Yes, My Boys are Crazy!

 One ran to the mailbox, one took the dog out . . .

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Cheesy title?  Maybe, but it fits the day and recalls a song from the all-time-BEST Christmas album ever.  

I joke about our school system's wimpy response to inclement weather, but this truly was not a morning to have buses on the roads.  Here's what "no school" looked like today:

 In anticipation of the light snow, wintry mix, and freezing rain, I filled the bird feeder yesterday.

 The crape myrtle

 My coolest (ha ha) sighting today:  a strand of spider webbing coated with ice!

The bare trees stood straighter than bushes and anything with needles.  This small tree is bent nearly double.

Just after taking these pictures, I heard a branch fall from on high and decided it was not the best of ideas to traipse through the woods after all.

By the time Dusty and I went out, the ice on the pavement was melting from below, creating this version of a puddle.

By afternoon, ice was dropping from trees, roofs, and power lines, and the roads were mostly clear.  School is already cancelled tomorrow though, as we are expecting snow, sleet, and more snow just a few hours from now.  I'm looking forward to more family time...

My Winter Window

Now that spring weather is here (40's yesterday, 60's today--whatever!), I'll show you the winter view from my sink.

After experiencing technical difficulties with last year's equipment, I bought a better bird feeder.

 We've observed many species, including some beautiful woodpeckers (not shown here, alas). 

 This feeder has multiple ports, and sometimes we have several birds nibbling with more waiting on nearby branches.  Some eat here while others grab seeds "to go."

This is our Squirrel-Be-Gone 3, a marvelous contraption.  Our S-B-G 2 lasted many years, but when I replaced it last year, the newest model was a bust!  It had a broad base the squirrels could sit on while chewing through the plastic, outwitting the device.  So aggravating!  I happened to stumble across this upgraded (and more expensive) model, and it has performed beautifully!  Enjoy a tour . . .

There are 3 sections which can each hold a different seed mix.  One above is full of sunflower seeds.  Later in the season I switched to a fruit and nut mix (in just one section), which helped attract two species of woodpeckers.

Now here's what makes the Squirrel-Be-Gone so effective:  springs.  Maybe you can see them on the sides.  The springs can be tightened or loosened so that birds on the perches can grab seeds from the ports, while anything heavier--like a squirrel--

pulls down the metal covers!  It is wonderfully effective.  In fact, we had fun watching squirrels whenever they attempted to grab the birdseed.  They could jump onto the feeder, but were never able to tread lightly enough to steal any food.  Mwa-ha-ha!  (Now can you see how the wide base on the newer S-B-G 2 was a disaster?)

The birds must have been hungry this day.  Rebecca sat quietly, but not for long, and saw several birds up close.  You may not be able to easily find the one above, so below is a fuzzy zoom-in.  Hey!  It's one of our neighborhood woodpeckers after all! 

This contraption (thanks to my husband for financing and installing) has been enjoyed by all of us.  We can see it from the kitchen table, sink, and craft area.  It will be retired soon, waiting for next winter.

Pine Cone Project

Last week, the girls and I enjoyed a drizzly saunter through our woods.  We were searching for ferns with sporangia on the undersides of their leaves, and returned home with them as well as other materials to study under the stereoscope (3D magnification up to 40X).

We recently studied conifers in our botany book.  Pine cones open or close depending on the weather: 

"The reason why the pine cones open when it's warm and dry is because that's a more favorable condition for the seed dispersal and germination," Read [a biology professor at Cal State] said.

Wet and cold weather would prevent the seeds, which are often winged, from spreading far enough from the tree to find a place to grow. Seedlings also wouldn't last long in winter rain or snow.  (source)

This is how our pine cones looked on a drizzly, cool day,

after a one hour soak in ice water,

and then another hour in a 250 degree oven.

Easy, interesting, and educational--my kind of project!

Going to the Zoo

Today's forecast for Washington, DC:  high of 74 degrees, 10% chance of precipitation! 

Thanks to weather.com and a think-ahead friend, we're joining some other homeschoolers at the zoo today.  I'm guessing there won't be too many February field trips crowding the walkways . . .  :-)

My older children grew up with a Raffi soundtrack.  As they aged, we switched to mostly audio stories, so the younger ones have missed out.  As we planned today's trip, Raffi's "Going to the Zoo Tomorrow" kept playing in my head.  I found some old cassettes and the little girls started dancing.  I'll bet I know all the words to 4 or 5 albums' worth.

