Morning Has Broken

Morning comes to our home in mostly the same way it comes to yours. The sun creeps through the chinks in the curtains. Small sounds of people stirring can be heard. The dog needs let out. Cars begin passing on the road. And the animals make a lot of noise. What? No angry goats at your house? This is Sam. Sam is trying to follow his instincts and reproduce. We are trying to stop him.

I am fairly sure that all of the girls are pregnant, and I don't want Mary to get impregnated again so soon. So yesterday, we separated Sam from his herd of women.

I heard him this morning calling to them to let him out. I went outside, and he was standing on top of his house yelling, "Let me out!" at the top of his goaty lungs.

For some reason Emma is "flagging" him, so perhaps she isn't pregnant. If nothing has happened with her by next month, then he may get a conjugal visit for a while with one woman. For now, though, he will just have to watch longingly from a distance. And hopefully he loses his voice.

Goldie came to greet me this morning too. She is one of my oldest hens. I hatched her in an incubator from an egg the Extension Agent gave me. She still lays, though it looks like she is starting to molt. She has hatched a couple clutches of eggs herself over the years. Chickens don't hatch eggs much anymore. It has been bred out of them. Humans messing with God again. Sort of like putting a goat in a cage, I guess.

This is Luke. He is being run out of his home by some other kittens. I don't know where they came from, but they have taken over the barn. Luke won't go in the barn anymore if he can help it. I have to make sure he eats somewhere, or he gets very crazy with hunger. Sometimes he attacks when I go out with something.

The chickens love the early morning. Chickens like to wade through wet grass and look for bugs. They also don't like heat so much, so a cool morning with bugs and grass makes a happy hen.

Goats do not like to get wet, so they hang out in the chicken coop until the dew has dried. Harry was back in the coop, and Emma was "on the street corner" near Sam, so here are Faye, Madison, and Mary saying "Good Morning."

And then there is the scenery. More houses are going in. I suppose the builders are hoping that the economic downturn is starting to swing upward. All it does for me is add to the morning noises...hammers and men's voices. And the scenery...bright blue port-a-potties. Lovely.

Perhaps the neighbors enjoy looking out their back windows and seeing my little farm in the morning. Maybe they even like hearing roosters crow and goats calling to their lovers. I should probably charge an aethetics fee when they sell those houses. Hmm.

A Night of Tears

I have begun writing my home schooling memoirs. I started this evening with how we began this journey. It was difficult to write. It was actually 100 days of school, but it affected me more deeply than I realized. A parent relives failure through guilt like a hurricane produces waves in a storm. It washed over me, and I cried and sobbed bitterly as I remembered the anguish of that first year of public school. I do not at all think #1 has residual problems from it, but I hate knowing that I sent him to that every day. A mother is supposed to protect and foresee problems. Hubby says I am too hard on myself. I did try to fix the problem. I had conferences, made suggestions, tried to implement change, but the teacher wasn't receptive. I wonder now at how our life would be different if #1 had enjoyed school. I read a friend's blog this week about her children's first days of school. I was jealous. But not for long. Our children are close friends. Their education superior to what they would have received in the classroom. And they still have their imaginations and creativity intact. We don't concern ourselves with popular fads or fashions. We read the Bible daily. We email grandparents, plant pineapples, make puppets, serve the community, and love each other. I don't know why God brought us to this life of home schooling, but I am glad He did.

Strike!

Last night on the way to church we were talking about birthdays. There is a youth rally on Hubby's birthday, and we were wondering about #1 going to it. I said that this isn't a biggie birthday for Daddy anyway, so it would probably be ok. And then it hit me. There are two biggie birthdays after that, though. I will be 40, and my baby will be a teen-ager! 13!!! Yikes! That was harder to deal with than my being 40. We have stood behind him, and watched and encouraged all of his attempts, trying to be the parents that God would have us to be.

This sweet fruit of my womb has grown into a young man. He is bigger than I am, if I don't stand my tallest, and getting bigger by the day. I cut his hair this week and noticed that his jawline is changing. The baby face is disappearing, and a young man is emerging.

