Feel the Groove

Part of the beauty of homelearning is the freedom it affords.

For many years, when my homelearning children were younger, I felt that I had to fit into the mold set up by the public school regarding grades, should-knows, grade levels and curriculum. I thought that I really needed to have a "back to school" party, or take my kids "back-to-school" clothes shopping. And when I knew that it was time for the other kids in the neighborhood to step onto the Big Yellow Bus, I thought that my kids needed to be at home, sitting at their desks doing their workbooks.

I'm so glad I don't do that anymore.

For you, those things may be just what you enjoy. I don't give grades. I have to calculate grade levels for my kids when someone asks me for that information on a form. I don't use a set curriculum, though I have been extremely thrilled to discover Charlotte Mason and Ambleside. We have parties all the time, so I don't feel the need to designate one as a "back to school" party. I was talking to a mom the other day who said that she loves going back-to-school shopping with her home-schooled children, and that she really enjoys having a soiree to mark the beginning of their school year. Like I said, the beautiful thing about homelearning is the freedom it affords.

For me, I like learning all-year-round, with an accent on what I call "formal academics" during the traditional school year. The first Monday after Labor Day is our goal for getting serious about learning new things, having all of our Ambleside materials available, and making sure that there's ink in the printer. I don't like textbooks, and I don't like workbooks. I like reading real literature, getting our hands dirty, hanging around together, giving weight to every moment, never discounting a thing, discussing, observing, discussing some more. I never, ever, ever want to turn learning on and off, look at the clock and say, "Okay! School's over! We're done learning now!"

As for school supplies, well...I buy those all year long. Every week, I think. Maybe, if you consider that even the meals we make are part of our education, every day. Books flow through our house like water through an ambling creek. We never stop talking about math, science, history, literature, art--except when we're sleeping, and we try to keep such nonsense to a minimum. Just yesterday, I read Bard a piece from her recommended reading list. It was a Kurt Vonnegut story that I'd heard presented by a speech student. I'm a big fan of Vonnegut, and was thrilled to hear a homeschooled high school kid interpret one of his pieces, so when I saw it on Bard's schedule for this year, we went right to it and read it together. Why wait until school "starts?" After all, I really enjoyed reading it again myself.

I'm a firm believer in seizing opportunities, in taking advantage of what are commonly called "teachable moments." That's kind of a misnomer to me, because I often learn just as much or more than my kids do when we stumble upon one of those moments. I guess I would be more quick to call them "shared learning moments," or some other clever thing I can't come up with right now.

If I could give new homelearning moms one gift, it would be the confidence that one attains from being a veteran homelearner. I would tell them to feel the groove. Don't feel pressured to do what other homelearners are doing. Don't fall into the feelings of guilt that come from comparison. Slip into your own rhythm. Find your own rhyme. Learn when you want to. If you don't want to "do" grades, then don't. If you don't want to divide your three children into grade levels, then don't. If your kid would rather read a book in a tree than at a desk, go for it.

And when the clerk at Stuff*Mart drawls, "I betcha can't wait 'til they go back to school canya?" you can give your child a smooch on that incredibly unique and intelligent head of theirs and proudly declare, "I don't have to wait. We get to learn every single moment of the day, thankyouverymuch."

Then you can pick up your bag of school supplies--s'more fixins, superglue and cat food--and seize the next shared learning moment.

Or whatever you wanna call it.

Prayers for a Homeschool Family

Please pray for the Burrus family as they mourn, and may we allow ourselves to mourn along with them.

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Fifteen-year-old Leisha Burrus was out for a walk with her headphones on about a mile from her rural Pandora home Wednesday evening when her mother stopped to give her a glass of water.

Not long after, Leisha darted across the road toward her friend's pickup and was struck and killed by an oncoming car. Ohio Highway Patrol troopers said she apparently didn't look before she crossed the road. They found her headphones and the broken glass at her side.

Trooper William Bowers said Leisha's friend was coming to pick her up when the accident occurred about 6:50 p.m.

"Her friend didn't know if she recognized her because she doesn't normally drive that vehicle, so she waved at her and [Leisha] came across the road," Trooper William Bowers said. "For whatever reason, she came across without looking."

Troopers said Leisha was walking east on Putnam Road, which is the Allen-Putnam County line, when she crossed Pandora Road and was struck by a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Brian R. Langhals, 35, of Leipsic, which was southbound on Pandora Road.

Trooper Bowers said he did not anticipate issuing any citations in connection with the crash, although it remained under investigation yesterday.

The accident occurred just down the road from Suter Produce, where Leisha, who was home-schooled, had been employed for the summer.

Tom Suter described her as a good worker who was full of energy.

"She was a ball of fire," Mr. Suter said. "She was just a great person overall. All the kids liked her. She was young but she was a leader on the wagon. She kind of ran that place."

The wagon, he said, is where sweet corn is piled after it is picked. Leisha and other young workers would put the corn in burlap bags and pile them up to load onto trucks for the company, which sells fresh produce at farm markets in Lima, Findlay, Ottawa, Kenton, Bluffton, Pandora, and Columbus.

