curling up with a good mystery

I'd like to think that the folks who work in the Bangor Library's children's department think of our family with fondness. After all, we are likely the family with the most consistent attendance as well as sheer volume of books checked out, but more than that, we return our books within the two week checkout window. Wednesday, when we were standing at the counter I was told that one of my selections was actually on hold by someone else, but it was accidentally put on the shelf. He said that I needed to return it within two weeks, but I assured him that I would do so by Friday at the latest. The murder mystery, Death of a Kingfisher, was one by my favorite authors, M.C. Beaton, and sure enough, I had it finished within several hours of returning home that evening. If you like non-gory mysteries with a share of humor then you will like the Hamish MacBeth series that spans over 20 books and goes back at least that many years. Featuring a local copper in rural Scotland, this series is just the thing to curl up with on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. 

The other new mystery series I enjoy also has a new title out, Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch, by Nancy Atherton. The heroine is an active mother of twin boys living in a village in England, which has an unusually large number of murders and mysteries considering its diminutive size. The author does make a point of promoting the moral equivalency of paganism and homosexuality, but the overall story is well written and just I ignore those bits.

So, these two novels will go back in the book drop bin this morning after dropping off Charlie on his last day of science day camp.He has been having such a grand time building things, making new friends, and taking things apart that he has said, "Thank you Mommy for signing me up for science camp," every afternoon after I have picked him up. Maggie has also been at camp again this week and was even on the TV news a few days ago (look for the pink hat). I wouldn't have known a thing about it, but the librarian mentioned it and pulled it up on her computer so we could watch her dance and sing, practicing for the big show next weekend.

product endorsement

Up here in Maine we have two seasons: snow season and bug season. The first flying critters out to eat you are black flies, which leave bloody welts on the neck and head. They usually last until about Father's Day, when the deer flies and mosquitoes appear. Deer flies are nasty critters who circle the head in an attempt to drive a person insane and then land on the back of the arm for a nasty bite. The only respite from all these bugs is the first frost in early October. While Maine summers are lovely and much enjoyed, there is one thing to be said for the colder months: there aren't any bugs.  

 A few weeks ago I was at the local hardware store and noticed a product near the register specifically to address this problem called Deer Fly Strips. Made by a local, this super sticky strip of what looks like packing tape has pheromones sprayed on it to attract the pests to come a little closer. Once their wings or feet touch the glue, they are stuck. In just a few hours of wearing my hat in the garden and on the front porch, I had collected 7 deer flies on the back of my hat, all frantically buzzing in an attempt to become free. Since all they wanted to do was take a chunk out of my skin, I felt no pity for the creatures. Perhaps I sound a little callous, but St. Francis never lived in Maine and saw his 3 year old's neck covered in welts from "Brother bug". I've gone back to the house to collect my hat to work in the garden and look forward to wearing it for a trail hike planned later this week. It is a little gruesome seeing out baseball hats in a a row with carcasses stuck all over,but it sure does make going outside in Maine during the summer a lot more pleasant.  

reason # 567

Yesterday I stopped by the fish market to pick up a haddock and scallop casserole for supper followed by the grocery store for dessert. My total at Hannaford came to $17.76.

"How appropriate," I said. 
The cashier, a young woman said, "Huh?"
"The total bill, how appropriate that it is 1776." She still looked at me like I had 2 heads. 
"You know, the Declaration of Independence, the 4th of July," I explained.
"Oh, I never knew the year or anything," was her reply. 
And then it just slipped out, "You went to public school, didn't you?"
"Yeah, Hampden Academy."
"And that is why I homeschool my kids," I replied before I gathered up my bags and walked out. 

Too harsh, I'm sure. But I'll move hell and high water before I send my kids to a school where graduates don't know the date of the birthday of our nation.  
 

Walter Hunt 3K

Up here in Maine, the 4th of July means parades, picnics, trips to the lake, fireworks in the backyard (now that they are legal, thank you Gov. LePage) or in town, and the annual race between Brewer and Bangor just before the parade. I took Mary, Maggie, and Charlie to compete and with my hip still a little sore (I figured out that it was from changing chairs in front of my sewing machine making my body do some weird contortion to step on the foot pedal, a true quilting injury) I wasn't expecting much performance-wise. I ran the first mile in 5:58, finishing in 12:02, 17 seconds faster than last year, but another middle-age lady passed me in the last 10 seconds, so I didn't win my age bracket. The kids didn't do so hot, Charlie even got sick during the last portion of the race. We did get to see the entire parade while walking back to the car. The rest of the afternoon will be spent resting followed by corn and watermelon for dinner and at dusk fireworks in the front yard. 

Bangor Daily News article about race, my finish is at 2:24 on the video. 

gardening fail

To say that I'm disappointed by Fedco seeds is an understatement. I thought I was being efficient by purchasing all my garden plants from the same place, but while I was happy with the quality of their trees, raspberries, potatoes, onions, and asparagus I bought this spring, about half the seeds I bought were defective. Only a few of the flower seeds I started in little pots sprouted and none of their broccoli, sunflower, or corn came up, even after planting new seed after it was evident the first sowing didn't sprout. Many of the pumpkin seeds didn't sprout either and it being the beginning of July, it is too late to buy seed from another source and start again. 

Luckily we do have plenty of carrots, broccoli (Burpee), onions, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and lettuce. Instead of being able to eat sweet corn 10 minutes after picking and being able to put bags and bags of pureed pumpkin in my freezer, I'll have to buy both vegetables from the farmer's market. Next winter I will buy some more raspberry plants and fruit trees from Fedco, I'll go back to buying my seed from Johnny's Select Seeds, a Maine company with a sterling reputation.  

you think it is hot?

Try running 10 miles in it. 

I swear, you would think that it never got above 50 degrees in Maine in the summer by listening to people's conversations today. The line in front of Gifford's ice cream shop (some great ice cream, made right here in Skowhegan, Maine) had at least 10 people standing in line all day. 

But little old me, with a hurt hip all week, rose at 5am to drive to Bucksport to run my 2nd Tour de Lac, the 3rd oldest road race in the state. I prepared for the race by overdosing on Motrin and rubbing 5 layers of Icy-Hot on said hip. Luckily there were 5 water stops along the course since I took one gulp at each and dumped the rest right on my head. I almost quit at mile 3, but found my groove and then started slowing down around mile 6, but the last 2 miles I was dragging. Final time: 1:19:31, a 7:58/mile pace. I have never been so glad to finish a race, but the best part was that the outdoor pool opened up early just for us and we could swim in our race clothes (I brought a change of clothes, but no bathing suit) before the awards were announced. The cool water just sucked every degree of heat right out of my muscles, it was just lovely. I won a jar of homemade blackberry jelly for winning my age bracket. 

