Very funny.

I look out our window to figure out what the noise of spinning tires is. First glance, I see nothing but then I realize that a large van is stuck. Apparently he thought our driveway was a good candidate for turning around. With a sheepish look on his face he realized it too as he slid sideways into the deep snow. It took Simon about 10 minutes to help him out and gave me some good entertainment at Stuck Van's expense. I didn't let on that I was watching and grinning from the window. I even restrained myself from taking a picture.

I have giggled just now over a joke that only a certain friend would find funny. I won't bore you with it. It would lose its fun to be looked at askance by one who knows not the history that makes the joke fun. But my point is that friends are good. If you have one, hold on with joy and delight. If you do not then my sympathies are great.

The kidlets and I have just returned from the last in an 8-week session of swimming lessons. Adequate training, lots of fun for them--despite the chicken pox, travelling and runny noses that kept them from attending half the lessons. They asked me if they needed to wear coats and boots or were flip-flops and t-shirts ok. I tried to answer them seriously as the snow was flying around my head while I went to warm up the car.

Winter

We've been away, you know, for nearly two weeks. Visiting with family in Virginia and North Carolina. We had such a nice time.

Our return trip was uneventful and as we drove north the snow became a common sight. So much so that BTG claimed she felt that we had been seeing snow for months. It was nice to arrive home. And although I was reminded today that we have months of winter left, I know that I can and will relish the beauty of the snow now, before it gets to be too much for me. It really is pretty.

Who the Dickens?

I had put off reading Dickens with the kids, thinking them too young still. But a conversation around the table Sunday past had K2, the youngest at 7-11/12ths, asking who Scrooge was and BTG, the oldest at 11-10/12ths telling her he's a duck. OK, so not only are my children illiterate, they also have watched Disney's version of A Christmas Carol too many times. It took me only a few seconds to decide that the time had come to read the book.

Varied were the comments. But mostly negative.

I persisted.

"Marley was dead. There is no doubt whatever about that....Old Marley was
as dead as a doornail."

The surprised looks on their faces as the kidlets actually laughed out loud were as gratifying to me as the fact that they were enjoying the story. I was smug, I admit. "Maybe this won't be that bad after all," CTM says. It makes a mother proud. sigh.

Scrooge is described in sharp, pointy detail on page three.

"He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in
the dog-days; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas."

And the clincher for this proud mother: "And to think I thought this would be boring!" (BTG)

Two and a half hours later, with my voice scratchy, the story was interrupted by the return of Pieman. We picked it up again Monday and finished it Wednesday. Not one word was missed, although I'm sure many of the old English allusions were. But nobody seemed to mind. There was silence when I finished. The spell was complete.

"Young people will spend an evening with their friends through technology believing they have socialized and yet have never left their room. The ability to speak is being lost." A quote from Pastor Tim, a man who used to be a boy.

This quote will mean little to most people. That's ok. I write this as a tribute to Tim, whose face when I met him when he was just 12 will always fill my mind even though the maturity he has grown into is a much more complete picture.

My bulbs are planted, my cana lillies dug up and stored. I found a few sweet pea seeds and they have been dispersed. The shovels are put away and the gardening gloves too. Time now to wait till I start the tomatoes and things indoors to give me hope that Spring will come.

The boys have kept the furnace blazing with new wood every hour. This could be a warmer winter than last year!

It's only 8:30 and already I've run an emotional gamut. From wishing I had not woken up to realizing that my head was hurting and sleep wasn't possible anyway; from feeling groggy to invigorated and then to somewhere in the middle; from joy over news to dread of the day ahead; also looking forward to said day. Gamuts aren't always clear cut.

We're out of regular coffee. I've been tricking myself for the past day or two with decaf but today I wanted caffeine to try to help Advil kick the headache. Sometimes it works. This morning I'm trying hot chocolate with whipped cream. The sugar crash in an hour or two might be counterproductive.

BTG brought home the most beautiful maple leaves yesterday. She laid them all out on the white tablecloth. I neglected to take a picture. Today the edges are curled up and the effect is lost although the colours remain brilliant. She had talked about ironing them in wax paper--I think some of them are salvageable for that. It means changing our school plans to seize the moment. I think it will be worth it. Certainly we've derailed for reasons less noble than the preservation of beauty.

CTM has created a papier mache puppet. It's nearly done. I'm so proud of my children!

And KTU is enjoying stomping around the house in his new winter boots that he has proclaimed as cozy and comfortable. Actually he's not stomping, he's walking very softly. But the boots look like the stomping kind.

