Our youngest son had the "benefit" of attending a private day school for
his middle school years.  This because the town had no middle school and
tuitioned it's middle school students.  This was a fairly new school with
lots of "new" ideas of education.  All in all he got a good education
there, most importantly learning to think for himself and find answers in
unconventional ways.  They did have some rather unorthodox learning
experiences however.  One day John came home and anounced that he knew what
was wrong with our house--which he never liked because it wasn't new.  It
seems that they had had a guest speaker at school that day who talked about
Feng Shui and he learned that if the front door lines up with the back
door, which ours did, that all the Chee or Shee--oh hell Shit,  will
escape.  That's all I know about Feng Shui. What do you expect?  I'm a
Vermonter with 3 front doors and a back door.  We only use the back door
except in summer when we open one front door for cross breeze. This is a
different house and none of the doors line up but son still doesn't like
the house.  He says it's a CREEPY old house.  What does he expect with the
ghosts of my ancestors moaning in the corners because my grandfather had
the slate roof removed and shingles put on.  I think the slate was quarried
right here on the farm too.  Ruth




At 1:01 AM -0500 11/16/03, [log in to unmask] wrote:
In a message dated 11/15/2003 11:50:14 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

Would Mrs. Ralph be surprised to learn that you are a pillar of the
preservation community She wouldn't be surprised to learn I was a pillar of
salt.  Or a termite mound, for that matter. and considered a sage, largely
because of your sensitivity and tact?  She would be surprised at the use of
those last 4 words in conjunction with my name, yes. Surely these virtures
are self-evident to her. Shirley, you jest. I'd be glad to tell her. If you
would be so kind.  Preferably before my funeral, when it might still do me
some good.

Ah but I think you underestimate Feng Shui...if not hemroids.  Feng
Shui has introduced millions of folks to the idea that design might be
a system of orgainizing elements, rather than the "talent" and
"inspiration" of the feel good folks on HGTV.  Sure its bull shit, but
its systemitized bull shit.

Cow pies lined up in neat rows are not chocolate truffles.

God knows I agree about the beneficial effect on design of good
organization, and vice versa, but I don't see that there's much difference
between pulling a design out of one's supposedly-talented ass, and
attributing it to one's advanced studies of the ancient art (hitherto
unknown to Western architecture in the course of 3000 years) of Feng Shui.

A load of shit is a load of shit.

Ralph

--
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Dummerston, VT

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