7/20/2009
Time flies
Time flies when you are having fun or so someone once said. Time has flown, fun? Well, not so much. Last Tuesday I completed an LPN degree with many prerequisites completed toward an RN. Now to find a job - 3-11 please. There are those who say to simply repeat it over and over again and it will be so, there are others who say to do it the old-fashioned way (get off your butt and make it happen), and here I am. Wishing I did not have to go through the agony of pleading for a job - one that everyone said would be knocking my door down when I finished a nursing degree.
11/09/2007
Learning, Growing
I am feeling the pressure of having homeschooled our children since first grade/kindergarten/when they could say “mama” or whenever the first teachable moment occurred. Our son is 1.5 years away from heading off to university and the pressure is enormous.
Now, some would say that if I have done my job correctly he would be perfectly prepared, but I keep thinking of more things I should have taught him. Does he know the present perfect tense of every verb known to man, can he spell those tricky three syllable words that crop up in conversation only once in a lifetime, will his writing skills pass muster in his first composition class, who was the leader of Germany in 1856 (was there even a united Germany at this time in history?), what are the former names of all of those African countries that keep changing, will his instructors ask him who exactly taught you and why didn’t you change schools? The questions keep piling up and I am having difficulty finding the forest for the trees.
Ho Ho?
I drove through Fargo after dark on Wednesday evening (not a hard thing when ‘dark’ comes at 5:30pm) and saw the street lamps are already festooned with wreaths, the stores have their ‘holiday’ decorations in place and it is only the beginning of November. This is beginning to support my theory that we never really need to put it all away. If we can put the decorations up in October, why not leave them until March? It is only a matter of time until the holiday finery is left up year round.
Cell Phone Death
No, this isn’t one of those news stories about the possible link between brain cancer and talking on your cell phone 24/7, but rather an obituary for my cell phone. On Monday I turned it on, checked voice mail and it was perfectly intact. Tuesday evening (with no known trauma) when I went to make a call the internal display was black in some areas and very fuzzy in others. It still receives calls and I can make calls, if I know your number by heart. True, the battery life isn’t what it should be, but I love my little phone. Our technologically savvy son (aren’t all teenagers this way?) was able to back-up my contact list of 253 wonderful people (many of whose numbers I only have in my cell). Now I wait for my husband to decide if we want to extend our contract and go with the BOGO phones or if we make an outright purchase because I am finding it increasingly difficult not to conduct business as I zoom up and down 94 at 75 mph.
11/04/2007
Thanksgiving
With whom and where will you be spending Thanksgiving this year? Our family enjoys spending the time with anyone who needs a place to go until our tables have expanded to the maximum and all chairs are filled. It used to be strictly a family event when we lived near my favorite husband's family as that clan alone filled the large house to full and overflowing. Now that we live in the great white north we find ourselves with a much smaller family unit. Does Thanksgiving mean a large meal with a very full house or is it spent in quiet contemplation with just a few?
Blue jeans
I just read a "fashion article" (quotes are being used because of the content) that definitively stated that women over the age of 40 should not wear blue jeans. I'm over that magical hump and am still enjoying going to the barn in blue jeans vs. the high heels and dress pants prescribed by the author. I guess this means that anyone can be in print if you state your opinion with enough authority.
Still out here, still at dial-up
Blogging is something that I truly enjoy doing, but that freaky perfectionist nature that pokes me on occasion (actually more than occasionally) prevents me from doing it because I am unable to do it well. If a picture truly does speak a thousand words, I could post a photo a day and be communicating with you (the one of you that I have left!) quite effectively. However, my connection speed still prevents photos from appearing here on more than an occasional basis.
Be that as it may, I'll take a stab at using the actual characters instead of relying on flashy effects (crazy things like photos for those of us still in the dark ages).
News Flash - Mountain lion spotted in our area. Actually about 10 miles away in a somewhat large town. The kids in the middle school were kept in from recess for several days for fear that the big cat would view them as the main dish following an appetizer of one of the neighborhood pets.
School - all is well. The kids are doing great in their work. I am pleased to see application of their subjects. Our youngest enjoys using Jeannie Fulbright's science programs and is all wrapped in birds this year. #1 son is studying chemistry with the promise that next year he can study both physics and marine biology. He will have completed all of his algebra (hopefully) and geometry so on to more fun things. #1 daughter is immersed in physical science. It isn't her favorite, but her brother assures her that biology is coming next year and that was his favorite science thus far. I am swimming along through chemistry, economics, statistics and nutrition. Next semester brings more fun science - microbiology, biochem and pharmacology. Who knew that it would be all science all the time for me? I go to a single building on campus - looking neither to the right nor the left :). I pop in for classes and race back home in time to teach our brood. My favorite husband is also an instructor on our home ed program and does an amazing job.
