Is the plan for this book to begin it on June 15th? I'm excited about more readers being introduced to Father Tim and Mitford. The book and its sequels are so wonderful that when I first read them I felt obligated to share them with as many people as possible.

Prissy, yes, it will start on the 15th and I hope there will be a good group as those who have read it seem to share your enthusiasm!

Ginny

Ginny, you can count me in. I've read the first three of the series and bought the fourth when I was in Georgia.

Betty, fabulous!! I'm not IN this one, I've not even read it, all I can claim is that I do own it and I have heard more about it than any other book I can think of. This will be a loose fun discussion with no leader, so you'll all just jump in with your thoughts when you wish!

May set the standard for all our other discussions, the discussion follows the book: low key and down home!

Ginny

Ginny....

You have it and haven't read it!!!! Shame on you. It's so good that, when you finally read it, you'll kick yourself for not reading it sooner. The entire series of books are equally good. I just bought the 5th and can't wait to get started. Maybe after "Poisonwood" since I've already read the June 1st and 15th selections.

Prissy, all right now! I do hate to be the last one on the block~~ But I know I can't do it in time, I'll do what several like to do in the Books: I'll read the discussion and decide from all of your comments!

Ginny

I finished reading "At Home in Mitford" and have to say that I also really enjoyed it. My wife had listened to the first 4 books on tape and then liked them so much that she went out and purchased them. She currently has the 5th Mitford book from the library and is reading away. It is certainly pleasant to read a book that has characters very much like people we know (or would like to know), with problems but caring about each other. Think this should be a very nice discussion when it begins.

Larry

Larry

I got the fifth Mitford book on Amazon.com for 50%off it was 12.00. When I looked at them here they were 21.00 not a bad deal.

Judy

Whatis the fifth book? I thought there were only four.

Just started the book today, so I'll be ready to go on 6/15.

The fifth book is called A New Song and it is on the NY Best Seller list. I got at at 50% off on Barnes and Noble. It was 12.00 as opposed to 21.00 in the book store.

Judy

So At Home in Mitford is the fourth in a five-book series? It's fun so far. What did the previous 3 books deal with? The same people?

SarahT

AT HOME IN MITFORD is the first book in the series and introduces you to the whole population of the little town of Mitford and their warm and cozy lifestyle. Father Timothy will charm you and when you read the last page you will be longing for more of his wisdom to keep you going. Since there are four more books it will be easy to fall right in step with the entire family of friends that you meet there. I'm about 1/2 way through the fifth book and loving it. Even though they aren't in Mitford for the majority of the book, Father Tim and Cynthia keep us up on the goings on there so it feels like we never left.

I can't wait for the discussion of this book to begin. It kept me laughing and crying from beginning to end.

Hi Ginny, I am reading this book at the moment and hope to join in the discussion June 15th. These are real people and delightful.

Darlene, how marvelous, it appears you'll be in splendid company and I look forward to looking in here! I am so glad to see you!

Ginny

Thank you Prissy - that clarifies things! I had a hard time imagining that this was not the first of a series. It's fun.

Am looking forward to reading At Home In Mitford. Maybe I'll join in the discussions a little more on this one.

Mitford is such a charming place. I am a librarian who works in the Fort Worth -- Dallas metroplex. All of our people led very busy and very active lives. Just getting around in the area can be a challenge to some. One very frequent library user came to the desk about the time the second book was published and asked to be put on the reserve list for it. I commented on how much I had enjoyed the first and was eagerly waiting my turn on the second. She said something that sums up what I lfelt very well -- "I want to move to Mitford". I'd do it in a second if I could.

That was going to be one of my first questions - I know we haven't started the discussion yet, but do towns like Mitford actually exist? I was born and raised in San Francisco - have lived here all my life, - so it's hard to imagine small town life. You "townies" will have to give me your reaction - I'm really curious!

Library Guy!! Welcome, Welcome!! You sure have come to the right set of folders, we need all the Librarians here we can get!!

Please plan to stay a long time and look over our offerings and start up one if you don't see a category which appeals!

What size towns DO you all live in?

Ginny

Sarah: Hi, Neighbor! Greetings from Silicon Valley, down the pke from you. All my life I have wanted to live in SF. Haven't worked it out yet, so I go up when I get the chance. My "town" is the hub of a metroplex (like that word) of about 3+ million. In my lifetime, it has grown from about 60,000 to its present size.

sarah T,

Yes they do. I spent 8 years in a small (3000 people) on the prairie of western Kansas. It had characters much like the ones in the Mitford books. Not the same of course, but similar in its own ways. The good thing about places like Norton (the Kansas town) is that everybody knows you. The bad thing is that everybody knows you. We used to meet as Father tim and his friends do in a local drug store. Virtually everybody in town attended either the Lutheran, catholic, Baptist or Methodist church. there was friendly competition between them all.

It was a nice place -- down side is economic development is not strong and the young folk tend to leave.

Bruce in Texas

A friend gave me this book a year or two ago, and I loved it. I have seen read two and three and bought the fourth recently and am looking forward to reading it, and now there is a fifth!! How lucky can we be?

I have lived in or near the same town all of my life and the population was about 10,000 but a large area has recently been annexed. As a teenager, a group of us would walk round and round the"main block" and I knew at least nine out of every ten people. Now, if I know one out of a hundred, I am doing good. 'Course, I don't walk around that main block anymore, and it isn't even that anymore. Now we have malls, etc.

Growing up, you either went to the Methodist,Baptist, Episcopalian or Presbyterian churches. The Episcopalians were the smallest group, but I have a friend that goes to that church,and it appears to have grown leaps and bounds.

Ok, I know we haven't really started discussing the book yet, but will someone define a couple of things for me (both from the book). What is a "widow's walk" on a house? And what is the "gospel side" of the church? I'm embarassed I don't know these things.

Library and Betty - I think it will be very interesting to "hear" both of you talk about small towns during this discussion. I am so happy to hear they still exist as described in At Home.

SARAH, I might be wrong, but I think the widow's walk is the structure on top of the house, similar to a dome. I think it comes about from a seaman's wife going to the top of the house and going outside so she could see the sea and look for the ship her husband was on. As for the gospel side, I have no idea.

As for a small town, we have great oak trees growing and streets are built around themn....can't cut 'em down. I'm glad for they are lovely. When I was a teenager, I would know who lived in each house on each street (boy have times changed)

Right, Betty. They're big here in New England. I thought they had them in San Francisco too???

Well, I am not a Episcopalian but I looked up Gospel Side and Epistle Side. What can I say -- its the librarian in me.

