Book Review: The Key to the Riddle, by Margaret S. Comrie

The Key to the Riddle, a story of Hugenot days, by Margaret Simson Comrie

Also published as:  A Loyal Hugenot Maid

Rating:  8 out of 10 stars

     Browsing through Librivox one day, I ran across this book.  I liked the reader, and generally found her choice of books to be quite good, so decided to listen to it while working on a sewing project.  Well, I immediately found myself immersed in the lives of Azerole and Leon Montoux, and listened almost breathlessly to the story of their dangers, struggles, and final triumph.  The author skillfully weaves an interesting story; one with strong elements of wholesome mystery and romance, some Swiss history, and the spiritual development of Azerole and her brother.

     The tale begins when Azerole and Leon are driven from their peaceful home by the ruthless troops of the Duke of Austria.  Footsore and on the verge of despair, they are conducted by a kind friend to the castle Brianza, where Azerole finds a cold shelter, almost forced from the lady of the castle by her friend.  Her brother also finds a home nearby, and the two encourage each other in their faith, despite the trials they meet with in their homes, and the uncertainty of their parents' fate.

     Azerole is puzzled by the contradictory emotions displayed by her cold, haughty mistress in the castle; and accidentally stumbles upon a mystery, hidden in the castle, and the chatelaine's heart.  She enjoys teaching the little crippled ward of her mistress, Christophe, and pours out on him the love of Christ, though his guardian seems to resent her teaching at times.  The trouble she is in only deepens when the son of the chatelaine returns home for a visit.  The evil Abbe Tetu hunts for the secret Madame Heloise is hiding, and plots begin to form around her, her son, Azerole, and even poor crippled little Christophe.  Leon too has his own troubles, and there seems little hope for a happy ending for either of them, but they are upheld by the faith that God holds "the key to the riddle" of their lives, and will only do that which is best for them.

A thought regarding age of readers:

     While this book is certainly not perfect, it is a very enjoyable and interesting story.  It is well written, and most importantly, is written from a distinctly Christian perspective.  I do not recommend it for young children, but ages 14 and up will enjoy it.  There is very little violence in it, but a strong element of romance.  For the most part it is in the proper boundaries, but it may be wise to discuss guarding one's heart when allowing a child to read this.  Just because "everything comes right in the end" doesn't mean that it always will, and many families have been made miserable because the parents are unequally yoked.  A Christian girl can never be too careful in guarding her heart; especially when the young man is not a Christian.  (See Chapter 15.)

Links:

Librivox recording

Google Books

Internet Archive

Two More Chapters: Journeying in the Light 12 and 13

I just realized that the last time I posted a chapter of Journeying in the Light was March 5th, 2015.  I'm sorry I have been away from it for so long!  Finally I have been making some real progress, and am getting nearer the climax and end of the story.  Thank you for being patient with my first major attempt at writing!

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

For previous chapters, please visit this link:  Journeying in the Light

Welcome Frank Richard Feldman!

Tonight, August 26, 2015, Frank Richard Feldman entered the world, surrounded by family and friends.

He is very healthy and sweet.  The home birth went very well, and Mama and baby are both doing well.

Waiting for Frank...

He was born on Aunt Angie's birthday.  What a special birthday gift!

 He's here!

Evan, Bo, William and Justice were all at prayer meeting, but Russell and Anna-Frances were delighted to meet their new brother.  He is well loved!

Happy Birthday William!

William is a blessing to our family.  

He is very loving, and I have enjoyed watching him develop a thirst for learning.  

His compassionate spirit and creativity are a joy to observe, as he explores our property and the nearby woods.

He is almost always eager for a game of soccer, and is one of our best players.

Happy 11th Birthday William!

Happy Birthday Mama!

I am so blessed to have the mother the Lord has given me.

She loves the Lord, and loves and honors my father;

She always loves us, even when we are not very lovable;

She seeks the Lord for strength and wisdom in raising us, and prays for us every day;

She is always at work for the betterment of her family, whether she's revising the schedule, researching healthier meal choices, or keeping the laundry moving;

She has embraced the Lord's will for her to bear and raise children, and has cherished every one of us.