"She was everything you could possibly hope for in somebody working for you," Mr. Suter said. "She was full of energy constantly. She'll be missed greatly."

The daughter of Rennie and Kathy Burrus, Leisha had two sisters, Caitlin and Brielle. She attended First Church of God at the Crossroads in Lima where she was a member of the youth group and worship team. She also was a member of the Lima Youth Orchestra, the Allen County Christian Homeschoolers, and the homeschool basketball team.

Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Chiles & Sons Laman Funeral Home in Bluffton. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Church of God at the Crossroads.

Contact Jennifer Feehan
at jfeehan@theblade.com
or 419-353-5972

The Rocks will Cry Out

A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench; He will bring forth justice in truth.
~Isaiah 42:3 (Amplified Bible)

Every once in a while, the honesty and intensity of a secular song grabs me and brings me to my knees like no Christian Contemporary song ever could. There's something about hearing another human being cry out, expose their soft insides, and when I hear that kind of vulnerability, it causes me to believe that the songwriter isn't writing for the audience, but is lifting his voice Up, if you know what I mean.

Many times, Coldplay songs speak to me this way. I'm not sure if songwriter Chris Martin intends for me to read so deeply into his writings, but I do. I can't help it. As a matter of fact, there are many secular songs that are absolutely saturated with spiritual messages, whether intentionally or not. To me, it's like the very rock[ers] are crying out. Maybe they don't even know it. Maybe they're compelled by Someone to speak to the heart of one such as me, to lament and hope and call upon God through something so spiritual and human and internal-made-external as music.

There was a time in my adulthood, when I thought I was in a place in my life where I could be referred to as a "mature Christian." But I allowed my eyes to be set too low; people I had trusted had very seriously let me down and disappointed me. And, as a result of my low sites, I began to doubt the significance of many things. And, eventually, I decided that there must not be a God. I had laid my troubles at His feet; I had asked Him to meet my physical needs; I had called out to Him for healing; I had put my trust in His people. As far as I was concerned, He had failed me. His people had failed me. It just wasn't worth believing in Him anymore. And for a time, I walked away. Completely.

Not many people know this about me.

For quite a while, I had to repattern my thinking. Believing in God is a strong habit to break, and I had to guard my heart at every turn. Where I had regularly spoken to Him in a kind of monologue-type prayer, I had to internalize my feelings. where I had seen Him everywhere before, I had to look for excuses for my lack of belief. Where once I had praised Him for His goodness, cried to Him for His assistance, thanked Him for his gifts, I inserted feelings of cynicism, anger, selfishness. What a state I was in!

And then, one day, I was working in the garden, and I looked down at my hands, things I had taken for granted all my life. Those hands were tools, not accidents. They were designed, not evolved. Someone had created me, crafted me, designed me in His image, had loved me enough to bring me to this place, this spinning ball of dirt and rocks inhabited by other fallen people just like me, where He, in His infinite wisdom, had even given me free will, by which I could even choose to deny Him. And there, in the garden, I started finding my way back to God.

Crawling back to God was difficult. For months after I had realized that I was missing Him, I felt like He was so distant, and though I knew He was there, I once again had to repattern my thinking. Now I see Him in the clouds, in the trees, in my children, my husband, my friends. I see Him in the morning and in the evening. I see Him in the words of a song that wasn't necessarily written to glorify Him, wasn't necessarily meant to speak of a heart that had once been lost, but now is found.

When I hear this song by Coldplay, I think of that time in my life. Maybe there's a reason why "Chris Martin" is an anagram for "Mr. Christian."

A warning sign
I missed the good part then I realised
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses
Come on in, I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in
I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so

A warning sign
You came back to haunt me and I realised
That you were an island and I passed you by
And you were an island to discover
Come on in,I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in
I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign

And the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
I miss you so
And I'm tired
I should not have let you go

So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms

No Energy

I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I need a protein drink, but I'm just pooped. I didn't do a whole lot today, but what I did sapped me of my energy. Actually, I'm not sure I had any energy to being with. And, under normal circumstances, I would say that today was a good day. But, for some reason, I'm grumpy and tired.

I awoke this morning in the cabin. Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day putting finishing touches on it--laying down rugs, hanging curtains, making beds--things like that. Bo was there helping with the "carpentry" end of it, hanging the curtain rods. When he was finished, I told him that my nerves were just jangly. He offered to usher the kids up to the house and put them to bed, which he did. I sat down and wrote a couple of letters, and just as I opened a pint of Dulce de Leche ice cream, Bo returned. We talked for a while, and then made our way to the couch, where I reclined and he sat. I propped my feet on his knees. He started telling me about work (I think. It's all hazy, now), and, next thing I know, I was blinking sleep out of my eyes. We toyed with the idea of heading back to the house, but I was too tired to walk the distance, so we climbed into the bed with freshly laundered sheets and immediately zonked.

When we awoke, we walked up to the house as the sun was making its way over the trees. Bo started off to work, and I roused Bard from her bed, no easy feat, so that she could get ready for her work day. After dropping her off, I spent the morning at my friend Linda's house, where she treated me to a delicious omelet and a rousing card game of Mad Libs with her daughter Emilie. She let me play her drum (can't remember what kind it was) and we laughed a lot. Wonderful. It's good to have a friend.