Animals - the sheep have all gone to their winter home. They are currently being prepared for the breeding process. The "girls" look great so they should have lovely lambs. We hope to use the same buck as last year as we had great success and none of his daughters are in our breeding program yet.
Our guinea hens multiplied this year. We mourned with the male this summer as he seemed to have lost his mate. We were nearly ready to send him back to my parents house so that he could have some company of his own kind when out popped the female with 11 babies running close behind. We do not know where she spent the time sitting on the eggs, but she must have been very well disguised as we have a plethora of hungry felines and other wild predators just waiting for a warm meal. Guineas are notoriously bad parents, but these two have proved to be the exception having kept all 11 safe and have raised them to near adulthood.
Winter is nearly upon us. We have had a pleasant fall that seems to have lasted much longer than usual - global warming? Today we experience the time change with the majority of the US. I dreaded this event twice a year when the kids were small because their bodies did not operate on the clock, but rather by when they felt hungry or tired. It usually took about two weeks to make the adjustment in the fall and spring. However, today they are all enjoying the hour of "extra" sleep and I appreciate seeing the sun earlier. Our bed is on the west wall of our room with a window directly across. I love waking up and watching the sun rise. In the winter I am usually moving about far before Mr. Sun, but the summer sun always wakes me.
Deer season begins in ND next week. Yesterday the hunters were cruising the gravel roads searching for the perfect spot to be on Friday morning. I don't like hurting Bambi and his mother, but as I have seen multiple deer hit on 94 as we traverse to and fro, I do appreciate those who reduce the deer population on a yearly basis. Perhaps this will eliminate the deer in the headlights staring back at me as I zoom toward it at 75 mph.
Be that as it may, I'll take a stab at using the actual characters instead of relying on flashy effects (crazy things like photos for those of us still in the dark ages).
News Flash - Mountain lion spotted in our area. Actually about 10 miles away in a somewhat large town. The kids in the middle school were kept in from recess for several days for fear that the big cat would view them as the main dish following an appetizer of one of the neighborhood pets.
School - all is well. The kids are doing great in their work. I am pleased to see application of their subjects. Our youngest enjoys using Jeannie Fulbright's science programs and is all wrapped in birds this year. #1 son is studying chemistry with the promise that next year he can study both physics and marine biology. He will have completed all of his algebra (hopefully) and geometry so on to more fun things. #1 daughter is immersed in physical science. It isn't her favorite, but her brother assures her that biology is coming next year and that was his favorite science thus far. I am swimming along through chemistry, economics, statistics and nutrition. Next semester brings more fun science - microbiology, biochem and pharmacology. Who knew that it would be all science all the time for me? I go to a single building on campus - looking neither to the right nor the left :). I pop in for classes and race back home in time to teach our brood. My favorite husband is also an instructor on our home ed program and does an amazing job.
Animals - the sheep have all gone to their winter home. They are currently being prepared for the breeding process. The "girls" look great so they should have lovely lambs. We hope to use the same buck as last year as we had great success and none of his daughters are in our breeding program yet.
Our guinea hens multiplied this year. We mourned with the male this summer as he seemed to have lost his mate. We were nearly ready to send him back to my parents house so that he could have some company of his own kind when out popped the female with 11 babies running close behind. We do not know where she spent the time sitting on the eggs, but she must have been very well disguised as we have a plethora of hungry felines and other wild predators just waiting for a warm meal. Guineas are notoriously bad parents, but these two have proved to be the exception having kept all 11 safe and have raised them to near adulthood.
Winter is nearly upon us. We have had a pleasant fall that seems to have lasted much longer than usual - global warming? Today we experience the time change with the majority of the US. I dreaded this event twice a year when the kids were small because their bodies did not operate on the clock, but rather by when they felt hungry or tired. It usually took about two weeks to make the adjustment in the fall and spring. However, today they are all enjoying the hour of "extra" sleep and I appreciate seeing the sun earlier. Our bed is on the west wall of our room with a window directly across. I love waking up and watching the sun rise. In the winter I am usually moving about far before Mr. Sun, but the summer sun always wakes me.
Deer season begins in ND next week. Yesterday the hunters were cruising the gravel roads searching for the perfect spot to be on Friday morning. I don't like hurting Bambi and his mother, but as I have seen multiple deer hit on 94 as we traverse to and fro, I do appreciate those who reduce the deer population on a yearly basis. Perhaps this will eliminate the deer in the headlights staring back at me as I zoom toward it at 75 mph.