They are ways of talking about the pews in the church. The Gospel side is the pews on the left side of the alter while the Epistle Side is the right one. The Gospel side reads from the Gospels while the Epistle Side reads fom the other books of the Holy Bible. The terms are a little dated now. All that from an entry I read after a Google search. BTW, Google is a good search engine for quotes and things like this.

Hello, Everyone: I have read the first four Mitford books so far and I loved them. I'm waiting for number five to come out. Haven't seen it yet. I even got my husband to read them. I wish there were more books like these. There is so much trash out there. Any suggestions would be welcome. Peace, Dora

Dora--

Some suggestions of books about small towns (not exactly like the Mitford books though):



Michael Lee West: SHE FLEW THE COOP, AMERICAN PIE, or CRAZY LADIES

Robert Inman: DAIRY QUEEN DAYS, HOME FIRES BURNING, or OLD DOGS AND CHILDREN

Rebecca Wells: THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD

And I just finished a really touching and funny book: LAST DAYS OF SUMMER by Steve Kluger

Hope this is some help.

Library - thank you for doing what comes naturally - looking things up! It's funny - I was at an event the other day and a Lutheran pastor was there volunteering. I took the opportunity to ask him the same question - and he gave me the same answer. So we have it on good authority - both from the librarian and the clergyman!

Charles - we in SF SHOULD have widow's walks, but it's not a term I'd ever heard. Most of our victorians do not have domes. And most of the oceanside homes are 40s era row houses. Maybe there are some in Pacific Heights, where one finds some of the fanciest victorians. I'll find out.

Now is the widow's walk outside the house - a walkway such as a balcony - or inside?? Does anyone know?

From a dictionary of architectural terms: "Widow's walk - A small, railed observation platform atop a house. Once used to scout for seamen, such walks are usually square, done in elaborately-worked wrought iron or wood."

Here's a photo:

Widow's Walk

Actually we do have, right here in our Books, our very own expert on Episcopal Church traditions, if ONE CAN EVER GET HER IN HERE, THAT IS!!

And that's our very own Sandy Bridgforth, who is married to an Episcopal Priest and who is making excuses about leaving for Israel, tho who listens to such stuff??

And she knows more, too.....any minute now!!

Ginny

I remember reading a story about a fishing village and there were widows walks around the outside of the house where thewomen went and watched for their men to come in from the sea. When there were big storms it was always iffy if they would come home or not, hence widows walk. These were always high like a balcony so they could see way out to sea and watch for the boats.

Judy

They have widow's walks on the houses here in the midwest, but I don't think they were looking at the sea.. It was not customary to go out in public for about year after becoming a widow, and therefore this gave the widows an opportunity to get fresh air... My grandmother's house had such a thing. And that's the story we heard.. However it was a great place to sail paper airplanes from, and could be reached by a stairway and spring loaded trap door from the attic.

Well, I guess that I had better respond to GINNY'S post. My husband is an Episcopal Priest. "The Gospel side is the pews on the left side of the altar while the Epistle Side is the right one." But it is called that because the Altar Book starts out on the right side of the altar, and is moved to the left side of the altar just before the reading of the Gospel, by the priest. That is how the two sides got their names.

I hope to join the discussion when I get back from Israel. We leave in the 10th of June and return on the 19th.

Sandy

Well, isn't this interesting? First the photo of the widow's walk and the information that they didn't face toward the public: now, I've seen them, too, and wondered why they didn't always face the sea. Were they built, then, just for widows? Doesn't make too much sense for a widow to be staring out to sea for her husband? How interesting.

And thanks, Miss Sandy, for that information on the origin of the Gospel and Epistle sides! Get lots of photos of Israel now, (not to mention the Roman ruins) and stay OFF those camels!!

Ginny

Charles - ok, I lied. There ARE widow's walks in SF - but mostly "fake" ones on teeny tiny houses built right after the War (WWII, that is). My husband and I saw them on our walk today.

Today I bought and have started reading Book 5..."A New Song"...and am as delighted with it, so far, as I was with the first four. Couldn't put them down and read all four in four days. Somebody come dust for me? #5 is in hard cover only, until maybe next Spring they told me.

I have a question for Jan Karon. Why is she so enamored of the name "Esther"? I have a feeling there is a story there somewhere and would love to know what it is.

Love...Katie

Katie - that is amazing!! Did you eat? Sleep? You truly are a fast reader! Looking forward to this discussion and to learning your speed reading secrets.

SARAH...Speed? Nah! The books aren't that long, I live alone so can read while I eat, and besides, can you think of anything more fun to do?

Love...Katie

Katie

Glad to hear you loved the Mitford books. I loved them and hated when I was finished. I have the fifth book but have put off reading it because then I won't have one to look forward too. Silly Huh.

Judy

Judy and Katie

I know the feeling exactly--can't wait to start them and don't want them to end but no way can I read them slowly. I'm glad so many people are joining me in my love for these books. I accidentally discovered them about 2 1/2 years ago and have been recommending them ever since to anyone who will listen.

Prissy

Hi,, I listened to the books while having my eye problems and was delighted.They are great fun and although I did not read it just listened, I will be tuning in. Father Tim is a nice character, although I grew up in a small town and it was nothing like Mitford.

I added a link above called "Jan Karon Author Site" that links to information about Jan Karon and has further links to a newsletter she has written for several years related to the Mitford series.

Larry

Thank you Larry!! A newsletter, hmmm. These books must have a sort of "cult" following!

Have started my book and am half way through. I feel as if I have made a town full of friends. What a nice feeling. Father Tim is such a nice character and I have to laugh at Emma who is such a bossy but very careing person. I can just picture the town. I grew up in a small town like Mitford and it was wonderful.

I thought I would scream when he got the computer. The secretary with the computer is priceless. I love the dog the size of a sofa. Too much fun.

Judy

My copy of the book was given to me as a gift and I thoroughly enjoyed it and have since read 2 and 3 and have 4 ready to read and will get 5 just as soon as I see it in a store. The book is so warm and friendly. I look forward to discussing it. I sm visiting in Atlanta at the present but will go home Sunday, the 20th and will be able to pick up on the discussion.

Today begins our official discussion of this book. I felt there was quite a cast of interesting characters in the book and what would probably be typical in a small community where most people were born and lived most of their lives there. I grew up in a small community in the midwest and everyone basically knew everyone elses business. Neighbors helped neighbors and there was a sense of concern for others.

