Education of a Pondering Mom: Take Time to Smell the Coffee

Woodpeckers!

2012-01-31T17:38:00.001-06:00

I promised to share a fun fact about Woodpeckers as soon as I got the chance to do so. Some of you may alreadyknow this. Woodpeckers like to tuck food away to save for later. I vaguely remember hearing about this once, but had not thought about it in a long time. That is, I had forgotten the random information until I saw it happening right in front of my camera lens!

This is a female red-bellied woodpecker. Females have grey on top of their heads, whereas their spouses have a completely red head.

She takes another seed to hide in a completely different tree on our property.

Do you feed and observe woodpeckers in your own yards? They like bugs, yes, but they will also enjoy black sunflower seeds and suet cakes.

Enjoy!

Javamom

"Our" Hawk, part two

2012-01-31T16:19:00.002-06:00

This time, the hawk lingered

I think it had already eaten...otherwise it would be going after the white-winged dove there in the tree.

As I close January, all I can say is that this has been a delightful month of birding and photography every day. Sometimes, it was all about capturing a particular bird, no matter the form of the photo. Hawks (and indeed other birds) being quick, one doesn't have much time to set up the best composition. Other shots captured this month were all about the bird behavior. Happily, I was able to set up and compose some really lovely shots this month, as well.

Have any of my readers enjoyed any special birds or made new birding observations this month?
Let me know!

Javamom

"Our" Hawk

2012-01-26T22:57:00.004-06:00

The typical bird 'drop' to launch for flight

Watch out Mr. Finch! Do not move an inch - King Kong is behind you

Seriously...nobody move

And there he goes
(All photos by me, all rights reserved)

In Honor of "our" hawk, I'll share a poem by one of the poets we are studying this term, Alfred Noyes Enjoy!

Javamom

The Island Hawk

Hushed are the whimpering winds on the hill,
Dumb is the shrinking plain,
And the songs that enchanted the woods are still
As I shoot to the skies again!
Does the blood grow black on my fierce bent beak,
Does the down still cling to my claw?
Who brightened these eyes for the prey they seek?
Life, I follow thy law!
For I am the hawk, the hawk, the hawk!
Who knoweth my pitiless breast?
Who watcheth me sway in the wild wind's way?
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

As I glide and glide with my peering head,
Or swerve at a puff of smoke,
Who watcheth my wings on the wind outspread,
Here – gone – with an instant stroke?
Who toucheth the glory of life I feel
As I buffet this great glad gale,
Spire and spire to the cloud-world, wheel,
Loosen my wings and sail?
For I am the hawk, the island hawk,
Who knoweth my pitiless breast?
Who watcheth me sway in the sun's bright way?
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

My mate in the nest on the high bright tree
Blazing with dawn and dew,
She knoweth the gleam of the world and the glee
As I drop like a bolt from the blue.
She knoweth the fire of the level flight
As I skim, close, close to the ground,
With the long grass lashing my breast and the bright
Dew-drops flashing around.
She watcheth the hawk, the hawk, the hawk
(Oh, the red-blotched eggs in the nest!)
Watcheth him sway in the sun's bright way.
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

She builded her nest on the high bright wold,
She was taught in a world afar
The lore that is only an April old
Yet old as the evening star.
Life of a far off ancient day
In an hour unhooded her eyes.
In the time of the budding of one green spray
She was wise as the stars are wise.
An eyas in eyry, a yellow-eyed hawk,
On the old elm's burgeoning breast,
She watcheth me sway in the wild wind's way.
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

She hath ridden on white Arabian steeds
Thro' the ringing English dells,
For the joy of a great queen, hunting in state,
To the music of golden bells.
A queen's fair fingers have drawn the hood
And tossed her aloft in the blue,
A white hand eager for needless blood.
I hunt for the needs of two.
A haggard in yarak, a hawk, a hawk!
Who knoweth my pitiless breast?
Who watcheth me sway in the sun's bright way?
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

Who fashioned her wide and splendid eyes
That have stared in the eyes of kings?
With a silken twist she was looped to their wrist:
She has clawed at their jewelled rings!
Who flung her first thro' the crimson dawn
To pluck him a prey from the skies,
When the love-light shone upon lake and lawn
In the valleys of Paradise?
Who fashioned the hawk, the hawk, the hawk,
Bent beak and pitiless breast?
Who watcheth him sway in the wild wind's way?
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

Is there ever a song in all the world
Shall say how the quest began
With the beak and the wings that have made us kings
And cruel – almost – as man?
The wild wind whimpers across the heath
Where the sad little tufts of blue
And the red-stained grey little feathers of death
Flutter! Who fashioned us? Who?
Who fashioned the scimitar wings of the hawk,
Bent beak and arrowy breast?
Who watcheth him sway in the sun's bright way?
Flee – flee – for I quest, I quest.

Alfred Noyes

Storm-a-Comin'!

2012-01-24T16:48:00.004-06:00

...and the birds have been extra antsy today, snapping up seeds and suet with urgency, before the storm arrives. Even 18.5 yo college son, who loves sports and country music, noticed ;-).

I look forward to checking out my photos shot during their 'urgency' this afternoon.

Stay tuned! In the meantime, I will share something I had forgotten about woodpeckers (and one reason that led to why I forgot it).

Javamom

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

2012-01-22T14:31:00.000-06:00

This is a new bird to our feeders this year. I am pretty sure we have two of these little, plump, quick kinglets. One has a more distinctive, tiny dot of red on the top of his head, and the other doesn't seem to have one, at all. The only way I can tell, because they are so quick, is by photographing them and checking the details later.

It is a very windy day at the cottage, so it is hard for this little guy to hang on. I thought it rather funny, though slightly trecherous for him!

Hang on, little bird!

Tired bird finally gave up. Thank goodness the suet contains high protein to help sustain his extra efforts at flying and hanging on today.

Javamom

Hawk Stalking

2012-01-15T14:21:00.001-06:00

January 8th Hawk Stalking results:

It was competely overcast and chilly, but no wind.

adorable American Kestrel

Red-tail hawk? not sure b/c of the strips.

This is Henry the hawk, one at the edge of our neighborhood that we've watched from afar for years, now. He did not like me getting "close" to take his photo, so I had to be more sneaky, hide behind the car door and shoot from there. My longest lens is a 200-400. Yes, a better one (1200) is on my wishlist!

Later, after observing other hawks down the road, he came back around. My strategy to stay behind the car door worked pretty well, as he didn't scare off so quickly. Not bad for my first time out trying to capture him.

coming in for another landing

The backside of Henry

Henry the hawk (red-tail-pretty sure anyway)

Two red-tail hawks

the hawk on the right

the hawk on the left

so beautiful

The above hawks keep their distance from our neighborhood.

We have a hawk (Coopers or Sharp-shinned...probably a Coopers hawk, as he is larger) and a falcon that regularly visit our backyard to look for "lunch." I am almost always trying to keep my camera ready for them, but it is not easy. They like to do the hunting and not be 'the hunted.'

We are planning another outing soon!

Javamom

Mrs. Finch

2012-01-13T15:06:00.000-06:00

Here is the female finch that I was writing about. See how she has pin feathers sticking out from her eye?

She also has a tumor or two above her left eye. I wonder what happened. She has been around the cottage for months, now, but I also wonder how long she will last, and if she can see out of her left eye. We have a lot of hawks in the area (which may not even bother with her, because she is so small) and American Kestrels (which do like small prey).

Another view of the feathers poking out of her eye.

She decides to try and wash them out ~

Poor girl, trying so hard to wash the irritants out of her eye, or so it seems.

Because here, she seems so weary and tired. The eye malady has burdened her for months that I've noticed her.

More to come, if we see here again. The temps dropped and I have not spotted her at the feeders for a couple of days :-(.

Javamom

Finches

2012-01-06T14:14:00.002-06:00

Finches are extremely fun to watch. This is the best, unplugged show in town, which may actually make it the best show in town.

Goldfinch is scoping out the situation down below to see if there's anything good to eat or drink.

The 'birdie dive' to get to drop quickly. Forget swooping about. This means business, and quick!

See how much smaller the American goldfinch is than the house finch?

One of our sets of regular house finch couples. It's as if they see me and ask "what are you doing?"
The female is the brown, streaked on the left and the male is the pretty one on the right. I will share my confusion over the different types of "red finches" for the longest time. Why they don't just call them red is beyond me. The purple finch is a more brilliant and rich red, with hints of magenta or maroon, but he is definitely not purple, in my humble opinion! ;-)

The finch dance that I get to see almost every day. I wish my focus had been better. There is the goal for next time. :-)

Coming in for a landing with the others. They are sociable creatures and love to stick together in groups. One of my bird books says they can move into a yard by the dozens or HUNDREDS. Imagine that! That's a lot of birdseed.

They don't just eat from tube thistle feeders or sock feeders. These are eating black oil sunflower seed from a flat surface. When I was a newbie birder several years ago, I thought I must have a tube thistle feeder in order to attract finches, especially gold finches. I was so wrong! I finally gave up on those, just figuring we'd never have a whole bunch of finches. Again, I was wrong. They came later, and seemed to prefer our regular feeders at the cottage. Go figure.

Next time, I will tell you about one of our regular house finch couples. The female has a bit of a health problem.

Until Then!

Javamom

Birding in the new Year

2012-01-05T23:50:00.005-06:00

I have decided to turn my blog posts more toward my learning adventure into the habits and care of our backyard birds. I've been photographing our birds for about four years, now, but have simply kept the joy low-key.

Instead of starting a different blog on birding, I am simply going to keep going on this blog. It makes sense...we encourage lifelong and naturally occuring learning (outside of typical "school" hours, even) here at the cottage.

I am a few days behind in my new goal, but I will try to post something new or something that I've learned several times a week.

What I've learned recently is that it may be more important to provide water sources (and not just one) for the birds, especially in drought conditions. Even though winter is here, we (I) tend to notice the drought conditions less (unless our livelihood depends on rain).

Robins have shown up in droves these past four or five days of the new year. Perhaps our water sources have something to do with it!

Lining up for water :-)

All finished for now!

Javamom

Last Day of 2011

2011-12-31T18:12:00.000-06:00

Is this New Year's Eve?? It's 73 degrees outside, and sunny!
Oh, and the birds are very active!

Happy New Year's Eve, my friends :-)

Javamom

One of my hobbies...

2011-12-19T18:05:00.005-06:00

As we move through December, I noticed how behind I have gotten on my blog. Blame it on teaching a couple more classes than I have in a couple of years, or on the fact that Facebook has become my one-stop info source.

It has been a busy Autumn, with two weddings in the family, one of which I photoraphed in its entirety. THAT was a good time :-).

On to my hobby: observing birds through a camera lens. I've been doing this for two-three years now, and I have learned so many little things.

We've seen new visitors to the feeders in the last few days, like these American Goldfinches. These are the most we've had at once...they seem to have descended upon us like never before, and it is exciting! I love nature study and have come to love birding in a way that I never imagined.

So in between Spanish class prep and grading, crafting, a little shopping, and prepping for Christmas, this is what keeps me busy.

What critters are you noticing in your neck of the woods?

Javamom

Our only student left! AJ's schedule

2011-10-25T16:40:00.017-05:00

Our last child, DS AJ, is a junior and we are basically doing most of HEO year 10 . I have taught a course in American Lit a couple of times now, with my own kids and a few other hs students along for good discussion. That tends to steal from the typical HEO recommendations and rotations from both years 10 and 11. We have to adjust for that, but I have made adjustment to AmblesideOnline ever since we first began it back in the late 90's.

We are looking into purchasing "The Lost Tools of Writing" to help our last child with writing. I'll let you know how that turns out. We may yet keep things simple for him, or we may decide to dive right in to better, deeper methods on a simple level, which is what he needs right now.

History Spine for this year:
Our oldest two students, now long-graduated and married, used Paul Johnson's History of the American People. Our now college freshman read through the Clarence B. Carson set, A History of the United States, for his American History Spine. So, we are trying Churchill with our youngest. He is a junior, but we have rearranged his history for several reasons, one being the American Lit. class issue that I've already mentioned.

Literature:
We did American Lit last year. Hubby teaches American Lit, so I love to present that subject in chronological order, different from HEO, so that I can have Hubby's input and discussion in our classes, as well.

We saved Moby Dick for this year, didn't require it of him in American Lit last year. His big brother read it, but he was ready for it, AJ was not at the time. Hubby also wants him to read Great Gatsby, which is scheduled in Yr. 11 of HEO.

Our main Shakespeare play for the year is "As You Like It" but Hubby wants us to add one more to the rotation. Maybe it will be Hamlet, and we can use Peter Leithart's study book, _Brightest Heaven of Invention_.

DS will keep reading through _The History of English Lit for boys and girls_. This is one of his favorite books of all the AO/HEO recommendations.

Writing:
Zinsser "On Writing" or may get "Lost Tools of Writing" and go deep to see what he is capable of, since AJ grasped things later than our other students/children.