Mama has truly served and loved our family selflessly.  Even as I was searching for a picture of her for this blog post, this was impressed upon me, for I could not find a picture of Mama by herself.  She is always with us in all the pictures; devoting her life to the course the Lord has chosen for her.

We are so thankful for Mama, and bless the Lord for her love, and godly example.

"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Proverbs 31:31

The Chronicles of Narnia: Allegory or Trojan Horse?

First, let me say that I did not write this blog post to cause trouble, or be controversial.  I write it in sincere love to my brothers and sisters in Christ who may not recognize this series of books for what it really is.  I know this is a rather lengthy article, but please read it anyway, especially if you are a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia, or know people who are.

My prayer is that the Lord will speak through this article, and that only what is true will be presented.

Snapshots From Our Vacation~ Pt. 5: Homeward Bound!

Like all other good things, vacations must sometime come to an end, so we said packed up, said goodbye, and headed back to Kentucky.

Snapshots From Our Vacation~ Pt. 4: Michigan Visit

From Kentucky, we went to visit some friends in Michigan for a week.  We had a wonderful time!

We:

 Sang around the campfire,

Snapshots From Our Vacation~ Pt. 3: Trip to the Zoo!

On our last day in Kentucky, we were privileged to be able to visit the Louisville Zoo with PaPa and Grandmother, Aunt Diana, Aunt Joy, and cousins Max and Livy.  The weather was delightful, and we were able to see in person many animals that we would probably never have the opportunity to observe in the wild.

Snapshots From Our Vacation~ Pt.2: Kentucky Visiting

(Here are some photos from my camera, which had gone missing for a little while.)

A look at our living room a few days before leaving...  

Snapshots From Our Vacation~ Pt. 1

This year we were blessed to be able to take a family vacation; the first one in seven years!

Sunrise in Georgia.

Looking Back at May~ Happy Birthday, Evan, Justice, Anna-Frances and Farrah!

The month of May seems to be full of birthdays in our family;  Evan, Justice, Anna-Frances, and Farrah were all born in May.

We celebrated the Evan's and Justice's birthday with my grandparents.  Since they have the same birthday, they are always celebrated together.

A Derby Day Surprise: Fannie's Filly!

After supper tonight, I went outside to do the last few chores.  LilyAnn and Emaline tagged along, wanting to check on some new goats we bought today.  When we got to the barn though, I was immediately distracted from the goats as I noticed that Fannie was lying down on the other side, looking at me around the corner.  "That's funny", I thought.  "She always stands up when I come out.  Maybe I'd better check on her."

Well, when I came around the corner, look what I found!

Unexpected Winners of the Annual Wild Hog Canoe Race

On Saturday, April 19th, Evan and Ivan competed in the Annual Wild Hog Canoe Race. Much to the surprise of the other racers, they beat the rest of their class, taking first place with a winning time of 2 hours and 14 minutes!
Most of the other teams underestimated them because they look so young.  What they didn't know, was that Evan and Ivan have been regularly practicing the grueling trip down the river in preparation for the great race!

Here they come!

(Not for human consumption)... I mean, not for Christian Reading: Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White

Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White

Rating:  3 out of 10 stars

Charlotte's Web is a well-known children's classic.  It is the story of a pig, Wilbur, the runt of a litter who is originally going to be killed by the farmer simply because of his small size.  The farmer's daughter, Fern, begs her father to give her the piglet, and tenderly cares for him until he is too old to stay on the farm, when, despite Fern's entreaties, he is sold to a nearby relative.

Of course, Wilbur's new owner has sausage, ham and bacon in mind when he purchases the piglet.  When Wilbur discovers this in conversation with the other animals he is inconsolable for some time.  Finally, a friendly spider named Charlotte comes up with a plan to convince the farmer that he is too splendid a pig to butcher, and must go to the fair instead.  Of course, the wise spider knows that ribbon winning pigs are kept as prized breeders, instead of being sent to the smokehouse.

Eventually, through messages which she cleverly weaves in her web, she creates enough interest in Wilbur to send him to the fair, where he receives an unusually high award, and is secured from the fear of being butchered.

