Seeding

It has been a wonderfully restful winter. Maybe slightly less at-home for me than I would prefer but I can say that most winters. It has been a time of leisurely board games in the evening, meals made together with intention, read-alouds of too many books to list, and more time for "dates" with my husband over mugs of steaming coffee or tea. Soon enough the season of too-long to-do lists, and hurrying will be upon us. But there are many blessings to look ahead to as well:

*Leenie will be offering a FREE Indoor Herb Walk/Talk at Hampshire County Library in Romney on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Join us for a slideshow and hiking-boot free "ramble" over mugs of herb tea that will inspire the months ahead both in the garden and for wildcrafting adventures.

*The whole family has a "summer job" catering for some natural building workshops at Taproot Farm. One weekend per month we'll be working together to provide meals for hungry builders. We will use local produce, meat and dairy from area farms and have an opportunity to meet some wonderful folks doing great things. We're so excited!!

*Expanding the garden beds and moving toward growing mostly herbs this summer. All kinds of green goodies are sprouting inside already.

Autumn breezes and settling into a routine for homeschool!

The cooler temperatures are so appreciated here after such a hot, dry summer. Forest fire risk remains EXTREME and we were sad to see black smoke rolling off Short Mountain a couple of weeks ago. I am feeling very comfortable with the routine that is emerging for us this fall. Monday through Wednesday we're hitting the books and focused on "just-the-facts, 'mam" covering basic academics. By Thursday we are all ready for a break! Aren has an arts day with drawing lessons, piano and community theater. Gannie and I indulge in a hands-on nature science day with backpacks, sketch pads, binoculars and a bag lunch. Soaring hawks, "the biggest toad on the planet" and vistas of breathtaking beauty have delighted us. Friday we wrap things up with whatever needs to be completed for the week. This is a routine I can happily live with! Gannie is excited that 4-H has begun and has chosen 5 projects for the year: Birds, Indoor Gardening, Wildflowers, Hiking and Camping.

Aren's 2010 Cross Country Trip Slideshow

Enjoy this slide show created by Aren as a log of his first trip across America. I suspect he has plans for it not to be his last!

Link to video.

New Homeschool Year

    After lots of frustration trying to update my Xanga blogsite, I decided to try blogger and see if it is a little more user friendly for us non-techie sorts. We are just winding up our first week of homeschool in the "bookie" sense of the term and I am very pleased with this beginning. With so many changes in our family in the past year...one grown son entering the Air Force (and achieving top graduate status from tech school...Yeah, Eli!!!) and one grown daughter going away to Bible college...there have been a lot of adjustments. To start the new school year I thought I would include a recap of the summer with some photos, videos and maybe a slide show.
      Aren took a wonderful cross country trip with his grandmother, attended a mission group work camp, and started art lessons with a very gifted artist in the area of his interest: portraits. Gannie was my constant helper in garden, barn and kitchen and won 7 blue ribbons at the county fair for her homemade products. We had some treasured visits with our grown kids, friends and family time, and just so very many blessings to count. Through it all, we remain in awe of God's provision and protection.