Citizenship:
DS will also be reading "Ourselves" by Charlotte Mason to cover citezenship, along with One Blood by Ken Ham and Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin

Geography:
Pinpoint places about which we read on a map
also may read Eothen (a travel journal)
We have maps which we bought in New England when we visited there. We will point things out from this year as we come across them, such as Winslow Homer's home(s), Nathaniel Hawhtorne's home, Louisa May Alcott's home(s), Emerson's Home, etc.

Government/economics:
The Law (1848) by Frederic Bastiat

Foreign Language:
DS has studied two years of Spanish, but I'd like to draw him into more conversation and stories. He is still a resistant, reluctant student with learning/processing issues, so I have to present enriching ideas for him to grasp hold and take off. That is difficult to stay the course with this one. I lose heart far too often.

Worldviews:
We'll watch the video series "How Should We Then Live" by Francis Schaeffer to help ease the reading burden on ds. I am also planning on reading _Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave_ along with him and disussing.

We may read Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde. Not sure if we should add two more books to his reading schedule. Will see how things go. All our other kids read these, plus _The Deadliest Monster_ by Jeff Baldwin, a sort of study guide, but an essay in and of itself for the aforementioned books. Our oldest two read this when they were in year 8 and year 10, respectively.

Essays:
I love the Emerson Essays. We have already read some in American Lit last year. I will have AJ read more, including the LONGER Nature essay. There are two Nature essays. I think HEO still scheduled the very short essay. The longer one is much, much better, IMHO, and in my teacher-Hubby's opinion. He has taught American Lit for 20 years. The American Scholar is phenomenal, and one which we read last year. Oldest kids read it, as well. So I'll have AJ read "Art" this year, since we didn't cover that one last year.

We are going to add a few books by Wendell Berry, as he seems to be a modern-day, Christian Thoreau in whom my husband and I are becoming very, very interested. Hubby is not your typical Christian, evangelical hs dad. He is not a replublican! (lol) and I am more of a tea party person, myself...though I still hesitate to identify with them, because the Tea Party encompasses a broad spectrum of folks and ideologies.

Math:
Consumer Math (we suspect dysgraphia with this student, so we don't expect any miracles toward Algebra I or II and beyond...that is also a real problem I have, so have swapped the teaching of Maths--with other families, Moms--for Spanish teaching {which I *love* and am good at, if I do say so myself, lol!} in years past with all our other, older three kids, all now graduated).

Budgeting and books by Larry Burkett, Ron (I think) Paris, others

Logic:
I hope to work on _How to Read a Book_ with AJ. He has not read any of this, yet, unlike our older kids, who read this much earlier in their schooling.

Health:
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (probably the DVD instead of the book for this particular student)
The Gift of Pain by the same author

Science:
Six Easy Pieces by Richard P. Feynmen
Bio on Albert Einstein, and DVD documentaries

Nature Study:
We've already read _Walden_ and been to Walden Pond, so we will read some John Muir
and work on nature photography, probably study Ansel Adams again. AJ was too young last time we studied him.

The following are not this year's AO/HEO recommendations completely, because we are studying these with a few others, as well as at home.

Poetry:
We've already been working on Billy Collins and just started William Wordsworth. To these, I will add Emily dickinson and John Greenleaf Whittier for the year

Artist/Picture Study:
An in-depth look at Winslow Homer
Norman Rockwell,
and Vincent Van Gogh

Drawing/Art:
Artistic Pursuits
The Arts by Hendrick Van Loon

Composer Study:
Chopin this term
The Russian composers next term

Music History:
300 Years of Interaction in Western Music, Arts, History, and Culture by Professor Carol

Hymn Signing:
Yes! and Tonic Solfa study, as well
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier (just one of several)

Recitations and Copywork:
sections/speeches from Shakespeare
poems that we are studying this year
Bible verses in English and Spanish

Folk Songs this term:
Aiken Drum
Carick Fergus
De Colores

Plays:
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (we will watch it, instead of reading it)
a second Shakespeare (haven't decided which one yet)

Free Reading:
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne (We have the added bonus of having visited Hawthorne's hometown, his home in Concord, and Seven Gables, so this may help!)
Little Men (AJ never read it earlier in AO b/c he didn't fully learn to read until he was older, now he reads quite well, but it is not his favorite thing to do)
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
P.G. Wodehouse stories (may simply watch some)
G. K. Chesterton
and MAYBE a Sir Walter Scott novel.

And of course, we will be working on basic life skills, such as changing tires, changing oil, building simple things, helping with home and car maintainence, cooking, etc. He keeps his room very tidy.

It has taken me long enough to share this, but I just gave the schedule another tweak this week, so it wasn't really ready to share, just yet!

I've also been quite busy prepping other classes, Spanish I and II, Artist/Picture Study, and poetry, just to name a few!

The older I get, the slower I seem to be at posting details, LOL.

How is your schoolyear going, my dear, quiet readers? Let me know!

Javamom

A Night Piece

2011-10-13T12:38:00.005-05:00

Hunter's Moon October 2011

A Night Piece

by William Wordsworth

composed 1798, published 1815

--The sky is overcast

With a continuous cloud of texture close,

Heavy and wan, all whitened by the Moon,

Which through that veil is indistinctly seen,

A dull, contracted circle, yielding light

So feebly spread, that not a shadow falls,

Chequering the ground--from rock, plant, tree, or tower

At length a pleasant instantaneous gleam

Startles the pensive traveller while he treads

His lonesome path, with unobserving eye

Bent earthwards; he looks up--the clouds are split

Asunder,--and above his head he sees

The clear Moon, and the glory of the heavens.

There, in a black-blue vault she sails along,

Followed by multitudes of stars, that, small

And sharp, and bright, along the dark abyss

Drive as she drives: how fast they wheel away,

Yet vanish not!--the wind is in the tree,

But they are silent;--still they roll along

Immeasurably distant; and the vault,

Built round by those white clouds, enormous clouds,

Still deepens its unfathomable depth.

At length the Vision closes; and the mind,

Not undisturbed by the delight it feels,

Which slowly settles into peaceful calm,

Is left to muse upon the solemn scene.

Placed by Wordsworth among his "Poems of the Imagination" printed in the "Lyrical Ballads"

September Garden

2011-09-18T12:27:00.004-05:00

Our first watermelon!

We were able to keep most of our garden hydrated enough to survive Texas's hottest summer on record. This is one of our watermelons that we noticed this week, growing outside the fencing of our garden!

Here is a quartet of canteloupe that I photographed about a week ago...

It has taken advantage of the extra growing space on the fence around the garden.

Here they are today ~ getting a little more ripe!

Eggplant blossoms!

A couple of canteloupe that I picked this morning.

This one is one of the large ones that have grown this summer. One thing about our 100 degree plus temperatures: canteloupe seem to thrive in it! But so do the weeds, with all our irrigation.

It was too hot for too long for our seven tomato plants to even set blossoms this summer. One of our larger tomato plants completely dried up and died. The rest have struggled to stay alive, but also to make a comeback, but come back, they have! I saw lots of blossoms out there this morning.

Next, I need to concentrate on our pepper plants and give them a good feeding with Howard Garrett's liquid molasses plant concoction. I will shoot some photos of them later.

How does your garden grow? Are any of you planting a fall garden now? I have misplaced most of our seeds whilst getting things organized for the new schoolyear. But I will be replanting more cool-weather greens as soon as I find those seeds!

Javamom

The Names by Billy Collins - In memorium 9 11

2011-09-11T10:38:00.005-05:00

The Names
Billy Collins

Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name --
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han,
Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on storefront windows
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner --
Kelly and Lee,
Medina, Nardella, and O'Connor.
When I peer into the woods,
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening -- weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds --
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in a green field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.

Winslow Homer Timeline

2011-08-23T16:12:00.010-05:00

I have been selecting art prints to teach this fall in an Art Study (aka via Charlotte Mason "Picture Talk") Class. I spent hours at my favorite used bookstore about three weeks ago (with my married daughter and with friends, of course!) perusing dozens of art books to choose for my background research. It has been years since I taught Winslow Homer in our homeschool. I purchased two books of Homer, two books of Van Gogh, and one new, large book of Norman Rockwell to fill out the 2011-2012 schoolyear.

(Snap the Whip - probably Homer's most popular, well-known painting)

Since then, I have also spent a good deal of time researching prints online, to help choose from different time periods of Homer's work, but also to compare the different media he used over the course of his artistic career. I like to find the obscure works, or the lesser known and find the stories behind them. I am odd that way ;-). Though, finding works from the beginning, middle, and latter part of an artist's career is what Charlotte Mason recommended. For my part, I have been both enriched and enlightened!

Many may know that he began as an apprentice learning how to make lithographic illustrations. He studied with John H. Buford of Boston. Then he did some freelance work before moving to New York, where he began working for Harper's Weekly doing illustrations of the Civil War. How many of you know the rest of his story?

I stumbled upon this chronology at the National Gallery of Art website, which includes thumbnail prints of his work, with a brief timeline of his life to the right. Once you click on one of the small prints, it opens up a new window with more information. What a treasure of concise and visual information! Almost better than a book. ALMOST!

I also happened upon a lecture by Peter H. Wood, author of the book Near Andersonville. His book is about a print of Homer's that was lost for about 100 years, how it was discovered, and what Civil War -related meanings exist throughout the seemingly simple painting. I am thrilled to have found this information. Now my husband and I both want this book on the shelves of our home library. (He is an American Lit. teacher and a Homer fan, too).
What are my fellow readers and friends studying in the arts this first term of the new schoolyear? Answer on either FB or the blog link! I really want to hear!

Ciao for now,

Javamom

~ August ~

2011-08-01T16:08:00.003-05:00

August
by James Whitcomb Riley

A day of torpor in the sullen heat
Of Summer's passion: In the sluggish stream
The panting cattle lave their lazy feet,
With drowsy eyes, and dream.

Long since the winds have died, and in the sky
There lives no cloud to hint of Nature's grief;
The sun glares ever like an evil eye,
And withers flower and leaf.

Upon the gleaming harvest-field remote
The thresher lies deserted, like some old
Dismantled galleon that hangs afloat
Upon a sea of gold.

The yearning cry of some bewildered bird
Above an empty nest, and truant boys
Along the river's shady margin heard--
A harmony of noise--

A melody of wrangling voices blent
With liquid laughter, and with rippling calls
Of piping lips and thrilling echoes sent
To mimic waterfalls.

And through the hazy veil the atmosphere
Has draped about the gleaming face of Day,
The sifted glances of the sun appear
In splinterings of spray.

The dusty highway, like a cloud of dawn,
Trails o'er the hillside, and the passer-by,
A tired ghost in misty shroud, toils on
His journey to the sky.

And down across the valley's drooping sweep,
Withdrawn to farthest limit of the glade,
The forest stands in silence, drinking deep
Its purple wine of shade.

The gossamer floats up on phantom wing;
The sailor-vision voyages the skies
And carries into chaos everything
That freights the weary eyes:

Till, throbbing on and on, the pulse of heat
Increases--reaches--passes fever's height,
And Day sinks into slumber, cool and sweet,
Within the arms of Night.

God Meets Us In The Garden

2011-07-27T11:50:00.009-05:00

"Where earth and spirit mix, God and man meet."

This is a quote from one of my new favorite authors, Vigen Gourian. I was blessed to get to see/hear him speak in person and buy some of his books. I say "see and hear" because he is fun to watch speak, quiet with animated, happy facial expressions. But he can also be firey if he feels he needs to be!

Another good quote: "We are created in the image of the Master Gardener."

This being so, we can take in the full delights in our gardens as the Lord delights in his creation, and in us.

This was after I cleared out most of the aged, squash-bug infested squash plants in early July. Now the cantaloupe plants and watermelon plants have plenty of room to stretch out.

In this shot, you can see how the extreme, constant 100 plus temps are affecting the garden.

Notice how the cantaloupe has trailed up and across the fencing.

These cherry tomatoes sprung up on there own. I let them continue to grow just in case. What a delightful surprise!

The cantaloupe are LOVING this crazy, constant, dry heat.

This was last weekend. I picked the ripe one on Monday and the other one ripened by Tuesday eve.

washing and rinsing ~

Kale

Some of our early July harvest

Cantaloupe picked between 7/23-7/26

Have you met God in the garden recently? It restores the soul. But if you are a gardener, you are already keenly aware of that!

Happy Harvesting,

Javamom

Art & Music History Blog

2011-07-25T18:17:00.006-05:00

I wanted to recommend a blog called Circle of Scholars:Discovering Music with Professor Carol. I just found this after meeting (and singing with!) Carol and her husband at the CiRCE Institute Conference themed "What is Man?"

You need to see how she has combined art with music, along with the story of the works about which she is writing. Her passion simply oozes out of the very center of her being. I am almost speechless at the treasure, so I will simply leave it at that, and encourage you to go explore it. Go on! Right now! Meet me back here for more discussion, if you like :-).

Can you tell what we will be adding to our sources in our homeschool this fall? Yes, even though I have only one left in 'official' school. I also bought Carol's work, "Discovering Music: 300 Years of Interaction in Western Music, Arts, History, and Culture."

