say 24-year-old Charles Thesing was driving a vehicle that crossed the center line in a construction zone about nine miles west of Murdo and collided with a semi-truck.
Thesing and his passenger, 22-year-old Quintez Provancial of Rapid City, were not wearing seatbelts.
Thesing died at the scene, while his passenger was taken to a Pierre hospital and later transferred to Sioux Falls.


text:
Rob Ryan was fired, along with the rest of the Browns' coaching staff, at the end of the 2010 season. He hasn't forgotten or forgiven.
As Ryan, now the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys, spoke to reporters today about Sunday's game against the Browns, he acknowledged that his feelings toward the franchise that fired him go beyond just business.
"Any time you pour everything into it and apparently management didn't see it as good enough, of course it's personal," Ryan said of his feelings about the Browns firing him.
Ryan initially told reporters that he hadn't used any of his own ill will toward the Browns in trying to fire up his players this week.
"Honestly, I'm going to say none. Honestly. Honestly," Ryan said. "Honestly, I'm going to say no. Honestly, I haven't talked about it. Honestly, I don't know how that got out there. Honestly, I don't know."
But when he was asked if he was really being honest, Ryan acknowledged that he did bring up to his players that he'd love nothing more than to stick it to the Browns.
"I've addressed a few things," Ryan said.
Ryan said he was so dedicated to winning in Cleveland that he moved into the team's facilities for half a season so that he could do nothing but work, nonstop.
"I slept in them for seven straight weeks when I said, 'Hey, I'm not going home until we win a game.' I'll never say that again," Ryan said.
Ryan may be bitter, but the Browns went 5-11 in both of his seasons as defensive coordinator, so it's no surprise that they decided to make a coaching change. And considering that the Browns have been sold and a new regime is taking over the front office, there's not really anyone left for Ryan to direct his bitterness toward. Perhaps if the Cowboys win on Sunday, Ryan can let it go.


text:
Arnold Arboretum Senior Research Scientist Peter Del Tredici and 18 other ecologists from around the world signed an article in the journal Nature which argues against the pervasive bias promulgated against non-native species in ecology. The note in the comments section of Nature 474 (June 9, 2011) urges a reconsideration of non-native organisms based on outcomes and impacts on an environment rather than on their place of origin.
Non-native species—often referred to as alien or invasive species—mainly become established in environments due to human activity, including agriculture and other forms of land development. The authors of the Nature commentary contend that assumptions that non-natives are patently detrimental to environments are misguided and "that human-induced impacts, such as climate change, nitrogen eutrophication, urbanization, and land use change are making the native-versus-alien species dichotomy in conservation increasingly meaningless."
The article proposes that perceptions of introduced species too often rely on ideology rather than scientific research. Studies suggest that while the success of non-natives have resulted in the extinction of some species, not all native species are necessarily beneficial to their environments. Native pine bark beetles, for example, are responsible for decimating large swaths of North American pine forest. The authors believe that the ecosystem services rendered by many introduced species—some of which thrive in degraded or otherwise compromised environments that are often inhospitable to native organisms—have been largely undervalued by both scientists and the public. While they do not suggest that conservationists or governments abandon their efforts to mitigate serious problems caused by some introduced species, they urge a more pragmatic and science-based approach in determining whether or not species are producing benefits or harm to biodiversity, human health, ecological services, and economies.
Davis, M. A., M. K. Chew, R. J. Hobbs, A. E. Lugo, J. J. Ewel, G. J. Vermeij, J. H. Brown, M. L. Rosenzweig, M. R. Gardener, S. P. Carroll, K. Thompson, S. T. A. Pickett, J. C. Stromberg, P. Del Tredici, K. N. Suding, J. G. Ehrenfeld, J. P. Grime, J. Mascaro, and J. C. Briggs. 2011. Don't judge species on their origins. Nature 474: 153-154. [pdf]


text:
We LOVE when our #botkierbabes share their Botkier inspiration with us on Instagram!
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We will be choosing a winner at the end of each month & the winner gets to choose their very own #VALENTINA!


text:
Scott Jehl
There are some great iOS tips here, and in that regard, this article is helpful (though the meta tag tip for hiding browser chrome is only true when the site is running from an installed-bookmark, as far as I know).
