Would you sign up for a lesson in campanology?
My glamping friends are no doubt whooping “YES!” with cabin-fevered fervor.
We’re all chomping at the bit in anticipation of our first spring camping trip,
but campanology really has nothing at all to do with tents or teardrop trailers.
Speaking of which …
Photo by Don Stucke via Wikimedia Commons
Trailer envy!
Wait—what am I saying?
Ah, yeah, back to the point:
Does “campanology” ring a bell with anyone?
(Hint: that was an intentional pun.)
The term campanology refers to the study of REALLY BIG bells, like these:
Photo by Brian Webster via Wikimedia Commons
By study, I mean all facets of bell construction and tuning to the art of ringing these behemoths, an age-old practice that doesn’t command a lot of attention these days, especially here in the U.S.
Derived from the Latin word for bell, campana, campanology was coined in the Campania region of Italy, which is known for the mining of bronze that was used to cast bells.
These days, though, much of the talk of campanology resounds from the hallowed halls of English churches, and I was surprised at how many young people are chiming in.
Take, for instance, Becky Dunnet. She’s the teen star of this fun bit of campanology promotion:
I never would have guessed that campanology is considered cool.
Now, about that camping trip … have you made any plans yet?
From my isolated little farm at the end of a dirt road here in Idaho, it’s sometimes hard to remember that my arms can reach all the way across the U.S.! Today, we received an e-mail from Sandi, a former employee who moved to Virginia. 
Sandi said, “Most prominent rack by the check out at my local co-op here in Roanoke, Virginia!” 
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Melissa Osborn!!!
Melissa Osborn (#406) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Sew Wonderful Merit Badge!
“I made a small sewing kit. It has places to hold all necessary supplies. I love crazy quilts, so I made the outside look like a crazy quilt and got to brush up on my embroidery skills.
I love it and it is handy to keep beside my chair in the living room for when I want to sit and hand appliqué.”
A little bit o’ trivia …
January 20 is Penguin Awareness Day
(not to be confused with World Penguin Day, which will come around on April 25).
Photo of King penguins by Ben Tubby via Wikimedia Commons
Were you unaware?
I must admit, I was too.
While there seems to be no real rhyme or reason to Penguin Awareness day (unlike World Penguin Day, which coincides with the annual northward migration of penguins around about the South Pole), it’s an official day of sorts—even the Huffington Post says so.
And why not celebrate these funny flippered birds that manage to charm us from their remote, icy realm at the bottom of the globe?
If the 2005 movie March of the Penguins wasn’t enough to pique your passion for penguins, I dare you to resist the charm of Lala, the late king penguin who would go shopping for his family at a Japanese fish market wearing a penguin-shaped backpack:
I know!
There’s just something about these birds.
On a more serious note, penguin species are in various stages of peril as a result of climate change and ocean pollution, so in addition to watching penguin movies in a tuxedo, you might consider celebrating Penguin Awareness Day by supporting the efforts of the International Penguin Conservation Work Group.
A fun way to contribute is by “adopting” a penguin. While you don’t actually get a penguin in the mail, it’s the next best thing. You donate $55 for a year’s claim to a particular Magellanic penguin in the Falkland Islands.
Photo of a Magellanic penguin by David via Wikimedia Commons
Other conservation organizations simply send you a stuffed toy and a generic adoption certificate, but the Penguin Conservation Work Group actually places a special marker near your penguin’s burrow with the name you choose for your penguin. They follow the progress of your penguin and send you news and pictures of the bird, its home, some of its friends, and its chicks when they hatch.
Learn more about the group’s work in this video:
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