I thought that Jan Karon did a great job in developing the story line concerning Father Tim and the large dog and indicating how the dog had drastically impacted Father Tim's life.

Southcoast, it was easy to picture in one's mind the character of Emma as she let Father Tim think he was in charge, when in reality she was pretty much in control of things. I felt the same way about the parttime housekeeper, who became an important part of Father Tim's life.

As I read the book I felt I came to know the characters and became connected to them and want to know more about them. While we have the next three books in the series, decided not to go ahead and read them pending the completion of this discussion so I wouldn't mix up the continuing story with that told in this book.

Am looking forward to seeing the comments of everyone that has read the book or are just getting started with it. It reads very quickly and I found I didn't want to put it down. It just made me feel good and that is nice to have happen from a book every once-in-a-while.

Larry

Well, LARRY, I did go ahead and read all five of the books! Now I am going to re-read this first one, just for the reason you mentioned. VBG! I highly recommended them to my neighbor pal, had them all stacked to loan her, but she begged off, saying,"Wait until Fall." Then I told her about Barnabbas and how Tim gets him to behave. She now has "At Home In Mitford" in her hot litle hands. Couldn't pass up reading about The Dog As Big As A Sofa! (She reads fast, so I can have the book back.)

Love...Katie

I've read "At Home in Mitford", what a delightful book and loaded with interesting characters. It's funny but I kept getting the feeling we were in an English country village, I had to continually remind myself that Mitford was in the USA!

Eileen Megan

I was raised in the huge city of Houston, Tx. and, although I had no experiences of the small town atmosphere, or maybe because of it, I fell instantly in love with Mitford and everyone there. Through all the books Miss Sadie becomes one of my favorite people and the whole role of Fernbank is central to the series.

Father Tim seems to realize that he usually isn't in full command of his office and congregation even though his spirit invades every undertaking. Being adopted by Barnabas is a first step toward his opening up his heart and home to Dooley and subsequently the whole community.

Accepting the responsibilities of a child like Dooley gives Father Tim a new attitude in his life, opening him up too so many new possibilities. At first he feels overcome with all the new responsibility and the invasion into his busy life but the love that developes between them makes it all well worth the effort he is forced to put forth.

Have to think that Dooley is a very strong little boy who has seen a lot of hardship in his life. How fortunate that, due to his Grandfather, his path crosses with Father Tim and the people around Father Tim.

What a shock suddenly having a 12 year old in the house must have been to Father Tim, along with having Barnabas totally take over his life. Am sure both events helped Father Tim grow emotionally and probably spiritually.

Would expect the level of intensity of feeling and responsibility in having the young boy and the dog to be responsible for was quite different than tending to the needs of his flock.

Larry

I feel that Father Tim was a very kind, good man. He had to be to take in Barnabas for a teenager can do mountains of activity in a household. It is not hard to realize that he certainly got hold of Father Tim's heart strings. And the "dog as big as a sofa" certainly made a change in Father Tim's life. I know nothing of that type life for I have never had a pet but do know they can take over a household, from observing some lives. The housekeeper is a gem!

Betty, you are sure right about how a pet can take over a household. We had a poodle for about 14 years and now have a cat, who is definitely in control in this house. He manages to communicate very effectively and lets us know what he wants.

I couldn't figure out why Father Tim's dog was stolen from him. I thought it was really neat the way the townfolks joined together to raise a reward for the return of Barnabas. That was certainly a sign of the respect that the town people felt for Father Tim.

Thought it was interesting that he hadn't used his car for 10 years or so. Have to think just walking everywhere he went would have made Father Tim so much more approachable and helped him know everyone so well.

Larry

I wish I had Puny living down the street from me.... I could then take off, and get some traveling done.

LARRY...I have the impression that Barnabas had belonged to the bad guys and ran away because he was mistreated. They found out that Father Tim had him, and "stole" him away because they needed a guard dog. Or something like that...

Love...Katie

Hi Everybody, I've been away visiting my son and havn't kept up with the discussion. I do have my book and am half way though it. I'm up to Father Tim reporting the jewels. I/m using my son's lap top and am having a time typing.

I think a little romance for Father Tim is in the future but will have to keep reading and see what developes.

Am interested in how Father Tim will teach Dooley his manners. Have to stop typing as I've just make too many mistakes on this computer

I am now reading At Home in Mitford. I made a mistake and read one of the later books first. I really am enjoying them. It is a wonderful story--I did not think I could get into this type of book--I feel so familiar with the characters, etc. etc. (My mother would be proud of me).

I have a feeling that we all have probably known some folks very much like the characters in the book. These were not people without problems or where everything is perfect, far from it. However, there is a lot of realism presented and the situations seemed very plausible to me.

Katie, you may be right about the background of Barnabas, although I sure don't remember seeing anything that implied the crooks had owned the dog before other than the condition it was in when Father Tim first encountered him.

Southcoast, it looks like you did well on the laptop. However, I know what you mean as when you first begin to use a laptop the keyboard is quite different from the normal keyboard. I found it didn't take long to get used to the laptop keyboard. Sure glad to see you joining in the discussion.

Larry

Katie and Larry - I too had the impression that Barnabas came from the bad guys (that's why he was so dirty). Don't know whether anything was said about this directly, however.

I have to say that being a city slicker all my life, I really don't know people like these - and came into this discussion convinced that towns such as Mitford don't really exist. Several people here have disabused me of that notion - but it's still a life that is very foreign to me.

SarahT--I grew up in a very small community (think I probably have already said that above) and even though I lived on a farm we knew all of the neighbors and most of the people in the surrounding community. We had community meetings and I remember as a child that it was the social event of the week for people to go to our very little town on Saturday night, they would buy their groceries for the week and everyone put them together at the front of the store and the women got together to visit, the men sat outside and visited and the kids played. Occasionally during the summer we had a movie projected on the side of a building.

Most of the people attended one of the two churches in the town and the school had all twelve grades. The farmers helped each other when there was a need, any little scandalous things spread very quickly, and people responded when there was a death in the family or illness. I realize this is a childhood memory and there was probably a lot of things going on that I never knew about but it was a great place to grow up. We had a town drunk, who happened to be my great uncle, a man who was mentally impaired named "Pete" who was a mechanical genius but was always dirty and drove a Ford tractor to get around.

There was a family or two who had more money than most people did but never put on airs. Most of the families would be considered poor by todays standards but don't think any of us went hungry (at least I never did even though my folks struggled).