8/21/2007
8/20/2007
Exhausted
Nearly 2,000 miles in 2 weeks makes for very tired girls. This was taken within 50 of home. The kids and I spent 5 days camping near Omaha, NE only to return home and head for Chicago for a family wedding. We had a marvelous time at all, but are pleased to be home.
Sally
Sally, the salamander, lives in the sump pump hole in the basement. Occasionally she (?) is brought out to be petted and see the sunshine.
8/02/2007
World Traveler Home Again
We are so excited to have our son back home after he spent nearly two weeks in Ecuador. His main mission was to work with other teens to build a church. Additionally he had time to sightsee in Quito, a cloud forest near Quito, Guayaquil and a few locations in between.
8/01/2007
Noticing
Two of my brothers and their families recently spent some time 'down on the farm' here in ND. We always enjoy seeing everyone.
Being with children necessitates a greater awareness of the little things. Like what? Well, the 16 month old who is teething caused me to scan the lower area of every room she visited to make sure I had not left anything out that was poisonous or that could be damaged.
An even greater awareness came to me as we spent an afternoon at the Fargo Street Fair with my five-year-old niece who traveled the streets in her miniature wheelchair. I noticed her looking for ramps from the sidewalks to the streets, saw the large chunks of concrete littering the ramps and the large cracks in same. Additionally I watched people look away from her smiling face as she wheeled along, looking at all of the wonderful items for sale. I watched as she found some handicapped doorways (the button pushed to automatically open the door) out of order.
Just noticing.
Being with children necessitates a greater awareness of the little things. Like what? Well, the 16 month old who is teething caused me to scan the lower area of every room she visited to make sure I had not left anything out that was poisonous or that could be damaged.
An even greater awareness came to me as we spent an afternoon at the Fargo Street Fair with my five-year-old niece who traveled the streets in her miniature wheelchair. I noticed her looking for ramps from the sidewalks to the streets, saw the large chunks of concrete littering the ramps and the large cracks in same. Additionally I watched people look away from her smiling face as she wheeled along, looking at all of the wonderful items for sale. I watched as she found some handicapped doorways (the button pushed to automatically open the door) out of order.
Just noticing.
7/25/2007
Another Auction
Sunday found my Mom, my sister-in-law, her two girls and me on a fast-paced trip to the center of North Dakota where we planned to spend the day at an auction sale. The town where the auction was held is the place where my parents brought me following my birth. We lived on a dairy farm that had electricity, party-line telephones and no running water. Civilization has caught up with the tiny community - but the town is much smaller than I remember.
Directions to the auction were not needed as we immediately located the blocked off street and the large number of parked cars. It was the oddest auction I have ever attended.
Once again, the person's belongings were spread out across the yard and on farm trailers in cardboard boxes for anxious bidders to paw over - seeking the ultimate bargain or a perceived needed item. I struggled once again as the auctioneer's helpers held up a knee brace, an entire box of liniment for sore muscles, a miscellaneous Christmas ornament and some pencils - the auctioneer encouraging the crowd to bid for this odd menagerie of items. The odd part of the auction was in watching the bidders. At most auctions the trailers have a crowd of people pressing close the trailers with a straggling of outliers. This auction found people with lawn chairs seated on people's lawns across the street - casually holding up their hand to indicate a bid with the helpers actually delivering the then won items to the highest bidder. It was more a spectator sport than an auction.
Sadly, the extreme heat seemed to take a toll as many items only went for a few dollars. A beautiful oak dining set with six chairs and a table only brought $40 (no, I didn't buy it - we could not get it home). I spent a grand total of $9 purchasing some enamel buckets for the barn, a chenille bedspread and a few other miscellaneous items.
The house was also up for auction. It was a cute little bungalow with a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs, a finished basement and a lovely yard complete with many wonderful perennial plants. The house sold for $13,500. Yes, an entire house. I believe the taxes were said to be about $400 a year.
Once again, I'm not sure if I'm OK with auctions like this. I don't know if I want my personal items spread out for the world to look at and casually bid $1 for something that I cherished. Hmm, more deep thoughts for a cooler day.
Directions to the auction were not needed as we immediately located the blocked off street and the large number of parked cars. It was the oddest auction I have ever attended.