The story ends with the death of Charlotte, and hatching of her 100,000 eggs, when one of her daughters becomes Wilbur's new friend.

Issues with this book:

Our New Farm Website: Feldman Family Farm

I have recently discovered the joy of building a website; even if it is just a humble Weebly subdomain website!  When a friend asked me to work on one for their farm, I began researching and putting together a rough draft for them without any great expectations.  But very soon I discovered that building websites is great fun, and decided to make one for our family farm.  It includes my ChickenScrapsBlog, my Chicken Scraps Etsy Shop, and individual pages for a more streamlined and organized description of our little farm.

Here is the link to our brand new website:

Feldman Family Farm website

Enjoy!

Happy 7th Birthday, Emaline!

Happy Birthday Savana!

Happy 16th Birthday Savana!

Happy 23rd Anniversary, Daddy and Mama!

I am so thankful to the Lord for my godly parents.

They love the Lord, and desire to walk in His ways and obey Him.

They love each other, even when times are tough, and the going is hard.

They love us, and faithfully teach and train us up in the way we should go.

Thank you, Lord, for Mama and Daddy!

Snapshots of Family Life on the Feldman Farm

It's beginning to feel like spring outside, and we are all catching spring fever!  Farrah and LilyAnn have quite a few vegetables planted in their gardens, and the grass is starting to grow again in the pastures (very important when you have animals).  I have been taking the younger ones outside and doing some farm work lately:  cleaning the stall, spreading manure in the pastures, raking leaves for the pig, etc.

Yesterday I took Emaline, Russell and Anna-Frances outside to rake leaves.  We were putting them in the pig pen for our new piglet to root in, mulch up, and compost.  (Pigs make the best compost machines.)

This Big Piggy Stayed Home: Pt. 2

Well, after our pig was slaughtered, here on our farm, it was time to cut up, package, and freeze all that meat.

We hung it overnight in the outdoor shower.  Since the temperature was in the 20's, it was a perfect cooler.

Journeying In the Light- Part XI

Almost finished with this story, which has turned into a book!

Alice's cousin, Helen, plays a more prominent role in this chapter than Alice, but I pray it will be a blessing.

Journeying in the Light Part 11

For previous chapters, please click on this link:  Journeying in the Light blog posts.

This Big Piggy Stayed Home...

Yesterday, we slaughtered our first pig on the farm.

We've sent a few pigs to the butcher before, but this time we decided to try it ourselves.  And it was worth it!

Butchering Day

I have always liked the idea of a self-sufficient lifestyle.  (Sufficient as regards food; we will always be dependent upon God!)  Saturday, we made another step towards supplying our own food.

LilyAnn and Justice helped me butcher a sheep.

He was an extra mouth to feed, kind of mean, and very healthy, so we decided it was time for him to go to the freezer.  And rather than paying someone else to butcher him, and having to cart him over there, we decided to just do it ourselves.

This photo was taken several months ago.

(WARNING:  Images include a (dead) sheep being processed, and children helping with the work.  With that said, I will add that I have intentionally omitted any very shocking photos.  And, for the record, the sheep died instantly and painlessly.)

Construction, Cooking, and Competition

Beginning operations...

January In Review

January has already come and gone.  It's amazing how fast time seems to be going now, compared to when I was 5 years old and Christmas was a whole year away!

This month has been a whirlwind of fellowship, business, school (for my younger siblings), and encouragement.  There have been a few changes along the way too:

To the landscape:

Out with the old...

Visiting I-TEC and Saying Goodbye

Yesterday morning we were blessed with the opportunity to tour I-TEC, a missionary organization run by the Saint family.  We are friends with the Saints (as some of them attend our church), and wanted to take the tour with Grandmother and PaPa.

The replica of Nate Saint's airplane, used in the movie "End of the Spear".

Visit With Friends and Family

The last several weeks have been such a whirlwind; but it has been a whirlwind filled with fun, activity, improvement, and especially, encouragement in the faith!

I'm going to let the photos tell the story for me....

Journeying In The Light: Pt. 10

At long last, Chapter 10!

Visit this link to view previous chapters.