It was a sad moment when we were in Missouri a couple of weeks ago to go to the little town area and see only a couple of structures left standing on the main street. When I think back on my childhood and the innocence I was allowed to have in growing up I was so fortunate. I didn't have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders and while we had television when I was in highschool, the programs then didn't bombard us with sex and violence like we have today. I really feel badly for our young people who are not allowed to have a carefree childhood. Guess I better get off my soapbox.

Larry

LARRY and SARAH...I found it! Tim and Barnabas are walking when a car slowed down, the back door opened, and someone grabbed Barnabas by his collar, yanking the leash from Tim's hand, and yelling, "That'll learn you to steal our dog, Preacher Man!" Barnabas was then dragged into the back seat and muzzled. Poor dog!

Next question? I still want to know why Jan Karon was so fond of the name Esther. Suppose she'd tell us?

Love...Katie

LARRY...my childhood was spent in the city, but as an adult I lived in or near small towns similar to Mitford. The same restaurants, if there was more than one, always had the same people there for breakfast, and sometimes lunch. You always met the same people at the post office. Above all, they were very friendly places.

Your small town was even more so, sounds like, and I have only seen that sort of community in the movies...with the Saturday night shopping, and all. I'll bet it WAS a wrench to see that it now is long gone.

Love...Katie

Katie, I remember reading that now that you have refreshed my memory. Yes, it was a wrench, although it has been going downhill for many years. Really have little desire to ever see it again and just let it live in my memory. The two churches have been well maintained and look just about like they did as I was growing up. The school, now an elementary school, still looks like it used to although they have expanded the building. I got some pictures and will try to put together a little photo essay with some of them to share when I feel up to doing it.

In today's Atlanta Journal/Constitution there was an article called "Showcase for Churches"--Consider it a kind of church homecoming--Atlanta churches will take a cue from the fictional Lord's Chapel in Mitford, the small town millions call home. Fans of the town, created in the mind of North Carolina author Jan Karon, will get together June 26 and June27 at Borders Books and Music in Buckhead for "Make It Mitford Days." Buckhead churches and service organizations will provide displays showcasing their programs and ministries with the theme "Ways to Make Our Community More Like Mitford." In Mitford, as all of Karon's readers know, faith, compassion, respect and hospitality alway prevail...

Guess this is a good example of the power of the written word.

Larry

Buckhead - you mean the Buckhead of Man in Full. Where Charlie Croker lived? Not exactly a place I'd expect to appreciate Mitford!!

I envy you Larry - it sounds wonderful to have grown up that way.

Small towns are alive and well ... The restaurant is still there. Ole runs it now. He took over after Lars, his father died in '82. But John, Ole's son, may not be back to take over. He lives in CA and works for some computer firm. Maybe he'll come back when he retires.. We have 3 churches here and they have lenten services together and an annual picnic in the park behind the one gas station/convenience store.

There's John Holman who'll drive anyone to town (Galesburg-- 15 miles) for the Dr. or groceries for a $1.00, because he says he's going anyway. He also takes the mail from the P. O. to any who can't get out to get their own. We don't have house-to-house delivery. But they have free delivery in the country.

There's plenty of social life, if you belong to the Ladies Aid or The Men's Bible Class. But lately the best place to go is Senior Citizens, a wholly independent bunch of young, ole folks.

Our population has been less than 500 for the last 50 years, and I don't think it will grow. There are a quite a few vacant lots, but no one builds. A half acre lot with town water and sewer, sells for about $750.00

I've lived in a "Mitford" since I was married, and have really liked it.

PAT...How glorious your town sounds! I can see that you know them all and are an active participant in the social life in Altona. Can you write a book?

Love...Katie

Hi all, I think all of the charaters are wonderful. It's good to see how he handles each one. Am almost finished with my book and am looking forward to book two.

I've read this book twice, the last time was about a year ago. Dooley and Barnabus come to light as my most favorite characters. Dooley's accent is so well written that I can just hear him say, "'at ol' dog". Barnabus would easily fit into our household of six big dogs, though he might be the best behaved with his scriptural command obedience.

Pat, I really enjoyed the vignette of your town. We lived in Galesburg from 1967 through 1969. In fact, this week we'll see a couple we knew from Galesburg. Perhaps, it was too short a time to get the feel of a small town and we were heavily exposed to the student population.

di

Diane... Small world isn't it... And when I say Illinois, most people only know Chicago... and rarely have heard of Moline or Quad Cities. Were you with Knox or the Galesburg Schools?

Pat, and I thought I lived in a small town. Conway has a population of 10,000, or at least that is what the last census showed. However, since we now have a four-year university, we have a lot of teachers etal that have moved in. And, since we have such a good climate, there are a lot of retirees here. Since I have lived here all of my life, you can bet I realize all the changes that have been made.

Pat, my husband taught ROTC at Knox College and Monmouth. It was not totally pleasant as the students demonstrated on the military staff. Naturally, this was during the Viet Nam era. It just wasn't a popular thing to be associated with back then. And so it goes.

Hi all, have finished my book and am now reading book II, A Light In The Window. Am enjoying this as much. I hope in this second book, Father Tim begins to take care of himself.

Istarted A Light In The Window last night too. Then stayed up too long reading... had to find out about Tim and Cynthia.

This is only my humble opinion but I'm feeling that this discussion of AT HOME AT MITFORD is lagging without a leader. The main topic has been that we can agree that we love the book and this has led to a comparison between small towns and Mitford. There has been virtually no real critique of or discourse on the themes of the book or the characterizations presented there. This is disappointing to me as I was looking forward to more of a dialog about the story. I'm certainly not blaming anyone for this occurance since I have no experience leading a dicussion here, therefore I haven't added anything much either. I had prepared myself with a copy of the reading guide and was hoping to touch on some of the points found there. Alas, to no avail. Oh well, maybe this is a lesson for the future. A discussion leader is more important to the discussion than I had realized.

Prissy: You have the reading guide? How about throw out one of the points it makes and see what everybody thinks on that point?

Ginny

Prissy - please post some of the questions from the guide. I think maybe we could benefit from that structure. Some discussions (e.g., Man in Full) have worked well without a leader; maybe we can try here.

Mitford is such a special place and the "problems" facing Father Tim are so real. Some are large -- Dooley and his siblings. Some are small -- Father Tim and his haircuts.

Karon uses Father tim to tell us that we need to do more than just show up at services. She shows his to be a very human person who lives his religion. If he didn't, he wouldn't have taken in Dooley and worked as hard as he did to help the young man. It would have been so easy for him to just throw Dooley to the social service agencies in NC.