In case anyone else is old enough to feel nostalgic, here's the best I could find on YouTube on short notice.  It's a random family's zoo trip, and I didn't listen to the second song, but it was a treat for me to hear that oh-so-familiar voice singing about Mommy taking us to the zoo . . .

My Sister is Awesome!

I'm a good family cook.
So is she.
I bake.
So does she.
I detest sewing.
She doesn't.

Look, look, look what she made for me:

They're called cozies and are filled with feed corn (My 'ster bought herself a 50# bag!).  Microwave them for three minutes and enjoy long term heat.  We (I sometimes share . . .) have enjoyed their soothing warmth on laps, sore legs and backs, and (best of all) under the covers at our toes.  Aaaah . . .

Okay, those fabric squares may look simple to you, but I'm telling you they're too much project for me.  Luckily I have a generous sister who's not afraid to thread her sewing machine.  Thanks, girl!

Snow Slam

The roads were a bit icy Wednesday morning, but as the day warmed up, all was fine.  Our predicted snowfall began in the late afternoon--just in time for rush hour.

It came down thick-n-quick, blown sideways in the wind.  Commuters clogged the roads before the plows could clear them, so conditions deteriorated almost immediately.  Nearly every ramp was blocked by immobilized cars or trucks, and vehicles were abandoned, making plowing and driving more and more difficult as time ticked by.

In a typical story of this storm, it took Len seven hours (seven!) to make the usually 35 minute drive home.  It took our neighbor six hours to make his 15 minute commute!

Our power was out for several hours, but we can't complain.  It came back before the house froze and the freezers thawed.  I mean, we were still in the "scones and tea by candlelight" phase. ;-)  Less fortunate souls in the metro area lost power for days.

Since then, it's been winter fun-time.  Here are some pictures from Thursday:

These two shots show the effects of the wind:  snow concentrated on one side of the trees.  In fact, I'm not used to seeing snow all down the trunk . . .

This was heavy snow.  Many trees are down in the neighborhood, including this one that fell from the woods onto a fence.  As of today, plenty of heavily damaged front yard specimens have already been cut down and carted away.

 Lauren and I went walking under a brilliant sky.

 A typical Lauren pose!

The ice at the pond looked so strange.  Do you see the color variation/pattern?  I haven't yet tried to find out what caused it.  It hasn't actually been super-cold, either; the water under the dock didn't freeze.

 Marianna and her friend built a snowgirl.

Happy Winter! 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The entry below was originally posted in March 2010, but I thought it might interest some folks now since Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday will be celebrated January 17th. 

We did read along (silently) with the audio, and it was wonderful.  MLK was a mesmerizing speaker!  I highly recommend studying this speech .  There's so much more depth to it than the few phrases you hear on the radio now and then.

We're studying American history this year, and finished up the Civil War last week. Inspired by a fifth grade teacher, I borrowed all 5 discs of Ken Burns' PBS series from the library. Joseph, Marianna, and I spent weeks (the series is over eleven hours long!) watching, listening, and learning. With pauses for discussion and review, we all absorbed a lot of information.

Anyway, when we finished the dvds, we covered the era of Reconstruction. Then instead of moving on chronologically, we jumped ahead to the Civil Rights era and Martin Luther King, Jr. The Civil War and Reconstruction should have given all races equality in America, but that's not how it turned out. One hundred years later, the fight was active again.

Our library has an audiotape of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. It's stirring and poetic and inspiring, and I can't wait to listen to it again.

In preparation, the three of us are reading a biography of MLK. I'm not patient enough to read it aloud (it's too long, and I want to keep moving), so we're sharing the book for our quiet time (the homeschoolers have a minimum of 30 minutes of approved/school topic reading each day).

Together, we're reading another book (Becca, too): I Have a Dream by Scholastic Press. It contains the entire text of the speech, along with paintings by 15 different artists. I highly recommend this book! We covered the first half today, analyzing and explaining

• the meaning (the promissory note and the bank of justice),
• the poetry (Why does he repeat "one hundred years later" four times in one long sentence?),
• the context (explaining his urging of nonviolence with the picture of ketchup being poured on people sitting-in at a lunch counter),
• the Biblical references ("I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."),
• and the symbolism (Why does he begin with "Fivescore years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation."?)

We'll finish up tomorrow and then Friday listen to the speech while reading along (as I remember it, the tape is scratchy). Reading and analyzing is educational, but actually hearing that preacher proclaiming will touch our hearts.