I still catch glimpses of the baby I knew. His lip still sticks out when he is thinking about something. He still wants to snuggle up for reassurance. And he still eats every 2 hours.

But changes are occuring. He is starting to sleep like a teenager, staying up later and then sleeping later. He wants to be with his friends more than with his parents. He is having mood swings, moments of frustration in which he doesn't seem to know what he wants.

He is challenging me to think of him as a teen instead of a youngster. I didn't know it would be so draining.

I know we are only at the beginning of another long road, but I think we are ready for him to start striking out on his own. May he take God along, too.

Better Get That Book in on Time!

I'm not sure what is going on upstairs right now, but here is what I heard: #1 to #5: #5 the Librarian would like to talk to you about an overdue book. #5: BBBssshhhh, bbbssshhhh #1: There are no weapons allowed in the library. #5: BBbsshhh, bbbssshhh #1: No weapons in the library! #5: I don't care! Bbbssshhh,bbbssshhh! I think the librarian got cut down. The bread just came out of the oven, and I think that is my cue to take these boys swimming. I am glad they are back; we certainly missed them. However, WHEW!

Happy Brothers' Day

Yes, it was Brothers' Day on Sunday. About 8 years ago, our sweet sons realized that they were getting left out of the celebration with Mother and Father's Days, so they asked for a day of their own. Since then, we have celebrated the fourth Sunday of August as Brothers' Day. We had trouble deciding what to do this year. #1 is getting to the age that if it doesn't involve other kids, it isn't fun. So #2 decided what to do (bowling) and #1 decided where to eat.

Getting an acceptable picture of all three of my men at once is impossible. They'll regret it someday. It seems that #1 and his daddy are the family legends when it comes to bowling. We did use the bumpers, but it didn't seem to help me much.

We ate at Hubachi Grill. It is sushi, Chinese, and American all together on a big buffet. There is a Mongolian Grill style cooking area as well. I enjoyed trying some new things. Notice the little guy in the lower right corner...octopus. Chewy is all I have to say. The boys tried crawfish, but it wasn't much of a hit with them.

My boys are best friends, even if they do try to kill each other 29 times a day. They just ran through here laughing and tickling each other while yelling, "Happy Juice!" Goofy guys. I love them.

The Love of My Life, Most Days

We are getting ready to start Geography Co-op on Tuesday. There are several families that have participated with us in this the last 4 autumns. This year there are 5 families studying the continent of Africa. I always do the first presentation introducing the continent, so I have been reading about the regions, foods, cultures, etc. Last night I was telling Hubby about a family that has two wives. They each have their own houses, but they are joined by a courtyard. I asked if he would like two wives. "Not most days." Now what am I supposed to do with that? Does that mean there are times that I am so bad he wishes there were someone else? Or does it mean that there are so many times that I am good that he doesn't need anyone else? Or does it mean that I am plenty, but sometimes he needs more? Finally, this morning, he says that I am so spectacular that he couldn't need another. Of course, he did say, "Most Days"! I guess no one can be constantly spectacular! This is the Snake River winding through the Grand Tetons. I was writing last night, and started thinking about what the weather would be like in Yellowstone now. I looked it up, and it is in the 60s and low 30s at night. Winter comes quickly; I'll enjoy the pictures. I was trying to see what a vacation package similar to what we did would cost a family of four. I couldn't even come close to what we did. The closest I could find lasted only five days and five nights, and the cost was about $3,000. Our trip was 15 days/14 nights and came to a grand total of $2,306.76. We went over the budget a little, but the memories are worth it.

Animals

I know kids don't tie their shoes, but how can a grown man not keep his own shoes tied? It's hard to keep them tied when Mary is around. She likes to untie shoes for some reason.

This is one of my hens that is bigger than some roosters. She has even begun to grow a mane and a long tail like the roosters. She is still gentle when I pick her up to put her in the coop, but she sure is heavy.

This is Harry, our newest goat. He will be a week old tomorrow. He has probably been one of the fastest to ever leave the pen. He was a day old when I found him locked in the chicken coop. He wasn't too upset by it though. There aren't any other baby goats due for a few weeks, so he will be quite the bossy bully by the time they get here.