I can't do it. I read and am reminded of the real things of life: of love, of hope, of trust. I see my failures. I cannot make those memories happen. I cannot respond to the dear one who begs me to swim next time. I cannot care. Yes, I know that in God all things are possible. Indeed, only through Him can I even get out of bed. I know that in Him I can find the strength. That I will dig out my swimsuit and goggles. The cry for closeness from a little heart that I struggle to reach is stronger than my dislike of the water. But only because God softens me, hears my cry, and gives me another chance to get closer.

Lots of caterpillars lately. They're curling up, tucking themselves in. This one we found on our purple basil in the garden.

This one was in the park where we had our nature walk this week. The colours are changing, becoming more brown and golden and orange. The seeds are developing as the flowers fade. I used to think of Winter as a dead time. I now see Fall as preparing for that time of Deep Rest where Nature prepares herself for the burst in the Springtime.

Just moments before, as we were walking down the path, a Great Blue Heron took to its wings from this spot.

A walk

As we wandered yesterday through a local park with some good friends, we didn't get to see much by way of animals. Only a black squirrel was brave enough to stay amidst the running, shouting and splashing of sticks and stones into the river. Four little and not so little boys and two older girls who forgot they were "older" for a moment can cause quite a racket. We let them run off steam for a while before reigning them in. Still, this Great Blue Heron flew on ahead of us twice before the kids realized that quietness would get them a better sighting. This time, the heron walked away from us before flying, enabling us to get a couple of decent shots. It circled away and then over our heads (us adults at the back got to see that part--the kids missed it). Later, on our way back to the cars, we were startled to hear the sound of a branch cracking above our heads. Looking up we saw again the heron flying off away from us. He must have been sitting in the tree directly above us. I'm sure he was glad when we drove off!

Our friends have been doing a study on monarch butterflies. They "bought the kit" that included a tropical milkweed plant, caterpillars and a tent to let it all live in in their house until the butterflies "hatch". They have been in awe by the awesomeness of the process. So, as we passed a milkweed on our walk, of course we had to stop and look. (The milkweed plant is such has such funny little elves-hat seed pods.) We quickly saw these fuzzy caterpillars--not monarch--on leaves here and there. Then I lifted one and saw this colony of fuzz. They moved a bit so I tried to be quick to take the photos and leave them in peace. My guidebook tells me they are Milkweek Tussock Moth larvae.

And then I spotted the wild cucumber vine twining itself around the other plants. I remembered it from previous walks in this park but had forgotten about it until I ran across it on a website somewhere. The round, prickly pods dry to a lovely brown and the bottom pops open to disperse the seeds. The pod is then left looking like a loofa sponge with these neat cavities inside where the seeds had been. So of course I had to take a picture.

Over the way you will find our reasonable facsimiles of some of our finds from this walk.

Morning Calisthenics?

I can't go to bed.

I painted the floor that is between here and there. I'm hoping it dries quickly with the fan on it. Tomorrow I can move all the stuff back onto it but for tonight I get to still trip over things that are out of place. Not that I'll be going anywhere during the night across that sticky paint. If I have to I'll be able to get to my bed by going outside and through the side door. But I won't make any midnight trips to the loo that way.





So here I am, you lucky people!





Three of us had passport photos taken today. Why do I always forget to put my head in the more flattering position? And since my hair is blonde and fine, that white background makes it seem to disappear and I look scraggly. Ugh. The kidlets are cute by default but their shots aren't much better. Shh. Don't tell the grandparents.





Before going to our morning's appointment and then the photo shoot, the kids tried to chase the uncooperative (and very smart) chicken back into the coop from whence she had escaped when they went in to feed her. We left her out. One of the hens has taken to digging up my hosta garden so they've been confined again. They're much happier when they can run around though so I may have to build a fence or something. Happy chickens lay more eggs. The renegade came back at suppertime.





Only 4 more days till Pieman comes back.





Some shots I like from our nature walk the other day:

We stopped our bikes for this one. He didn't like the camera so close. First he tried to make like a leaf, then he put his dukes up, then figured the best thing was escape and scuttled away. We let him to. Figured the road wasn't a very safe place for him anyway.

Standing up straight like little soldiers at attention.

Why do I take pictures of fungus? I suppose 'cause it's so weird. This is just a cool shot. The weird fungus didn't look so weird on camera.

I love this one. I suppose it's my mother's heart. They look so independent.