Javamom

And is it so!

2011-07-24T21:05:00.005-05:00

Just sharing today what a group of us were asked to sing at a Classical Ed. Conference this past weekend. What an honor.

And is it so! I shall be like Thy Son
(sung to the tune of Abide With Me)

And is it so! I shall be like Thy Son?
Is this the grace which He for me has won?
Father of glory—thought beyond all thought!
In glory, to His own blest likeness brought!

Oh, Jesus, Lord, who loved me like to Thee?
Fruit of Thy work, with Thee, too, there to see
Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll,
Myself the prize and travail of Thy soul.

Yet it must be: Thy love had not its rest
Were Thy redeemed not with Thee fully blest;
That love that gives not as the world, but shares
All it possesses with its loved co-heirs.

Nor I alone; Thy loved ones, all complete
In glory, round Thee there with joy shall meet
All like Thee, for Thy glory like Thee, Lord,
Object supreme of all, by all adored.Source:

Tomato plant care 6-25-11

2011-06-26T13:51:00.011-05:00

A friend recently asked some details about tomatoes, so I am sharing these photos with her in mind. The summer is flying by and I started this post about tying / staking up tomatoes a month ago! These plants have more than doubled in size now. However, it has been a busy summer, with lots of hands-on care needed in the garden, and lots of reading, study, and decluttering the house in my 'free-er' time, to get ready for the fall school term.

We use jute or twine to 'weave' among the stakes between each tomato plant.

Next, we wind the twine around the stake and tie it (no knot, though, unless needed. These wooden stakes hold the twine just fine, no slippage) before stretching it on to the next stake.

The twine gently supports the branches of the tomato plant, providing some 'give' as it grows outward and upward.

You will notice how the plants have grown in my next post about the whole garden in general!

I wish the garden was larger, but this is an extremely hot year to try and keep it alive and growing. In fact, it has been too hot for some of our tomato plants to set their blossoms.

Hope you are enjoying summer tomatoes from your own (or a friend's) garden this summer!
There's just no comparison to grocery store tomatoes.

Javamom

Green (tomatillo) Enchilada Sauce

2011-06-12T22:32:00.003-05:00

We like both green and red sauces on our open and stacked (not cooked in a cake pan in the oven) enchiladas. I just realized this weekend how easy it would be to grow, mix, and can our own sauce. Unfortunately, we did NOT plant tomatillos this year! Now I've planned to buy seeds to plant in our fall garden, to give this a try.

Here's a basic recipe, for those who have already asked.

5 jalapeño peppers
1/2 lbs of tomatillos (green husk tomato)

Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos along with the jalapeño peppers in a pot of water for about 7 minutes; they will become slightly soft. Remove the stems from the Jalapeños.
In a blender, place cooked tomatillos, jalapeños, salt and about 1/4 of a cup of the chicken stock; blend well. If the sauce is too thick, add more of the chicken stock. The sauce should has a consistency of soup.

Enjoy!

Javamom

Where are They Now?

2011-06-07T00:05:00.021-05:00

Sometimes I think it is so strange that I have adult children! I must simply be in denial of my own age ;-). I've decided to blog a "Where are they now?" post, for any of my followers who are wondering why I don't post much about homeschooling anymore.

Well, we have three homeschooled graduates now. Our oldest is married and is racing and building bicycles. He has followed his passion. He met his dear wife at our old church home. They were married by their youth pastor. She is attending college and is an incredible artist.

Here he is, working at the bike shop ~

And racing (what a beast)

That's him at #2

#1 -- he ended up finishing 5th in his age group! This was just one pack of riders.

DC #2 met her hubby in my high school Spanish class at one of our local homeschool co-ops.

They have been married for over a year now, and just got back from (yet another) nature adventure, this time it's not Iceland, but several national parks in the Pacific Northwest. He is a stellar photographer and she loves cooking and nutrition.

DC #3 is staying local for the time being and will be attending college close to home. He is interested in sports training and nutrition.

So that leaves us with just one left to homeschool.

some of his favorite hobbies

visiting the big siblings up north

They are all so similar and yet so unique! But also, the more things change, the more they stay the same ;-).

DC #1, 2, and 3, at the beginning of our homeschooling journey

Hubby and I used to long-distance cycle, so yes, he is wearing compression pants, even then!

Our family ~ Christmas 2010

We are thankful for the blessings, for the freedom to homeschool and to raise them to the beat of a different drummer.

Javamom

p.s. How are your families growing along the way? I am blessed to know some wonderful homeschool families, and have enjoyed watching their kids grow, and even getting to teach some of their children Spanish or American Lit!

Education of a Pondering Mom

2011-06-05T15:39:00.006-05:00

Life is rich! Be brave enough to seek the richness, the reflection of God in His creation, to step off the merry-go-round more often. Keep your eyes open.

While jumping through the hoops may be necessary sometimes, it is not The Main Thing.

Too many miss this.

To this I add a recommendation that you visit our son-in-law's blog for a glimpse of that which I am speaking.

Javamom

what a difference three days makes!

2011-06-02T22:23:00.006-05:00

First, I'm going to post the herbs that I didn't post a few days ago, then you can see some veggies that I only mentioned in passing in my last post. :-)

Spearmint

Cilantro

Sage

Thyme

oregano

Dill

first zucchini

Snow Peas!

and last but not least, ripe grape tomatoes

Garden progress ~ May 30

2011-06-01T15:21:00.006-05:00

We are transitioning this year from just organic gardening to also buying heirloom seeds. We started many of these plants ourselves. Hopefully we will locate and purchase all heirloom seeds for our next garden.

This shot was taken before our son mowed and ran the weedeater around the edge of the garden. It looks much neater as of yesterday!

Notice all the greens on this side. We planted red and green swiss chard, collard greens, and kale. We planted spinach, as well, but it did not come up.

heirloom tomato

red swiss chard

green swiss chard

bell pepper (one of a few)

yellow squash (one of several!)

I'm pretty pleased overall with this year's garden. The snow peas are coming up well and attaching themselves to the fencing. There are a few pods out there, too!

The green beans are growing, but not very full just yet.

How does your garden grow? Show me some of your photos!

Javamom

Ready to begin some plans for Next Schoolyear

2011-05-22T15:42:00.006-05:00

Spring fever

Senioritis

This is what we have had going on around here for a couple of months, now. If you had asked me two weeks ago what I was planning to do next year, I would have rolled my eyes at you. Literally. I was so ready just to be done with the year and move on to graduation celebration for our next senior (our third, now).

It has been a traumatic season in the family, with my Mom's cancer diagnosis, surgery, and continued chemo treatments. Then there is my husband's father's cancer numbers going up, after his first diagnosis almost 18 years ago. There are silver linings during the clouds of this chapter. Mom's numbers are going down steadily, and she is 2/3 of the way through chemo. Father-in-law has already outlived what his doctors had predicted by at least a decade, and he's feeling pretty well, all-in-all.

This week, I finally turned a corner in my mind and am getting excited about next year. I had almost given up on inspiration for the next year or two. Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge proponent of life long learning. Home schooling has allowed us the freedom to pursue and encourage that with not only our own kids, but many, many families and children along the way since the very early 90's.

What helped me out of my end-of-year funk? A new-to-me book about education that I purchased for summer reading and teacher continuing education. But first, I had to wrap up some pretty important details regarding this year. I needed to prepare for Spanish class reviews, make copies of Spanish tests, wrap up readings of short sketches and poetry in American Lit. with the writing of Garrison Keillor and Billy Collins, but not capping that class off with a final of any sort. I did not want to beat the literature with an analytical bat, so-to-speak, but let it stand in the kids' minds on its own merit; to marinate.

When we wrapped up today, it was exciting to hear my students' passion and/or narrations of their favorite or most surprising book, poem, or author from this school year. My own senior surprised me the most. He had made connections with Buckskin and Blanket Days, which is the story of a major part of the life of the newspaper journalist who reported on The Battle of Wonded Knee. He also happens to be one of my ancestors.

Several weeks ago, I had ordered a copy of The Student Whisperer by Oliver DeMille and Tiffany Earl, but had not been able to pick it up, for the aforementioned reasons. I could finally pick it up after this past week was nearing its end. Most of my class preps were behind me, so I spent a couple of nights reading into the wee hours. This book is hard to put down!

I am motivated once again to plan afresh, with the old purpose put in me years ago. It's great to have certain things reaffirmed, and to be challenged anew. Some of the background stories are so new to me, but it all reaffirms what I have always felt in my gut and even experienced in my own life of travel and living, working with others from various cultures and countries.

I'll close for now, but plan to blog more on the book as I proceed and as ideas simmer for a couple of days.

Are YOU ready for summer, or for continued learning?? :-)

Anyone want to read along with me and comment? Please do, and let me know!

Ciao for now,

Javamom

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-04-22T16:47:00.003-05:00

It is taking off after some rain and now some heat!

Hubby removed the grass from half of the garden edges, but we still need to finish the left side and put the rocks back in place. (photo above)

swiss chard - we also have red chard, but it is still very small.

zucchini

yellow squash

above is a rogue set of plants that grew from our compost. I thought it might be cantaloupe, but it could also be cucumber!

Kale!

Green bean seedlings that need to be placed in the garden very soon!

snow peas just coming up (by the fence, far left) herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, even dill) left corner of the photo. Zuchini on the right, tomatoes in the middle, peppers (bell and jalapeno) upper left corner.

We also need more mulch, maybe we'll get it this weekend. I already need to get after some weeds and nutgrass.

What are you growing?

Javamom

To a Child Born in April

2011-04-21T14:30:00.007-05:00

Two of our four children were born in April, our married daughter and our youngest son, who is turning 16.

My husband, my mother, and sister, brother and my late Granny, and several nieces and nephews, also have April birthdays. We love April! This poem is for them (replace maid and lassie with 'Lad' for the boys ;-)

To a Child Born in April

by K.E.W.
Parents' Review magazine, 1893-94
vol. 4 pg. 361

Happy little April maid
Who in early childhood played,
In the father-tended glade,
All among the flowers!

Happy that thy mother's heart
Knows so well it's mother's part,
To be glad, for glad thou art
Babe of April joys.

Never mind the April showers
The will bring us lovely flowers;
God sends beauty, it is ours.
Wreathe thy happy brows!

Every little leaf and bud
Cowslip field and primrose wood
All for thee, to do thee good,
Skip then with the lambs!

Sing sweet April lassie sing
Thou art part of a joyous spring
Earth is thine, and Christ thy king
Praise him with the birds.

The ducks are baaaaccckkk!

2011-04-13T15:43:00.004-05:00

I simply love it when the ducks return to our yard every spring!

Veggie Garden Prep 2011

2011-04-02T12:37:00.007-05:00

Heirloom tomatoes and peppers

Herbs and squash

Our organic kale seedlings

The kale is looking good! We started these about two months ago.

spinach, chard, kale, others

All these seedlings are just about ready to go in here. Today, hubs is working in the last bit of enriching organic matter. We had a lot of good compost from our bin this year, but with our clay soil, we still needed more good soil and manure.

Thankful that spring is here, and thankful for a gorgeous weekend!

Javamom

Red-Bellied Woodpecker Couple

2011-03-14T18:49:00.004-05:00

It's pretty uncommon to see our woodpecker couple near the bird feeders at the same time. In fact, this is only the second time I've ever observed them on the same branches at the same time. Their normal habit is to take turns throughout the day leaving the trees near our fence line to come up to the feeders.

I was very happy to get the opportunity to capture them together! The female (with the patch of grey on her head) is on the right.

What are the signs of spring in your neighborhood?

Happy Spring, Friends!

Javamom

New Book on my Wish List

2011-03-02T22:38:00.003-06:00

Book 12 in the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes out tomorrow, and I am pretty happy about that. I just purchased book 11 online about two weeks ago, because it is the only one that I have not been able to find used at Half Price Bookstore. It was hard to finish the final pages of book 10 and say goodbye to the ladies for who-knew-how-long at the time.

I began reading book 11, The Double Comfort Safari Club, just as soon as it came in. This series has been my choice of story before I fall asleep most nights these past few years. So knowing book 12 is coming out tomorrow helps me to "proceed" with book 11 at whatever pace each night allows, without feeling the need to make it last as long as possible, if you know what I mean.

I've recently gotten back on a kick of reading an author I hadn't read since the mid-nineties, the Anna Pigeon National Park ranger mysteries. Her novels are exciting, though sometimes pretty graphic murder-mysteries than are the stories Mma Ramotswe encounters in the mostly-calm pleasantries found in The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

I'll write more about the Anna Pigeon novels another time (author Nevada Barr). For now, I don't want to spoil the simple joys and love for Africa and humankind that flows around and to the brim in the McCall Smith stories.

Time to go read!

Javamom

A Solid Hint of Spring

2011-02-28T14:25:00.008-06:00

Sprouts are sprouting and buds are blossoming!

These are a mixture of spinach, romaine lettuce, and green and red swiss chard.