Unfortunately, the included media query opinions make those better points harder to appreciate, as (with honest respect to the author) those portions of the article are not consistent with my experience in the medium. To build on Ethan's points above, responsive design is not about taking a desktop-oriented design and doing whatever possible (display:none, etc) to make it look presentable on mobile. It's a strategy that aims to provide a great and appropriate experience to all browsers and devices in a responsible fashion. Content that isn't relevant to users on an iPhone may in fact be unnecessary in all contexts, or more frequently, that content is actually appropriate to both contexts and just needs different presentation and behavior to cater to each use case (bigger hit areas on links, collapsing large nav lists, touch gesture improvements, etc, etc).
In my experience with mobile, as dev lead on the jQuery Mobile project, and being deep in the process of building a responsive design for a fairly complex site (the one Ethan tweeted excitedly about yesterday), even "application"-like experiences can be built with progressive enhancement, feature detection for touch events, and media queries to optimize the same content for different viewing contexts. Even your images can be responsive now! http://bit.ly/g0IDAI
One last point: the JS community spent years bogged down in User Agent string parsing madness before fairly recently making a forward-looking shift towards feature-detection-based approaches (jQuery no longer uses it internally, for example).
It may have been pointed out already, but the User Agent detect cited in this article will include Opera Mini users on the iPhone (info here: http://bit.ly/aXvUmZ), which is probably not intentional, and a good example of why UA detect assumptions are a dangerous bet.
( /iPhone/i ).test("Opera/9.80 (iPhone; Opera Mini/5.0.0176/812; U; en) Presto/2.4.15")
==> true


text:
The opinions of various stakeholders on co-existence will be detailed in consultations activities that started in July 2006 by Defra. General statements, however, are already available.
The government wants to ensure freedom of choice for consumers. This is because there is no scientific reason to ban GMOs, but some consumers do not wish to purchase and eat GM foods.
Farmers' organisations have a relatively relaxed view of coexistence. Most prefer a voluntary co-existence scheme. Organic farmers, however, are seeking to establish a threshold of 0 percent.
Food companies are avoiding all GMO products due to a lack of consumer acceptance. Feed producers commonly using and labelling GM feeds, but there is also a separate non-GM feed market.
Consumers demand clear labelling and freedom of choice. The majority of consumers reject GM foods in general, which is associated with opposition from many NGOs.
Thorough consultation activities took place when the EU labelling directive was translated into national law. Consultation activities are again underway with the publication of coexistence proposals by Defra in early 2006.
There are many initiatives against GMOs in the UK, and British based NGOs are orchestrating activities beyond the UK. Among the key players are international NGOs like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.


text:
February 22, 2019
040: #organized #file #layers #wip
042: Coworking space in Ridgewood, Queens, #wip
017: Chapter I set to commence..
045: Cobble Hill Renovation; revised
032: Early concept sketch for a House with Three Views, to be built on a 300 acre family farm in South Carolina.
017: Inspiration
032: Early concept rendering for a new home and guest house to be built on a 300-acre farm near Ware Shoals, South Carolina.
003: Penthouse interior detail
036: Ridgewood landmark drawings
017: Tea houses / tree houses
000: Matthew Rauch invited to New York / Paris program final reviews at Columbia University GSAPP
032: South Carolina Farmhouse, Entry view
024: Early diagram study for our new office pod project
025: Rauch Architecture PLLC commissioned to develop feasibility study for townhouse renovation in the Bronx, NY
042: Custom collapsible table for a coworking space
036: Ridgewood restaurant basement excavation / art installation
032: Initial studies for a farmhouse in South Carolina
033: Main Line Philly site work; View of the petanque court and pavilion
000: Sketches for a stair
042: Coworking space great room
033: Site work beginning this week for interior and exterior upgrades to a Main Line Philly bungalow
000: Stamps on stamps
017: Developing a prefabricated structural system for Passenger Pigeon X camping huts
042: Coworking banquette schematics in progress
017: Testing out some color options for our urban campground mess hall
024: Early concept version of our prefabricated modular office pods
000: Office pin up
049: New project in River Vale, NJ. Excited to start work transforming this funky little ranch house!