This is dinnertime. Sam tries to eat by himself, but Moe, the duck, rules the barnyard. He will eat even if he gets butted. The hen knows not to go near Moe, or he will turn into a goose and grab her by the backside!

I feel sorry for him since he doesn't have a mate, but that's no reason to be such a meanie.

My Kitchen

A kitchen tells a lot about a person. It is the room that usually makes a house a home. Everyone goes in the kitchen. There are no "spots back" or possessions you can't touch, unless there is cake or cookies. These are pictures of my kitchen this morning. It was/is a mess. It is getting better, but these pictures remind me that even though life is messy, God provides...both work and pleasure. This is our kitchen table and chairs. The table is covered with papers that need to be read, books and games that the boys wander around with, a hat that #2 was using to camouflage himself in his hideout, a math book and a science movie, sharks' teeth that have been gathered in the back pit, and mail that needs recycled after our long trip. I did manage to clear it off before we ate lunch.

I made a pot roast yesterday and used the juice this morning to make vegetable soup that I am currently pressure canning. Earlier this week I canned 13 pints of pears from our own trees. I had some for lunch, and they are quite tasty.

#2 finally received his plaque for winning the science essay contest he entered last spring. We were pleased to hear that there were over 200 participants, and he was the only winner from our county! 29 counties were represented. His brother receives a certificate for participating. He plans on winning next year.

The countertop is still covered with our cooler and chips from a quick trip to the beach yesterday. The water was perfect, and I spent a lot of the day floating on top of the waves. We met a few friends there too, so the boys had fun swimming and playing with other kids. Also pictured are a book that I haven't read since we returned from our trip, coupons that need clipping, and egg cartons that friends from church have passed along to me.

I know I say it often, and I hope it still sounds genuine, but I love my life. I love being a home maker. I hate having a messy kitchen, but I love what (who) makes the mess. Certainly, Life Is Good.

Time Flies

It has been a short/long while since I last posted. I have been so busy that I hadn't noticed that I wasn't posting. Here are some highlights for my family; the rest of you probably don't care. The newest news is that #2 needs to get glasses. He has complained for a little over a month, but with the vacation I didn't schedule anything until we got back. This afternoon was his appointment, and he is definitely nearsighted. It is about as bad as his brother is after wearing glasses for two years! The doctor said don't wait two years again before another visit. As if I intentionally let my blind child walk around. Honestly! We have a new baby goat, Harry. He was born Friday afternoon. #2 hosted a party at the house on Friday evening. We had 11 kids here counting our own two. Rain was threatening, but thankfully held off. They played Capture the Flag, fought with sticks, lit fires, and ate hot dogs. Good times. I had a lovely breakfast with friends from church on Saturday. Then I went to see what school supply sales were on at Staples and ran into more friends from home school. I like being in a town long enough to have friends. The grass has been mown twice now since we have been back, and it actually needed it! I was afraid to wait any longer in case the tropical depressions in the Atlantic decide to drop a foot of rain on us. I even mowed the goat field, after the baby was born. I didn't put the old girl in labor! School is back in full force. I spent the weekend- yes, the entire weekend- writing lesson plans for the next month. It's exactly like being a public school teacher, the pay stinks for both of us. The tears about the new lessons didn't start until 11:10 a.m. Not bad. Of course #2 still isn't finished. He had a nice long walk (read he disappeared for a while) this afternoon. I start writing this evening after dinner. My first attempt will be an article on how to have a memorable, inexpensive family vacation. More fun posts coming soon.