As soon as we get the garden tilled up just so, with all the good compost and nutrients added back in, we will transplant our 'cool weather' seedlings into the our backyard garden.

Are any of you getting your gardens started?

Javamom

I'm still here!

2011-02-23T18:16:00.005-06:00

I think I just took the longest break from blogging ever since I started this thing! I do have good reason. We've been experiencing a different season and a different kind of busy in our lives for the last two months.

My mother was diagnosed with cancer just over the Christmas holiday, and it has been a whirlwind of emotions and travel, as you can imagine. It became official after her surgery in early January: Stage 2 ovarian cancer. I set up a Caring Bridge blog for friends and family to be able to recieve updates in their e-mail boxes, and I spent 12 days with Mom and Dad, during the blizzrds of winter 2011 in Oklahoma (more specifically the Tulsa area). I must say it was rather FUN, but also just a blessing to get to spend so much time with my folks.

My Mom, only sister, and I got to go wig shopping together, and would you believe we really enjoyed our time together. We may not like Mom's diagnosis, but we can enjoy our relationship and time together. THAT we certainly did.

I just received two new cookbooks (Mom ordered one for herself, but I wanted one or two to access here at the cottage) that were written just for people in cancer treatment and their caregivers. I am finding them to be amazingly helpful. I must thank my friend, Queen Shenaynay for texting me while I was in Tulsa with these recommendations. They have some terrific nutritional advice with wonderfully tasteful recipes, but also comforting ideas about sharing the joy of food and things tasting good with loved ones who may be lacking appetite.

The names of the cookbooks are:

One Bite at a Time and The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, both by Rebecca Katz, and What To Eat During Cancer Treatment: 100 Great-Tasting, Family-Friendly Recipes to Help You Cope by Jeanne Besser.

The last one is grouped by treatment side-effect and the recipe(s) that help alleviate or that are edible during said side-effect(s).

I'll keep you all posted on our thoughts and experiences as we go along with Mom's progress, treatments, and such.

She is scheduled to have her second chemo in the morning, but that all depends on her platelet count. It was too low last week for treatment, so we are praying that this extra week has allowed her time for those counts to come back up after her first chemo last month.

Javamom

Acorn Squash and Potato Soup

2011-01-16T13:42:00.004-06:00

The Dread-Pirate Sparsebeard came up with a wonderful, nutritious soup today, and I've been asked to share the recipe.

5 small potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 litre of chicken stock (low-sodium, organic and grass-fed, if possible)
1 acorn squash (cooked and chopped)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 of a large, sweet onion (or 1/2 small) minced
@ 1 tsp. dried basil, crumbled into pot
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (we used powdered, but you could use fresh or dried leaves)
4 cloves garlic (which we left out: hubby is allergic to it)
1 celery rib (we used the large, ribbed stalks from our red chard)
1/4 c. dry white wine (or cooking wine)
salt and white pepper to taste (we used sea salt and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper)

You could saute' the onion in olive oil, but Hubby tossed everything in the pot together and cooked it till the squash and chopped potato were softened. Then he blended and smashed them with a potato masher.

Add a little more chicken broth if needed, to bring to your desired consistency. We like it a little thick and creamy, like a bisque.

I don't use milk or cheese, so this is a great vegan alternative, substituting the chicken broth with veggie broth, of course. Hubby likes to grate some cheese over the top of his serving.

Enjoy!

Javamom

CM friends Christmas Gathering

2011-01-03T21:02:00.011-06:00

I'm finally able to sit and resize photos from before the Christmas holiday. I've been anxious to get these uploaded to add to my collection from previous years. I appreciate the ladies in my book club so much. We always have interesting discussions of Charlotte Mason's books, but we also are a group that is big on encouraging each other in Motherhood.

1/5 of our usual bookclub attendance ~ some years are just so busy for everyone, and some were recovering from illness or surgery. Some have children in city choirs and had their Christmas concert that night!

Here we took a breath and relaxed for a second pose.

This is the book mark that I made to give this year. I have always made them in warm colors in the past. This year, I had some blue book cloth leftover that was too small for a book repair. Viola...perfect size for a bookmark!

Lori, whose home we've been blessed to meet in for the last six months.

Deven

Krista, who chose the number (in our gift exchange) that corresponded with this lovely journal book and bookmark.

Kim W

and here I am, reading aloud, as I love to do!

This is the bookmark that I scored! It is laminated in hard plastic, which is very handy.

Don't you just love these? I think CM bookclubs should spring up all over the country, and members should make bookmarks with favorite Charlotte educational or parenting quotes!

That is your challenge, dear reader, for the New Year, should you choose to accept it! It is enriching, meeting these kindred spirits and new-to-lifelong learning moms. Even moreso than meeting them and sharing online. :-)

Lets just call it an added bonus, shall we?

Javamom

New Years' Day and Golden Friends

2011-01-02T17:33:00.007-06:00

Our friends, who hosted our gathering, and Hubby, aka "The Dread-Pirate Sparsebeard"

A Golden Chain

Friendship is a Golden Chain,
The links are friends so dear,
And like a rare and precious jewel
It's treasured more each year...

It's clasped together firmly
With a love that's deep and true,
And it's rich with happy memories
And fond recollections, too...

Time can't destroy its beauty
For, as long as memory lives,
Years can't erase the pleasure
That the joy of friendship gives...

For friendship is a priceless gift
That can't be bought or sold,
But to have an understanding friend
Is worth far more than gold...

And the Golden Chain of Friendship
Is a strong and blessed tie
Binding kindred hearts together
As the years go passing by.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Talking to her Honey who called her from Iraq to say Happy New Year

Fixing up the Booksncoffeehaus Cottage

2010-11-23T10:45:00.018-06:00

What we did on our Thanksgiving vacation week ~ (and now that we have strings of colder and windier days, we are so thankful that it is 95% complete).

It began the Wednesday before break. The trees in the yard had not even really started to change colors at this point.

Part one of fall painting project: I sanded, primed and repainted all the front porch railings. This began ten days before Thanksgiving. We already had everything we needed for this step.

Sparsebeard repainting porch soffits

and priming and painting bad spots on the gables. In this shot, you can see that we got to the sanding, priming and repainting of the green trim atop the porch. It looks so good.

Moss on The Cottage

Post sanding and priming stage

Looking better already, with both of us getting the siding primed up ~

and painted (the only color that we had to buy. We still had plenty of green and peach from several years back, the last time we painted).

Bottom piece of siding is rotten and needs replacing, so...

Nailing in new siding pieces. We ended up needing to replace the bottom two (b/c of large nail holes)

New siding pieces primed up, and then primed.

Now, back to the front porch. I needed to sand the flaking, front-porch swing. We replaced the seat a couple of years ago with mahogany slats (hand-cut by hubby), but never painted them. So, this project needed to be done for several reasons.

Back slats all nicely sanded and ready for primer

Working on the back, west-facing gable

repainting front porch soffits. By this time, almost ten days later, those trees were finally changing those gorgeous colors of Autumn.

Front porch railings all primed up, plus some lovely fall color, just for fun. It was a gorgeous, 80 degree day, that week of Thanksgiving.

North wall, door, windows completed, repainted...even the green trim below repaired gutters!

It feels great to have this done, and the house ready for winter. We even re-sealed some areas around the windows before priming/painting the trim to ensure a better finish. Next Spring/Summer: New roof!!

Now, on to Christmas projects. This time: Indoor craft projects and tasks.

Javamom

Reflections

2010-11-03T18:38:00.015-05:00

Just a little brag. We miss our older two, grown kids and their spouses a wee little bit, but are very happy for them in their married lives out of state. They are making their own way, learning new things, cooking up new recipes, continuing educations, commuting by bicycle, racing bicycles, building bicycles, practicing their art(s), and then some.

Here are just a couple of handfuls of fun shots:

Our Daughter-in-love and daughter both ride with the organized ladies' rides from time to time.

Our oldest son, at CX racing practice

shots (above and below) during a race or two

Our daughter and her husband, enjoying a day with friends. The kids are doing great on this pedal car, since they both have been commuting to work via bicycle all summer (and some combination of cycling and the bus during inclement weather). That has changed as winter arrives, however. They just bought their first car together :-).

J and his wife will still be riding in the snow, though: They are all ready for it, having had their first snow of the season last week!

The youngest of our kids (behind me in the photo below) and I took a little road trip to see the marrieds this summer!

We had a very good time.

There was a concert in the park that we enjoyed

and visits to the bicycle shop where oldes ds works,

playing of games, eating of food, visiting Starbucks, and even a tiny bit of shopping.

We are all looking forward to being together again for the holidays!

Javamom

Snow-bound

2010-10-22T12:05:00.003-05:00

I dedicate this to my niece living in Estonia. They are getting their first snow of the season on this very day!

Today, I am posting another selection that we read in class this week ("American Lit.: Homeschool Edition"). It is only a portion of the lovely, long, narrative poem by Whittier, another of the Fireside Poets. It is a favorite of mine which brings up many fond memories, both from childhood and from our own life here at the Cottage.

Click on the Title for the whole poem, as I did not want to post all 759 lines here.

SNOW-BOUND A Winter Idyl
by John Greenleaf Whittier

THE sun that brief December day
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And, darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning moon.
Slow tracing down the thickening sky
Its mute and ominous prophecy,
A portent seeming less than threat,
It sank from sight before it set.
A chill no coat, however stout,
Of homespun stuff could quite shut out,
A hard, dull bitterness of cold,
That checked, mid-vein, the circling race
Of life-blood in the sharpened face,
The coming of the snow-storm told.
The wind blew east; we heard the roar
Of Ocean on his wintry shore,
And felt the strong pulse throbbing there
Beat with low rhythm our inland air.
Meanwhile we did our nightly chores,
Brought in the wood from out the doors,
Littered the stalls, and from the mows
Raked down the herd's-grass for the cows;
Heard the horse whinnying for his corn;
And, sharply clashing horn on horn,
Impatient down the stanchion rows
The cattle shake their walnut bows;
While, peering from his early perch
Upon the scaffold's pole of birch,
The cock his crested helmet bent
And down his querulous challenge sent.

Unwarmed by any sunset light
The gray day darkened into night,
A night made hoary with the swarm
And whirl-dance of the blinding storm,
As zigzag, wavering to and fro,
Crossed and recrossed the wingëd snow:
And ere the early bedtime came
The white drift piled the window-frame,
And through the glass the clothes-line posts
Looked in like tall and sheeted ghosts.
The old familiar sights of ours
Took marvellous shapes; strange domes and towers
Rose up where sty or corn-crib stood,
Or garden-wall, or belt of wood;
A smooth white mound the brush-pile showed,
A fenceless drift what once was road;
The bridle-post an old man sat
With loose-flung coat and high cocked hat;
The well-curb had a Chinese roof;
And even the long sweep, high aloof,
In its slant spendor, seemed to tell
Of Pisa's leaning miracle.

A prompt, decisive man, no breath
Our father wasted: "Boys, a path!"
Well pleased (for when did farmer boy
Count such a summons less than joy?)
Our buskins on our feet we drew;
With mittened hands, and caps drawn low,
To guard our necks and ears from snow,
We cut the solid whiteness through.
And, where the drift was deepest, made
A tunnel walled and overlaid
With dazzling crystal: we had read
Of rare Aladdin's wondrous cave,
And to our own his name we gave,
With many a wish the luck were ours
To test his lamp's supernal powers.
We reached the barn with merry din,
And roused the prisoned brutes within.
The old horse thrust his long head out,
And grave with wonder gazed about;
The cock his lusty greeting said,
And forth his speckled harem led;
The oxen lashed their tails, and hooked,
And mild reproach of hunger looked;
The hornëd patriarch of the sheep,
Like Egypt's Amun roused from sleep,
Shook his sage head with gesture mute,
And emphasized with stamp of foot.

All day the gusty north-wind bore
The loosening drift its breath before;
Low circling round its southern zone,
The sun through dazzling snow-mist shone.
No church-bell lent its Christian tone
To the savage air, no social smoke
Curled over woods of snow-hung oak.
A solitude made more intense
By dreary-voicëd elements,
The shrieking of the mindless wind,
The moaning tree-boughs swaying blind,
And on the glass the unmeaning beat
Of ghostly finger-tips of sleet.
Beyond the circle of our hearth
No welcome sound of toil or mirth
Unbound the spell, and testified
Of human life and thought outside.
We minded that the sharpest ear
The buried brooklet could not hear,
The music of whose liquid lip
Had been to us companionship,
And, in our lonely life, had grown
To have an almost human tone.