Once again, the person's belongings were spread out across the yard and on farm trailers in cardboard boxes for anxious bidders to paw over - seeking the ultimate bargain or a perceived needed item. I struggled once again as the auctioneer's helpers held up a knee brace, an entire box of liniment for sore muscles, a miscellaneous Christmas ornament and some pencils - the auctioneer encouraging the crowd to bid for this odd menagerie of items. The odd part of the auction was in watching the bidders. At most auctions the trailers have a crowd of people pressing close the trailers with a straggling of outliers. This auction found people with lawn chairs seated on people's lawns across the street - casually holding up their hand to indicate a bid with the helpers actually delivering the then won items to the highest bidder. It was more a spectator sport than an auction.
Sadly, the extreme heat seemed to take a toll as many items only went for a few dollars. A beautiful oak dining set with six chairs and a table only brought $40 (no, I didn't buy it - we could not get it home). I spent a grand total of $9 purchasing some enamel buckets for the barn, a chenille bedspread and a few other miscellaneous items.
The house was also up for auction. It was a cute little bungalow with a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs, a finished basement and a lovely yard complete with many wonderful perennial plants. The house sold for $13,500. Yes, an entire house. I believe the taxes were said to be about $400 a year.
Once again, I'm not sure if I'm OK with auctions like this. I don't know if I want my personal items spread out for the world to look at and casually bid $1 for something that I cherished. Hmm, more deep thoughts for a cooler day.
Ecuador
Our 17 year old son (my baby!) is spending nearly two weeks in Ecuador on a mission trip. His primary objective is to assist with the building of a church, conduct community service, assist with Vacation Bible School, help out with a medical clinic and have a great time while totally cut off from Mom and Dad with 200 other youth and adult supervisors. We haven't heard a word from our eldest since dropping him off at Minneapolis airport, but the organizers had warned us that 'no news is good news' as the plan is that none of the young people will attempt to place international telephone calls from Quito (where they landed) nor from the remote villages where they are serving nor from Guayaquil where they fly out of.
Talk about dispelling the myth that we are over-protective homeschooling parents. We sent our child off with an airline ticket, passport, itinerary and two bags loaded to the 50 lb. limit (including tent and solar shower as the conditions are very primitive). He also has a calling card - which he was supposed to use to call during his layover in Miami, but didn't - as electronic devices such as cell phones are contraband on this expedition.
Join us in praying that this journey will be a safe one and that his very basic Spanish will have allowed him to communicate with the locals (just being able to do things like...find the bathroom, locate his luggage, etc.). You can check out the trip updates on ultimateworkout.org - he is on the UW17 trip to Ecuador.
Talk about dispelling the myth that we are over-protective homeschooling parents. We sent our child off with an airline ticket, passport, itinerary and two bags loaded to the 50 lb. limit (including tent and solar shower as the conditions are very primitive). He also has a calling card - which he was supposed to use to call during his layover in Miami, but didn't - as electronic devices such as cell phones are contraband on this expedition.
Join us in praying that this journey will be a safe one and that his very basic Spanish will have allowed him to communicate with the locals (just being able to do things like...find the bathroom, locate his luggage, etc.). You can check out the trip updates on ultimateworkout.org - he is on the UW17 trip to Ecuador.
Summer
Due to my lack of attention to anything on the computer, I plan to post a lot in the next few weeks.
We are roasting in North Dakota. The heat index in our neck of the woods is supposed to be in excess of 100 degrees today. I was shocked this morning to see that the sheep apparently can let themselves out of the barn. Hank and I trotted through the still dew wet grass planning to release the woolly girls early to allow them time to eat the succulent green grass before their permanent wool coats forced them to lay in the barn or under trees, presumably hoping for cooler days ahead. Instead we found the barn door had been flung open, allowing the girls to eat far earlier than I had planned. My favorite husband had released them from their night-time home before leaving for work - feeling bad for both them and me (I stayed up late, late the night before and had wished for a morning to sleep later).
During July and August I always feel the pinch of being a single income family. It seems to be a perceived pinch, but the planned purchase of a plethora of school books for our homeschooling the next year always presents a daunting figure. I begin to scheme, plot, plan and consider how this might feel when I am able to contribute to our bottom line. Add to the pending purchase my favorite husband's run to Ikea for much-needed bookcases (love them, just didn't love the deduction from the check book), the soon completion of our upstairs bathroom and all necessary supplies to accomplish the project, the purchase of a new hot water heater (the old one shorted out in a shower of sparks resembling the 4th of July), and the purchase of a new pump for the animal water and I turn into a quivering mass of nerves when balancing the check book. Never mind that in September I will breathe a sigh of relief - and then to express new concerns to the propane man in November about the prices.
Ahh, the dog days of summer.