At home, the kids and I made cheesecakes for this weekend's house concert. So far, we've made four cheesecakes: Caramel Chocolate Chunk, Peppermint chip, Pecan Turtle and Milk Chocolate with Oreo Crust. I hope to make a plain cheesecake and maybe one other tomorrow.

The kids have been into playing chess for the past few days, and I owe Houdin a game soon. Right now, he's down at the cabin with Bo putting down baseboards upstairs. There were so many things we were in-process of doing before we rented it out, and it's very relieving to see them completed.

And now, I have to go down to the cabin and water the flowers.

I hope you have more energy than I do. If you do, please send it my way.

PaperBackSwap is my Best Friend

Okay, maybe that's going overboard a bit. But I do have to say that PaperBackSwap is very and completely totally awesome.

If you're not familiar with it, let me enlighten you and change your life. PBS is a currently-free service (they may charge a membership fee in the future) that exists as a huge database of books that people no longer want and are willing to trade for credits--one credit per book. Those credits can be "spent" to obtain books from the database that they actually want. It's basically a big swap meet. You don't have to literally trade books with one person, though that's a possibility, too. You simply list your books using a very simple method of entering in the ISBN number, wait for someone to request your book, and then you print out the handy-dandy label provided and mail the book. When the other person receives the book, they mark it "received" in their account, and you get a credit. Then you can take that credit and get any book that's been listed in the database. My favorite feature is the Wish List, which allows you to keep a list of the books you'd like to have, should they ever be listed. When the book becomes available, the first person who had the book on their Wish List is contacted via e-mail and given 48 hours to respond. After that, it goes to the next person in line, and so on. Your only cost is the cost of postage for mailing the books, which are usually $1.59 and $2.09, media mail.

My account tells me that I have saved $166, based on a $4.50 used book price, but many of these books are out-of-print, or have been brand new, making them worth much, much more than $4.50. The total distance that has been covered by all of the books I've received is 31,213 miles! One came from Hawaii!

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a list of the books I've received so far. If it makes you jealous, good. :-) No, what I really mean is that you should hop right over there and join. You have to post nine books in order to get started, and then you get three credits as soon as you post all nine. Make sure you click on the link above or below. I get a credit if you join, which means, what else, another BOOK!

Hat tip to Impromptu-Mom. Thank you so much, I.M.!

Foxe's Book of Martyrs (Valuebooks)
ISBN: 1586600338 - John Foxe Date Completed: 8/23/2006


Bookshelf for Boys and Girls Set
Bookshelf Staff

Homeschooling: The Teen Years : Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- to 18- Year-Old (Prima Home Learning Library)
Cafi Cohen, Janie Levine Hellyer

A Passion for Books
Terry W. Glaspey (Editor)


Selected Poems (Dover Thrift Editions)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson Date

Mutant Message Down Under
Marlo Morgan Date

Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe

the Kon-Tiki Expedition
Heyerdahl, Thor

The Homeschool Journey
Susan Card, Michael Card

Do What You Are : Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type--Revised and Updated Edition Featuring E-careers for the 21st Century
Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron-Tieger

A Charlotte Mason Education
Catherine Levison

The Fat Flush Cookbook
Ann Louise Gittleman

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes)
Watterson

The Star Wars Cookbook II -Darth Malt and More Galactic Recipes
Frankie Frankeny, Robin Davis, Wesley Martin

Thimble Summer
Elizabeth Enright

At the Crossroads: An Insider's Look at The Past, Present, and Future of Contemporary Christian Music
Charlie Peacock

Lords and Ladies
Terry Pratchett

Traveling Mercies : Some Thoughts on Faith
Anne Lamott

The Blue Fairy Book (Dover Storybooks for Children)


The Best of James Herriot: Favorite Memories of One of the Most Beloved Writers of Our Time
James Herriot

Velveteen Rabbit
Margery Williams

Secrets Of Droon #10 : Quest For The Queen (Secrets Of Droon)
Tony Abbott

Something Under the Bed Is Drooling
Bill Watterson

Saint George and the Dragon
Margaret Hodges, Trina Schart Hyman

Grow It!
W. Langer

Yukon Ho!
Bill Watterson Date

On Writing--This one was a HARDCOVER! Brand new!
Stephen King

The Vein of Gold
Julia Cameron

A Bear Called Paddington
Michael Bond

Something Queer Is Going on: A Mystery
Elizabeth Levy

Heir Apparent
Vivian Vande Velde

Hogfather
Terry Pratchett

Into the Land of the Lost (Secrets of Droon, 7)
Tony Abbott

The Golden Wasp (Secrets of Droon, 8)
Tony Abbott

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Douglas Adams

Sleight of Hand
Edwin Sachs

Favorite Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Charlotte Mason Education
Catherine Levison

Influential Women in History: A Request for Help

As part of our upcoming homeschool group's classes, I've decided to teach a course on influential women in history titled Missionaries, Martyrs and Mothers: Influential Women in History from a Christian Perspective, geared towards girls ages 12 and up. The course will cover influential women in the church, in American and world history, and in the arts. I'd like your input, please, if you'd be so kind.

