September Garden

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

God Meets Us In The Garden

"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

Where are They Now?

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

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

Ready to begin some plans for Next Schoolyear

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

Homeschool Team for Solar Car Race?

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

Nature Moment ~ A Spider Becomes Lunch

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

summer schedule - this time for me!

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

Orchard House

The photos are for the daughters of a friend who are fast becoming LM Alcott fans :-)

This is where Alcott wrote Little Women. Many of the stories in the book are real, and were lived out in Hillside, the home that sits to the right of this one in Concord, Massachusetts. Bronson Alcott moved sheds from the property and added them to the initial structure, creating more room for the family. He also did the same thing to Hillside! The wrap-around porch at Hillside (after it was named Wayside) was added by the Lothrop family in the late 1800's.

Ky and me :-)

Our dear daughter. This was part of her graduation present.

Javamom