000: Casting terrazzo tests for a new project on Long Island
009: Bergenfield, NJ cape cod addition, kitchen and bathroom views
017: Preliminary sketches for an interior garden
032: South Carolina farmhouse, inspired by the shakers
033: Creating a new backyard and driveway petanque court for a Main Line home in Bryn Mawr, PA
010: Stackhouse II site visit: Doorbell detail
042: Ridgewood coworking space; view of great room
017: View from the street for our urban campground project
032: Under the porch canopy at our guest house project in South Carolina
017: Pigeonnaire; a new urban campground experience in Nantes, FR, taking over an old car repair shop
033: Custom corten steel gate for a Main Line house in Philadelphia
010: Hillsdale, NJ cape cod renovation taking shape
008: Neptune City, NJ renovation and porch addition rendering
009: Bergenfield, NJ Cape Cod addition complete
In the zone…
018: Concept sketch for new work in Nantes, France
031: Front bar and dining area for a new restaurant in Ridgewood
033: Developing a site plan concept for a Main Line Philly home
048: Existing bathroom at our Marble Hill townhouse renovation. I think we'll leave this one as is…
042: Ridgewood coworking space in progress
009: Excited to see progress on this cape cod renovation and addition in Bergenfield, NJ
011: Sag Harbor site work for new pool in progress
000: Matthew Rauch invited to first and second year final reviews at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design
036: Cellar level private dining room, study view
018: Shower niche detail from our Weehawken Loft Renovation
032: In-progress plans for a guesthouse
045: Cobble Hill Renovation; Shaker-style shoe and coat rack in the new entry vestibule
017: Early concept rendering for our urban campground project in France
009: Stackhouse One site visit: Old meets new
032: Guest house, interior view, #wip
024: Aerial view of potential configurations of modular office pods designed for a personal CNC machine company
038: Carrelet plan and section.
010: Stainless steel apron sink in our recently completed Hillsdale, NJ renovation.
017: Exterior view of camping huts for Pigeonaire, coming soon to Nantes, FR. Aluminum exterior version depicted.
017: Section perspective through a camping hut designed for an urban campground in Nantes, FR
017: Concept collage for our new urban campground project in Nantes, FR
006: Renderings for our California Bungalow Renovation complete. Excited to begin construction soon!
042: Banquette and fireplace concept for a coworking space in Ridgewood.
024: Prefab office pods
040: Bourbon-ing the midnight oil…
017: More inspiration
000: Office, 4:00 pm
042: Ridgewood coworking space custom collapsible table concept
050: The Tardis. Much like the exterior / interior dialectic of the famous Dr. Who spacecraft, the humble exterior of this little Cape Cod belies an interior that contains 7 (!) bedrooms and 8 (!) bathrooms. Our goal for the project is to try to realign the exterior and interior in a way that makes at least a little bit […]
017: Hut detail sketch
036: Fully demo'ed, restaurant coming soon.
017: Telling a story…(with apologies to Wes Anderson)
017: Making place
031: Kitchen and dining room view for a new restaurant in Ridgewood
009: Gutting the living spaces in this classic Cape Cod to create an open floor plan
017: Fabrication drawings for a ladder
036: Details for a historic preservation and restoration project in Ridgewood, Queens
042: Ridgewood coworking space cafe rendering
038: Concept collage for a fishing carrelet on the Atlantic near Nantes, France.
005: Keowee Lake House rendering
017: Passenger Pigeon X urban campground bathroom perspective
024: Prefabricated office pods for a personal CNC company
Congratulations to Matthew Rauch's Spring 2018 second year interior architecture students for finishing a great semester. Check out the work at rauch-iarc.tumblr.com!
017: Creating a minimal ladder stair for our campground project in Nantes, FR
048: Weekend worksession for a new project. Beyond excited for this one!
032: View from the dining room to the kitchen
036: Surveying Ridgewood
036: Flexible private dining room and restaurant expansion
045: Revisions
000: People collage
017: Tuning up windows in an old car repair shop
010: Hillsdale renovation complete. We transformed this post-war Cape Cod in New Jersey by adding a front porch, second story, and garage, more than doubling the square footage. Exciting to see the house ready for move-in!
011: Construction set to begin for our new residence in Sag Harbor, NY
032: Porches
048: Sketch for a townhouse (I think?)
040: Early plan sketch for a new home to be built on Lake Keowee in South Carolina.
017: Section through our camping huts in Nantes, FR
000: At the studio / research + drawing
009: Stackhouse I demo complete
036: Notes from a site survey….Excited to see a new restaurant take over this space in Ridgewood, Queens!
033: Detailing a rain garden and petanque court for a Main Line Philly home
005: Sketches for a new house on Lake Keowee in South Carolina
017: Inspiration 3
024: Modular office pods designed for a growing personal CNC company.
017: Camp-style bathroom perspective for an urban campground conversion in Nantes, France.