As night drew on, and, from the crest
Of wooded knolls that ridged the west,
The sun, a snow-blown traveller, sank
From sight beneath the smothering bank,
We piled, with care, our nightly stack
Of wood against the chimney-back, --
The oaken log, green, huge, and thick,
And on its top the stout back-stick;
The knotty forestick laid apart,
And filled between with curious art
The ragged brush; then, hovering near,
We watched the first red blaze appear,
Heard the sharp crackle, caught the gleam
On whitewashed wall and sagging beam,
Until the old, rude-furnished room
Burst, flower-like, into rosy bloom;
While radiant with a mimic flame
Outside the sparkling drift became,
And through the bare-boughed lilac-tree
Our own warm hearth seemed blazing free.
The crane and pendent trammels showed,
The Turks' heads on the andirons glowed;
While childish fancy, prompt to tell
The meaning of the miracle,
Whispered the old rhyme: "Under the tree,
When fire outdoors burns merrily,
There the witches are making tea."
The moon above the eastern wood
Shone at its full; the hill-range stood
Transfigured in the silver flood,
Its blown snows flashing cold and keen,
Dead white, save where some sharp ravine
Took shadow, or the sombre green
Of hemlocks turned to pitchy black
Against the whiteness at their back.
For such a world and such a night
Most fitting that unwarming light,
Which only seemd where'er it fell
To make the coldness visible.

Shut in from all the world without,
We sat the clean-winged hearth about,
Content to let the north-wind roar
In baffled rage at pane and door,
While the red logs before us beat
The frost-line back with tropic heat;
And ever, when a louder blast
Shook beam and rafter as it passed,
The merrier up its roaring draught
The great throat of the chimney laughed;
The house-dog on his paws outspread
Laid to the fire his drowsy head,
The cat's dark silhouette on the wall
A couchant tiger's seemed to fall;
And, for the winter fireside meet,
Between the andirons' straddling feet,
The mug of cider simmered slow,
The apples sputtered in a row,
And, close at hand, the basket stood
With nuts from brown October's wood.

Longfellow's Song of Life

2010-10-19T18:19:00.006-05:00

This week in American Lit. (homeschool edition ;-), we continued in our study of the Fireside Poets. One of the poems read today is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).

A PSALM OF LIFE

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN SAID TO THE PSALMIST

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

*first published in the Knickerbocker Magazine, October 1838. It also appeared in Longfellow's first published collection Voices in the Night.

William Cullen Bryant

2010-10-13T11:10:00.006-05:00

In American Lit class this week, we read and discussed Bryant's Thanatopsis, then I sent the kids home with a copy of To a Waterfowl to add to their notebooks. What I like about the particular website that I've linked here, is that you can click on the highlighted words within the poem for literary insight or a definition. Pretty smart, I thought, because it is just a "tidbit" and not an over-analyzed page or two, which sometimes bleeds all the life out of the poem or work itself.

Bryant was considered America's first poet of importance. In fact, when publishers first read Bryant's work, Thanatopsis, they didn't believe such a work could ever have been produced on this side of the Atlantic. Ha!! Bryant's father was able to prove that it was his son's work (written at 17 with a few final lines added ten years later).

I set up the class time with a little discussion of the Romantic movement first, just to set the stage for these poems and the rest of the Romantics we will study for the next month or so, just before moving into the Transcentalist movement.

Next week, we'll delve more into the Fireside Poets.

It's good to dive into American Literature again.

sigh...

Javamom

Yummy Banana Bread

2010-10-07T12:15:00.005-05:00

This recipe is slightly altered from our well-loved copy of Laurel's Kitchen Cookbook.

(for Ann in Faith :-)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3 very ripe bananas (1 cup mashed)

juice of one lemon

1/2 c. oil or butter (softened)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup wheat germ

optional:

1/2 c. dates (I did not add these)

1/2 c. toasted nuts (I used walnuts)

Mash bananas and mix them with lemon juice until smooth. Cream butter or oil and sugar together and add the banana mix, stirring well.

Sift together salt, flour, baking soda, baking powder. Mix in wheat germ. Add to the banana mixture and stir in dates and or nuts, if desired.

The dough will be very stiff, unless you use white flour instead of wheat.

(We were out of wheat when I made this batch, so I added about 1/4 extra wheat germ, and it was only sticky, not stiff).

Turn it into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes. (or into muffin tins for muffins, baking only 30 minutes)

Fall baking has begun! What are some of your favorites at this time of year? I imagine lots of pumpkin-spice type breads and recipes. I will be making some of those myself, next time.

Javamom

Phyllis Wheatley poems

2010-10-06T16:26:00.005-05:00

Phyllis Wheatley
1753-1784
the first African American to be published

An HYMN to the MORNING

ATTEND my lays, ye ever honour'd nine, Assist my labours, and my strains refine; In smoothest numbers pour the notes along, For bright Aurora now demands my song.

Aurora hail, and all the thousand dies, Which deck thy progress through the vaulted skies: The morn awakes, and wide extends her rays, On ev'ry leaf the gentle zephyr plays; Harmonious lays the feather'd race resume, Dart the bright eye, and shake the painted plume.

Ye shady groves, your verdant gloom display To shield your poet from the burning day: Calliope awake the sacred lyre, While thy fair sisters fan the pleasing fire: The bow'rs, the gales, the variegated skies In all their pleasures in my bosom rise.

See in the east th' illustrious king of day! His rising radiance drives the shades away-- But Oh! I feel his fervid beams too strong, And scarce begun, concludes th' abortive song.

An HYMN to the EVENING.

SOON as the sun forsook the eastern main The pealing thunder shook the heav'nly plain; Majestic grandeur! From the zephyr's wing, Exhales the incense of the blooming spring. Soft purl the streams, the birds renew their notes, And through the air their mingled music floats.

Through all the heav'ns what beauteous dies are
spread!

But the west glories in the deepest red: So may our breasts with ev'ry virtue glow, The living temples of our God below!

Fill'd with the praise of him who gives the light, And draws the sable curtains of the night, Let placid slumbers sooth each weary mind, At morn to wake more heav'nly, more refin'd; So shall the labours of the day begin More pure, more guarded from the snares of sin.

Night's leaden sceptre seals my drowsy eyes, Then cease, my song, till fair Aurora rise.

On IMAGINATION.

THY various works, imperial queen, we see,

How bright their forms! how deck'd with pomp
by thee!

Thy wond'rous acts in beauteous order stand, And all attest how potent is thine hand.

From Helicon's refulgent heights attend, Ye sacred choir, and my attempts befriend: To tell her glories with a faithful tongue, Ye blooming graces, triumph in my song.

Now here, now there, the roving Fancy flies,

Till some lov'd object strikes her wand'ring eyes, Whose silken fetters all the senses bind, And soft captivity involves the mind.

Imagination! who can sing thy force? Or who describe the swiftness of thy course? Soaring through air to find the bright abode, Th' empyreal palace of the thund'ring God, We on thy pinions can surpass the wind, And leave the rolling universe behind: From star to star the mental optics rove, Measure the skies, and range the realms above. There in one view we grasp the mighty whole, Or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul.

Though Winter frowns to Fancy's raptur'd eyes The fields may flourish, and gay scenes arise; The frozen deeps may break their iron bands, And bid their waters murmur o'er the sands. Fair Flora may resume her fragrant reign, And with her flow'ry riches deck the plain; Sylvanus may diffuse his honours round, And all the forest may with leaves be crown'd: Show'rs may descend, and dews their gems disclose, And nectar sparkle on the blooming rose.

Such is thy pow'r, nor are thine orders vain, O thou the leader of the mental train: In full perfection all thy works are wrought, And thine the sceptre o'er the realms of thought. Before thy throne the subject-passions bow, Of subject-passions sov'reign ruler thou; At thy command joy rushes on the heart, And through the glowing veins the spirits dart.

Fancy might now her silken pinions try To rise from earth, and sweep th' expanse on high: From Tithon's bed now might Aurora rise, Her cheeks all glowing with celestial dies, While a pure stream of light o'erflows the skies. The monarch of the day I might behold, And all the mountains tipt with radiant gold, But I reluctant leave the pleasing views, Which Fancy dresses to delight the Muse; Winter austere forbids me to aspire, And northern tempests damp the rising fire; They chill the tides of Fancy's flowing sea, Cease then, my song, cease the unequal lay.

Benjamin Franklin

2010-10-06T12:35:00.010-05:00

Posting a couple of photos from our trip to Philadelphia last year for my small American Lit. class ~

The Library Company of Philadelphia (by Benjamin Franklin), America's first library
also served as the Library of Congress from the Revolutionary War period to 1800. It was America's largest public library until the 1850's .

The American Philosophical Society grew out of two groups which originally began as the Junto (a group started by Benjamin Franklin), and another group called "the American Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge." When they joined forces, their new name became "The American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge". Benjamin Franklin was elected its first president.

This group of men would meet together weekly to discuss the intellectual, business, personal, commercial and community topics popular in his day. The building where they met (pictured below) is right by Constitutional Hall.

Famous Poems Restoration ~ before and after

2010-10-05T23:17:00.012-05:00

Before ~

as held together by tape. Please don't do this people. It can sometimes ruin hopes of future book repairs! I was able to work with this one and get it cleaned up nicely. I won't say how, that is why I make the big bucks (haha). At least it helps bring in a little grocery money, or rainy day money.

Almost done ~

After ~

~ fini ~

Javamom

October! (post #876!)

2010-10-01T12:40:00.014-05:00

For my 876th post to this blog, I will share a quote I which I was just reminded of by a friend today.

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

To which I would add the following:

Since Hawthorne, born in Salem, MA, lived in New England most of his life and Europe for a few years*, I would change the month reference from October to November. For citizens who live in the south central U.S., it doesn't get as cool, nor do we have the Autumnal, red-golden-hued trees and crisper temeratures until November/December. However, the sentiment remains the same, which is one reason I share it on this first day of October, 2010. We definitely feel the shifting of the season and the tilting of the earth away from the sun.

I still love the quote, and Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of my favorite authors. I am looking forward to teaching about him in another month or so!

Javamom

*p.s. Many people don't realize that Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family lived in England for several years, where he served as Amercian Consul for President Pierce, from 1853-1857. They moved to Italy briefly, where they spent time in Rome and Florence, primarily. Then it was back to England where he wrote The Marble Faun in 1860. After that, the family moved back to Concord, MA, where they purchased their own home for the first time, from Bronson Alcott. The Alcotts called this home "Hillside" but Hawthorne renamed it "The Wayside."

The Wayside, not to be confused with Boston's "Wayside Inn." They are two different places.

Hawthorne had the small inspiration room added as a third floor after they purchased the home. It was where he loved to write, and spent many hours of his last four years of life.

Taking a deep breath

2010-09-30T13:31:00.012-05:00

...before plunging into more 'surgery' ~

(and a brief mention that this is my 875th post!!)

Just about three more steps and it will be finished!

Traveling in the New World

2010-09-29T18:40:00.004-05:00

I took some time this week to read some of the first pages and the last few pages of journal entries by Sarah Kemble Knight, on her five-month-long journey in 1704 from Boston to New York to settle a cousin's estate. Here you can find a nice map of her apporximate journey. It's a fabulous map, showing the rugged land that she had to cross alone, with only the slight help of a post or mail/message carrier. We've been through many of the same places several times, but thankfully, not on 'hors' as she writes ;-).

Knight's journal is yet another example of the Narrative Historical Literature that we are studying this year in American Lit. here at home.

Next post: a poem about a spinning wheel...or is it?

Huswifery

2010-09-28T23:14:00.010-05:00

Huswifery

By Edward Taylor
1642-1729
(puritanamericansermons.com/poetry)

Make me, O Lord, thy Spinning Wheele compleat;
Thy Holy Worde my Distaff make for mee.
Make mine Affections thy Swift Flyers neate,
And make my Soule thy holy Spoole to bee.
My Conversation make to be thy Reele,
And reele the yarn thereon spun of thy Wheele.

Make me thy Loome then, knit therein this Twine:
And make thy Holy Spirit, Lord, winde quills:
Then weave the Web thyselfe. The yarn is fine.
Thine Ordinances make my Fulling Mills.
Then dy the same in Heavenly Colours Choice,
All pinkt with Varnish't Flowers of Paradise.

Then cloath therewith mine Understanding, Will,
Affections, Judgment, Conscience, Memory;
My Words and Actions, that their shine may fill
My wayes with glory and thee glorify.
Then mine apparell shall display before yee
That I am Cloathd in Holy robes for glory.

Analysis of this poem by Kerry Michael Wood found here.

Enjoy!

Javamom

Ann Bradstreet Poetry

2010-09-22T09:46:00.005-05:00

This year, I am teaching American Lit to our last two teens. We are moving in a Chronological order of time periods, so we began with some Native American writings (including a perusal of The Iroquois Constitution, which is quite sophisticated and inclusive of women, as well). We discussed Anne Bradstreet, the first female American poet today, and read through some of her poetry, which focuses on matters of daily living in the time of the Puritans.

Perhaps the one she best-known for is "To My Dear and Loving Husband."

This is the one we read today in class:

"By Night when Others Soundly Slept"

By night when others soundly slept
And hath at once both ease and Rest,
My waking eyes were open kept
And so to lie I found it best.

I sought him whom my Soul did Love,
With tears I sought him earnestly.
He bow'd his ear down from Above.
In vain I did not seek or cry.

My hungry Soul he fill'd with Good;
He in his Bottle put my tears,
My smarting wounds washt in his blood,
And banisht thence my Doubts and fears.