Canary Bird Vine growing up my shed

Our first cherry tomato

And I ate it without stopping for a picture. It was good.

We continue to work through establishing a school routine. It has been fairly simple this year, thanks to some changes on my part. As in: a timetable on each child's weekly schedule. There is no doubt about when we start the day and when recess starts. (very important) Basic scheduling stuff, I know. We've for some time been operating on a timetable for school but I didn't think the kids needed to see it written down. Makes it much easier you know. For one thing they don't argue with me about what time recess is if it's written down. They have to argue with the paper and that doesn't answer back.

A new way to think

CTM: Mom! K2 is doing regrouping. I taught him an easier way. Let's say 15 is the number. You plant a base of 5 and launch 1. I knew he'd like that. (As in 29 + 36 stacked on top of each other.)

This is to me one of the many joys of having my children learning at home. I'd never see that at if they were at school. CTM (age 9) would never have the opportunity to teach his little brother (age 7) either.

First day of school a success. Eager beavers were up easily and starting work with good cheer.

(OK, BTG beside me says she didn't feel like an eager beaver but rather a bear just woken up from its winter nap. I was impressed that she didn't behave that way!)

We are soon off to a homeschool picnic. I have made chocolate cake and icing but the cake is still too hot to ice. We have to leave in 30 minutes so it is in the fridge to cool. CTM thinks I should make this cake every year since apparently I also made it last year. We have to bring a dessert to share and picnic food for ourselves. I made egg sandwiches and scones for us.

On the way to the picnic I have to stop and pick up the key from the plumber who hopefully fixed the leaky tap for the tenants. We've had a run of bills from various plumbers....it seems to be mostly on holiday long weekends. Thank goodness this one wasn't!

A weekend alone

With Pieman away and the kidlets sleeping over, it's been a different kind of weekend than I usually have. It has been enjoyable although I don't think I would like it full-time. I like being with my family. I like that we are a family. That said, I enjoyed getting curtains made and up ALL IN ONE DAY. I also made plans that involved dinner and a movie with friends and staying up till midnight just for fun. But there weren't any cuddles, or silly mealtimes. I did, though, get to stand up for my meal, or sit down if I wanted to. I made lunch and ate it in stages as each bit was ready and while I waited I ate a chocolate bar. Chocolate, potato pancakes, chocolate, curry and potato, chocolate, corn on the cob, chocolate.

I am thankful for the chance for a break, I will love it when they come home.

Breathe deeply in and exhale. Reaching the hearts of my children is doable and oh, so important.

This weekend brought us into situations where we could enjoy relationships with so many friends, some of whom we haven't seen in years. It was fabulous. Three families came to our place yesterday. Sharing our home with others is exactly what we want to do so we were thrilled that it all worked out.
This week's plan? I want to work on the next stage of school planning. We will start this year when Pieman goes to Uganda and Kenya in August, that way getting a head start for when his parents come visit in September and we take time off. I would love to say at the end of this week that I am ready to start!
(Considering my day today, I'm not sure that will happen! It's been a good day. Just different from what I imagined would happen.)


A sampling of shots from around the house:

the corn behind the mailbox across the street

our chickens--not all are giving us eggs--we haven't figured out who yet

some apple mint given me by a friend last night and still unplanted

wasps building a nest in our sump pump pipe

nasturtium in the garden

Two things are holding me back right now.

1. The belt on my vacuum cleaner is broken and I don't know if I can fix it....that is to say I have not looked at the machine to see if I can figure out how to change the belt. I have the new one.




2. The cabinet that I want to move is too heavy for me. There is also a chain of furniture that will need to be moved before I can move the cabinet I want to move--each shuffled along until it finds its proper spot to make my home run more smoothly.

And so instead I check email and my favourite blogs and websites. I consider putting the coffee on and eating a brownie. I could just ask Pieman to help me but he's behind in his work and not recovered fully from the flu that laid him low this weekend. He won't want to move a heavy cabinet. From my computer I can see the general untidyiness that I had wanted to address but that brings me back to the vacuum cleaner. And so I start again! Better change my thoughts and come up with something different to do. I'm sure the laundry is ready to be hung out. And then I'll take a cup of coffee to Pieman. By then I'll be outside and able to enjoy the day and my garden. Isn't distraction a useful parenting technique?

Not my garden. Pretty, non?