Which women do you think should be covered and why? Which women should be avoided and why? Are there women in history who you feel have undeservedly received a bad rap? Are there women you feel have been greatly overlooked? Would you cover the roots of feminism? Would you avoid it like the plague? Would you discuss women like Susan B. Anthony, who was decidedly pro-life? Would you discuss women like Margaret Sanger, who was a birth-control advocate and Planned Parenthood founder? If so, how would you cover them?

Any other tips and thoughts would be appreciated.

Wisdom for today:

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

It's Good Work

Today was wonderfully productive. Bo and I spent a good portion of our day cleaning the cabin, wiping down the walls with Liquid Gold (love that stuff!) and painting window frames and sills. Mostly, we did a lot of dreaming, planning, brainstorming.

The funny thing about the cabin is how it draws everyone in. The dogs, the cats, the kids, and even my dad, who lives with us, found their way from the house on the hill to the cabin in the woods. The children climbed trees, an activity they'd avoided in order to respect the privacy of the people who were living in the cabin at the time, and they constructed amazing little fairy houses in the woods, complete with bridges and elaborate fences. The dogs laid on the porch, as if they'd always been there, and the cats gathered around, finding any available surface on which they could loaf.

This weekend, we have a house concert planned (wanna come?), so there's a lot of work to be done. Windows in the house have to be cleaned. I was gifted several flats of lavender which I plan to plant in a hedgerow in my front yard and around Bard's garden; Houdin already did the digging. Now we have to add the organic materials and plant the lavender. I read that they like to have the sun reflect up on them, so I'm planning to mulch with oyster shells. I'm not sure I'll like the look, because I generally prefer fine black mulch, but I also prefer live lavender to dead.

I'm fighting for my tomatoes! The chickens have decided that they'd be a tasty daily diet, so I'm quite conflicted. I can save the tomatoes if I pick them before they're ripe and ripen them on a windowsill. After all, the chickens--my first batch of hen-raised chicks--are keeping the grub and caterpillar population down. So do I coop 'em up until the tomatoes are all done, or do I pre-pick and sill-ripen? Sigh. These are the conflicts that plague us rural folk. I guess the canteloupe made up for it. I've harvested three already and, WOW, are they sweet! Yum!

Now it's time to read to the kids, take a bath, and settle in for the night. Tomorrow starts a new day of projects.

Sleep well, my lovelies.

Ode to the Thicket

Below your cracked window red raspberries climb;
A hornet's nest hangs from a beam;
Your rafters are scribbled with adage and rhyme,
And dimmed with tobacco and dream.
"Each day has its laugh", and "Don't worry, just work".
Such mottoes reproachfully shine.
Old calendars dangle -- what memories lurk
About you, dear cabin of mine!

~Robert Service

Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of a realization of a dream for us. After many, many years of high-hoped searching and heartbreaking disappointment, we were blessed with a beautiful piece of property in a quiet, rural community. Our first three years here were spent first visiting and then living in a small cabin in the woods, a place which had existed here since the year Bo and I first began dating in 1989. It was charming in the fact that our luxury accomodations didn't include electricity, telephone, indoor toilet or indoor bath. It did include Amish voices that rose up from the valley during their bi-weekly Sunday morning singing, birds of all kinds that accepted our invitation to our half-dozen feeders, a beautiful tree-lined trail which provided hours of simple fun for our children who would scurry up the branches and light there with a book or an awed expression, a mature trumpet vine where Mother Robin would build her nest and lay her fragile blue eggs beneath the bedroom window, and midnight stars that were enough to bring tears to my eyes during my midnight trips to the outhouse. Our Little House in the Big Woods provided a haven for us, an escape from the busyness that had been our lives in the suburbs, and even the birthplace for our youngest daughter, The Baby.

The cabin, which hovers on stilts in the middle of a thicket of multiflora roses, raspberries and blackberries, is the reason why I go by the pen name of Thicket Dweller. The Thicket is rich with history, situated on the glacial divide, stomping grounds for notorious Indians, a former writer's retreat for my very dear friend and mentor, Penny B, who helped me along as I learned to appreciate and practice a simple life. She and her husband Richard spent literally months helping us find our way around our new home and our community. Penny welcomed us to the cabin by cleaning it from top to bottom, providing us with lanterns and lore, bunks and bedtime stories. Richard helped us begin our homestead with more knowledge and know-how than we could ever have hoped to have had on our own. Whenever I touch the walls of the cabin, walk the footpath to the blackberry patch, feel the fossil stones on the path beneath my feet, toss compost into the years-old compost bin or look out over the cow pasture through the maple trees, I honor Penny and Richard and the intent of that space.

When we built our house, in order to continue the ritual of honor and generosity that Penny and Richard had so effectively cultivated in us, the cabin became a peaceful retreat for myself and others who had been dealing with rough times, who needed to find a way out for long enough to collect their thoughts. Each time we had a visitor, we lovingly prepared it in anticipation of their stay. It wasn't just a retreat for them; it was therapy for me. To provide a weekend getaway for a young mother and her sons, a meditation place for a single woman going difficulty, or for relatives who needed a stopping place along their sojourn fed my spirit.