Hunger

There is an article in a recent Time magazine that says it isn't so much about exercise as it is about what you eat. Of course it is talking about weight gain and loss. The studies seem to show that exercise only makes you hungrier and so you eat more than you burn off, thus gaining weight. The more correct way to lose weight, or to try and control it, is to move throughout the day and eat less. Everyone likes to eat though. Last night after church I was stopping at Food Lion to get citric acid for some pears I need to can, and all of my guys went inside with me for a "cookie run". As we were checking out, there was another man there on his own cookie run. What is it with men and their cookies? I, myself, enjoy peanutbutter. I like peanutbutter pie, sandwiches, milkshakes, Reese cups, you name it. If it has peanutbutter in it, I will eat it. My animals even like to eat. We were thrilled to see Kelly, the dog, had lost weight while we were on vacation. She had been in a kennel and wasn't able to go eat all of the neighbor's food. The goats stand at the gate at about 5:00 and cry until we feed them. The cat meows at the door when he smells me cooking anything. We even have a rooster, Bill, who will come onto the back porch and crow around 6:00 so that you will feed him. Yesterday, we went to pack bags of food for children who may not eat this weekend. Here in our own sweet Mayberry. Kids who will wish it wasn't the weekend, because there won't be any food. During the school year, they eat through the week at the school, but summer is hard. The Boys and Girls Club tries to make sure they are fed, but there is still the weekend. One local church started packing backpacks for kids' weekend meals. Now that it is summer, they send the kids some food for the weekend in plastic bags. There are breakfast items, snacks, fruit, meat, pudding, and juice. That is what we helped to pack. My boys didn't understand why these kids have no food. I tried to explain that some of them come from families that just don't have enough money to get by, but a good many of them come from families that have parents doing drugs. These parents spend all of the money on drugs instead of caring for their children's needs. One child even asked that they send the food some other way because his mother ate it instead of letting him eat it. My children were shocked. Scripture says that God is so much better than humans. We give gifts to our children, and how much more God gives good gifts to his children. I hope those poor children are watched by God and given abundant gifts.

Frustration

Frustration can quickly build when one thing after another is added. Yesterday was a frustrating day. The boys were to go to a day camp, and I was planning on getting lots done; mainly I was planning to figure out the boys' online English program. I purchased it a couple of months ago, after a lot of English Grammar Investigation, and I found just what I was looking for. The boys will be able to do the work online, and I will only have to grade their writing assignments. The program will grade other assignments and tests. I tried to get everything set up several weeks ago, but had trouble getting through on the log-in page. It kept thinking I was the student instead of the teacher. I took the boys to the farm where they were to have the day camp, and the rest of the campers were late. So I waited for half an hour or more, and then got home with about 3 1/2 hours left to work. I checked my email- always a big mistake- and discovered that I had some co-op administration duties to take care of. Then I needed to look up information on the National Geographic Geography Bee and Envirothon so that I could present them at the home school suppoort meeting last night. When I finally was able to begin my English Grammar duties, I had about an hour and a half left. I was again unable to log on, so I decided to contact the company via telephone to get some customer support. I decided it might be a very long phone call, so instead of using my minutes on the cell phone, I opted to use the Magic Jack. The computer that the Magic Jack is supposed to use hadn't been used in a while, so it took half an hour or more to get that working. Finally, I got through to the company. The operator worked with me for a little while and then said, "I can't seem to get it to work. If it isn't working there really isn't anything I can do about it because they are phasing out this program instead of fixing problems." Yes, you heard that right. I think I shouted into the phone, "But I just bought this!" Yes, she understood, in fact she had just recently found out about the change herself. I asked if I could get my money back, and she said she would ask her manager what they would do for me. I needed to pick up the boys by the time that conversation was over. So I left to get the boys, more frustrated at now being farther behind in my English Grammar Investigation than before. Thank goodness I was having dinner with friends. Just as we were finishing dinner and heading to our support meeting, I received a phone call from Hubby, "We are at Sam's and the car won't start." Lovely. So one friend went with me to Sam's, and we tried to jump Hubby's car. No luck. A call to AAA sent a tow truck on the way, the friend gave me a ride to the meeting, and Hubby and the boys took my van. What a day. The good news is that the car wasn't too bad off, needing new terminals and a new battery, and I do get my money back from the English online program. The bad news is I still haven't finished that investigation. The boys don't seem to see it that way. I guess one woman's frustration is another child's joy.