Next race is the pre-4th of July parade race on Wednesday in Bangor. The 2 mile course has thousands of spectators lining the route, but with no pool to plunge into afterwards, it could be a very sweaty walk back to the car. If Giffords is open on the 4th, I will take the kids there for ice cream afterwards, no matter how long the line.      

quilting up a storm

 After crying this morning in the car after hearing the Supreme Court ruling and listening to Rush Limbaugh's analysis, I decided to take a break and think about something else today. After all, it is my youngest son's birthday today and Mary and I had a blue cake to bake. 

I also wanted to progress onto the next portion of my latest quilting project, Shiloh, a pattern found in Scrap Quilts by Julie Larsen. Here is a photo taken from the book: 

Her very easy method of making pineapple blocks with squares sewn diagonally in the corners instead of triangles made the top go together very quickly. Here is my top finished, the black flannel backing is currently making its way through the dryer. I bought 7 yards of backing, almost double the yardage stated in the directions because flannel shrinks so much. It does make for a much warmer quilt, something that I'm going to appreciate come December. I wish I had made the dark triangles connecting the black squares darker for more contrast, but I guess I can always make another. I haven't decided exactly how to quilt it, but after seeing the dramatic results in heavily free-motion quilting, I think I'm now a convert to the technique.  Speaking of my next project, since I have free time each morning to sew before the children awake, if any sister-in-laws would like a quilt under their tree this year, they better speak up now. (hint, hint)    

 

our pink princess

Julia Ellen's favorite color is pink. She just looooves anything pink, from dresses to a photo of a pink Jeep she spotted in a book. Her favorite footwear right now are pink Hello Kitty rubber boots with white polka dots, which are practical since they keep her feet dry and the slugs away from her feet during the very wet Maine spring and summer we have been having. But she hit the pinnacle of her fervor when we went to Target to pick out some new bathing suits and found a bright pink Hello Kitty suit with a little ruffle round the bottom. She was so proud of her new suit that she wore it playing outside for 2 days before we had a chance to go to the pool. Yesterday she ran with it inside to the front desk and threw it up on the counter in front of Jordan, her favorite staff member whom she flirts with mercilessly, so he could admire it. 

 Sometimes she walks around saying, "I want a pink Jeep, I want a pink car, I want a pink bike." Usually we just go along, but I just had to laugh out loud when we were at the park the other evening and she found a sit on toy, the kind that scoops dirt with hand levers. When it was time to leave she was overly tired and sobbing, before wailing, "I want one. I want a pink steam shovel." 

are homeschooled kids the only ones who still read?

I was listening to Howie Carr the other day, the Boston talk radio host, discuss how hard it is this summer for teens to find summer jobs. One comment he made really stuck with me, "It would be different if these kids were otherwise reading books, but they don't anymore. My girls don't read except for school." I don't know if this is true or not, perhaps it is like saying "All teens are bad drivers," but perhaps it is closer to the truth than it was 20 years ago. 

My children love to go to the library, if I don't let them pick out a stack to take home at least once a week then they mope and complain and I constantly see other homeschool families there (it is pretty obvious when they have kids over the age of 6 with them during the day). Now that the big kids are older I let them have more of a say over what they check out, but I keep a strict eye on the younger ones. Maggie just yesterday pouted when I took off several Goosebumps books and some inner city teen junk novel that was on her pile at the counter. 

It is interesting to see what sorts of things they come up with, occasionally it really lets me see a bit deeper into their psyche. I noticed Mary's bag of books on her bed and snuck a peek inside. It is obvious that she is a bit nervous about entering Catholic school this fall. Her choices include: Exploring Math with books kids love, Writing With Style, Reading Roundups, Spelling K-8, Word Smart, Math Puzzles and Brainteasers Grades 6-8, and Improve Your Spelling and Vocabulary. Her academic weaknesses are spelling and writing, after numerous years of struggle and crying she is just finishing up the 4th grade spelling book and I have had to help her extensively with her book reports every quarter since 2nd grade. She loves to read and she does pretty well in math if she carefully thinks through the problems, so I don't see why she thinks she needs to further study these subjects over the summer. Seeing these books on Mary's bed is a wonderful testament to homeschooling, in that she can see for herself weaknesses in her academic skills and is attempting to overcome them on her own.

feminist war on women

 "I have to admit that when I meet a woman who I know is a graduate of, say, Princeton -- one who has read The Second Sex and therefore ought to know better -- but is still a full-time wife, I feel betrayed. I'm not much of a moralist -- I have absolutely no right to be -- but in the interest of doing what's right both for me personally and for women generally, I have been strict with myself about earning my keep. For the longest time I would not date anyone who would now be called a one-percenter because money and power are such a potent combination, and if I am going to be bossed around, I don't want that to be the reason. When it's come up, I have chosen not to get married. Over and over again, I have opted for my integrity and independence over what was easy or obvious. And I am happy. I don't want everyone to live like me, but I do expect educated and able-bodied women to be holding their own in the world of work." Elizabeth Wurtzel

 This screed from The Atlantic magazine has been discussed much in the blogosphere lately, but as I have been on a Jane Austen spin-off kick lately, it struck me how perfectly perceptive the early 19th century English author was in portraying specific personalities. Ms. Wurtzel wants to define feminists as women who work and are financially self sufficient, not allowing them the choice to stay at home. She is the perfect Miss Bingley, jealous of Elizabeth Bennet's beauty and attention from Mr. Darcy, a 1%er if there ever was one. Since she has no chance of attracting the affections of such a man, Ms. Wurtzel and Miss Bingley both do all they can to disparage those they feel have stolen their rightful place of consequence in the world.   

"All young ladies are accomplished. They sing, they draw, they dance, speak French and German, cover screens and I know not what." (Mr.Bingley)
"But not half a dozen would satisfy my notion of an accomplished woman." (Mr. Darcy)
"Oh, certainly. No woman can be really esteemed accomplished who does not also possess a certain something in her air, in her manner of walking, in the tone of her voice, her address and expressions." (Miss Bingley) (I apologize for a non faithful quote, my copy of P&P seems to be at the other house)

 The best commenter after the article, of which I pasted a portion: 

I think what strikes me as the most ridiculous part of this author's position is that a female is telling other females that they are ruining the feminist movement by choosing to be full time mothers despite being educated and able-bodied. It used to be that men condescended to women who weren't in the business world, now this female author is doing the same thing. Once upon a time, women who worked brought shame to their gender. Now women who don't work bring shame to their gender? Who, again, is waging a war on women? Seems like this author is - more than anyone I've heard from in years. lawdawg97

 The other point that struck me was that if Ms. Wurtzel had her way and all educated women worked and were more like her, then there would be so many hate-filled writers out there that she would likely not be able to get her work published and be out of a job. I feel sorry for Ms. Wurtzel. She doesn't sound like a happy person who is needed and loved and it comes out in her air, in the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.  

fly away little birdies

A week or two ago the little boys pointed out a bird's nest on our farm. A barn swallow mama took advantage of the fact that one of the very last things to finish on our house is the porch ceiling and flew under the eaves to raise her young in our garage. 

