I put Rayuela down, probably for good. I’m…sort of bored with it, and my language skills are probably not where they need to be to pick up on the subtleties. I started re-reading a collection of Phillip K. Dick’s short stories wh... www.jquinby.com/2025/09/05/i-put-rayuela...
When life gives you leftovers, turn them into tacos.
This one hits hard every year.
"With Christians, a poetical view of things is a duty. We are bid to color all things with hues of faith, to see a divine meaning in every event.
— St. John Henry Cardinal Newman"
OCIA begins tonight. Last I heard, we had 36... www.jquinby.com/2025/08/26/with-christia...
The August formation weekend is behind us, and for my cohort, that amounted to just Saturday, which was nice. We spent the day preaching to each other and going over the finer points of The Order of Celebrating Matrimony With... www.jquinby.com/2025/08/25/the-august-fo...
There are a couple of things I avoid writing about. I avoid, if I can, any discussions of work. I like having clear boundaries, and would just rather not get into work-stuff. The other topic I stay away from is politics. This one is ve... www.jquinby.com/2025/08/18/there-are-a-c...
I didn’t get a chance to deliver the reflection I mentioned below, but I did have a chance to try again yesterday and I am in definite need of more practice. I tried to cover too much in 3 minutes and forgot the advice about having “One... www.jquinby.com/2025/08/14/i-didnt-get-a...
Stinging rose moth caterpillar
Our pastor is out of town for awhile, so one of the associates (who knows I regularly serve on Wedesnday mornings before work) asked if I wanted to practice giving some brief reflections on the readings. We can’t call them homilies, but... www.jquinby.com/2025/08/05/our-pastor-is...
Yesterday, as part of preparation for ordination, I made a general confession. I had been thinking about it for awhile and my spiritual director encouraged me to continue meditating and praying about it. De Sales’s Introduc... www.jquinby.com/2025/07/24/yesterday-as-...
Luna moth
Botanic Garden, Oxford
Six small peat pots, each with a tiny cutting from a lavender plant in the middle.
Lavender cuttings. Let’s see how this whole propagation thing goes.
So I managed to remove most of the hydrangea. It was…colossal, and I ended up transplanting an offshoot in a different spot where it’s free to get as crazy-big as it wants to. What’s left is bits of the stump which I’ve painted with a... www.jquinby.com/2025/07/14/so-i-managed-...
We visited a couple of botanic gardens on our trip and I’ve been fully won over to the cottage style, particularly in borders. Gardening has always been a mixed bag for us. We’ve generally done pretty well with container vegetables an... www.jquinby.com/2025/07/10/we-visited-a-...
On one of our walking tours in the UK, we stopped at a 16th century mausoleum that had some interesting carvings and whatnot on the outside, including lots of skulls and crossbones. Our tour guide pointed them out to us and then explai... www.jquinby.com/2025/07/09/on-one-of-our...
As you probably guessed from all the pictures, we recently visited the UK. We wanted to take in the sights, of course, but also sought out places associated with favorite writers. What we didn’t necessarily plan were all the enc... www.jquinby.com/2025/07/05/as-you-probab...
Codex Sinaiticus, British Library
Fairy Pools, skye
Closeup of stained glass depicting Margaret of Scotland taken in a chapel at Edinburgh Castle.
St. Margaret of Scotland
Close in Edinburgh with a sign above reading "Boswell's Court"
European robin
Lake Windermere
Magdelen College, from the Botanic Garden
Train idling near a school platform