The End, or Home Again, Home Again

Our last day of travel was getting through KY, WV, VA, and NC. It was a very long day. We stopped for a break in Beckley, WV to see Tamarack. It is a craft area where West Virginians show off their talents. We happened to be there at lunch time, so perhaps that is why we didn't see anyone working. It was a good stop to walk around for a while though. There is a store filled with articles created by WV citizens...hand blown glass, carved wood, braided rugs, paintings, books, sculptures, etc. It is very pricey, but fun to look. It made me very proud to see the handiwork of my fellow natives. #1 bought a leather pouch that is for marbles (WV is a big marble producer), but he will probably store other things in it. #2 bought a corncob pipe. His brother got one last year, and he has envied it ever since. When we left Tamarack, I was reading a book and Hubby was driving. I didn't really know where we were, and he hadn't looked at a map. SO, we missed the turn onto I-77. We were quite a distance past it when he asked where were we to turn. So we did some quick recalibrations and took a scenic road through rural WV to get back to the interstate. I can't say that I am sorry about it. It seems no matter how long I am gone from my WV, I always enjoy returning. Watching the river beside us, I realized that I am still in love with my state. We happened to pass the site of John Henry's tunnel of death and stopped to get a picture. Here is another West Virginian who makes me proud. My boys like to sing "Big Bad John".

Finally we made it home! It was so good to be back where we belong. One of my first writing self-assignments is to write about coming home. Anyway, the "garden" is doing great, and #2 found a watermelon waiting for him. He doesn't like watermelon, and #1 and I aren't crazy about it, so Daddy has a lot of melon to get through. It weighed 22 pounds!

The boys are at a day camp for a few hours and I need to figure out our new English curriculum. This should be the last week of school being topsy-turvy. Right now a routine is looking mighty fine.

Nebraska and Missouri

We left Wyoming and spent the next day in Nebraska. We crossed under the arch that leads to the West. I guess NE was wishing they had an arch like MO. Anyway, it crosses the interstate and you can stop and see museums and exhibits about the west, mostly Pony Express and the Railroad, but other stuff too. We didn't stop. We did stop in Gothenburg to see the Pony Express Station, though. It is a log structure that houses a station. The Pony Express only lasted about 18 months, and then went bankrupt. The railroad put them out of business. However, they only lost the mail once, and given our mail carrier's record I might wish them to come back. While in Gothenburg, we ate at a restaurant called Runza. When we went on the Cowboy Cookout, we met some other tourists from Nebraska. They said you have to eat at Runza when you go through. We ordered the original Runza with cheese. You can see the boys' faces in the collage. It didn't go well with us. It is sort of like a sloppy joe, but baked into the bread instead of on a bun. The meat is cooked with cabbage, onions, and spices. You really couldn't taste the cabbage and onions, but that did the boys in. They were sure you could. It didn't taste bad, but we all decided it must be one of those regional foods that you have to grow up on to love. Then we went to Grand Island, Nebraska to visit the Stuhr Museum. They had a lot of neat exhibits and we wished we had more time there. We started in the rotunda museum where they have travelling exhibits. This one was on sports, and the boys really enjoyed it. They had lots of memorabilia about local historical sports, old gym uniforms and things like that. There was a section on basketball that was of interest to us since #1 had just given a speech on basketball for his 4-H presentation. There were also a lot of games available to play, and the boys liked Shoot the Moon and Shut the Door. Their grandfather bought a couple of them, and now the boys are looking forward to visiting WV so they can play. They spent the other hotel nights playing the games. We also vsited the Native American museum, the Railroad Town (a reenactment town of the 1890s), and the Pawnee Earth Lodge, which was very cool on our first HOT day of the whole trip. The Railroad Town was interesting, and people were located along the way to tell us what was going on. I enjoyed the millinery where I was allowed to try on a hat. The milliner sells the hats she makes, and some bought them to go to the KY Derby! The tinsmith was also interesting, and he let the boys make a Christmas ornament out of tin. The drive through Nebraska was not awestriking as other states had been. There were still some of the cross bars that block the road when there is snow and tell you to turn back. The land is flat, and though I had wanted to get some NE corn to eat, the crop didn't seem to be growing well. We spent the night in Lincoln, and then headed to Missouri.