We have been watching the baby's growth via binoculars, which is interesting, but Tim was grossed out by the sheer volume of bird poop 5 birds make on our garage floor. He scrubbed it out with the hose, but after only 24 hours the floor was a mess again. 

The only solutions were to take down the nest, killing the babies, or just wait it out until they learn to fly and leave the nest. Since he is such a softy the birds stayed and will likely be gone before the ceiling is installed in about 2 weeks, blocking their egress. 

The other critter problem didn't end well. When I went over to the garage apartment last week to take some boxes upstairs I found water dripping from the second floor. Turns out after 2 trips from the plumber and 1 from the builder than we had mice living between the floors during the winter and they had eaten a hole in the hot water line. The pipes and the drywall will be replaced soon, but something permanent will have to be done about invading critters. It is almost humorous to be discussing how best to discourage/kill the mice in our buildings at the same time we tempt Butter and Cream, Mary's pet mice, with special treats for their enjoyment. 

Looking at aerial photos from the early 1900's and today it is worth noting that 100 years ago 85% of our area was cleared for farms and today only 15% is still open space.  Between our little animal control issues and trying to keep the edges of the fields free of tree seedlings, I understand the old farmers who say that living in the country is a battle to keep what we have created from turning back to its natural state.  

overbooked?

This past week Tim was on vacation up at the farm, doing what he loves best, mowing grass and moving stuff around with his big John Deere tractor. He and Will left yesterday to drop Will off at his Boy Scout ordeal weekend. The yard looks pristine with everything trimmed, the wood stacked just so all ready for winter, and the trampoline set up after a year hiatus. When my husband is here things tend to run with a military precision, but once his truck is out of sight, meals are a little more haphazard, the dishwasher doesn't get run until it is full, and the laundry doesn't get folded right away. After all, I'm running the household ship by myself and it is my summer vacation.

We didn't have many things on our agenda this past week, but that is going to change next week and the following week as our summer activities really crank into gear. Somehow I have signed up all the children for swimming lessons, 4 for piano lessons, 3 for riding lessons, 3 are going away to camp, Maggie is going to theater day camp for 3 weeks, and Charlie is going to day science camp for a week. And I don't even know if sailing is going to happen this year. I guess this is practice for this fall when I will have to get everyone out of bed and drive the big kids to school every day, homeschool the boys, keep the house tidy, organize every one's activities and appointments, and pick them up in the afternoon before making dinner and supervising homework and baths. I sure do hope that the next few months won't be all chauffeuring and life guarding duty, after all, it is my summer vacation too. 

swift feet

Between the 5 members of our family who ran in the Garelick Milk Run 1 mile we cleaned up with two gift certificates totaling $40 and a cooler full of dairy products. I wanted to beat last year's time and did so by 15 seconds for a time of 6:04. Charlie came in 2nd in the 12 and under age bracket with a time of 7:26( 10 seconds faster than last year), Maggie was the next family member with a time of 7:54 and Timmy ran his first mile race (in Crocs no less) with an impressive time for a 5 year old of 8:04. Mary ran with her friend and didn't really attempt a decent time, finishing in 9:15.

I've been going to the track workouts on Wednesday evenings, Charlie and Maggie have participated and been invited to return, perhaps that was what gave us all an extra boost on Saturday. Next race is the Tour de Lac, a 10 miler in Bucksport in 2 weeks. I'm hoping to repeat last year's performance with 1:15, but the weather has to cooperate, a lovely cool 55F morning would be perfect.

a few stones strewn in my path

Since many of my vegetable seeds are in the ground, the fruit trees thriving, and the onions growing taller, I was at a loss of something to do outside. Apparently keeping the place from looking like we are hosting a yard sale with all the bikes, toys, and other assorted debris that appears each and every day isn't enough. I can't mow the grass because something broke on the riding mower and it is out of commission until our neighbor fixes it. So, with nothing better to do, I tackled my ongoing project to make the farm look like a home and no longer a construction site. Officially it still is since the porch has no classic pale blue ceiling or light fixtures yet, but we are closing in on the completion of the house. Last fall I dumped several truckloads of wood chips on the area in front of the front porch to kill the grass where I eventually wanted a flower bed. Since the porch is fairly low and doesn't have a railing, the plants there must be short so as to not impede the view. 

Last Saturday I hit a local nursery, buying some shade loving perennials, wildflowers such as white bleeding heart, columbine, and bloodroot, and a small Amur maple tree. Since then, between massive rainstorms, I have been digging out bucket after bucket of rocks and hauling them to the treeline. I have felt much in common this week with the early settlers of our town who cleared the woods and hauled so many rocks that they created stone walls at the edge of all our fields. 

Yesterday I finished digging and hopefully today after a trip to get some blue hydrangeas I will get the last plants put in the ground. I already have some future planting ideas, but this will do for now until I find myself again with "nothing to do." 

I'm an author!

If you happen to be a subscriber to Spider Magazine, then check out the May/June edition, my article about beachcombing that I submitted 4 years ago was finally published. I hope it doesn't take another 4 years for them to pay me.

school choice

Louisiana has passed legislation that I had hoped would happen in Maine this year, but our teacher's unions were too powerful to allow true school choice. All Americans at one time were homeschooled or went to private schools in one of their neighbor's home and it seems that more were literate at that time then they are today. Hurricane Katrina was a horrible, deadly disaster, but it seems that it blew away more than homes and trees, it blew out some of the entrenched liberalism and brought reform of the government and the educational system. Despite the doom and gloom predictions of the biased reporter in this Reuters story, the opportunities of Louisiana's schoolchildren seem to have gotten considerably brighter. I do wonder if some of the accredited homeschool programs like Abeka and Seton are included? If so, then homeschooling might just be the next wave in the Bayou State.  