017: Turning an old oil pit into a rock garden / desert arroyo
017: Bathroom elevation perspective for an urban campground garage conversion in Nantes, FR
034: Detailing a gate
009: Bergenfield, NJ cape cod addition nearing completion
010: Hillsdale, NJ cap cod renovation and addition framing nearing completion
032: Early guest house concept
045: Onsite in Cobble Hill for a new apartment renovation and garden redesign
010: Stackhouse II second floor plan – doubling the square footage.
Research document prepared by Matthew Rauch's students at the University of Tennessee on the history of workplace architecture. Fantastic work from a great group.
018: In progress plan for our loft renovation in Weehawken
017: Transforming the relationship to the street
044: East Village Walkup, building permit approved.
042: Coworking axonometric rendering
042: Coworking space in progress
011: Sunset and ocean reflected in the windows of our house in Sag Harbor. Excited to see the project coming together!
017: Sketches for a tent
038: Researching "Pêcheries" or "fishing cabins" for this lovely site along the coast near Nantes, France (photo from the 1960's). The dark rock towards the back is the proposed site for a new cabin to built in the coming months, pending Coast Guard approval. Excited to see the project take shape!
040: Necker Pointe Lane lakehouse, concept sketch
024: Studies for a new maker space for a personal CNC company
024: Interior view of modular offices designed for a personal CNC machine company
032: Rauch Architecture PLLC commissioned to design a modern farmhouse in South Carolina
017: Naval kitchen and bath inspiration
000: Office, 11:45 am
024: Modular office pods for a personal CNC company, designed to allow maximum flexibility for future growth
000: Office, 1:00 pm
045: Section render through our Cobble Hill backyard renovation
031: Forest Avenue Restaurant, view from the street
017: Loft floor plan for our urban campground project
040: On site in South Carolina taping out the floor plan for a new custom home build
017: Making a plan
000: Casting slabs
040: Lake Keowee lakehouse concept sketch
000: Thrilled to have the opportunity to tour a modernist masterpiece, CSH #22 by Pierre Koenig from the Case Study House program. Truly a gem in Los Angeles.
000: Matthew Rauch presents recent work at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design
017: Schematic site plan for our urban campground project
017: Passenger Pigeon X urban camping hut edge detail
046: Black –> Red –> Yellow –> Black / Ridgewood apartment renovation / Interior elevations
017: Testing out some color options for our urban campground mess hall
048: Notes from a site visit for our new townhouse renovation in Marble Hill, NYC.
017: Working on a concept collage for our new project in Nantes, FR. More details soon!
024: Plan concept for office pod arrangements for a growing personal CNC company
032: Site plan concept for a farmhouse in South Carolina
000: Matthew Rauch to teach two design studios at the Univesity of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design in Knoxville, TN
017: Ground floor plan for our urban campground project
000: Terrazzo slabs
031: Interior rendering for a restaurant fitout in Ridgewood, Queens.
017: Dimensioned plans for our camping huts in Nantes, FR
000: Zissou townhouse vibes
040: Rauch Architecture PLLC commisioned to design a new custom home on Lake Keowee near Seneca, South Carolina
032: Sketches for a farmhouse
000: Test prints
032: Diagram for a house on a farm
024: Concept drawing for a modular office pod
017: Pigeonaire camping huts, section perspective
000: Vegetation collage
043: Jersey City Reno, signed and sealed
036: Ridgewood restaurant materials studies and details, #wip
033: Conceptual site plan for a Main Line Philly home
011: Elevations for our new project in Sag Harbor – window package for pricing
018: Weehawken, NJ loft renovation building permit approved. Construction set to begin.
017: Camping tents becoming spatial for our project in Nantes, FR
011: Septic permit received for our new residence in Sag Harbor, NY
045: Cobble Hill apartment renovation, study view
032: Farmhouse kitchen and dining room in our home design in Greenwood County, South Carolina
032: Early sketches for a farmhouse in South Carolina
033: Permitting drawings for a landscape intervention for a Main Line Philly home.
000: Diagram
033: Site plan update
040: Lake Keowee lake house concept sketch
000: Solving the diagram
009: Texture, color, and shape: Giving new life to this classic cape cod in Bergenfield, NJ
036: Our application for a new restaurant in Ridgewood sailed through the NYC Landmarks Preservation Committee and the Department of Buildings in record time. Excited for construction to begin!
033: Renovation of a Main Line Philly home, View from the street
018: Site visit wall drawings
046: Ridgewood apartment reno, #wip
032: Farmhouse floor plan in progress…
045: Notes from a Cobble Hill site visit
009: Second floor plan for our renovation in Bergenfield, NJ. Doubling the square footage on this classic Cape Cod!