It is so easy to stereotype people who live in big cities (in my case the Fort Worth -- Dallas area) as uncaring and bus people and to similarly stereotype people who live in small towns as caring concerned people. I firmly beleive that there are people of both types living in both kinds of places.

What bothers me about Karon's latest book (A New Song) is that she is preaching more. The caharacters in the little island community are real, but they area in many ways recreatiuons of the caharacters in the Mitford books. Father Tim seems to be quoting scripture more and there is lress emphasis on actions.

themes of the book What ARE the themes of the book?

Loving... Caring... Life in a small community. Serving the public, as Tim and the Mayor do, is a constant struggle to maintain values important to the community.

Prissy, Can you add anything else?

Father Tim seems to be quoting scripture more and there is less emphasis on actions. Now from my experience in a small congregation, that is pretty much the way the Pastor works, whether he be Lutheran, Baptist, or Episcopalian.

But it is nice to have an easy read... that one can gobble down as fast as you wish to go, chuckling, crying, and sympathizing along the way.

PAT W...I think the LIBRARY GUY was talking about Karon's latest book, "A New Song", when he mentioned 'more quoting of scriptures and less emphasis on works'. I definitely agree with him, but I don't want to talk about anything but this book..."At Home in Mitford". It's difficult to pinpoint which of the 5 books contains a scene that springs to mind, so I sort of wish I hadn't read them all before we discussed this one.

PRISSY...I agree with you, too. It would be nice to have a question or two to actually discuss, but pedantry doesn't become us, I don't think.

OK, now...and I hope this is from At Home...what do you hate? I loved the answers Tim and Cynthia came up with!

Love...Katie

I'll put my two cents in, for what it is worth, I agree with Prissy about having a leader. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and like you,Katie, sorta regret that I am on my fourth book "Out to Canaan." I have found all the books very easy to read, and to put down, knowing you can pick back up whenever. Father Tim, I think,is a very witty parson and gets along well with the people of the small town. He was very kind and generous for undertaking the rearing of an unruly kid from the boon docks, and we'll see in the end the job he does with Dooley.

While my wife has all but the 5th book, I have purposely not started book two until we conclude this discussion because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the first book straight. I hope we may want to continue this Mitford discussion for awhile going into the other books in the series. I have found it nice to read a story where the problems are the type most of us have encountered without having to bear the weight of the world.

Prissy, there is certainly no objection to having a discussion leader or using some of the discussion guides that the publisher has provided. I saw they existed but didn't take the time to read through them. If you would pick out a few or develop some of your own we can put them in the header for easy reference.

I had forgotten about the man hiding in the church bell choir. I really thought Father Tim might be in trouble for not turning in those jewels when he found them. Think that gave him some restless nights. Do you suppose if you or I had found them and acted as Father Tim did we would get the same treatment. Knowing the police officers certainly didn't hurt Father Tim in this situation.

Larry

Larry - I had the same reaction to the story about the jewels. It didn't ring true to me that Father Tim and the congregation would be so good to the thief, and I was bothered that there weren't greater consequences to Tim for not reporting the jewels when he found them

There is a difference between what is just and what is legally regarded as punishment. Tony Hillerman ended his "The Fallen Man" with a scene in which Joe Leaphorn provided what was just to a criminal even if it wasn't legal. Father Tim was vexed for a great deal of time about the jewels and in a way was punished for his lack of actions. I think he needs to do thing to remind himself to "Let go and Let god". So his punishment for not reporting the jewels was not just what happened to him outside. It was what happened to him inside, too.

Library_Guy, what a great comment and so true. We often punish ourselves way beyond what someone else would determine as appropriate. I am sure Father Tim spent restless hours trying to figure out what to do and worrying what the penalty would be.

I was glad to see in the story that the man hiding in the bell tower did have to pay for his actions but that he was not ostersized by the Mitford folks and that Father Tim maintained a close contact with him. I would expect that many ministers could probably tell similiar stories of maintaining close ties with people who have been put in jail or prison but keep these things to themselves.

Larry

LARRY...Hate to disagree with someone as sweet as you, but I don't think Tim DID spend "restless hours trying to figure out what to do and worrying what the penalty would be". I think his remorse came about because he gave too little thought to the matter. He thought about it, then sort of tossed it aside, Scarlett-like, to be brought up again later. And, if he was lucky, it would all just disappear in the meantime!

SARAH...it was curious that Tim didn't get cited for "aiding and/or abetting" or something. 'Course, these good ole Southern boys take care of their own, doncha know? (Sorry, guys!)

Love...Katie

For those of you who seemed interested here are a couple of questions from the reading guide:

1. What role does Barnabas play in Father Tim's life? What other characters seem to invade Father Tim's already busy life,only later to prove enriching elements? Are there any that are a permanent drag on his spirits? How does Father Tim come to terms with them?

2. Which characters did you dislike at first, only to later come to appreciate or at least understand them? What characters in the book react that way to someone new?

3. Compare Miss Sadie and Miss Rose. They are very different characters, but both make a powerful contribution to the book. What makes them such vivid characters? What would Mitford be like without them? What unique contributions do they make?

Now that I've posted these questions I'm going to backtrack and reread the book this weekend and try to answer them myself. Anyone else have some thoughts on these subjects?

How long are we planning on mulling over this book? Anyone know?

Katie, I am a total state of shock that you would disagree with my brilliant analysis and conclusions regarding Father Tim. Guess I can't win them all. (lol).

Prissy, thanks for posting the reading guides. I put them into the header so we won't lose sight of them as more postings are made.

In terms of the role that Barnabas played in Father Tim's life I feel that it was a revelation to him of what unconditional love was all about as well as having to be responsible for the pet 24 hours a day. If I recall correctly, when Father Tim first got Barnabas the dog wasn't very loveable and not very well behaved. Father Tim was tested and grew from the experience.

Larry

Hi, thanks Prissy, glad you posted the questions for us to discuss. I think Father Tim lived within the four walls of his church and took care of his members without having to get himself involved. When Barnabas came into his life, maybe this was the first time he didn't have complete control of everything. This was a good lesson for him. He seems to be afraid to get involved.

I don't think Father realized he had broken the law when he didn't turn in the jewels and he was so loved by the town, that the police realized this. I agree with Larry about many ministers could probly tell similar stories.

You could see him changing with each new character. Even tho he was a minister, I thought it was hard for him to be personal and by having a young boy and new housekeeper in his home was very hard for him. I also felt he was a little stubbon and didn't want to change or afraid to.