Louisiana is embarking on the nation's boldest experiment in privatizing public education, with the state preparing to shift tens of millions in tax dollars out of the public schools to pay private industry, businesses owners and church pastors to educate children.
Starting this fall, thousands of poor and middle-class kids will get vouchers covering the full cost of tuition at more than 120 private schools across Louisiana, including small, Bible-based church schools.
"We are changing the way we deliver education," said Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican who muscled the plan through the legislature this spring over fierce objections from Democrats and teachers unions. "We are letting parents decide what's best for their children, not government."

summer project finished before summer?

About 6 weeks ago I took two machine quilting classes taught by machine quilter extraordinaire Teri Lucas. After listening to her advice as to how to proceed, I took on a huge project that had been sitting on my shelf for about 2 years, a king-size double 9 patch in red/white. After basting it on the quilt frame, I have been using every spare moment to work on it, especially those quiet early, early morning hours before any children arise. 

Pink thread on red fabric sounds dreadful, but it allows the teardrop stitches to be visible (I tried red thread at first and realized you couldn't see any of my lovely quilting!), but not garishly so, had I used white thread. The cream/white pathways are quilted in a red variegated thread with freehand leaves and vines. The dense stitching of the red pathways really makes the fabric visually recede and the variation in all the fabrics I chose appear more uniform. 

I've got to finish that last red border and the outer border, but I figure at this rate I'll have used up 7 spools of thread in a matter of a month. My finished winter bed quilt will certainly before the snow flies, and quite possibly before it gets hot enough to not need a blanket on the bed.  

get me to the church on time

Our family will not be heading to the beach this Memorial Day weekend, but to the Cathedral in Portland, where Charlie will be making his First Holy Communion and Confirmation (he went to first penance last Sunday) and the older girls will receive Confirmation. With no Catholics in either of our families and not knowing anyone in the Latin Mass community well, Will is going to be the sponsor for all three of his siblings. Afterwards I think we will celebrate with a gastronomic trip down memory lane with a late lunch/early dinner at the only Cracker Barrel in the state of Maine. We used to go there after Mass once in a while when we had to travel an hour to Mass in North Carolina and I just love their meatloaf. Yes, there are a lot of nice restaurants in Portland, but I would prefer to go somewhere familiar and family-friendly. 

Today I have to clean the whole house, pack enough for 4 days, remember everyone's church clothes and shoes, make sure my favorite church hat stays into the car (apparently last week it blew out of the van and Julia Ellen found it Monday in the woods and emerged with it smashed onto her head), and drive 2 hours to the other house. Our house down there is already for sale so I'll have to make sure that one is pristine as well. Living in one house will be a breeze after this summer, it seems that all I do is clean bathrooms, mop floors, and mow the grass.

a little botanical time travel

Last summer when we came up to the farm I happened to notice some very distinct leaves at the edge of the woods. The flowers were nothing but tatters, but I was sure that I recognized what it was. So yesterday I took another walk down in that direction and amazingly found not one, but six red flowered trillium specimens, Trillium erectum, all blooming. At supper I told the children about my high school AP Biology wildflower project and how it had a huge impact on my education. Our class had 6 months (spring starts early in VA) to find, identify, and collect (either by photograph or pressing) as many wildflowers as we could. We could work in pairs or by ourselves and our grade was determined by the number of points we amassed. Each flower was given a different point value based on its commonality/rarity. Most flowers were given a value of 1 point, only a few were given more than a value of 10 points. My score, if I can recall (it was over 20 years ago) was around 730 points. 

The only student to get a higher total was Albert Lin, a brilliant student who scored a perfect 1600 on the SATs and ended up on the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. (it turns out, after a quick google search, to find that he is now a professor of law at UC Davis.) He took every assignment seriously and I think had some in with the faculty at W&M to get some of the most rare specimens. I certainly don't hold his besting of me against him. But it was clear that I was the one student who was immersed in the project, traveling to various locales around the state, always on the hunt for a flower I didn't yet possess a picture of yet. It was a project that helped shape who I am; a lover of order and collections, a person who loves to be around plants, and someone who notices the details of her surroundings. I still have my 2 massive albums, filled with little more than dust and neatly printed labels and in the front is a blown up picture of my 16 year old self in a hysterically childish yellow slicker and hat on a collecting trip at a local park. 

After supper last night Charlie wanted to see this 50 point flower so I showed him a picture in my Peterson Field Guide, but he said, "I want to see the actual flower!" So, the three little kids and I left the dirty dishes on the counter and tromped around the rapidly growing hay fields to see this:     

It might not mean much to anyone else, but just seeing this flower brought back a flood of memories. This is the kind of experience that I want my children to have by homeschooling, the opportunity to find some subject of study that sparks something inside them that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

gardening is hard on the hands

Last year we didn't get up to Maine for the summer until Memorial Day weekend and I didn't start planting my garden until the first week of June, so already I'm ahead of the game. But I though I would be farther ahead in my planting by now. We stopped in Waterville at the end of April on tree pickup day and by the end of that afternoon, neglecting all the suitcases that needed to be unpacked, I had planted 8 apple, cherry, and peach trees, planted 20 raspberry canes, and was starting to dig the 18" deep trench for my asparagus crowns. Since then I have planted 3 pounds of onion sets (note for next year that 1 pound will certainly be enough), 20 pounds of potatoes, 25  octopus-looking asparagus roots, tomato and pepper seedlings, and replanted the broccoli and carrot seeds that apparently rotted before they could sprout. My poor hands, with which I already have dry skin issues, look like a 70 year old's due to all the digging, raking, and yanking out of rocks. I own a great pair of gardening gloves, but they constantly are missing or are up in the barn and I don't bother fetching them.  

Out of my four 80 foot long garden beds, I have planted one with 2 rapidly being overtaken by weeds,despite vast quantities of soiled bedding that a local hobby farmer delivered all winter. The old timers say you should plant your corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear, but in the past week the tree's leaves have gone from microscopic to huge and I'm not even close to being ready to plant. I should have taken Tim up on his offer to till those beds with the huge tiller, but now I'm stuck since I can't put on the huge attachment on the back of the tractor by myself and he isn't going to be up here for another two weeks. 

Somehow I'll get my seeds in the ground as well as start all the flower seeds in egg cartons, but our lives are chaotic right now with going back and forth to the other house for Confirmation/First Holy Communion and dropping off/picking up Will for various Boy Scout camping activities. But before I know it the traveling will cease, we will be able to purchase farm animals, and my fruit trees will bear. It is such a relief to know that our transient life of being on the farm for half the year and somewhere else for the other half, never settling in either is coming to an end and I can plan accordingly.   

this is not acceptable

Not for my children, and it shouldn't be for any American citizen's children. What are public schools doing with children for 6 hours a day, 180 days a year, for 12 years, at $10,000 a year if not teaching them how to READ?