000: Office, 11:02 am
017: Collage plan for a workspace test-fit
024: Modular office pods arranged to subdivide space inside a larger warehouse designed for a personal CNC company
031: Work beginning for a new restaurant project in Ridgewood, Queens – more details soon!
040: Keowee Lake House, study model, view from the lake
009: Site visit: view from the street
032: Guest house, plan
018: Details for our loft renovation in Weehawken
040: Lake house concept sketch, #wip
Congratulations to Matthew Rauch's Spring 2018 first year architecture students for finishing a great semester. Check out the work at rauch-arch.tumblr.com!
037: Work beginning on a new historical restoration project in Ridgewood, Queens
017: Passenger Pigeon X: Tent structure camping pod version


text:
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
a load of fuss about muffin: peanut butter and chocolate muffins
I seem to be perpetually buried under a pile of papers, emerging from time to time only to take the cat for emergency visits to the vet (he's not been a well chappie), or for other incredibly exciting domestic tasks such as shopping, going to the bank, etc.
And this week is no exception, not least because I'll be off and away for 2 weeks from Friday. Wa-hey! But in the meantime, I've got stacks of work to send out and bill, holiday stuff to sort out, etc, etc, etc. Bleurgh.
But. A couple of weekends ago I had a quick go at making some muffins, the recipe for which had rather grabbed me. It said chocolate. It said peanut butter. It said muffins. You get my drift?
Let me make one thing clear. I am not much of a muffin fan. I love English (savoury) muffins, but US-style muffins - well, I just don't see the point. Give me a good old-fashioned slice of cake, preferably crammed with a buttercream filling and slathered with more of the same on top, anytime.
But I don't want to be excused of closing my mind to things. No, not me. I am bold, bloody, and resolute. So here, possibly for the first and last time, I bring you muffins, US-stylee.
Were they any good?
Well, yes, actually. Plenty of peanut flavour and plenty of chocolate (always a good thing, obviously). And moist. So, as muffins go, a definite thumbs-up.
And here, so that you can share the love, is the recipe I used, taken from Baking Bites:
Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (or smooth)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (low fat or skim is fine)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Divide batter into your paper-lined muffin tin. Each cup should be filled to the top, not just half way up, to ensure you get a nice dome on the muffin.
Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool on a wire rack.
Makes 12.
I'll confess to having used buttermilk instead of ordinary milk, and dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate chips. The buttermilk worked (giving the muffins more of a scone look on top), but I think milk chocolate would have been marginally preferable to dark chocolate. Whatevah. Do your own thing.
Next time (if there is a next time), I'll add bananas, too. Because I can. I know no bounds.
22 comments:
- Sarah said...
I only like muffins when they are really moist and with lots of filling (lots of blueberries, or in this case, the chocolate and peanute butter). These really do look great.
- 11 November 2008 at 15:49
- Sarah Bell said...
You gotta love peanut butter and chocolate. Those muffins look very tasty indeed ;-)
- 11 November 2008 at 17:09
- Heather said...
Oh c'mon. Just put frosting on top and call them cupcakes. That's what they are, as far as I'm concerned.
They look quite nice, I might add. I haven't baked muffins (or cupcakes) in some time.
- 11 November 2008 at 18:35
- Pia K said...
I'm rather fond of muffins, perhaps not the oversized ones - even if they're good to share and freeze well - but if they're moist and filled with something delightful, like pears, blueberries, bananas and chocolate, saffron and almond paste... These doesn't look half bad either...;) Glad to see a post from you again!
- 11 November 2008 at 18:56
- Peter M said...
Delighted to see you back in the cooking/baking mode...it's been too long. Need help with turning the stovetop on?
- 11 November 2008 at 19:39
- michelle @ TNS said...
ooh, invite me over when you make the banana version.
you just can't go wrong with a baking bites recipe in my experience.
- 12 November 2008 at 03:37
- Manggy said...
Hey, have a great trip! I hope it at least allows you to take a breather. The peanut butter-chocolate combination is heavenly-- and even more so with banana ;)
- 12 November 2008 at 11:10
I'm with you on the muffin thing, I don't really get what all the fuss is about. I feel the same way about cupcakes but it's practically illegal to say that out loud so I'll be quiet :)
These do look good though, if I had any peanut butter I'd be tempted to have a go myself.
- 12 November 2008 at 12:58
- Loving Annie said...
I love good muffins, and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter would make them quite an unusual dessert treat for a cold fall evening !