My friend came.
We talked.
She advised on the remodelling of my home, hitting some of the sticky spots we've been struggling with, she laid out her plan for a greenhouse and invited me to get in on the fun at our place, she made financial recommendations, she identified many of my plants that were heretofore unidentified. Turns out my Costa Rican "lechuga" is simply a mustard green.
She loved my house and was glad that she has a friend who also takes on big projects.
Our children played together.
We ate together.
It was a good day.

I am content.
We are expecting good friends for the day tomorrow.
I've spent good time in the garden today, transplanting and weeding.
I've been blessed to hear my family chattering and working alongside me on their projects and play.
I have accomplished much today and crossed things off my week's list.
I have loved and been loved.

Well, after a whole week of my "little" ones away at camp, my house is once again filled with the joyous sounds of children.

"Mommy, can you read me a story?",
"Mommy, may I have a snack?",
"I think it will take me a little bit to get back into the routine of
home."

Everything is back in its place; my life feels right again.

While I worked my way through loads of wet, sandy laundry, I took time to repot some ground cherries and replant a couple of watermelon seeds and dillweed. Just in case it amounts to anything--none of the others grew but it was colder then. I decided not to bother replanting peas. There's no point in attracting all the rabbits in the county. Besides, I already planted all my seeds for their feast. Perhaps they'd like some lettuce?

My friend wants to post this picture of my first attempt at watercolour. I figured I should get it up too. She and I were just two of a group of Canadians who drove or flew to North Carolina to attend a Charlotte Mason conference at the Gardner Webb University. I was invigorated by the ideas that flowed, envelopped and pulled me to new levels of knowledge to apply to our homeschool. OK, it was a time when us CM geeks got to yak to our hearts' content on the finer and minute details of a Charlotte Mason education. I love the results in our home.

Anyway, one of the sessions that I did not attend but my friend did was on nature study and watercolour painting. She taught me the technique and we spent an evening working on our flowers. She has, of course, come home and taught it to her children and they have all done wonderful paintings of pansies. I have yet to have this privilege. Others from the group have involved their children in learning poetry and also in painting. Each of us has sensed the growing momentum of a group of people keen on learning more. There was even a teacher from Korea in attendance!

Home again

Two weeks, six states and 50 hours of driving and we are back home. We as parents learned a year's worth of ideas for our Charlotte Mason run homeschool, caught a free symphony in the gardens of a colonial governor's palace, ate seafood and surfed on the Atlantic coast, saw a dolphin and a shark, played tennis and walked the marina, watched mountains of cooking shows and soccer games (we don't get those on our tv), attended a wedding with long missed friends and generally enjoyed eating and sleeping at our whim. The kids explored two zoos, camped for 4 days with grandparents which included swimming, canoeing, fishing, sandcastle building, marshmallow and hotdog roasting. They played soccer, baseball, cricket, croquet, I'm probably forgetting something, and lots else that I didn't hear about. They didn't get to bed anywhere on time and they decided that chocolate and popcorn counted as vegetables.

And my first thoughts on our return home was how the garden fared in our absence. The rabbits had a feast. Good for them. As good as it is to go away, it's good to be home.

I want to write more about the Charlotte Mason conference and what I learned. I'm not sure I'll get much done though. In the meantime if you're interested here's a website with some of the ideas from those in my homeschool group who also attended the conference.

The crew are outside working on the chicken coop. I am inside working on packing. Our little holiday is being counted down and looked forward to by all. As I cooked my porridge this morning, I found myself daydreaming of what I would choose to eat in the restaurants.

School finished last Friday. We have all enjoyed late mornings and the lack of "have to" pressuring us to move on. We've all been a little bored too! A routine will make itself felt. At this point I don't feel like forcing it. We are all ready for a backing off from outside direction. (Read: Mom tells the kids what to do all the time and we're all, even Mom, tired of that.) Firm reminders though that: "Mom, I'm bored" will result in a chore. They're quick to learn and the comment has changed to: "I'm trying to decide what to do." So they build a chicken coop. Or they play games that they haven't played in months. Of course there are tons of books to read. And when it's not so windy they love to be outside. And Mommy likes to sit in a quiet, sunny corner with a good book and a coffee. Some things don't change.

A shady patch next to the doorway now with hostas. One can hope they will crowd out the weeds. And the grass needs filling in.

Our garden. The neighbour took pity on us digging it out by hand and walked over with his rotatiller--twice! We have just to rake it now and try to pick out the worst of the sod. I know, we should sift it all, etc. but the seeds aren't growing in their little packets on my kitchen counter.