I know lots of folks study MLK in January, around his birthday, but his life and efforts will make more sense to my students right now, when the Civil War and its aftermath are still fresh in their minds.

New Year's News

The call came soon after midnight.

On his knee in Central Park, Adam proposed and Lauren accepted.  Just like that, they're engaged!

We don't have many details yet:

• The ring is beautiful, with a diamond and two sapphires (their birthstone) set in white gold.
• A summer 2012 wedding is planned.
• Some of their friends knew what was coming, so photos were taken.
• Lauren and Adam are happy, happy, happy, and so are we.  If we didn't think he was a great guy, he wouldn't have been invited to attend our last two family reunion/vacations.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of us!

fireworks in the court

Roman Moment

It was our third day in Rome.  We had been to the Pantheon,

Piazza Navona and its fountain,
the fountain of Trevi,

and two basilicas:  St. John Lateran

 

and St. Mary Major, as well as the church that houses the original image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 

(This is a mosaic outside; the painting is inside.)

As darkness approached, Len and I prepared to make our way across town to our bed and breakfast.

Footsore and weary, we planned our route--three separate buses were required. 

Bus stop #1:  We find the correct place to stand, but the electronic info board shows a 12 minute wait for our vehicle.  We decide to walk on to our connection.

Bus stop #2:  We can take the #46 or #60.  Okay.  Here comes a #60 Express--what about that?  Doors open before we can decide, but it doesn't matter.  This bus is JAMMED, and no one gets off.  Oh, well.

Check the sign.  Yes, the express will work.  We'll be ready for the next one!

Waiting.  Waiting.

Now what?  Down the hill, there are blue police lights blocking the street.  What's going on?  I didn't hear the crash of an accident.  Maybe a pedestrian was hit.  Look at all those cars and buses (buses!) completely blocked down there.  We are far from our destination.  How long is this going to take now?

Okay, wait a minute.  There is no traffic from the side street above the lights, either.  I wonder . . .  Can it be?  He was at the Spanish Steps today . . .

Oh, my goodness!  Here comes a hoard of motorcycles from the side street!  We're being motioned to stay on the sidewalk.  It must be!  Yes!  Here he comes in that glass topped car!

And just like that, Pope Benedict XVI rode right past us as we stood on the curb amidst no crowd (unless you count his extensive entourage).

Len cared more about watching than filming, which is why the pope leaves the frame for a few moments.  It was a great decision--I'm a bit sorry I've only seen Lauren receiving her high school diploma on the small screen.

A Few More Snow Pictures

Another perspective of the mountain and the mailbox.Len shoveled a path for the mail carrier. Who knows when deliveries will resume? Here's a group of satisfied customers. There's another opening facing you and one on the opposite side; I've seen up to five birds eating at a time. Did you notice one waiting on the tree?

Let it Snow!

Our snowstorm did arrive Friday and lasted through most of Saturday, depositing many inches:Dusty and I needed a walk Saturday morning. The roads were still deeply covered, so we floundered through knee-deep snow to the trail behind our house, which had been plowed late enough that the snow was "only" shin deep. Trees were bent over , touching the ground and covering the trail--we pushed through the branches. It was a workout, and so beautiful. Later in the day several big trees fell near our house. Apparently my morning walk was riskier than I knew!

I'd guess we've got twice as much snow as came down in December, but our street was plowed better and more quickly this time. There's a lot to pile up, though. Our mailbox is behind this mountain:

Here's a side view. Can you see the post behind and to the right of Rebecca?Len and the boys shoveled the driveway numerous times as the snow continued falling. It was also necessary to dig out through some of the plow's leftovers. See how far past the driveway it's piled up?We have a great birdfeeder. It's weight-sensitive; when a squirrel tries to eat, all the window covers are pulled down. On Saturday morning there was so much snow on top of the feeder that it closed. I noticed the birds fluttering around in frustration. I had just removed all my outergear, but was able to reach with a broom to make it usable again.Lots of happy customers!Public and private schools are cancelled again tomorrow (Monday). The streets and parking lots are in good shape, but I think some people are still trying to dig out. I saw some schoolbuses plowed into place, too.

-

I still need to organize some homeschooling, though. Our tradition is to do some work early (before friends are awake and calling), then go play. I considered bagging it on Friday, but thought, "What would Lauren say?" and kept working. My older children sometimes accuse me of going soft--no need to give them ammunition! :-)