Nearly half of Florida high school students failed the reading portion of the state's new toughened standardized test, education officials said on Friday.
Results this year from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test showed 52 percent of freshman students and 50 percent of sophomores scored at their grade levels.
The results came days after the Florida State Board of Education voted to lower the standards needed to pass the writing part of the test, known as FCAT.
The board took the action in an emergency meeting when preliminary results indicated only about one-third of Florida students would have passed this year.
"We are asking more from our students and teachers than we ever have, and I am proud of their hard work," Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said in a statement.

Does the Education Commissioner know that 50% is a failing grade? Does he know that these are children who, unless they have fabulous parents who tutor their children at home to relearn the material, are doomed to be trapped for a lifetime in illiteracy and poverty? Does he care? 

Public school and any bureaucracy's fatal flaw is the lack of accountability. Homeschooling is the opposite, parents are completely responsible for their children's education, there is no passing the blame if a child does not master the times tables or learn to read. I am very proud that my children not only know how to read, they love to read and they do it fast. Mary's best friend was amazed that Will and Mary had each read The Hunger Games  in one day, "That would take me at least 2 weeks!" Not only that, but they begged and pleaded and then demanded that I get the next two books in the series. Only after I read the book did I understand their anticipation. It might be dicey as to who gets first dibs, but since I have to drive the car home, my bet is that Mary will get hold of it first.

shortened work day for some

Since Tim had to travel for work a few days this week, I had to pack up the kids and animals to go down to the other house and take Will to school. We also came down for 1st Holy Communion/Confirmation practice and Charlie's 1st penance on Sunday at the Cathedral in Portland on Sunday. I didn't want to haul a bunch of stuff like schoolbooks down so I could stuff as much stuff in the van on the return trip (the more I move now the less I have to pay someones else to move later). 

Each child has 2 subjects and piano to work on; Mary: book report and math, Maggie: math and spelling, Charlie: math and reading, Timmy: phonics and math. They have had many hours of free time the past two days to sleep in, play with the neighbors, and run around outside. I, on the other hand, have been getting up at 5:30am to get Will to school, clean the house, and meet with the realtor. My bribery plan seems to be working, if she keeps working hard for another day Mary will have earned a manicure (the piano teacher demanded that she cut her nails short and after I chopped them off I promised her that when she finished the dreaded book report on St. John Masias she could get her nails "done"). Maggie and Charlie aren't too far behind.  I am looking forward to call Miss Lisa and starting riding lessons for the 3 of them both because it means we will have finished school for the year and so I can talk shop with another serious runner.

Knowing that both girls will be joining their brother at Catholic school in the fall has given me a sense of relief at having my days more free as well as dread that I will have to get up every morning as early as I did today to get them all up and out the door by 7:30. Homeschooling gets harder as the children get older because of the amount of material and the sheer number of children to manage and part of me thinks that I'm somehow "cheating" by sending the oldest away to school. I'll still be teaching the two boys and continuing to introduce a preschooler to letters and numbers so I certainly won't be sitting around doing nothing. Tim keeps telling me how this will be a big change in my life, but one in which I think will be beneficial to us all. I just think I'll have to remind myself of that fact over and over on cold dark Maine winter mornings driving the kids to school.

carnival of homeschooling

This week is my 3rd time hosting the carnival of homeschooling and it also happens to be the 333rd carnival, started over 6 years ago. If I think about what I was doing on that very first day the Cate family published this weekly collaborative resource, it was, of course, homeschooling. My two oldest children were just learning how to read and write the most simple of book reports and I was also coping with a toddler and expecting baby #4. 

Today we have our oldest child in Catholic school, are homeschooling four of the others and still have a toddler underfoot. But it won't always be like this, in another 6 years I will have graduated two children and the youngest will be finishing 3rd grade. 

But we must focus on what today asks of us and so...

A Net in Time shares a fun and educational day in Science, math and more...

Let's Play Math gives us some instruction on how to teach place value in PUFM 1.2 Place Value.

Three Girls and a Minivan shares a trip to the Daniel Boone Homestead and some fun nature study in Lesson Ideas and Activities.

Simply Convivial gives some pointers as to how to improve memory work in Memory Work Binders.   

As for My House shares with us a day of learning up high, doing school in the treehouse in Wherever School. 

MomSCHOOL gives us some pointers about overcoming writer's block in The Fear of Writing.  

Homeschool Programs gives some ideas as to how to not miss sports or the SATs in Can You Homeschool Without Missing Out on Important Moments?

Escape is Possible shares some fascinating pictures and information about a field trip along the shore in Seattle in Tidepools, Bridges, and Locks. 

Mindy at Den School shares all the holidays between now and the end of May and links of resources to use to learn and celebrate in Holidays May 13-May 19.

A Child's Garden has an absolutely wonderful, informative post that all homeschoolers should read about literacy entitled You, too, Can Teach Literacy!

Boys and a Dog share some ideas on how to stay cool in Countdown to Summer Tips.

Juggling Paynes wonders aloud about how some of our children share our interests and some don't in Learning Their Way, Not Mine. I can so relate to her comments about the computer, Will came to the farm for the weekend and set up my new computer just the way I wanted it, though it is humbling knowing that my child is smarter than I am.

Dewey's Treehouse gives an enthusiastic book recommendation in The Big WHAT NOW Book of Learning Styles. 

Our Curious Home gives us a glimpse into an afternoon of fun and earning medals in Jr F.I.R.S.T. Lego League Expo a week ago Saturday.

A Guide to Raising Great Kids shares her ways to keep the kids entertained in Summer Plans, Again.

Time for Learning gives us some tips on planning a homeschool prom in Dashing Another Homeschool Myth.

Barbara Frank Online shares part #4 of how to organize and shop smart after getting home in Keys to a Successful Homeschool Convention Experience. 

Learning at Home gives us some tips to help get our children back on track after play time in Spring Fever- The Cure. 

Why Homeschool shares with us Homeschooling Will Change for Us This Fall. Since our youngest won't start kindergarten until 2015, the year our oldest will be in 11th grade,  I can relate.

Homeschooling Unscripted shares some reasons teens need to shut off the lights so they can focus on their studies in Teens and Sleep.   