- 12 November 2008 at 14:22
- glamah16 said...
Strangly I'm not a peanut butter fan(i'm weird), but like almond butter. So I would definatly try this with the almond butter and chocolate.I would take a muffin over a cupcake .
- 12 November 2008 at 17:29
- Maria said...
These look super delicious!
- 12 November 2008 at 18:37
- Sam said...
For US-stylee muffins these look really good! Adding banana is a great idea too!
- 13 November 2008 at 15:06
- Kevin said...
Peanut butter and chocolate...mmm...
- 14 November 2008 at 00:58
- David Hall said...
Don't worry, paperwork just piles a mile high in our house! As long as you keep returning with top recipes like this, YUM!
- 14 November 2008 at 14:01
- Susan from Food Blogga said...
pb and chocolate. You hit US-style muffins on the head with this one. Yum!
- 15 November 2008 at 00:15
- The Peanut Butter Boy said...
Now wait a darn minute, I think I missed these buggers. Can't get any better than this in my opinion! Except maybe adding some banana puree...You could even substitute it for some of the butter and have just that many more excuses to pig out on these.
- 19 November 2008 at 05:08
- Rosie said...
Oh it's nice to see you back :)
Those muffins look delicious!
Rosie x
- 19 November 2008 at 21:57
- Indigo said...
Sounds amazing, and I love the addition of buttermilk! Have a great holiday!
- 20 November 2008 at 14:49
- white on rice couple said...
Peanut butter and chocolate in a muffin? How much more perfect can this be??!!
Happy Holidays to you and hope you are having a great trip!
- 28 November 2008 at 17:16
- Naomi Schaeffer said...
I checked out the original blog where the recipe was retrieved from and the picture of the muffins didn't look nearly as appetizing as what I found on this blog. What was done differently in the baking process I wonder?
- 23 April 2009 at 00:30
- Naomi Schaeffer said...
Ok...I read a little farther and found out.
- 23 April 2009 at 00:32
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- 16 August 2010 at 04:14


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Team chat software allows you to communicate in real-time together in one place. Chat software takes away any complication of sending unimportant emails between team members. It allows messages between team members which are more likely to get answered. Team chat software allows you to keep all communication in once place making it easy for everyone to have a group chat but equally still have private chats.
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In a Special Comment, Countdown's Keith Olbermann discusses how the false god of objectivity in news reporting failed America in the lead up to the Iraq War, and points out that some of the most revered named in news were actually attacked in their times for being too partial in speaking truth to power.
Benen: THE POST-TRUTH ERA....
It's never been easier for Americans to keep up on current events and public affairs, but the persistent propensity for large swaths of the electorate to believe demonstrable falsehoods remains astounding.
I'm well aware of the structural problems that generated Republican gains in the midterms -- high unemployment means huge losses for the incumbent majority. But I'm also inclined to believe that our stunted discourse contributes to an environment in which facts are swiftly rejected.
Much, if not most, of the country believes President Obama raised taxes. And that he signed TARP into law. And that TARP money isn't being repaid. And that the economy contracted in 2010. And that the stimulus was wasteful and counter-productive. And that this current Congress did less than most. And that the Affordable Care Act constitutes "socialized medicine" and a "government takeover." And let's not even get started on the president's birthplace.
In a historical sense, it's not at all unusual for propagandists and provocateurs to spread lies, but we live in an era in which it's almost effortless for ignorance to spread like a cancer -- leading more people to believe more nonsense, faster and easier.
Andrew Sullivan had an item on this last week that bears repeating.
It seems to me that the last year or so in America's political culture has represented the triumph of untruth. And the untruth was propagated by a deliberate, simple and systemic campaign to kill Obama's presidency in its crib. Emergency measures in a near-unprecedented economic collapse - the bank bailout, the auto-bailout, the stimulus - were described by the right as ideological moves of choice, when they were, in fact, pragmatic moves of necessity. The increasingly effective isolation of Iran's regime - and destruction of its legitimacy from within - was portrayed as a function of Obama's weakness, rather than his strength. The health insurance reform -- almost identical to Romney's, to the right of the Clintons in 1993, costed to reduce the deficit, without a public option, and with millions more customers for the insurance and drug companies -- was turned into a socialist government take-over.