Our first stop in MO was in Hannibal, the hometown of Mark Twain. On the drive we had been listening to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and I think that really helped us to enjoy the visit. We went through a couple of museums to look at his works, and now we want to read more of his books. We saw the river where he played, the statues dedicated to his characters, his home, his father's law office, etc. Then we went through the Mark Twain Cave. It was fun to go through and think about Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. The cave was different from the ones I am used to in the East. Instead of a bunch of stalagmites and stalactites forming columns, the water went through the cave and cut out tunnels. The rocks are in a shelf-like form. Until 1972 you were allowed to go in and write your name on the walls, and so it is covered with names, drawings, and markings. People drew with smoke, pencil, or berries. One notable name is Jesse James, dated September 22, 1879. He had robbed a bank nearby just a few days before that, so they think it is authentic. We had thought we would drive on down from Hannibal to St. Louis and spend the night, but we were running late. So we had dinner at the Mark Twain Dinette, and spent the night across the street at the Best Western.

The next morning we drove to The Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I had seen it before when I was travelling, but had never stopped to go through it. It is huge, especially up close. It is 630 feet tall, and you really can only photograph part of it from the actual park. We rode up in the "tram", and it was interesting. The tram holds five people and looks like a carnval ride. It is tight quarters and if you are at all claustrophobic, I would not recommend it. At the top you are inside the Arch and look out through tiny port windows. You certainly can see a lot of the city from there. Under the Arch is a museum about Westward Expansionism, and it was really nice. They showed the peace medals that presidents gave to Indians, had a great chronology exhibit about Lewis and Clark, a baseball exhibit, and more. We ate lunch on the river, and then headed out. It was a great vacation, but we were ready to go home.

Thermopolis, WY

This was our last day in Wyoming. We spent 7 days, at least in part, there. The last thing the boys wanted to try was swimming in the hot springs at Thermopolis. There was a treaty made among the US Government, the Arapahoe, and the Shoshoni Indians that the waters here would always be free and available to any persons wanting to use them. The treaty is still honored. Hot water from the geysers is piped into a pool (there is both an indoor and outdoor pool) and you may soak for free each day for 20 minutes. Nothing is added to the water, so don't stick your head under. The water is 104 degrees. It certainly did feel good to soak in the water, but we smelled bad for a day afterward. Even with shampoo and soap! Driving out of Thermopolis, we pulled over to take some pictures. A river has cut a canyon into the mountains, and you drive down into it to get to Thermopolis. I kept waiting for the indians to attack! A railroad runs along the side of the hill across the river, and tunnels have been cut through the rock to allow you to drive. At the top of the canyon there is a lake. This is stunning since you are obviously in a desert. That is it for heading West. Tomorrow I will share the ride back East.

Grand Tetons

We were really wearing down by this time, but we did manage to see a little of the Grand Tetons. I missed a beautiful photo op as we came closer to the park. We drove around a curve, and there was a beautiful blue lake with the Tetons rising up as if straight out of the water. I thought surely there would be other spots like it, so I kept driving. This was after spending the day looking at geysers and Old Faithful and wildfire exhibits, so I was pretty tired. We just did a quick drive through into the park and then headed back out to find a hotel. We had made reservations since most things are full on a summer Saturday night, but we had to drive a long way. It wouldn't have been so terribly far, but there was some major road construction and we were held captive for a couple of hours. That was the worst road construction we had the whole trip, so I suppose I can't complain. It is summer you know. This collage shows the Snake River cutting through the Tetons. The Tetons are so large that you can see them 150 miles away. Notice in the large upper right picture that the river has cut out a canyon into the plateau. From the plateau you go up to wooded hills, and then straight up out of that come the very rocky mountains.

Old Faithful

I don't have much to say about Old Faithful. I am glad we saw it, but it really was better in my opinion to see the other geysers. Old Faithful was about 5 minutes late when we watched it, but it was still as forceful. I would guess were 500 feet away from it.