I thought the book showed how Father Tim, who was feeling at the end of his tether in the beginning of the book, got jostled out of his "set ways" by the arrival of Barnabas and then the boy. I think the writer was reminding us that God works in mysterious ways to shake us out of our sometime "everydayness" and sets us on the road to thinking in new ways.

Eileen Megan

Having read this book about two years ago, I mistakenly assumed that I would remember it well enough to be able to discuss it intelligently. Now I'm rereading it with a focus on the discussion questions from the reading quide, which I didn't have access to the first time around.

It seemed to me that at the beginning of the book Father Tim was having a crisis, maybe not of faith but certainly with his ability to minister to his flock fully. The bishop advised him to turn to a spiritual advisor for consultation. Barnabas' appearance gave him a new lease on his spirituality when he found that the big dog was affected by the scriptures. He was experiencing feelings of aloneness and having the dog with him gave him "someone" close to him for the first time in a long time. Barnabas moved quickly from a nuisance to a bedtime companion. As a dog lover I completely understand the overwhelming love that a dog can add to a lonely person's life. I think that having Barnabas gave Father Tim the perspective to step back and look at things in his parish more clearly.

It has been quite a while since I read this book, and now that I am reading the fourth one, I fail to remember what happened in which book. However, I do feel that probably Tim was a rather stuffy person, quite understandable with his age and being a bachelor, It seems that Barnabas really got to him,and he learned to care for the dog. I am not a "pet" person, so cannot relate in that manner.

Emma seemed to be a source of irritation to Father Tim, but as we read it, she gets.....um, I'd better not say.

'Course, Miss Sadie was a rich old lady who had compassion but apparently, considering the condition of her home, had rather keep the money in a safe spot than spend it on her dwelling. That,too, can change.....

A few days ago I posted an article from the Atlanta Journal/Constitution pertaining to a planned event related to Mitford. In Sunday's paper I saw the following article written by Gayle White, Religion Writer:

On a overcast Sunday afternoon, Kathy Dobbins of Peachtree Presbyterian Church stood talking to a uniformed Salvation Army officer about the flock of a fictional Episcopal church.

"The uniqueness is the way faith is woven into the characters' lives," she said. "I just love it."

The converstation took place at "Make It Mitford Days," sponsored by Borders Books & Music in Buckhead and several nearby churches, and based on the small town that grew from the imagination of North Carolina novelist Jan Karon. The central character of the series of books, beginning with "At Home in Mitford," is Father Tim Kavanaugh, priest at Lord's Chapel, an Episcopal church.

In Mitford, people care about one another and problems are solved through prayer and perseverance.

At the bookstore throughout the weekend, Peachtree Presbyterian, the Salvation Army, Wieuca Road Baptist Church and the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip set up displays and visited with shoppers to talk about their ministries. On Saturday, Borders hosted about 70 people for a children's craft and story hour featuring Karon's children's book "Miss Fannie's Hat" and held a party for 18 Kosovar refugee familes, with the International Rescue Committee.

And on Sunday, a panel discussion on "Religious Faith and Literature" examined Karon's books and fiction by other authors from William Faulkner to Garrison Keillor.

Karon's books "are different from most of the books I read in that God is a character in the book, and the other characters have different relationships to God," said the Rev. Richard Dietrich, director of the Lay Institute at Columbia Theological Seminary. "We don't often run into books in which the religious faith of characters is quite so prominent."

By showing a range of sometimes eccentric characters living, for the most part, harmoniously, the Mitford novels "have something to say about living in community and understanding that religious faith is more than a personal thing," said a real Episcopal priest, the Rev. Samuel Candler, dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip.

The faith of Lord's Chapel flock is focused on Mitford, not burdened by international or institutional conflict, noted Pearl McHaney, assistant professor of English at Georgia State University. "We don't read Jan Karon to solve the Kosovo crisis. We read Jan Karon to see how to talk to our teenager or to feel a little happier. When we read Jan Karon, we don't have to worry about what the Presbyterians are going to do about the gay and lesbian issue."

All those aspects appeal to Dobbins.

"Once you've started, you're hooked," she said of Karon's books. "I want to move to Mitford."

Larry

Betty--

I know exactly what you mean about remembering what happened when. I've read all of the books and am now rereading AT HOME IN MITFORD because I was having trouble discussing it without the proper time line sequence straight in my mind. It is strange rereading it also, knowing how things turn out in the later books. There is so much that I had forgotten that it's making me really glad that I decided to go through it again.

OK, BETTY and PRISSY...you've convinced me that I'd better get busy and start re-reading. The timeline thing can get unruly!

Love...Katie

My problem is I don't have this book any longer. My dil wanted to read it and I let her carry it home with her, but I am going to keep the later ones, in case they are discussed. Do you think they will be discussed? It seems only right, doesn't it?

Betty, I don't see any reason who we couldn't continue with the Mitford series if there is general interest. Am anxious to read the 2nd book in the series.

Larry

LARRY...you will enjoy it. They are all terrific, altho I have reservations about the new one, the 5th.

Love...Katie

Larry, that sounds like a winner to me. I am reading the fourth one now, and thankfully, have 2 and 3 in my possession and plan to keep 'em right here at home until the discussion,if held,is over.

Katie,I gather you don't care for the fifth book as well as the others?

BETTY...no, I didn't care for it nearly as much. I don't want to give away the plot so won't say too much, but Tim and Cynthia are away from Mitford and all the wonderful people there. And I just hated the ending!

I am now re-reading this one..."At Home in Mitford"...and having a ball! Now that I know all these townspeople so well, I am enjoying their every word even more than I did the first time around.

Love...Katie

I am going to suggest that we plan to do at least the first 4 books of the series taking one every 30 days or so. Since there isn't a lot of research to do with them books but just sharing our reactions and recollections I would think that would be sufficient and any of the earlier books in the series can still be commented on as we go along. Hopefully we will have more people join with us since the books are easy and enjoyable reading. What do you all think?

Am looking forward to starting the next book but know when I do I won't want to read anything else until I get it done.

Larry

Larry, a very good suggestion. Katie, if the plot veers away from Mitford, I am sure it will lose its appeal. Having lived in a small town myself, I can associate with the citizens of Mitford. I can tell you one way: It ain't like it used to be!!

I have just finished the 4th Mitford book. It reminds me so much of the little town of What Cheer Iowa where I taught my first year of teaching in 1952.

Welcome, Iowa Bill!!

We are delighted to see you here and hope you'll stay around for the next discussions and look in to all our discussions here in the Books and on SeniorNet!