For the past twenty months, the cabin has been occupied by a family in transition, and while I was very glad to have given them my sacred space while they needed it, I am also so very glad to have it back. In my anxiousness to share the cabin's simplicity with others, I'd ignored my intuition and my heart-knowledge and rushed into an arrangement which I now wonder if I should have. During those twenty months, the cabin called to me, but I resisted. I thought so many times about how Penny must have felt, how difficult imt must have been for her to give up her quiet place, how hard it must have been to stay away. But I did stay away, entering into that space that had become someone else's only a half-dozen times at most; once for a social visit, other times to give service, correct problems or right wrongs. I could only pray and trust that the history within those walls was working its magic on the sojourners as they traveled their own direction.

Yesterday, on our fifth anniversary, my family and I spent the day there, cleaning windows, scrubbing floors, moving furniture, wiping down walls, planting flowers, lighting candles. It was a cleaning I really, really needed, physically and emotionally. I learned a lot through the experience of being a reluctant landlord; I hadn't wanted to rent long-term, but people were in need. There are mistakes I will never make again, and there were lessons I learned about other people and myself that I wish I'd not have had to learn, but it all helped me to appreciate appreciative people, and to thank God for the blessings of my cabin even more, to treasure it for what it is and is meant to be--a simple, rustic retreat offering to pull me from the hustle and bustle of life, to slow me down, to fit me into it, not for me to contort it or make it fit me.

From now on, the Thicket Cottage is open for short stays only. It's here to be an inspiration to the itinerant musician; a safe-haven for the young pregnant mother; a celebration site for the homeschooled college student; the resting place for the overworked greenhouse owner; the solitude for my favorite mother-in-law; the laughing house for the friends of my daughters and sons; the secret place for me to gather with my husband, my children, my dogs; to gather berries on the path; to gather my thoughts, my words, my feelings.

And for you. If you can appreciate it for what it is; if your heart longs for simplicity, peace, primitive living, and seclusion, then you, my friend, are welcome here. Come as you are, and respect the Thicket. You'll leave a better person if you do.

The photos below are of the cabin through the years. Enjoy!

eating breakfast

climbing trees

A makeshift shower

Sweetheart in the Sink

winter porch

Winter outhouse

Christmas candy

cabin and clothesline II

cabin with clothesline

Bard and The Baby

bed

mama cat

breakfast

perimeter path

sweetheart outhouse

cabin

Now, there's a life-goal for ya

From the lips of the three-year-old wild child sitting in the back seat of the van while munching on french fries:

"When I grow up, I'm going to drive and eat at the same time!"

Garden Party Participants

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Garden Party. I found a lot of wonderful new blogs that I plan to add to my regular reading!

Keep those gardens growing!

How does YOUR garden grow? Would you like to show the blogging world the fruits of your labor? Would you like to take us on a virtual tour?

Let's have a Garden Party in the blogosphere! Show me your summer garden--vegetable, herb, flower, container, or weed--and I'll show you mine. Leave a comment when you've posted your photos, link back here on your blog, and I'll list you in this Garden Party Tour post, which I'll keep at the top of Today's Lessons until August 15th.

I'm looking forward to seeing your gardens!

*Feel free to use the banner on your blog.

The Gardens

• Anne over at Backyard Treasures has her garden photos up! Be sure to take time to visit the rest of her blog, not just the garden photos. She has wonderful recipes and homesteading ideas as well as unique garden projects, like Rhubarb Leaf Stepping Stones. Thanks, Anne!
• Anne has added more photos to her garden tour.
• The fine and talented Impromptu-Mom over at Confessions of a Happy Housewife has posted her LOVELY garden photos. ;-)
• One of my favorite bloggers, Randi, at I Have to Say, has posted photos of her and her daughter's gardening projects.
• I am having SUCH a blast getting to know people through this Garden Party! For instance, Farmgirl left a comment on one of my posts that she has an entire site devoted to her gardening adventures. Her site, In My Kitchen Garden, is delightfully written, wonderfully photographed, educational, humorous and inspiring and features little snippets she calls "realizations of the day." Her other blog is titled Farmgirl Fare and is filled to the brim with beautiful farm photos and food fixations.
• Marie from Things We Said Today is such a hoot. She posted photos of her garden, which she says she's posting "In the spirit of making everyone else feel good about themselves." Thanks for posting, Marie!
• Marie's daughter, however, has quite a green little thumb. You go, girl!
• You simply HAVE to see the photos that Joanna over at Floats, Knits and Purls put up. Oh. My. Goodness. The photo of her tomatoes nearly brought tears to my eyes! She captured a beautiful shot of her tomatoes after a rain. Absolutely lovely. Reminds me just how good it is to appreciate the simple things. Thank you, Joanna, for sharing your breathtaking pictures.
• Christian, over at Life. Allergies. Food. Recipes posted a picture of her cherry tomato in a pot in her little "city garden." You don't have to live in the country to grow your own foods! Thanks, Christian.
• Amy from Playing in the Dirt, a reader from Ontario, Canada, has posted pictures on her site and on her flickr account (over 100 photos!) of her lovely garden, which includes PEANUTS! What? I didn't know you could grow PEANUTS in Canada! Educate me!
• Cheryl, another Canadian reader, from Free Range Living, posted her gorgeous photos, too. She has others scattered throughout her blog, so be sure to take some time reading. Her photos are beautiful, and her posts make me want to go eat something healthy. Make sure to leave her some comments. We bloggers love readers, ya know.
• Wow! Carol, from May Dreams Garden, has posted a "before and after" picture of her garden plot--one photo from early Spring and one from now, at the peak. Go take a look. It's amazing! I love the deep beds, and hope to make use of those again myself someday.
• Oh MY! A MAN! Mick has posted his photos of his garden plots. Nice use of bricks for the deep beds.
• And my photos are down below. Scroll, scroll, scroll!