What to my Saviour shall I give
Who freely hath done this for me?
I'll serve him here whilst I shall live
And Love him to Eternity.

We are also reading a decent chunk of William Bradford's own writings of the Separatists, the important events leading them to remove from England, on to "The Lowlands" and eventually travel to Cape Cod. We've all heard the Pilgrim stories, but I wanted to kids to read an original source document on this time and group in history.

We are taking an "overview" approach, not completely digging into everything with a fine-tooth comb. We'll also be covering different folklore, historical speeches, documents, maps, music, short stories, some journal entries, just a few novels, as well as poetry. Would love to explore a bit of natural history through the Lewis and Clark journals, but I'm not sure that we'll have time for that. I may make it available as an alternate assignment and paper/project.

Hope your school year has begun well! We are finally beginning to get into a decent groove.

Javamom

In Which She Considers a Dresser

2010-09-10T20:01:00.012-05:00

...and repaints it! Do you ever have moments of spontaneous inspiration, then find yourself acting upon it? I do, and always have worked this way. It's not just 'the economy these days' which motivates me. Nope. It's just me. Global, concrete-random, intuitive, big-picture, relational, sensing, creative-the-way-God-made-me, Me.

Besides, those of us at the cottage have always pinched our pennies and gone on the hunt for quality thrift bargains. It's part of being good stewards of our funds, and fits our desire to reduce our consumption, reuse and recycle everything that we can, or donate it so that someone else can get good use out of what we don't need anymore.

This dresser belonged to our 15-year-old, youngest son. We found it at a resale shop years ago but it had previously been an unused furniture store floor model. This is pretty common in our area, and it was a big bargain in brand new condition when we first bought it. As you can see in this photo, it now has the years of scratches and general wear and tear that a pre-teen-to-teenage boy might generally dish out over years of usage and room rearranging. I loved this color, but no room in the house carries this color scheme anymore. I considered just touching it up with a slate blue wash, but I don't have this shade on hand. It could have been maneuvered into our laundry room, after said touch-up. However,

I only have warm-toned leftover paints these days.

(in process)

(now the drawers)

and violá!

Good as new, and a lot like a dresser I've been eyeing in the IKEA catalogue.

I had considered selling it as it was, or sticking it in the attic for a while, but now...

I will find a place for it. Maybe in my room. Dear son said he wants it back in his room now (After begging me to get rid of it). Only problem is, he was given a neat, small, dark brown 'pleather' futon which matches his old IKEA cubbies, and has taken the place where his rejected dresser once stood.

Maybe I'll just rearrange my room for the first time in years. Other rooms have had plenty of reodering, shifting and repainting. But now I am inspired to change the master bedroom.

Because that's how I roll.

What fall projects have you begun?

Javamom

Foreign Languages the Charlotte Mason Way

2010-08-30T15:01:00.008-05:00

My friends and I hosted a Charlotte Mason Question and Answer Day on August 28th to help advise new-to CM and new-to-Ambleside Online moms who are new to or just beginning teaching with a CM philosophy in their homeschools. I got to help with some basic things like spelling, studied dictation, nature study, high school transcripts, and my favorite, Foreign Language the CM way.

CM mentions several wonderful suggestions in her volumes (1 and 3 especially) and in PR aricles, which I had mentioned and linked to back in May 2010 while prepping for a talk I was going to be giving. During the span of her teaching, writing, and lecturing career, we find that she was settling more and more on the methods of Francois Gouin (also a late 19th century educator). She gives examples of lesson plans and objectives, plus students' samples in the back of her book School Education, Volume 3 for "A Gouin Series," along with other sample grammar lessons and narration examples.

A Gouin Series is:

1. a sequence of logical steps or actions (always about 5-8) in a process.
2. 1st pronoun in each sentence of the series needs to be the same.
3. Pronoun used determines the verb conjugation(s) which is easier, because it is presented in context.
4. Simple, short so not overwhelming even in advanced tenses.
5. Given orally first.
6. Includes gestures to show/demonstrate meaning
7. Students repeat and gesture what you, the teacher, demonstrated.

It is helpful to have pictures that match the series as well, but not always practical. In this case, you can draw the students in to do drawings for the class.

This is an example of a Gouin series set of action statements:

Yo voy a la escuela.
Yo vengo a la clase de español.
Yo tengo mis materiales en mi mochila.
Yo saco mi libro, mi cuarderno, y mi bolígrafo.
Yo saco una hoja de papel, también.
Yo escucho a la profesora.
Yo escribo muchas notas en mi cuarderno.

Translated means: I go to school. I come to Spanish class. I have my supplies in my backback. I take out my book, notebook (workbook), and my pen. I take out a piece of paper, as well. I listen to the teacher. I take many notes in my notebook. After teaching activities/actions with a Gouin series approach, you then add in some (short) storytelling. This is another good site, called TPR World, which is doing a lot of proofing and research, provides resources to keep reforming FL teaching in public and private schools using the writings and work(s) of Francois Gouin, Stephen Krashen, James Asher, and Blaine Ray. Some free printouts are available on these sites, as well.

We find this 19th Century educator, who realized the importance (in his own life, first!) of teaching/learning language in a logical, practical series emphasizing most commonly used verbs. Over the past few years, I've also discovered these modern researchers, teachers, and supporters, all of whom promote the storytelling developments added to the Gouin series and gesturing during lessons, (aka the work of Blaine Ray and others) in the TPR Storytelling movement. Also see Blaine Ray's web site: http://www.blaineraytprs.com/.

Curriculum helps:

I tend to use multiples resources, as many Liberal Arts Education moms do, though I pull from one specific book as a spine, then multiple resources to be more well-rounded and more CM. This also jibes quite a bit, if you know how to tweak it, with the TPR Storytelling enthusiasts, so I get a lot of my ideas/novels in the target language, music, etc., from them. If you are interested in knowing more about High School, feel free to ask me offline. Some TPR supplements to these curriculae are better than others.

I like the "Hola Niños package for the elementary years. This is what I'd buy if I had young elementary students. For upper elementary, Cuéntatme. There is a French version of both of those curriculum packages. Pricelist for these is here. These are what I would use with your children if I organized a Spanish class for the younger years. I am adding high school Spanish 3 this year and also will be teaching American Lit to high school students. That's two preps that I haven't done in a long time, for a total of four classes with outside students.

*** Two things about those programs that you may want to be prepared for. *All of the lessons are meant to be humorous and taken lightly. Some of the lessons may have very silly stories, perhaps elephants falling in love with people or other boyfriend/girlfriend themes that are not something you'd want to use in your family, so there could be some wasted lessons, or lessons that you'll have to tweak.

When I encounter these in resources that I buy for my classes, I either tweak or skip them. If I tweak them, then I've got to make my own pictures to match the new characters or actions.

***The other thing is that these programs assume you have had some Spanish and have a comfortable working knowledge of grammar, pronunciation, etc. Otherwise, you may end up getting frustrated. Take your time to explore these links. You may come away with some neat lessons for your own students/children if you do, or it may bring up more questions for you. Ask away!!

For more information on what Gouin teachers are doing today ~ http://gouinseries.com/. There are some neat lesson links and a few free resources available through more links found on this site.

A third affordable recommendation that I love is for Visual Link Spanish, which helps with sentence building in chunks...Noun, verb, + prepositional phrase. You can get the first 11 or 12 lessons for free. Sign up for their e-mail list and wait for them to send you special pricing (it usually happens within a week!) on the disks. Since it is computer-based, students might be apt to fall into boredom after a month or two.

Visit Mamalisa.com for nursery rhymes and folk songs.

Don't forget that you can do Bible verse copywork, or even reading practice in any language by using the free resource of Biblegateway.net! If you prefer side-by-side translations, look at Biblios.com.

Hymns are available online for free as well at cyberhymnal.com or here. Hope your school terms have started well!

Javamom

Foreign Language Helps

2010-08-30T11:34:00.003-05:00

School starts this week, and we've been busy with preparations at the cottage, as have many of my friends and readers.

Today, I'm share a link (that is filled with more links) to a helpful website for those interested in teaching/learning a foreign language using one of the recommendations of Charlotte Mason, late 19th-early 20th century educator and reformer in England. She had several wonderful suggestions, but was settling on the methods of Francois Gouin (also a late 19th century educator) throughout her writing, speaking, and teaching career. She gives examples of lesson plans and objectives, plus students' samples in the back of her book School Education.

Take your time to explore and take a lot of notes. You will come away with some neat lessons for your own students/children if you do!

Sorry to be so brief today, but I must get back to lesson planning!

Javamom

Somebody's Pet?

2010-08-24T16:21:00.003-05:00

What is this bird? He's cute and colorful, leaving me wondering if he was someone's pet. This is the first time we've seen him at the cottage, so I had to snap some photos of him. or her.

I have not taken the time yet to figure out what kind of bird it is. I'm guessing it is some sort of finch, by its shape, but the multiple body colors are throwing me off. Plus I just don't have much experience with knowledge of pet finches. Just finches in the wild.

I hope he comes back!

Javamom

Thrift Scoring

2010-08-21T13:59:00.006-05:00

Our thrifting has been more of a practical nature in recent years, moreso than collecting antiques or collectibles. We scored a lot of practical and very nice furniture over the years, but these days, we really don't need anything. Not even clothes, really.

Our latest visit was no exception.

We already have one of these, but Hubby took it up to use in his after-school program. I have been missing it! Today, we scored this one, complete with wooden stand (which we didn't have) for $6.49.

Now, our most excellent, thrift store score ($21 still in box) coffee and espresso bar that we found years ago finally needed some repairs. We looked it all over, and found that the leak in the unit was coming from the metal coil underneath and was beyond our ability to repair. So we went to our favorite thrift store earlier this month and found this Braun coffee maker (and oldie, but a goodie to be sure!) for $3.99.

The carafe was without a lid, which we didn't notice until we got home. It still worked, though, even with the drip-stop action button. We just had to situate the carafe just right underneath. You would not believe the quality of coffee this German coffee maker produces. I could go into the mechanics of the cone-shaped filter system, but I should save it for another post. I learned about the high-quality of German coffee makers back in the early 80's and never, ever settled for anything less than that all these years. (That's part of the reason for my name, Javamom ;-).

When we went back today to look for a hair dryer (because ours died last month) we found the perfect carafe.

I'm not kidding. It is the correct width and height, fits perfectly, and is not scratched up like the original one without the lid. That carafe was $2.99, which brought the price of the coffee pot up to a whopping $6.98 cents. Hoo boy!

Now, this lovely gem is something I've been looking for in antique shops for a few years. I love the streamlined size of this glass juice, refrigerator pitcher. Price: WAS $1.49, but was 50% off so only 75 cents. Do you know how much those go for in antique shops? It may or may not be an antique. For 75 cents, I do not care one way or another!

Did we find the hair dryer that prompted today's visit?

Yes. It is older, small and compact, but will fit our needs just right. I don't really need it for hair, but for bookbinding and restoration work, so the newer "cold shot" features just do not apply here.

Price? $3.49

Now, how have you been saving during these tight economic times?

Javamom
who has been quality thrifting for more than 20 years.

Pear Jam 2010

2010-08-07T13:30:00.000-05:00

Simmer and soften chopped pears with fruit pectin and sugar.

Add cinnamon. Boil, stirring constantly, for one full minute (I always go slightly longer)

Fill cleaned, dried, (sanitized) hot jars (that have been washed and kept hot in a dishwasher or in a pan of simmering water) with cooked fruit jam mixture. Wipe the mouth of the jars with a clean, damp cloth, then add the lids. Turn upside-down to help create more pressure, so that the lids seal when turned over.

Some seal right away, others need a few more minutes.

Violá!

Pear Jam!

Much more to do, but the pears need to soften for up to a week for easiest prep.

What are you harvesting and saving this summer?

Javamom

Homeschool Team for Solar Car Race?

2010-07-25T21:52:00.008-05:00

Somebody really should look into sponsoring a homeschool solar car race team. My hubster, the Dread-Pirate Sparsebeard, has been involved (with the school where he teaches) in this race as a judge and helper for years, now. But he is not a Science teacher, he is an Enlish Major, kwim? A couple of our boys have been able to volunteer and work with the photography and videography team as well. What a great experience it was for them. Now I ask, can any of my homeschool friends think of candidates to support (financially) and begin such an endeavor for our kids in the future? It is for guys and gals alike. One of this year's teams was an all-girl team. It is not cheap, but with good sponsors...what better way to get some hands-on science and engineering experience?

For more information, check out Winston School Solar program for ideas and photos. Doc has done a great job directing this big shindig for these past 15 years, and I think it is time homeschoolers tried to join in the challenge. Here's a helpful blurb from their web site:

"The only international high school solar education program and race in the world. Program includes workshops, curriculum materials, and on-site visits leading to an annual race."