What Cheer, Iowa? What a charming marvelous name! What Cheer!! What is the origin of that name, do you know??

Some of the little towns here in South Carolina have marvelous names: Six Mile, Pumpkintown, Walhalla, Cowpens (where the REAL first American flag was flown) and of course, the town I live in, Pauline. Have always liked the name 'Ware Shoals.

But What Cheer is darling! Tell us more!

So glad to have you with us,

Ginny

Iowa Bill, nice to have you joining the book discussions. I grew up in NW Missouri and we had a Pumpkin Center, Elmo, Pickering (where I grew up) and many other interesting town names. I feel very fortunate to have been raised in a small town community. Unfortunately many of the little towns are almost disappearing. Where I grew up there are now less than 200 people in the town.

Larry

My husband and I were discussing What Cheer and Pumpkin Center and he said, well, "I've always liked Hope You Like It, Georgia." That's a real place in South Georgia near where he grew up.

I love that!!

Ginny

Several people have commented earlier about Father Tim not reporting the stolen jewels sooner. It seemed to me like he could hardly believe what he had found and then as usual his life got in his way. Between worrying about Dooley's situation and Olivia's illness and possible death, his duties around the holidays in the church, and not realizing the consequences of his procrastination in reporting all of the puzzling irregularities, the jewels faded into the background of his mind. Everything else seemed so much more important and necessary. I also think that he has trouble believing that there is evil in this world of Mitford so he excuses it as his imagination or just a mistake.

He's also becoming involved in the "pursuit" of Cynthia, even though he isn't truely aware that it's begun. He's constantly aware of the times that the "grey Mercedes" is parked at her curb.

In many ways he is an innocent and he has trouble believing the worst of anyone. He knows these people and this town, never suspecting that trouble can intrude anywhere.

I thought it rather quaint that this Episcopalian vicar was actually jealous. I don't think he really acknowledged his attraction to Cynthia, but what he doesn't know!!

Maybe Father Tim's unrealized jealousy led him to suspect that Andrew Gregory could possibly be involved with the jewelry scam.

Miss Rose was quite a character with her unique clothing combinations and harsh manner, symptoms of her mental illlness that Uncle Billy tells us about later. I liked the way she took to Cynthia right away, inviting her into her playroom.

Cynthia was a breath of fresh air, just what Father Tim and his flagging energy level needed. More about this relationship in the next books.

I loved Miss Sadie's love story...her life was one of love lost and sorrow but she's come through it all with a wonderful certainty about the future. Thanks to her so much will be accomplished in Mitford and in Dooley's life.

OK, now...what on earth is "livermush"?

And I'd still like to know why we have 3 Esthers...an ongoing question, because I've read all 5 books and there is NO explanation of any kind. Guess I need to talk to Jan Karon.

Love...Katie

Katie, I don't know what livermush is, but I do know I don't care for any, thank you!! Any kind of liver is not my idea of food, though I understand it is good for a person!

As for the three Esthers, it does sound odd. Maybe Jan is testing the ability of the readers to "keep them apart."

Isn't livermush like liverwurst, sort of, but with more fat, a combination of chopped liver and fat, instead of in a tube like branschweiger, but in a long brick like thing, which is intended to be sliced and cut and fried??

Ginny

Ginny, what you described does not sound good either, at least, to me!

ahhahaha BETTY!! YOU'RE the SOUTHERNER!! I'm just trying to HELP here, I didn't say it sounded good! hahahahaha IN fact, it doesn't. Surely somebody on SN knows what liver mush is!! I have seen it but have resisted the tempataion to try it.

Ginny

GINNY...that does sound logical. I do like braunschweiger and I do like liver paté and I do like liver and onions, but livermush I think I'll pass up.

Love...Katie

I have wondered about the livermust myself.

It sounds terrible but I do like liver and onions.

Katie you have me worried about the fifth book. I have been saving it for some special time because I love the books and now I don't know.

By the way MIss Ginny how do you like the Mitford Series yak yak yak

Judy

I asked in the Café if any of the food experts there knew about livermush, and Dick posted this...

Livermush Submitted by David Walsh, carolinacalling@hci.net

Introduction: Livermush is a meat product found mostly in North Carolina. It can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Livermush is made from pork, pork liver, corn meal and spices. It is delicious and inexpensive. Livermush is a fully cooked product, therefore it may be eaten as is or fried, broiled, or microwaved.

Directions: fry or broil until golden brown or microwave until heated.

Serving Suggestions Great for breakfast with eggs, pancakes, applesauce, grits, etc. Makes a delicious sandwich when combined with onions, mustard, slaw, mayonnaise, etc. For a quick dinner, serve livermush as the main meat course.

I agree...livermush sounds really awfull!!!

I've read the 5th book already and I wasn't disappointed, they may not be IN Mitford but Mitford is still WITH them.

Is it so unusual to have people in a town with the same name? Don't any of you know people with your name? I have an unusual name, Priscilla, and I know people with that name...even went to school with a couple. I think that it is a natural thing for names to be duplicated in a community of friends and since Esther is a biblical name, this church oriented group of people might naturally chose it more than once.

Oh, JUDY...I didn't mean to disuade anyone from reading the "A New Song". It's still Tim and all the other Mitford folks part of the time. And he meets others that are almost as lovable. I hated the ending because I am not a very religious person, and it seemed to me that Karon went off the deep end in that direction. See? It's probably just me! Nobody got lost or hurt or anything like that. And I'm sure Book #6 is being written, as we speak. There are still plot lines from #1,#2,#3 and #4 that could be expanded. Such fun!

Love...Katie

Re the livermush discussion - I love liverwurst but can't stand liver, am I odd or what!

Eileen Megan

I told my wife, who has read book #5, that there had been some comments about not really caring for the book. She said she was surprised since she felt it was introducing some new characters to be woven into the story line. I have just started reading book #2 and am enjoying it.

Think I mentioned sometime ago about continuing the series in this discussion. Just haven't taken the time to get something in the header of the discussion on this but will try to do so soon.

Larry

livermust sounds a bit like scrapple.. I adore scrapple and ate it all the time where I grew up in Delaware. Discovered when I moved away that most areas had never heard of it... I suspect that like a lot of other country things, it comes from using the whole entire pig...

We had scrapple in Phila where I grew up! Served with breakfast and ketchup. Sauerkraut and scrapple, what I think of when I think of PA and of course those wonderful big soft pretzyls. What IS scrapple?