Wee little bunnies tucked in behind a lettuce box next to the house. Convenient. For the bunnies that is.

Can you tell me what this is? It's so pretty. One of the many surprises we've found in "corners". Another was asparagus. Three stalks. The rabbit got one.

The new ride-on, much loved by its new owner.

wind and sun

With a forecast of cool temps and rain, we were preparing to spend the day indoors. Indeed the beginnings proved the forecasters right. But by noon the sun was out and the clouds fluffy white. They are moving along at a prodigious speed, however, but the gang has accommodated themselves.....






More garden dug. We have room enough for the carrots now. Can't wait to pull that first wee orange...or in this case purple!....carrot.

A busy week

I composed numerous blogs and uploaded dozens of photos last week...mentally. Here is the nutshell version:

Pieman and I celebrated 15 years of marriage this week! It feels like such a large number and yet as though we've hardly begun to know each other. He gave me a dozen red roses, I gave him white chocolate, we are going to South Carolina in a few weeks. BTG made us yummy strawberry shortcake while we went out for a walk after a special Indian dinner.

BTG did super well in her ballet recital and exam. We're so proud of her! She was as pretty as a flower. (Ok, her costume was of seaweed--the most graceful seaweed ever. We thought her class's routine was the prettiest of the whole 3 hours.)



The next bedroom is finished. BTG is the happy owner and CTM and K2 are pleased to rearrange their beds so that they have more floor space for Lego and suchlike.

And finally, the children had their gymnastics recital and did exceptionally. Of course! Plus there have been all kinds of new flowers and green growing things. We have a new ride-on lawnmower. Yippee! The garden is coming along. We are digging a new garden and having a goodly amount of exercise getting that sod lifted up. There must be an old rotatiller or two lying in someone's old shed that we could just go pick up....

FYI

From where the Pieman was standing to video and facing the road, there are two more lots towards the left before the house. There is one house to the right and then the lot that is now sold. It was a fun excursion and fun too to imagine the nature walk possibilities along the river. A beautiful location. The subdivision is fairly small and the houses aren't the huge mansions often seen.

It's been nearly a month since I last blogged. The time has gone.

First it got hot and sunny. I spent time outside sipping coffee and looking for windless shelters in which to sip my coffee. Then I started working on the garden. We have to dig a new one and the grass is well established. At the same time I read a couple of books on organic and local eating. It has influenced me emphatically. Part of me doesn't want to change but I am drawn to it and eager to see what is around me. And what I can grow. I'm apprehensive about the canning and "putting up" part that will inevitably be a part of this. And winters here are long to wait for the next garden. But that is not yet.

Then it got cold again and we had company and before the company came we had to finish the 2nd bedroom. It is now nearly finished. Pieman is waiting for me to help paint. It was my idea. He wanted to watch a movie. He has been working fulltime in the theatre scene shop and it has gone much later than anticipated. So he didn't get to the bedroom any earlier. He got his one-week layoff notice today. Thankful we are that he had work there till May.

I planted out some seedlings today that apparently can tolerate the colder weather. They were nearly dead anyway. They had been moved away from the cat's sleeping place and thus got forgotten and dried out. Hope they survive. It felt good to be gardening. It's so....earthy. I think I sound like my father.

Time to paint. My boys are sword-playing in the kitchen. Where else?

Que feliz estoy de escuchar to voz, mi amiga. Gracias a Dios para su amistad. Me alegra mucho de hablar contigo.

It's been a mild, beautiful day. The wind is strong but the sun has been warm. I transplanted some daffodils and tulips that were failing to thrive in their pots inside. Figured they had a better chance outside even if the nights are still cold and the days unpredictable. They would have died inside. Everyone has gone for a bike ride down to the bee man's house. I stayed to watch the rice cooking. I'm so glad I did! I would have missed an important to me phone call. How sweet is friendship.

We had a slower school day today. We are all worn out from winter and a slow spring. I have cut out some of the more burdensome aspects of school to give us all a breather. Especially since this week starts two weeks of extremely late nights and extra pressure to prepare for a ballet recital with a "healthy" dose of dental visits and end of the year exams thrown in. It promises to be more than we want to deal with. But at the same time I attended a conference this weekend that has sent me home with new ideas and plans. I feel like a tulip bulb just poking my head out of the dirt; I want to stay in my warm bed but hope draws me forward.

Peeking through

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me!

After yesterday's rain and flooding and today's sun and warmth the snow is almost gone and these little guys are peeking up to see if it's safe to come out. What a glorious day!