Cheap Eats

I'm posting recipes for Randi, over at I Have to Say. She's looking for inexpensive ingredients recipes. The lentil soup below comes from Jane Brody's Good Food Cookbook. The most expensive things are the white wine, the cheese and the herbs, but if you grow your own herbs, you're in luck! Everyone who has tried this soup has loved it. My kids always finish off the entire pot, and I usually make a double batch.

"My Favorite Lentil Soup"

2 T olive oil
2 large / 3 medium onions, chopped
3 carrots, grated
3/4 t marjoram
3/4 t thyme
1 28-oz can tomatoes with juice
7 C broth--chicken or veggie
1.5 C dried lentils
1/2 t salt
1/4-1/2 t pepper
6 oz dry white wine
1/3 C fresh parsley or 2 T dried parsley flakes
4 oz Cheddar, grated

1) Sauté the onions, carrots, marjoram, and thyme, for about 5 minutes.
2) Add tomatoes, broth, and lentils. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 1 hr or until lentils tender.
3) Add salt, pepper, wine, and parsley, simmer a few more minutes.
4) Top with cheddar cheese for a complete protein.

More garden party photos

Below, you will find some more dazzlingly amazazing photos of my incredible gardens. I can only say that because you're not here, in my yard, and you can't see all the weeds and other junk that aren't photogenic.

I've learned some things this year for next year's garden.

1. Ignore recommended spacing guidelines. Sometimes they'll leave huge empty spaces, and sometimes your plants will be climbing all over each other. Plant tomatoes further than you think you should and plant violas closer.
2. Plant more fruits. Everyone loves melons and berries. Not everyone loves Swiss Chard. Not every day, anyway.
3. Plant onions deeper, but not too deep. This year, I planted some deep for table onions and didn't use them all, so they're not much bigger than when I planted them. I also planted some shallow for storing, but the dogs and chickens dug them up, so they didn't grow too well, either. And plant MORE onions. One can never have too many onions
4. I really, really want some deep beds.
5. Plant Cilantro later than you think you should, like the first week of July. And then plant another planting two weeks later, and then again.
6. Plant garlic.
7. Make hills for pumpkins and melons in the patch. The grass grew too tall around some of them, and they didn't survive.

The photos below of the greenhouse displays are from the greenhouse where I work. My boss asked me to arrange the fall items in the retail area, and this is my work in progress. It doesn't come across as well in photos as it does in person. I actually like the way they look, and it was a lot of fun making them.

Bo awaits out by the fire, so here I go! Keep those garden photos coming!

Sweetheart and Albino Bunny

This bunny was from our first batch of Mini-Rex babies. Now he's part of the group of generous rabbits who provide fertilizer for my garden. The little girl, my dear daughter Sweetheart, pulls weeds, picks veggies, gives me gardening tips and keeps me company.

front porch

Greenhouse from the register

greenhouse display IV

greenhouse display III

greenhouse display

Queen Anne's Lace

I didn't plant this one; God did. But I love the way it looks. I didn't know there were pink Queen Anne's Lace flowers. Did you?

chickory at the burn can

And a zucchini underneath a pear tree

I decided to make use of the empty space under the fruit trees this year. I'd read in several places that nasturtiums under fruit trees wards off the baddies, so I gave that a shot, but I also grew some zucchini, cantaloupe and watermelon vines under the other trees, and I kinda like it. The only downside is that I shouldn't plant the same type of plants in the same location every year, so I'll have to figure out what else would go well under trees.

Zebrina

I just discovered that this Althea is a hollyhock. I didn't know that! Isn't it lovely? I don't know if they're difficult to grow or not, but this one took right off! It's spreading everywhere already.