Thank you for participating and stopping by the Carnival of Homeschooling this week. Some of us homeschool year-round and some are wrapping up our official academic year. Let us strive to focus on what is important in our daily lives, so that years from now we can look back and feel proud of what we have accomplished in educating our children. 

preparation for life

Every homeschooling family is different, each has their own educational philosophy, but I have always assumed that any mother who takes upon herself the hard task of teaching her children at home has academic excellence as her goal. Yes, not having to rouse children from their beds at 6am to catch the bus is a side benefit, but laziness can not and should not be one's motivator for homeschooling. Ginny Seuffert's latest column in the Seton newsletter reemphasized this to me so much yesterday that I called their counseling department to tell them how much I appreciated her article. It is about tailoring a curriculum and one portion begins,

"Things that are worth doing are often difficult...if a task is difficult and a student rebels against doing the work, the parent can give in because of the complaining. But then the children miss out on some very important lessons. They don't learn to respect and obey their parents, as commanded by God. They don't learn to apply themselves diligently to accomplish a difficult or frustrating task. They develop an incomplete view of the world where they can dictate the terms. Allowing students to direct educational methods can deny them an opportunity to build character."

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and discouraged by the amount of schoolwork my children are expected to accomplish each year. I also have to ride them to practice the piano every day so they can develop their musical skills. Homeschooling is a sacrifice for mothers who could take the easy way out and put their children on the yellow bus, relax with a cup of coffee before tackling the household chores and some free time with their friends. But most of us who choose to hold our children up to a higher standard of excellence realize what Thomas Alva Edison famously said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." One cannot become a concert pianist without thousands of hours of practice. One cannot invent a product that is still used all over the world over 100 years later without a well-trained mind. One cannot become a veterinarian, like Mary hopes to become, without a strong foundation in science and mathematics. We have seen what the low standards in our public schools produce, I want my children to have a world full of opportunity and strong academics is the path to that bright future.  

for better or worse

Tim has accepted a job offer that will allow us to live on our farm full time. It will be a long commute for him and I will be having to set the alarm clock for the first time in many years to get 3 children to Catholic school, but I think for the long-term interest of our family it is the best thing to do. This was a very difficult decision, leaving a job that Tim really enjoyed after only 1 year, leaving behind the only opportunity to attend the Traditional Latin Mass, leaving a vibrant Scout program, and leaving a house we only bought last summer. But once the guilt begins to fade a bit I think we will be able to look forward with optimism about the future. For so many years we have been living here for 2 years, there for 1 year, never in any place long enough to make lasting ties. For our friends and relatives this seems to be the moment to pick up the Sharpie marker and write our information permanently in your address book, no more of this writing lightly in pencil stuff because you know it will just be erased and changed shortly. I love our farm, our piece of Maine and I think and pray that we will finally enjoy settling in and making our house our permanent home. 

10 points

You could say that I'm a little competitive. Okay, you could say that I'm really competitive, but not so much that I'm desperately trying to get pregnant so this Michelle or this Michelle doesn't beat me in the "most kids under the age of 14" category. I'll just stick with wanting to win the Sub5 track club 2012 series in the middle-age ladies bracket.

Saturday was the 3rd race for the year and I was in 2nd place until the 5 mile point at which I was passed by two women. I looked at their thighs to see if they were firm or starting to wrinkle, but no matter which, I just couldn't keep up, despite Belinda Carlisle from the GoGos blasting in my ear, "Get up and GO!" I finished with a new PR in the 10K: 45:23 and was pleased that all 3 women who beat me were in their 20's and 30's. As of now I am solidly in 1st place for my age bracket and in the 2nd place for women overall. 

Charlie came in 3rd in the mile run with Maggie and Mary close behind. For being the first boy to finish he won a sombrero pinata. However, their behavior at Mass on Sunday was so awful that we have not yet celebrated his win. Perhaps by next Sunday afternoon the dreadful rain will stop and they will be good enough to deserve the 5 bags of candy it took to fill the paper hat.

Next race: Garelick Milk Run, a one mile downhill course that will be Timmy's first road race. Lots of great prizes and free chocolate milk at the finish. My goal is to beat last year's time of 6:19.  

decision time

I have to make a very important choice in the next few weeks. I feel like I'm on top of the high dive at the pool with 3 options facing me: nailing a perfect pike, hitting my head on the board on the dismount, or climbing back down the ladder. I would appreciate a prayer for discernment.

back in the blogging groove

My old computer that I was having blackout issues with for the past year finally bit the dust completely the day Tim dropped us off at the farm. Four days with no access to news other than the radio made me so crazy that Tim scrounged up enough money to buy me a new fancy-schmancy laptop that will NOT have children's games/Minecraft/13 year old boys downloading illicit copies of Windows 7... and I think that means it will last longer than the old one that had its inside fried. Just in time because Henry Cate emailed me this morning asking me to host the Carnival of Homeschooling next week.

So, if you have a post relating in ANY way to homeschooling, such as a funny event, a field trip, a craft you taught the kids, a new book or curriculum you bought, please email it to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com by 6:00 PM next Monday evening. It will be greatly appreciated if the submissions come in earlier. Please send the following information:

Title of Post
URL of Post
Name of Blog
URL of Blog
Brief summary of the post
(With "carnival" or "submission" in the subject field of the email.)

However, since I have no access to my 13 year old computer expert, I am having trouble figuring out if my Ipod music list is on an account somewhere or lost inside my old laptop. If you know, please let me know.  

free time

Now that we are up at the farm with a diminishing schoolwork load and no electronic/media devices, the children must come up with their own entertainment. On Thursday the girls were gone all afternoon, having ridden their bikes 5 miles to the town library (to sit at the computer, but at least they got some exercise before and after) and Julia Ellen was asleep on the couch for several hours.

 Charlie just loves building models and found in our extensive book collection a paper model book of boats. Most of the pieces had already been taken out, but he traced the outline of each piece onto typing paper and constructed rather crude models of a submarine and viking longboats, complete with oars. For upwards of 3 hours Timmy and Charlie quietly constructed their boats out of paper and copious amounts of scotch tape and recreated scenes from Homer's The Odyssey which we watched for movie night a few weeks back.

I was able to spend a long drizzly afternoon sewing quilt blocks in absolute peace. Yes, there was a background noise of shooting and bad guys dying violent deaths, but it was a total respite from bickering, fighting,  tattling, and complaining. I'm thinking that our next movie night selection when we go back to the other house in a few weeks is The Hunt for Red October, Charlie already has his submarines at the ready to play Sean Connery and Alex Baldwin fighting it out.

4 children reading under the covers

I can admit now that I have been very worried about Charlie. He is almost 8 years old, in 2nd grade, and has mightily struggled with reading. I was concerned that he would never catch on. We went through the 1st grade readers last year, story by painful story, sometimes tripping on every word. In September we started the 2nd grade set, only to return to the pre-primer after a month to start all over again. This time around he did better and we are now more than halfway through this year's books. Every story is still a challenge, but the other morning I came upstairs from sewing to overhear Charlie reading (not flawlessly, but giving it his best) a picture book about farm animals to his little brother.