Every one of these moves could be criticized in many ways. What cannot be done honestly, in my view, is to create a narrative from all of them to describe Obama as an anti-American hyper-leftist, spending the US into oblivion. But since this seems to be the only shred of thinking left on the right (exacerbated by the justified flight of the educated classes from a party that is now openly contemptuous of learning), it became a familiar refrain -- pummeled into our heads day and night by talk radio and Fox. If you think I'm exaggerating, try the following thought experiment.
If a black Republican president had come in, helped turn around the banking and auto industries (at a small profit!), insured millions through the private sector while cutting Medicare, overseen a sharp decline in illegal immigration, ramped up the war in Afghanistan, reinstituted pay-as-you go in the Congress, set up a debt commission to offer hard choices for future debt reduction, and seen private sector job growth outstrip the public sector's in a slow but dogged recovery, somehow I don't think that Republican would be regarded as a socialist.
This is the era of the Big Lie, in other words, and it translates into a lot of little lies -- "death panels," "out-of-control" spending, "apologies for America" etc. -- designed to concoct a false narrative so simple and so familiar it actually succeeded in getting into people's minds in the midst of a brutal recession.
As we talked about a couple of weeks ago, this dynamic encourages more of what we've seen of late -- when dishonesty is rewarded, we'll hear more lies, not fewer.
The post-truth era can be disheartening.


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Every third weekend in July for more than 40 years, Crosby's Pioneer Village has come alive with the
sights and sounds of an era long past.
Saturday and Sunday tractor and antique car parades are the highlight each year, along with
continuous self-tours of more than 20 historic buildings furnished to their original use including a
post office, bank, dental office, church and school. Horse-drawn wagon rides,
a working saw mill, old-time threshing, and a toy tractor show are some of the other staples.
The Threshing Bee is also renowned for its food, from the thresher's breakfasts each
morning to the many tasty concessions on the village Main Street, including fresh baked
goods in the old time bakery.
The village is home to one of the largest, if not the
largest, collection of running steam engines and
antique threshing machines assembled anywhere
in the world. The three day festival honors
the homestead era by recreating life on the
prairie nearly 100 years ago.


text:
Previous Lecture
Complete and continue
Love and Connection: The Science of Successful Relationships
Section 1: Introducing Love & Dating: The Science of Successful Relationships
Introduction to the Course (4:30)
Before We Get Started ... (4:24)
A Benchmark For Rewarding Relationships (11:33)
The Secret to Strong Relationships That Last (10:03)
Section 2: The Foundations of Successful Relationships
Don't Make Your Acceptance Conditional! (10:38)
Love & Dating: The Trust Factor (19:22)
The 4 Pre-Requisites of Trust (11:53)
The 7 Pillars of Strong Relationships (13:54)
The Greatest Relationship Myth (4:45)
Identifying & Addressing Our Weak Spots (14:22)
The Comfort Zone Comes With a Cost! (8:23)
Section 3: Raising Our Relationships Standards
The Right & Wrong Times for Relationships (12:59)
Don't Be The Centre of Your Universe (12:31)
The Hypocrisy Effect (4:49)
The 4 Levels of Healthy Communication (11:03)
Conversation Hacking: eBook/Workbook
Raising Your Standard For What's OK & What's Not (14:02)
Section 4: Building Connection Based Relationships
How to Win People's Hearts (8:28)
Exercise: Being Yourself in Relationships (5:07)
Introducing the Three R's of Relationships (12:19)
Unpacking the Three R's of Relationships (8:35)
Exercise: Bringing Your Life Into Balance (4:46)
Wrapping-Up the Three R's of Relationships (15:32)
Exercise: Your Relationship Right's, Roles & Responsibilities (1:35)
Section 5: Building Growth Based Relationships
How to Recognise Mature People (18:23)
The Personal Growth Principle (8:07)
Change: The Only Relationship Constant (16:42)
The 7 Stages of Relationship Growth (19:53)
Exercise: Categorising Your Relationships (4:46)
The Art of Authentic Listening (19:05)
Exercise: How Good is Your Listening? (0:48)
Getting Clear About What You Want (14:07)
Section 6: The Greatest Investment You Can Make
The Damaging Nature of Judgement (13:24)
The Art of Wise Decision Making (10:11)
How to Keep Your Relationships Healthy (16:39)
Exercise: The Dependancy/ Cp-Dependancy Quiz (1:18)
Bringing Your Best Self into Relationships (17:17)
A Perspective for Love & Connection: Part 1 (19:32)
A Perspective for Love & Connection: Part 2 (15:13)
Section 7: Love & Connection: Closing Thoughts & Summary
Love & Connection: Recommended Reading List (3:48)
Course Summary & Closing Thoughts (3:48)
Love & Dating: The Trust Factor
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text:
Breast cancer myths can really harm your health if they cause you to make the wrong decisions, especially not seeking regular medical care. Hundreds of cancer myths are floating around the internet. If you hear a "fact" about breast cancer and wonder if it is true, ask your doctor, or contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Let's learn and use the truth.