Columbine

"Red fox jump into my path
Shining there in the sun
Then he gave me a little laugh
Flipped his tail and run

Blackbird drinking in the watergrass
Twinkle in her eye
Feathers shine all purple-green
Then away she fly

Shady Grove, my little love
Shady Grove I say
Shady Grove, my little love
I'll be back someday

Looking for the One I love
Could that one be you?
Looking for the One I love
One who loves me true

Shady Grove, Shady Grove
Shady Grove, my darling
Shady Grove, my little love
You're the one I'm calling

Do not touch the Columbine
Leave it there in the sun
It'll fade right in your hand
See what you have done

Shady Grove, my little love
Shady Grove I say
Shady Grove, my little love
I'll see you someday"

Shady Grove, Pierce Pettis

thumbergia

Fennel

"With its umbels of tiny yellow flowers and dark green or bronze wispy leaves, fennel is a decorative addition to the herbaceous border where it makes a good background plant. Be warned, however, that many other plants dislike fennel and grow poorly when forced to share space with this strong herb. Never plant fennel near coriander or dill.

Use the leaves with pork, veal and fish. They are also good in fish stock, sauces and stuffings, and in mayonnaise, flavored butters and salad dressings. The dried stalks are placed under grilled or barbecued fish. The seeds are used as a spice, particularly in breads. At the two-leafed stage, the seedlings make a pungent salad, reminiscent of mustard.

A tea made with a few fresh sprigs of fennel or a level teaspoon of seeds will relieve indigestion. An infusion of the seeds is an excellent carminative, especially for babies. Use 1 teaspoon (5ml) of infusion for colic and gas.

Fennel is an effective treatment for respiratory congestion and is a common ingredient in cough remedies.

A tea made from fennel helps to stimulate the flow of breast milk. It is sometimes added to baby formula to aid digestion.

An infusion makes a soothing eyewash.

Chew the seeds as a breath freshener."

From Garden Guides

sunflowers

cantaloupe

onions

I can't believe it...

For the first time in months, it's not even 1:00 A.M. and I'm the only one in the house awake.

Since I began the job at the greenhouse (oh, didn't I tell you about that? I do believe I did. It was Part Seven. Or something. Surely you knew), Some People in this house have let their sleep schedules go completely and totally wonky.

For instance, The Baby, who had come under the care of The Papa (my live-in father), had him totally and completely wrapped around her skinny little finger. I suppose it all started very innocently; he would let her sleep in just a little today. And stay up just a little later the next day. Since she was up late, he'd let her sleep in just a bit. And then, because she wasn't quite tired at bedtime, he'd let her watch a movie. Until, before he knew it (though I sounded my alarms, warnings to which he responded in a manner that should have been accompanied by a very ethnic matronly voice-- "Oh, you can't spoil a baby! Just let her sleep!"), she had established a very consistent sleep schedule...of 3 A.M. to 3 P.M. She was living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and refused to wear clothing. With the unruliness of her hair, she was coming very close to being an authentic Wild Child.

It was completely clear to every other member of the house that my dad had created a monster, but he was unwilling to admit it and very resistant to allowing her to be re-trained. "Awwwww...don't wake her up. Let sleeping babies lie!"

I think that night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after night after very long night of a three-and-a-half year old nudist dragging him to the kitchen for peanut butter and jelly, insisting that they watch Spookly the Square Pumpkin just one. more. time, he snapped.

The Baby came to me in the middle of the night, wandering untethered, as she had begun to do, and informed me that she'd been kicked out of Papa's room. "I'm keeping him awake," she said.

This was insane. It was dangerous, unsafe, and downright annoying.

It was time for reformation.

So, two nights ago, I bribed her. I don't normally give in to this kind of thing, but I thought I'd try starting off in an extremely positive manner. "Stay in your bed all night, and tomorrow we'll go to the thrift store and you can choose any toy you want." That was gonna cost me, what, a quarter? Fifty cents, tops?

She liked the idea. I could see the gleam in her eye. Free toys. Just for sleeping! Even her sixteen-year-old sister, Bard, tried to get in on the action. "If I sleep in my own bed all night, can I have a special prize?" Um. No. Maybe try doing something with a level of difficulty that's a little more in line with who you are? "Uh, no thanks," she said.

But The Baby. Now, that was a different story. She had her eye on the trophy and she was ready. She curled up, kissed me goodnight, listed all the different things she could think of that MIGHT be there for her to buy, and waved to me cheerfully as I threw her a kiss from her doorway.

It didn't work.

It seemed to be working for a little while, but after about ten minutes, I heard the thump, thump, thump of little feet on wood stairs, and I knew she was on her way down. Bo and I looked at each other sadly; our daughter had fallen off the wagon.

Last night, however, I insisted. There would be no getting out of her bed. After all, her room isn't lonely; she shares it with her big sister, Sweetheart, who's seven years old, and with her big brother Monet, who's eleven and has his own room but would rather sleep on the floor with the girls, though he can't admit that his little sister Sweetheart is his best friend in the whole world.

It was a long haul. I spent a lot of time checking on The Baby, making sure that she was still in her own bed. I gave her dollies, and Beanie Babies, and a Special Pillow, and the blanket Penny made for her when she was born. We sang every song we knew, and she sang a few I'd never heard before--a few I doubt she'd known before they started coming out of her mouth--and I prayed for her several times.

And she finally fell asleep. At 3:00 A.M.

So, this morning, at 9:00, I roused her. And she awoke. And she was happy! Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! I felt so good, I awoke everyone else in the house! And everyone very cheerfully congratulated The Baby for her brave and disciplined spirit. "You slept in your own bed! Yahoo!" they cheered. And she ate up every bit of it.