Students build these cars all by themselves. A teacher or leader helps to guide, but all the real building must happend by students alone. This is not your child's pinewood derby car race (thank God!) where many parents do the work for the kids and do all the little tweaking they often do to help their sons or daughters beat everyone else. Yeah, kinda disappointed me more than a little when our kiddos were younger. But, I am not bitter ;-). That is a post for another day on letting our children succeed or fail on their OWN merits. Such a valuable lesson.

I'll just step off my little soapbox now, before I fall off ;-), and share a couple of photos ~

Photo by our own AJ

Photo by Roddy Parkinson (not all the cars are this snazzy)

Javamom

Cooking and Garden feasts

2010-07-24T13:24:00.014-05:00

Our daughter texted me from a grocery store up in Omaha recently for ingredients to some of our favorite family meals, some of which make use of our summer garden produce. I decided to take some photos for her, and share them on the blog, in no particular order :-). We hardly used specific recipes anymore, we just slice, shred, and mix to our tastebuds' delight!

One of my favorite summer snacks ~ marinating cucumbers in a little balsamic vinegar-water with a bit of onion.

My mom always made these every summer. Adding balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar is my own twist to this summer munchie.

New Mexico sandia with red chile enchiladas on corn tortillas. This heat-filled beauty is Hubby's

And this one is mine. It's a little milder with its Hatch, N.M. green chile enchilada sauce, black beans and cheddar in stacked corn tortillas. I wish it had white cheddar on it, instead, but this is what we had in the kitchen.

garden-fresh tomatoes. We have not had as many this year. I think too much heat, then too much rain threw off the blossom-setting cycle.

a menagerie of garden veggies picked this month

Green chile and black bean enchiladas with garden veggies stuffed inside, topped with cilantro

snow peas from early July

These were made into a healthy squash casserole, which I did not get a picture of before eating it all up.

And these ripened and picked different days this week. I think I'll make a smoothie out of some of these this weekend.

Friday's lunch ~ Sauteed fresh corn, onions, and garlic with black beans, folded into whole-grain quesadillas with fresh cilantro, then served with sliced avocado and salsa.

Weekend brunch menu, recipe found here. This was recommended by two different friends, and I just happened to have everything needed for it, fresh from the cottage garden. I *wish* we had our own free-range chickens and eggs.

Now, I don't have photos of one of the main dishes that our daughter asked for, and that is chicken-broccoli-rice casserole. I will have to work on that and post it another time.

What have you been cooking up this summer?

Eat well,

Javamom

Orphaned Utensils as Decor

2010-07-19T14:08:00.005-05:00

(photo by L. Allen)

I love old kitchen and garden tools. Especially red or green-handled tools. That appreciation for use of old things led me to this neat article in the online version of Real Simple Magazine.

This is a wonderful idea. What a neat way to use up odd-end forks and spoons left over from who-knows-what. I just may translate this idea to the front bathroom, which Hubby and I have been working on this summer. (well, it really began back in March ;-).

Here's another lovely idea that partially reminds me of some homes in Mexico ~

(photo also by L. Allen)

That washed-blue wall is amazing. Almost makes me want to switch from a warm color pallette that we have in most of the rooms in our home. It does give me ideas for the laundry room, and perhaps our back bathroom. I have glaze leftover from another project from last year. I'll keep you posted on how the ideas develop in the future!

Happy Decorating, friends!

Javamom

Nature Moment ~ A Spider Becomes Lunch

2010-07-18T12:55:00.002-05:00

Observed around my own lunchtime ~

We've seen this a lot over the years that we've lived here at the cottage, but this is the first time I've captured it in a photo.

Heroically dragging lunch up to his or her home to feed the family. Pretty amazing, if you ask me.

Javamom

Jane Austen Anniversary

2010-07-17T08:57:00.003-05:00

July 18th marks the Anniversary of Jane Austen's death in 1817. A friend showed me a neat blog, and I just had to share it with you.

Jane Austen's World

Then I stumbled onto another one with good Jane Austen photos:

London Calling

Enjoy, my friends!

Javamom

Summer Projects

2010-07-10T17:53:00.015-05:00

Well, this is a peak of what our front bathroom used to look like. When this son (our youngest) was born, we had a serious leak from this bathroom and had to call the insurance company to help us replace the damages. We found these thick, blue 1 ft. sheets of 3-inch tiles for about half price, and did our own custom tub enclosure, saving a lot of money.

15 years later, a different sort of problem developed. Termites. Hubs was so frustrated, we finally shelled out the big bucks to rid the cottage of the munching critters. This was a week before our daughter's wedding. Then he went one step further and ripped out the wall, instead of waiting till after all those last minute crazy wedding details.

He likes to keep things rolling forward, no matter what. ;-) He then put up this lovely green tarp, so we could still use the front bathroom shower. We had lots of company, after all. I put all pride aside. It's really an ugly quality, anyway. We were shouldering a lot, and I'm sure very few people knew. Ah well. All's well that ends well, and our daughter is a very happy gal!

This major project had to wait till summer, since all money was tied up throughout the spring for our dd's wedding. We are committed to continuing to nix all debt and pay cash as we go, even on a teacher's salary. That's not always easy, and plenty of situations come up to test that commitment. But that's a different post for another day.

Here, you can see the replacement studs where the termites lived and munched for some time.

The red stuff is a roll-on backing that dries plastic. Weird, slimy stuff while appying to the backer boards.

First center tile!

Stair-steps of progress. We used pennies as spacers :-)

This was after our second full day of tiling. Quite a lot of progress, here.

applying the bullnose tiles, and fixing them with tape so they wouldn't slip-n-slide.

applying the tiles to the side of the seat/shampoo shelf

Hubby applying the grout one week after his knee surgery. He forgot to do just one wall at a time. It's been a long time since we've done this!

detailing the grout clean-up. This stuff dried so fast. Much faster than the sanded grout we used for this project 15 years ago.

Grouted, finished seat!

some filmy gunk still on the tiles, needing a good wipe-down.

close-up of the border and rope tiles. Hubby did a nice job on those mitered corners!

Finished tub! I found that red shower curtain for $7 back in February at Target, while shopping for our daughter's wedding. We had no idea that these would be the colors we chose for the bathroom. I just loved the color, the price, and the fact that it is "quilted." I had planned to possibly use it as a small table cover.

Now I just need to sand down some joints above and to the side of the new tiles, put a coat of primer on, then decide on a wall paint color. We'll probably used paint we already have, saving ourselves some more money.

What summer projects are my readers tackling?

Javamom

who loves dark red!

Best laid plans

2010-07-05T23:05:00.014-05:00

We always hold our plans loosely so that we are not thrown off or so disappointed when things 'happen' to thwart those plans. We've had the excitement of a burned-out car, hubby wrecking his knee and going in for surgery, and yesterday, our only daughter was hit by a car (while commuting by bicycle) on her way to work. She lives out of state, so she called me up today [which is actually July 13] and gave me the skinny. I might post her pictures later, but I don't want to put her on the spot. She has her own life now, with her sweet Hubby. We never stop being a parent, though.

So to say we've had an exciting summer of surprises would be an understatement.

On Father's Day, our 17 yo son experienced his father's car catching on fire while he (ds) was driving it home from church. We are so very fortunate to continue to acknowledge how blessed we all are that he was not hurt in the incident. All he lost was his ipod and hubby's music cd's. Everything melted and burned away, including the seats! The only inaminate objects that survived were some tools and our really awesome camping/sleeping bags that were in the trunk. The fire department made it just in time to put out the flames before they hit the completely-full gas tank. Kudos to them.

He was pretty close to home, and some of our friends could see the dark smoke filling the sky.

The next day, which was also my 46th birthday, Hubby found a good, used car to replace it, and it is economical and cute. It was a very good deal for our budget, and a good commuter car for hubby. It will be weird having a car payment again, though, since both of our cars have been paid off for a long time.

Right around that same time, Hubby messed up his knee overdoing it on some major yardwork for his Dad. He got in to see a surgeon, had and MRI and consult, then surgery. He is reuperating slowly, but progressively. He does much better when he stays off his leg and keep it propped up high. He is getting better each day, though he relapsed yesterday from too much work with me on our bathroom repairs.

The surgery stopped our front bathroom tile replacement (from termite and water damage) cold in its tracks, though we are almost done! Just need to touch up some grout spots, seal the grout, and call it finished and good.

This also threw off my planning, bookbinding, and writing schedules, and removed the possibility of speaking to a group of Moms and Dads that are new to homeschooling. It is just not the season for hardly any of those speaking events these past few years. I am okay with that, as long as I still have some opportunities to be with my friends, share and glean ideas together from time to time.

I decided to cancel participating in a solar car race as a judge this year. I've so much to catch up on here at home, so I'm not too disappointed. It will be a good father-son trip without me there to change the dynamic. I will get to have my own mother-son bonding with the big, strong, 17 yo son still at home. Maybe we'll have all his friends over and have a party and some football in the backyard.

But for now, it's back to work on:

~ getting the laundry room organized

~ Getting Spanish lesson plans re-organized (they are already written) for fall classes. Toss old materials that can't re use. Continue to esearch products, update wish lists. Organize resources for first lessons.

~ Weekly sauna treatments, while I organize little bits of the attic at a time. Hey, it is healthy, and FREE.

~ Work in bookbinding studio (restoration of old books and bookbinding is my part-time work).

~ read and research any new needed techniques or products in bookbinding and Spanish, or even things for Charlotte Mason Bookclub~ work a little bit on Fall syllabi in multiple classes

~Weed that garden!

:::sigh::: Pretty boring, right? I am very content, though. And blessed.

There are always going to be things to do, and rest assured that I am good at working in my own fun and free reading time. I just need to keep re-focusing my *work* efforts every day.

I think I am looking forward to a mini-vacation with my Sweet Hubster to New Mexico soon.

Javamom

Two Things

2010-07-02T22:01:00.002-05:00

1) It's hard to stay focused in the summer, so I have to work on bits and pieces in just one area before moving on to the next thing. Otherwise I'd be running back and forth all over the house being distracted by something else that needs to be picked up, thrown away, or moved to a different room!

2) Summer is going by toooooo quickly.

It may seem cliché, but there it is, anyway.

What things are you realizing this mid-summer day?

Javamom

Nature Moment ~ Hatched Butterfly #2

2010-06-30T19:34:00.008-05:00

She would not sit still for a clear photo.

She was ready to get out of the jar and be free.

As a caterpillar, she had different colored spots than the first one I collected. Her chrysalis was also dark brown instead of green.

Silly mom that I am, I have five more of these up on the piano waiting their turns to hatch. Stay tuned!

Javamom

summer schedule - this time for me!

2010-06-24T11:35:00.012-05:00

I have to do this, otherwise my day gets frittered away, especially in the summertime.

8:30-9:00 (depending on late night reading or talking) Up and around, make bed as I get out, (yadda yadda) ~ make coffee

Do you ever really feel like some things just do not even need to be on the schedule. They are automatic! Especially after years and years of doing them.

Next: kitchen and laundry chores

~ Two married kids later, the ones still at home already know how to do this and they help when they need to. It is mostly my job; they are not my slaves. They rinse their own dishes and laundry and during the school year, they have more duties. One of the two left at home has an outside job, so he is already quite busy. He also does the yardwork. The point is that they 1) learn and know how/when to help serve others, and 2) how to take care of things when they move into their own place someday. I don't want them to hate doing it "because I said so." I want them to love the process and the good feelings that it brings about to restore what was cruddy and messy into something that is pleasing and relaxing! (and also not a health hazard :-).

*They also do a great job of keeping their own rooms clean all the time. I never have to ask them to do that. They keep up with their pet chores, as well.

~ Go check the garden and water when needed, weed when needed.

~ light b'fast

~ check e-mail and messages

~ answer inquiriries and e-mails

~ tidy bathrooms

~ work on getting Spanish lesson plans re-organized, categorized for fall classes. Toss old materials that can't re use. Research products, update wish lists. Organize resources for first lessons.

~ Work in bookbinding studio (restoration of old books and bookbinding is my summer, part-time work).

~~~ Late Lunch - pretty much always,because we eat dinner later ~~~

~grocery shop as needed. In the summer, I am less rigid about errand day. Part of this is due to son's work schedule and sharing a car.

~ read and research any new needed techniques or products in bookbinding and Spanish, or even things for Charlotte Mason Bookclub

~ work a little bit on Fall syllabi in multiple classes

~ blog about any new discoveries, photos, etc.

~ write or look for videos/music appropriate for Spanish classes

~ work on any prep for family night(s)

~ work on rearranging one area of a (specific) room, dust

~ note any needed minor repairs or paint touch-ups

~ make sure items are ready for dinner prep

~~~ 7:30 p.m. ~Dinner & Family Time ~~~
* the kids do go hang out with their friends from time to time

~ kitchen clean-up, sometimes with everybody's help

~ check messages

~ final laundry folding, when needed

~ personal reading which right now is my Spanish Bible (yes, I have personal time at night, not in the morning) and _Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: The Story of an African Childhood_ by Robyn Scott.

~ lights out

When company is scheduled to come over, I also make sure that the bathroom is cleaned up and the floors are swept. Especially in the summer, I don't have an assigned day for this, I just do it when it needs to be done.