My philosophy has always been to surround the children with books, creating a "print-rich environment" as the experts call it. The result is 10 bookcases of children's books, encompassing everything from board books to Latin for Dummies, a huge collection of classics, and Landmark books, as well as a large selection of non-fiction. We also make frequent trips to many libraries in Maine, owning 5 library cards in various towns. My job of organizing and returning books is worth the exposure to new material. The kids are free to read in bed with flashlights, free to curl up on the sofa reading on rainy afternoons, free to play "library" by stacking books all over my living room on occasion. I don't require a certain amount of  reading time each day, I just tempt them with dramatic read-alouds, filling my tote bag with recommendations from enthusiastic children's librarians, and stocking the coffee table with colorful storybooks.

My goal is to have children who love to read, who understand the power of a great story, and benefit academically and emotionally from voracious reading. If I can keep these children playing outdoors daily, reading each day, and praying every evening then no matter what else happens I'm sure they will turn out all right.    

quilted mug rugs

The local quilt group I belong to made adorable large coasters during our bimonthly meeting and I was so excited about them that I decided to make them for thank you gifts for the children's teachers. This is their last week of gym and art classes at the local public school before we go to the farm for the "summer" (yes, I know it is only April, but the garden beckons). I bought some large mugs at Target and plan on putting some fancy hot cocoa packets inside to finish each gift. 

First you cut four 5" squares of contrasting fabrics (if they are too similar the effect will be lost) surrounded by a 3 1/2" border. Then you cut a 3 1/2" template out of clear plastic with lines drawn in 3/4" from the corners to form a kite shape. You can actually make the square any size you want to vary the pinwheel size. The Twister ruler can be purchased. Line up the template on each intersection (make sure they are all facing the same direction by putting your initials in one corner and always have that corner in the bottom right) and draw a line around before cutting out. The result are 4 pinwheels. Here is another blogger's tutorial to  visually follow.  

 I made 3 mugrugs with the same fabrics, quilting each in a slightly different way.  Then I decided that Mary's male gym teacher needed something a little less floral, hence a black and white color scheme. Both Saturday and Sunday I attended a machine quilting class at the local quilt shop and came home so excited about to practice that I quilted the last coaster a little fancier than the others.

 With this project completed, I am anxious to start quilting a huge king-size red double 9 patch that mimics this blue quilt I sent out several years ago to be finished by a long-arm quilter. My plan is to baste it on my frame and take it up to the farm and work on it at the machine over the summer. I'll back it with red flannel to be my winter bed quilt and save the muslin-backed blue one for summer.

 

aqua...aqua..

Will summed up the odd weather this year in 4 words: early winter, early spring. It never gets this warm in Maine this early, low 80's in April is unheard of, this is July weather. My body hasn't really been able to gradually acclimate and I've gotten a little overheated during my runs prepping for several 10Ks next month. I tried bringing along a bottle of water, but it gets warm really fast and the chugging sound makes me need to go... well you know. 

Last summer I was running a 7 mile loop and the battery of my walkman died so I stopped at the minimart a few miles from home and asked if I could have a AAA battery and come back to pay them after I finished running and showered. They said yes and with that thought in mind, I walked in the other day inquiring if I could run a credit to get bottled water. She kindly pulled out an envelope and wrote my name and phone number on it and stuck it with my enclosed $10 under the cash drawer. During yesterday's run I stopped in, grabbed a cold bottle out of the cooler, chugged half before getting to the register, and told the girl my name before continuing my run. 

Now this is not something I could imagine doing anywhere else I have lived, suburban retailers would have looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, "Can't do that," and a urban store would have likely just pocketed the money and said innocently when I came in, "What $10?" Yea, sometimes the cars (and school buses) get a little too close, and dead porcupines in the middle of the road aren't my idea of pretty scenery, but living in rural Maine certainly has its perks. Come July and August when I really ramp up the training for the County 1/2 marathon, I'm going to be really grateful for that ice cold bottle of aqua mineral senza gas (no bubbles) waiting for me.      

have I got a deal for you!

The other night I was tossing and turning at 2am because of the realization that comes to me every year around April; that we have been getting up and hitting the books every morning for 7 months and we aren't even close to finishing school for the year. While some subjects are completed, the workbooks thrown in the trash, others are only 1/2 way completed. 

At this point, no child will finish by the beginning of June, Mary has to catch up in spelling, Maggie just took her 2nd quarter math test, Charlie just finished his book report for 2nd quarter (we had to start the whole Faith and Freedom reader series over again), and Timmy needs to basically cover all the K phonics and math again. 

Instead of agonizing over it and becoming angry that July and August will again consist of sitting inside every morning supervising the little slackers (Maggie was supposed to do 2 pages of math each day), I thought of an incentive for them to pick up the pace: tie their finishing to something they want to do but I don't mind missing. I presented my plan at dinner the other night. "I will call Miss Lisa and schedule each of you to start riding lessons as soon as you finish all your subjects for the year." While there were moans and groans, Maggie then finished her phonics workbook and test in 2 days.

Summer will officially be here before I know it, filled with swimming lessons, sailing camp, sleep-away camp, piano lessons, and trips to the lake. A little push so we can do those things without the extra burden of book reports and spelling tests hopefully will do the trick.   

farmer Katherine

Yesterday morning was the beginning of Will's (and therefore everyone's) spring break. After a slightly frenzied day of driving and unpacking, I awoke to sunrise on the farm. Tim can only be here for a few days so if I wanted him to till part of the garden I had to get cracking. By 8am I had 8 holes dug for my new fruit trees coming later this month, the compost bin dismantled (4 wooden pallets connected with hook and eyes) and all that black gold evenly distributed onto each hole (nothing will work up a sweat like digging up sod and rocks), and 6 perennials transplanted to their permanent bed.

 Tim then moved the huge pile of manure and wood shavings a small farmer has been delivering all winter onto the garden and tilled in the future home for my raspberry plants while I worked with several children on their schoolwork. An hour or so carved out for lunch and running, Charlie rode 7 miles on his bike right behind me, and while I mapped out my errand strategy. I don't know how, but I just can never seem to catch up on all the things that need to be fetched or purchased each week. Mary and Julia Ellen ran 11 errands with me in Bangor, from getting my eyebrows waxed (hadn't done that in 8 months!) to picking up soil amendments at the farm store. 