I'm surprised she didn't mention chitlins or "chitterlings," as they're spelled. I heard the Radio Reader once on Public Radio reading a new book and he read, "Mama was in the kitchen cooking up Chit Ter Lings" and thought, oopsie, you didn't do your homework. Pronounced Chit lins.

That's like the native Southern Scuppernong grape, pronounced any way you'd like: Scuffy dimes, Scuppy dines, etc.

Ginny

Well, I am back from Israel, and have finished the book. I loved it and have bought the rest of the books and will start on book 2 this weekend.

There was one discussion in the book that I have not found anyone discussing. On page 249, Fr. Tim is talking with Absalom Greer about dry spells in preaching. Absalom asked, "Are you resting? Sometimes we get so worn out with being useful that we get useless. I'll ask you what another preacher once asked: Are you too exhausted to run and too scared to rest?"

I was wondering what some of you thought about that he meant by that statement "too scared to rest"?

Sandy

Sandy, perhaps "too scared to run" means that a pastor knows there is so much work for him to do in this world, and feeling so inadequate for doing more than they are doing, they would really like to "run" but are afraid to do so. Does that make sense? Perhaps they don't feel adequate to do the work God has called them to do!!

Scrapple, know nothing of it. A lot of people in my community like "chitlins" but I'm not one of them. A local restaurant serves them one night each week "in season" but I've never been there.

Hi Sandy

Good to see your coments. I enjoyed visiting with you in NY. Glad to see you reading the Mitford books I really love them. Are you going to Chicago?

Judy

I've visited North Carolina a lot and have never heard of 'chitlins' in the Raleigh area, or in the western part of the state. I think they are more likely to be found in Mississippi. But, on the other hand, I never heard of 'livermush' in Raleigh, either.

SANDY...I think by "too scared to rest" Absalom meant that if he stopped to rest, things-to-do would pile up so fast that they would soon get out of control.

Hi, JUDY!...nice to see you here!

Love...Katie

Katie, that may be the case. The fear of going on vacation and coming home to all the work piled up. But what might be worse, is to go on vacation and come home to find out that everything went just fine without him; he wasn't missed at all.

Judy, I'm afraid that I will not be able to go to Chicago. I work and can't afford to take the time off. I was off a lot last year with knee surgery. Maybe I will go next year.

Sandy

I finally put together a reading schedule for reading and discussing all of the books in Mitford series. The dates are just my idea and we can easily change them such as doing a book each month.

Am about 100 pages into the 2nd book and it is just as good as the first. Cynthia Coppersmith has Father Tim wrapped around her little finger.

Larry

Larry, this book just goes to show that the love bug can bite even at age past fifty, doesn't it? I thought it very interesting that Father Tim had apparently never had romantic feelings in his earlier life, or so the book implies, and now that Cynthia has come upon the scene, things are beginning to look up. Though as we see later, he has another admirer......something to look forward to, huh?

Betty, I have read about 275 pages of Book II and know of what you speak. Quite frankly I am getting rather frustrated with Father Tim as he can sure mess things up in the romantic department. Those love letters were a little mushy for my taste.

Certainly am getting a better fleshing out of some of the characters such as Miss Sadie and that second woman in his life.

Larry

Did you miss the mention that Tim was involved with someone years ago, which kind of soured him on attachments? And, LARRY, I think that "wrapping around the little finger" is working BOTH ways!

Love...Katie

Larry, thanks for the book you sent. My return is in the mail box. As for mushy letters, you must admit he hasn't had much practice in that department.

If it had not been for this goodness, I am sure he would have fired Emma, the secretary, long ago, but looking forward,there's hope for her yet.]

And Barnabas must truly be the only dog in history to have obeyed words from the Holy Scriptures. What a shame more humans are not more like Barnabas.

BETTY...I absolutely LOVE Emma! She is so funny...and just wait! She will surprise you no end later on!

Love...Katie

Hi, everyone. I love these books. Have read the first three, have the other two, but with this discussion I will have to go back to "At Home" and refresh my memory. Who could help loving books like these which are so full of humour, and proof that good clean books can attract an audience hungry for the old fashioned values we grew up on. I loved it when Father Tim discovered that Barnabus would behave when he quoted scripture - such a nice touch. I think many of us know people whom Jan Karon has charactized in these novels, making us chuckle and also wipe away a tear or two at a sudden revelation. More from me later when I have had time to look over the Reading Guide questions. I cannot say it often enough - good clean books that are a joy to read. Pat

Patricia, welcome to the discussion. It will be great having you participate with us. I certainly agree with what you have written. I am well into the second book and may be able to finish it tonight. The characters are really beginning to take on personalities as we learn more about them.

Katie, I like Emma also and I think Father Tim certainly relies on her. Barnabas, Puny, and Dooley all entered his life pretty much at the same point after he had not had anyone in his home for 12-13 years. No wonder he has been in a muddle.

Betty, I am glad the book came through and hope you enjoy it. The reaction of Barnabas to being quoted scripture I find stretches my imagination but it does make an interesting touch to the story.

Larry

Katie, speaking of Emma, I have read through the fourth book and agree that Emma does come out "shining like a star." Father Tim was certainly BRAVE to take on an unruly young man from the hills, or was it from the hollow?

I just finished this and I simply adored Barnabas and had to cheat a little to find in the back of the book where he gets rescued. His affectionate greetings made me really miss having a canine friend again-I now live where you can't so I have 2 little parakeets. I grew up with a St.Bernard and would love to be shoved around again by a large wagging tail.

I just finished reading this book and I adored Barnabas and his affectionate greetings. I grew up with a St. Bernard but live now where you can't have canine friends. I really miss being pushed around by a large wagging tail. Also I loved the Grill-it made me hungry every time Father Tim went in to eat.The main thing I liked about Cynthia was that she left curlers in her hair

Wouldn't it be great if all pastors were as caring as Father Tim? We are in a slump in our church. The minister won't quit and move on and our young people are going down the street to another church.

Pat, I feel for your church situation. I grew up in a Methodist church, and there was never a problem, for they use a sort of rotating method. Now, I am a Baptist (strictly because of my marriage) and your problem has been one of ours in the past. But, now we have a 40-year old guy, who loves to sing, and is a jewel.

I have finished the 2nd book, and I think I better slow down... I'll try to wait for the August discussion of A Light In The Window.

Guess who forgets how to post a message. Sorry for my double dose the other day.

It is August 1st and time for another visit to Mitford. Just click on the title to go to the new discussion:

Book 2: A Light in the Window

I will archive this discussion in a couple of days.

Larry