How do you shift gears for summer?

Javamom

Chrysalis to Butterfly!

2010-06-14T00:40:00.006-05:00

Sometime in the night (Sunday a.m.) The lady emerged from her shell. Notice the split in the above photo.

from this angle, you cannot see the crack in the shell from which she emerged. In the shot below, you can observe the little "sling" keeping the chrysalis shell attached to the stick.

Papilio Polyxenes, and it is a female!

The white spots on the male are larger and more decorative, it seems.

Otherwise known as a Black Swallowtail :-)

I released her onto our huge rosemary bush ~ Her back side

Her colorful spots on the underside of her wings

She did not stay long, so I was lucky to capture these few shots, slightly fuzzy as they may be with the small canon powershot that I'm using this spring.

While checking the garden this afternoon, I spotted a new and almost microscopic caterpillar
...Maybe I will do this again!

Enjoy your summer,

Javamom

Caterpillar to Chrysalis!

2010-06-05T12:56:00.007-05:00

It has been a couple of years since we have captured a caterpillar in order to observe it's metamorphosis, so I decided to collect one from the dill in the garden, in order to watch the process all over again. It is a fascinating one! These days, one can find all sorts of information on the web to help inquiring minds know what to do.

When we first began homeschooling in the early 90's, we bought the book Pets in a Jar by Seymour Simon to help give us direction. I highly recommend this book!

Notice the little "rope" hammock this 'pillar has made while it 'hangs out' during the metamorphosis ~

This way, it can spin and change while it it suspended from the stick. In the past, we have had caterpillars attach themselves to the lid of the jar for the big change, but usually, they attach to a stick. This process seems to happen very quickly, going from nothing to green shell before one even has a chance to notice it. I think we caught the change one time, and it was bizarre and magical!

Behold! Change has begun.

Another view ~ I think it is fascinating how the yellow spots from the caterpillar have now been replaced as bumps in a hard shell of a chrysalis.

View from the other side ~

We've been homeschooling for a long time, our two oldest are married and have their own homes, but this process (and the subtleties of God's creation that we oft-times miss) never, ever cease to amaze me!

Javamom

Hand-cut, Hand-bound Journals

2010-06-03T11:21:00.006-05:00

It is graduation season, and you know what that means? Graduation gift time.

I like making these because they are so unique and can be personalized.

These are called Coptic Stitch journals. They are made with linen book cloth and hand cut papers, sewn with Irish linen thread.

journals and photgraphy by Javamom

Black Bean Enchiladas

2010-06-02T12:19:00.004-05:00

This is what I made from leftovers. It is a mixture of black beans, Hatch Green Enchilada sauce (from tomatillos), chopped onions, sour cream, cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, and one has rice in it as well. Once has fresh cilantro inside, the other sprinkled on top.

It was amazing. What are some of your favorite leftover creations?

Javamom

Garden Surprise

2010-05-27T18:33:00.006-05:00

Look what I found on the dill today...Caterpillars that will become swallowtail butterflies! One of my favorite things ~

The tiny one ~

(there are two that I saw that are this size)

And the large one ~

I thought about bringing them in to observe them in a jar, but I think I'll wait till closer to "chrysalis" time.

The summer is starting out pretty well. I've had a sore neck of late, but have enjoyed puttering around in my garden, bringing in the first harvest of snow peas and now enjoying the caterpillars.

How has your summer begun?

Javamom

On This Day

2010-05-21T23:57:00.003-05:00

In 1859:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

My guys enjoy Sherlock Holmes well enough. Are any of my readers, or their children, Arthur Conan Doyle fans?

Javamom

Buttercup Squash Soup

2010-05-20T13:55:00.004-05:00

This fantastic recipe came to my attention today and I wanted to share the link with my friends.
We make two variations of this soup here the Bookncoffee house, but I am excited to try a different squash in the recipe. We are always open to new, healthy recipes to add to our regular meal rotation. Especially while in the typical 'slump' of just making 'the usual' because we are inundated with special events like graduations and their follow-up parties and weddings in this ever-so-busy month of May.

Do any of my readers have other squash or sweet potato soup recipes they'd like to share?

Running low on cooking inpsiration,

Javamom

Prepping for a presentation on C. MAson & Foreign Language Learning Pt. I

2010-05-08T14:16:00.013-05:00

I was asked to come speak to another local CM group which was started by a friend of mine. She had been visiting my CM bookclub but wanted to start a group on her side of town when she moved across the city.

It feels wonderful to be studying again, after a pretty long break during our daughter and son-in-love's engagement and recent wedding. There's just something about it that gets my adrenaline pumping and my motivation kicked into third and fourth gear.

This week, I have made some more possibly significant connections. This time regarding Charlotte Mason's process of fine-tuning (over her lifetime) Foreign Language recommendations. I told my hubby tonight that I need a copy of a first edition of _Home Education_ to compare it to the revisions made in the form we have now. It is noted in the preface that lectures VII and VIII and the appendix were moved to another volume and that part V was written at a later date. This note being dated 1905. This may be nothing at all new to some of you, but I just had a personal lightbulb moment during my studies. Seeing the original manuscripts from the first "Lectures for Ladies" would probably shed some light on my quest, as well, since revisions were likely made when it was first published into book form.

Gouin's work was published in French in 1880, then painstakingly translated into English by a friend of his in 1889. This work reads so much like Charlotte's own writing. I have a couple of other insights about the educational philosophers that Gouin drew from, and what Charlotte thought about their work; where she agreed with them, and where she didn't. Most people won't be interested in that, but if you are (my bookclub friends, especially) just let me know and we can discuss it over a virtual latte or iced coffee! I'd be glad to share, since we won't be studying from volume's I or III as a group again for some time, yet.

Charlotte seems to have a better grasp of M. Francois Gouin's work by Volume three than she had in Volume one, but I'd love to see the first editions in order to compare. This only occured to me studying these things this time around. It would make sense based on the samples of lessons in Volume three, which are very specific and true to Gouin's examples from his writings, The Art of Teaching and Studying Language. Her Foreign Language suggestions and examples in Volume I don't conflict with Volume III, but they are a little different. Anyone who has read all Charlotte's Volumes and studied them carefully note how she seemed so idealistic in the earlier years, pre-World War I, and how her methodologies were fine-tuned over the decades of her lifetime as they were practiced and fine-tuned, even after her death in 1926.

Back to my new revelation, though. Charlotte seems to imply this incomplete understanding that I picked up on this time around (my third thorough reading over the last 13 years) when she writes, in a section presenting the method and the background of Gouin's FL 'research,' "But any attempt to quote [Gouin] gives an uncertain and unsatisfactory idea of this important work..." from _Home Education_ (also known as Volume I) pg. 304.

Then it struck me: That very quote reflects how I have observed so many CM moms and how we felt about reading CM herself for the first and second times; that first revelation of understanding, yet still being in wonderment and awe feeling, no knowing we'd only touched the tip of this educational iceberg and that there was so much more to read and drink of, to sift, let simmer, and slowly come to better understanding.

What's exciting about all of this information is that I first really cared about this information just a few years ago while reading with my own CM bookclub and it was timely to me, because I've been teaching Jr. High and High School Spanish for the last five plus years (including several summerschool sessions).

I won't linger over all the details, as I've shared them on this blog before. Briefly, modern and popular effective methods today reflect work by researchers named Dr. James J. Asher and also another researcher, Krashen, have written books and success stories about "Total Physical Response" methods. Imagine my joy when one of the main linguistic researchers they cite was not only a contemporary of Charlotte Mason, but they man she discusses most in her FL learning recommendations. In her time and country (England) that meant French, German, Italian. Latin was still taught the old classical, drill way, since it was not a conversational language like the others.

Other similar work and research still continues yearly in classrooms and seminars all over the country (and internationally) by the teachers and proponents of TPR Storytelling. I have described the differences and the similarities in previous posts before, if you are interested.

Most all corroborates with CM's intuition, philosophy of education and treatment of children as smart and capable persons. There are only a couple of minor, specific suggestions which differ from her own. As I organize the details, I will try to post them in simple form for those who are interested.

I wonder, would Charlotte have tweaked her recommendations a bit with our modern tools such as the computer (I think of power-point type programs), animation, DVDs, etc? What do YOU think? Since oral lessons were a hallmark recommendation, I think audio lessons would be approved, *but* they must fit her philosophy, and Gouin's, which is based on immersion, or how we all learned our first language, not on twaddly, mixed language, dialogues that some recommended "programs" provide, and not the drill and kill of grammar and vocabulary-heavy programs, nor what I call the "chopped-up," and "parts-to-whole" programs that are also popular.

Just keep in mind "whole-to-parts" learning and *common*, *daily*, useful chunks of language with all-important, most common verbs. Just a few a day, and keep building on those.

Until next time,

Javamom

Penchant for Purple Petals

2010-04-25T22:12:00.008-05:00

Wildflowers first:

front yard ~ a sea of blue-eyed grass

blue - eyed grass close-up

wild spider wort

Cultivated Flowers:

One exception: peach in the lot ~ there used to be more, but the purple ones seem to be stronger.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Javamom

Gardening around the yard

2010-04-15T21:40:00.009-05:00

It was the perfect day to do some yard and garden work today. A lot of weeds and wildflowers were invading the veggie patches, so today was my first day to get to them. They needed thinning out anyway, after planting them the weekend after our daugther's wedding.

I think they are looking great, now!

bush beans

Peas!

Onion being let go to seed

very cool moth

Roses! These smell fantastic. I can even smell them through the bedroom window when the wind is right.

I also re-potted some large ferns that we used in the wedding. They had become root-bound in their containers, and I just happened to have larger pots all ready for them on the front porch.

The the tulips are those I grew and babied for the wedding. There was a yellow one in each pot, as well, but they finished their blooming cycle just after the wedding, when the wind blew our last snow in! They are all done this season, but you can get a glimpse of one of the beautiful ferns, just to the left.

Tell me about your gardens this year, my friends!

Happy Spring Gardening!

Javamom

What is this thing?

2010-04-08T14:39:00.005-05:00

Please help me identify this critter. We have done a lot of nature study and camping over the past 25 years and I have never seen a winged bug like this before!

side views ~

vertical views

Virtual Toblerone to the first person with the correct answer.

Curious!

Javamom

Wordless Wednesday Wedding Edition

2010-03-24T09:01:00.011-05:00

My Dad's first dance ever

Rehearsal Day

Our other bride and groom from last July

A few more details

2010-03-09T18:29:00.004-06:00

We have chosen our cake and it is scrumptious! The bride's cake flavor is 'cuatro leches' which has a Latin-American flair. That's pretty cool if you ask me, since the kids met in [my] Spanish class almost five years ago. Ky wants each of the cakes to have a different toasted meringue texture on the outside but they will all be the same on the inside. Her daddy, my Hubster, is making the mahogany cakestands in various heights to display them on the bride's table. Picture to follow when they are finished :-).

I washed 164 cloth napkins in the last 24 hours. I'll be ironing them for a while, haha! These are in the wedding colors of persimmon, butter cream (or canary yellow), and chocolate brown. We have @ 165 rsvp's which include pre-schoolers and toddlers, so this should work just fine for us.

I got to rent more tables and chairs today as the rsvp number increased.

I also found a fantastic website to help me out with purchasing massive pounds of vegetables for the hors d'oevres table. It is also good for how much meat and veggies you would need to purchase for large parties and weddings.

I hope you enjoy this peek into our wedding planning journey, which is nearing an end before we know it. The big day is only eleven days away, and we want everything to be set up and ready ten days from now.

Javamom

Sewing for the Wedding

2010-03-07T19:26:00.005-06:00

This is what I'd love for us to be able to pull off!! Haha

We do have all the brown, yellowish-cream, and red-orange napkins that we could need, the canning jars, and some neat, old-fashioned items, which is a start.

One of the neatest ways to save money on a wedding is to do some of the sewing yourself, or find friends who can cut and sew and throw a crafting gathering. Provide snacks and drinks and enjoy the fellowship of friends and family. Talk about the possibility for Titus two moments and wonderful building of shared memories...this will do it!

We will probably stick with something simpler like the following that we put together on one of our craft days with friends:

We found the fabric on the clearance bins at our local fabric store, and the shades were exactly what we needed.

Here, you find us cutting and sewing together the wedding favors, which are heart shaped sachets.

Yep, that's me. I thought my eyes were going to swell shut from sewing at least 75 of these, then my friend (sitting next to me at the other sewing machine) handed me a chocolate and caramel Cadbury bar! It perked me right up.

The heart sachets are almost finished!

Tomorrow is another craft day. We'll bustle up Ky's dress so it is easier to wear during the reception. We'll also finish our centerpiece fabric cloth mats and sewing up the padded hearts. We plan to embroider on the hearts, as well.

We've a couple of birds to paint to look like Starlings, and we got our cake tasting finished today.

It has been a busy weekend, since we also moved our dd out of her apartment in the city, cleaned with her, and got half her things put into storage. All in the rain.

Yes, it has been a busy weekend.

Javamom