Luckily today's agenda involves less driving, but not any less digging. I've a whole flower bed in front of the porch that last fall I covered with cardboard and wood chips to prepare for shade loving perennials. I want our place here to look more like a home and less like a construction site, but that involves lots of work. The sun is already peering between the trees outside, I better get out of my jammies and get cracking.      

so stay at home moms don't work, eh?

Now that we apparently have a nominee, Mitt Romney, the Obama machine can start attacking just one candidate with guns blazing. Today's message from the President, who is failing miserably at handling his first real job, is that Ann Romney has never held a real job. Just raising 5 boys, while battling several major health issues apparently is not enough. But look at who the Democrats have as their base: welfare cheats, illegal immigrants, the dissatisfied college graduates with loads of student debt living in their parents' basements, and those who want others to pay for their birth control so they can afford beer. These are not exactly the type of folks who work from dawn to dusk taking care of or providing for their families. This attack is offensive to the core of those of us who do either of these things, because we know intimately the sacrifice involved in staying home in this age and culture.


My average day involves multi-tasking to the the nth degree: cleaning, cooking, homeschooling, dropping off and picking up of children, doing laundry, shopping, taking kids to the doctor/dentist/Scouts, wiping noses and fannies, reading aloud while keeping the older ones supervised on the computer,  mowing the grass, feeding the pets, growing a garden, balancing the checkbook, nagging teens to practice the piano... I could go on for pages at all the things I do, but that is the life I chose. I could have more status in the "world" and less grief from strangers if I worked outside the home for pay (even if I only took care of or taught other people's children) or had fewer children, but to be a mom who stays home with her large family is an unappreciated job.

I challenge any one of the Obama administration to attempt Ann Romney's or my job for 30 days and see how fast they are back in their cubicle sighing with relief at the reduction in their workload when they return to their "real job." 
 

uncle henry's

At every gas station and convenience store up here in Maine right next to the register is a fat paperback available for $2. A snappy jingle on the cover that changes each week entices shoppers to flip through and find a bargain inside its pages. Since Maine is such a large and rural state with the Yankee notion of never throwing or giving anything away if you can get a buck for it, Uncle Henry's is the perfect means of selling anything from an antique car to old pallets to homemade potholders. 

Thinking back, we haven't bought many things out of its pages other than a couple of pairs of ballet shoes and our farm. After a summer of scouring the MLS listings and seeing so much raw land with not an electric pole within 1/2 mile, I had about given up on finding anything suitable. Then I looked one week in the real estate/land section and found, "40 acres of fields and woods, driveway and well in place, electric 800 feet onto property." I hauled the kids up to look over the place and called Tim on my cell phone, "How much do you love me? I want this land." We made an offer without him even seeing the place.

Mary loves reading the pet section and we play "find the most expensive dog/cat" game. "I can't believe someone would pay $1000 for a dog!" she calls out from the back seat of the car on the way home. Then she tries to convince me to buy her yet another pet, "Free ferrets and cage. Pleeeease?" I like looking in the free section and wondering how many upright pianos are in the state of Maine when there is at least one available every week, "Heavy, bring lots of strong men, I'm not available to help carry," one ad warns. My friend Jennifer scours the digest and has brought home 3 pianos, one is now for parts due to not tying it down well enough in the back of a pickup truck on the way home. I also like reading the livestock section and fantasize about being able to purchase a Jersey cow and a flock of laying chickens. Tim likes to pull it out of the basket in the bathroom and read the farm section filled with 50 year old John Deere tractors available for under $3000. 

All in all, the amount of entertainment we are able to glean is well worth the $2. Despite Craig's List popularity, I don't think Uncle Henry's has anything to worry about, even in the age of the internet.   

  

Happy Easter!

I know that many parts of the country have had a very early spring. The daffodils down in Virginia are already fading, but up here in Maine our bulbs are just coming out. The weather forecasters are even calling for snow tonight. Luckily I didn't buy the children cute Easter clothes because it would all be covered up with sweaters and coats, even inside because our church is made of stone and the temperature never seems to rise above 50F. 

Some of the children and I went to Mass on Maundy Thursday and then on Friday morning attended the Stations of the Cross. Each station was acted out by students in a respectful manner and the entire student body was quiet and prayerful. 

So, while it is warm and sunny for Easter in other parts of the country, we will still be wearing our mittens to celebrate Christ's Resurrection. 

At least our chocolate bunnies won't melt.      

IRL update

I've been on a self-imposed hiatus to spend more time doing school, quilting, and reading. This post is a short attempt to "catch up" since winter break when I not only lost a library book (which was found at the farm under the sofa), but my pink Ipod I bought myself after my first (and so far only) 1/2 marathon.  

Since then I have joined a local quilt group and finished a bed quilt, a quilt challenge, and several blocks for charity. I'm signed up for a machine quilting class in an attempt to get the hang of quilting on a shortarm frame, but part of me thinks it is a lost cause and the purchase was a total waste of money. I quilted about 3/4 of this Union quilt on the frame, but finished it on the machine sitting down. The throat space of only 5-8 inches to work with as well as my lack of dexterity quilting using handles instead of having hands on the quilt is proving frustrating.  

Will was in the play Beauty and the Beast at school as a townsperson, a wolf, and a fork. He also made honor roll his first quarter in Catholic school, proving that homeschooling is academically equivalent to a college prep curriculum. 

After several cancellations, Julia Ellen, Timmy, and I finally visited Amy Dacyczyn, of Tightwad Gazette fame for several playdates (her grandson is 2). 

An article on beachcoming I wrote over 3 years ago for a children's literature course is to be published in Spider magazine in the May/June edition. Perhaps finally getting paid for my writing will inspire me to attempt another article, but I don't envision making much money on the "publish something every 4 years" plan. 

Finally, 3 of the kids and I drove up to the farm this past weekend to take part in another Sub5 race. Speeding toward the finish with Danger Zone from the movie Top Gun blasting from my Ipod (I bought a blue one only to find the original pink hidden in a tote bag at the farm), I thought I did very well (22:18), but apparently this year I might have some stiff competition in the middle-age lady category as I came in 3rd in my bracket. The kids did well, Charlie came in 5th overall in the mile only being beat by 11 and 12 year olds, Maggie won the 9-10 age bracket, and Mary came in right behind her sister claiming a hurt foot.           

Spring is almost here and despite the snowfall this morning, the daffodils are blooming, the sap flow from the sugar maples has ceased, and the peepers are making lots of noise in wet spots all over Maine. I've planted my peas and spinach and hopefully will see some sprouts when we go back up to the farm for Easter break. As far as I know I will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling in a few weeks so I'll be asking for submissions and thinking up a carnival theme. 


I do hope you have a very blessed Holy Week and a very happy Easter.