Aaron Tabor, MD is an anti-aging, weight loss, and nutritional cosmetic expert. You can also download a free copy of Dr. Tabor's book "Fight Now" to learn more about decreasing the risk of breast cancer and increasing your hope and faith.


text:
Dana McLaughlin remembers those days when the Epiphany Falcons would get blown out in soccer matches.
Dana McLaughlin remembers those days when the Epiphany Falcons would get blown out in soccer matches.
She was in seventh grade and the program was just getting started.
�We would get killed,� she said. �It was a 9-0, 10-0, 7-0 type of season. I remember playing Greenfield and getting beat 13-0, and I said that one day we are going to beat them.�
As a dedicated member and devoted leader, McLaughlin helped the Falcons become the top team in the Coastal Plains Independent Conference.
On her Senior Day, McLaughlin posted a shutout in a 3-0 Epiphany win over Oakwood on Tuesday.
With three conference games remaining, the Falcons (7-0 CIAA) are all alone in first place.
�It�s definitely been a work in progress,� said McLaughlin, who signed to play in college at Charleston Southern. �Coming out here as a seventh grader, I can�t believe how far the program�s come.
�I�m really proud of the work we�ve done this season.�
McLaughlin grabbed the ball as time expired and savored the Falcons� victory before being honored in front of the home crowd.
Madison Propst and Zulay Romero were the other two seniors.
�It�s been through the work of a lot of players,� McLaughlin said. �Girls from the past really started the program and built the program. We are continuing to build on that.
�As our season continues, we still have to stay focused and continue to play our game.�
After a scoreless first half, Coley Bayliss scored a goal within the first couple minutes of the second half. Less than a minute later,
Lake Hoard�s goal gave Epiphany a two-goal cushion.
Avery Davis tacked on an insurance goal later on to secure the win.
The Falcons took 17 shots on goal.
The defense has been Epiphany�s staple all season.
The four-some of Katie LaGuardia, Erica Neibaur, Brinson Willis and Propst put the pressure on Oakwood�s offense.
McLaughlin registered four saves.
The Falcons travel to Wayne Country Day School on Thursday, then host the Chargers in a rematch on Tuesday.
�I want to focus on our next game,� said Epiphany coach Greg Coverdale. �I�m excited and really proud of our girls for playing so hard, but we have the second toughest team in the conference coming up.�
Adam Thompson can be reached at 252-635-5669 or at email@example.com. Follow Adam on Twitter @Adam_matic.
Adam Thompson can be reached at 252-635-5669 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow Adam on Twitter @Adam_matic.


text:
Small enterprises are the engine of our economy, generating innovation, employment and wealth, so your security matters. Data breaches are bad for business, so every enterprise needs security. In the past, this was expensive, because security products were designed for companies with deep pockets and teams of experts. But that's changed. New cloud-based services are fast to deploy, safe and easy to use. What's more, they're even more affordable.
With growing demands from customers and regulators for security, now is a good time to invest in security. Leading cloud-based security services deliver a professional level of security assurance in a form that fits the circumstances and pockets of small businesses.
This slideshow features nine steps, identified by Qualys, that businesses can take to reduce risks at an affordable price.
Related Topics : Cloud Computing, Dell, Services Vendors, SMBs, Web Platform Vendors
IT administrators need to identify zombie assets, verify idle status and shut off anything that is unused. Here's how to get your dormant infrastructure back in shape. ... More >>
Cloud SaaS adoption allows organizations to gain the flexibility and scalability necessary for creating a high-velocity business. ... More >>
IT executives need the right tools to monitor and control their cloud infrastructure to maximize the positive impacts and mitigate security threats. ... More >>


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text:
Flight Three U.S.A. © Ladybird Books - The Vintage Collection
The perfect card or gift for those who fondly remember the books of their childhood and for anyone with an appreciation for iconic British design.
wooden postcard
Write with a biro and pop in the post with a 1st or 2d class stamp for UK destinations. Will travel all over the world. (standard postcard size)
We only use FSC wood
Made in England
Delivered in 2-3 days
Ready to send, or keep and display!


text:
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