Miraculously, no one took a nap today, and everyone, from my darling hsuband Bo down to The Baby herself, is fast asleep.

If I had more stamina, I'd blog all night. But then, they'd have to reform me, and I'm just not into that.

So, with snores all around, I end this post, with the hopes that I'll remember all I wanted to write, as well as find time for it, tomorrow.

In the meantime, sleep well, lovelies. I know I will.

Fine Art Friday: My First!

Even though it's after midnight, I thought I'd participate in my very first Fine Art Friday. So many of the activities, like Get Real Monday and the Tour of Homes I can't participate in easily because I have to wrangle the laptop away from my husband as soon as he walks in the door so I can upload photos. With this, I can just swipe 'em off the web. :-)

Carl Larsson was a Swedish painter who captured so well my ideal bucolic life but in much richer tones than I could ever hope to live.

I love the bright colors, the candid expressions, and the everyday activities in his pieces, like women making meals, children dressing for church, chickens nesting by a gate, couples painting walls, inside and out. I hope to someday add some of his prints to my home, especially my piano room, which is painted in somewhat Carl Larssonish colors.

Maybe this one?--------------------->

I can just picture it. I think it would look so lovely here...don't you?

This One's for the Lexophiles

1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.

2. A will is a dead giveaway.

3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

4. A backward poet writes inverse.

5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.

6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.

7. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.

8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.

10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.

12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.

13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

14. Local Area Network in Australia : The LAN down under.

15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.

16. A calendar's days are numbered.

17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.

18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.

19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.

21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at
large.

22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the
end.

23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.

24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.

25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.

Here's my gardening fairy caring for my meadow sage.

Creeping Zinnias

I can't remember what these are called, but I love the way they peek through the fence. I think they're a kind of chrysanthemum? Or daisy?

*I finally dug down through the deep jungle that my front garden has become and found the tag for these sweeties. They're Creeping Zinnias, Sanvitalia Gold, and, unfortunately, they are annuals. But I'm fairly sure I will plant these in this location again and again and again, because I just love the way they poke their heads through fences. :-)

Front Flower Bed

This year, I tried something a bit different with my flower beds. Last year, they were filled with tomatillas, basil and a hodge-podge of leftovers. This year, I filled them to the brim with super-tall snapdragons, dusty miller and lobelia. I like the way the dusty miller grew, but I don't think I care for the rest. What I do like, though, are the coreopsis (a former garden transplant), the coneflower and the fennel that sits just by the front steps. Next year, I'm planning to fill the front bed with Little Magnus coneflowers and purple ajuga--I already have them purchased, and my greenhouse boss/friend is caring for them until my annuals are done blooming. I may fill in with a few annuals, too. Any suggestions? One side gets morning sun, and one side gets afternoon sun.

Porch and Husband Garden

My porch is one of my favorite things about our home. When we were in the planning and designing stages, I tried to insist on a full wrap-around porch, but my dear Bo convinced me that it wouldn't work with the lay of our land, so I settled for the porch on two sides. It has three doors into the house--the front door, the computer room door and the kitchen door. I love it! It's very European, very much like Louis Bromfield would have designed it, I think.

Mama and Her Peeps

Well, they're not exactly part of the garden, but they certainly are essential. My chickens scratch around in my garden and eat the nasties (and the occasional tomato) and leave behind rich manure. This was our very first ever set of chicks from a broody hen. I didn't even know she was setting, until one day I went out to the barn and heard the "cheep, cheep, cheep" of tiny peeps! The mama and her babes spent a week in a box in the house, and then another week and a half in the rabbit hutch until they were all ready to fend for themselves.

The Baby, nasturtiums and marigolds

Nasturtiums are awesome. I have them planted under our fruit trees and beneath our sunflowers. I love their sweet intense flavor and their bright colors. I love surprising people with the flavor of a flower. Nasturtiums never go to waste here; if the humans don't eat them, the goats and rabbits certainly will!

Fresh Carrots

I remember picking my grandmothers baby carrots. She would scold me, in her gentle, meek way, but I don't think it really bothered her all that much.

This is the first year we've grown carrots with any success. They've been a bit difficult to pull from the ground, but I've loved eating these sweet babies right there in the garden. I have a faucet very close by, so we rinse them off and start chomping. Makes me feel like Bugs Bunny. Next year, I think I'll add sand to the area where we plant our carrots to make them easier to pull.

Fairy Tale Eggplant

I bought this eggplant from the greenhouse where Bard and I worked this summer. The description from this website says:

"Once you grow this striking eggplant, you’re sure to agree with the All America judges that Fairy Tale is a winner. The sweet, bitter-free eggplants have an elongated shape, with lavender coloring and white stripes running length-wise. Maturing on dwarf, 19–24 inch tall plants, the fruit are best at the baby stage, 4 inches long by 1¾ inches at the shoulder. Fruit set in clusters of 3–5. Great ornamental."

Lavender and Basil Garden

I just love lavender. I think it's second only to basil, which is second only to cilantro. Actually, I think I might like basil even more than cilantro.