We are roasting in North Dakota. The heat index in our neck of the woods is supposed to be in excess of 100 degrees today. I was shocked this morning to see that the sheep apparently can let themselves out of the barn. Hank and I trotted through the still dew wet grass planning to release the woolly girls early to allow them time to eat the succulent green grass before their permanent wool coats forced them to lay in the barn or under trees, presumably hoping for cooler days ahead. Instead we found the barn door had been flung open, allowing the girls to eat far earlier than I had planned. My favorite husband had released them from their night-time home before leaving for work - feeling bad for both them and me (I stayed up late, late the night before and had wished for a morning to sleep later).
During July and August I always feel the pinch of being a single income family. It seems to be a perceived pinch, but the planned purchase of a plethora of school books for our homeschooling the next year always presents a daunting figure. I begin to scheme, plot, plan and consider how this might feel when I am able to contribute to our bottom line. Add to the pending purchase my favorite husband's run to Ikea for much-needed bookcases (love them, just didn't love the deduction from the check book), the soon completion of our upstairs bathroom and all necessary supplies to accomplish the project, the purchase of a new hot water heater (the old one shorted out in a shower of sparks resembling the 4th of July), and the purchase of a new pump for the animal water and I turn into a quivering mass of nerves when balancing the check book. Never mind that in September I will breathe a sigh of relief - and then to express new concerns to the propane man in November about the prices.
Ahh, the dog days of summer.
6/27/2007
Electronic Age
Yesterday we spent a few minutes at one of our many favorite libraries. I was alarmed to discover that we are to now check-out our own books using a handy-dandy scanner. Additionally, I observed a librarian instructing a patron on how to reserve a computer for herself and how to do it without assistance the next time. What will happen to the librarians??! Will their role be reduced to that of reshelving the books that I have plucked from the shelf and checked out for myself?
I see this trend continuing when, at a store that shall remain nameless, I discovered a self check out line. My favorite husband enjoys this, but I want someone to thank me - even if it is not a sincere response.
Troubling...
I see this trend continuing when, at a store that shall remain nameless, I discovered a self check out line. My favorite husband enjoys this, but I want someone to thank me - even if it is not a sincere response.
Troubling...
6/06/2007
Field Trip
Wed-Fri of last week found the kids and I traveling to Thunder Bay, Canada, with 38 other people. This field trip was arranged through the 'Wednesday School' that the girls now attend (which is through a Christian school that invites homeschool students in every week). We left early, early on Wednesday morning, traveling through Duluth, MN and up the North Shore to Thunder Bay.
Activities while there included: a visit to Ft. William (amazing place - check it out), North America's largest amethyst mine, the Terry Fox memorial (again, google this young man - his story is incredible), Keccebaka (sp?) Falls, and much more. On the return trip to stopped at Grand Portage and Pigeon Falls. The combination of Fort William and the fort at Grand Portage made a great learning experience. Fort William is totally set in the period with all workers within the fort speaking as though the fur trade is currently happening. The staff at Grand Portage are dressed in period costume, but speak about the fur trade in present day terms. Our guide in the Great Hall at Grand Portage was exceptional. Experiencing both forts gave the kids a chance to understand how and why it all happened. This was the culmination of a year studying Canada at Wednesday school (or K4K as it is known). Additionally, it rounded out the study done several years ago on the state of Minnesota as the students did a unit on the voyagers.
Sadly, the teacher who made this all happen retired this spring. We do look forward to getting to know the new teacher, but will really miss Mrs. L.
We got home, to our house, at 1:30A Saturday morning. The kids and I slept all day Saturday and much of Sunday.
Hopefully, if the planets are aligned just right, if the bytes and megabytes are flowing through the lines correctly and IF no one calls in to break our very tenuous connection - I will share some photos in a future post.
Activities while there included: a visit to Ft. William (amazing place - check it out), North America's largest amethyst mine, the Terry Fox memorial (again, google this young man - his story is incredible), Keccebaka (sp?) Falls, and much more. On the return trip to stopped at Grand Portage and Pigeon Falls. The combination of Fort William and the fort at Grand Portage made a great learning experience. Fort William is totally set in the period with all workers within the fort speaking as though the fur trade is currently happening. The staff at Grand Portage are dressed in period costume, but speak about the fur trade in present day terms. Our guide in the Great Hall at Grand Portage was exceptional. Experiencing both forts gave the kids a chance to understand how and why it all happened. This was the culmination of a year studying Canada at Wednesday school (or K4K as it is known). Additionally, it rounded out the study done several years ago on the state of Minnesota as the students did a unit on the voyagers.
Sadly, the teacher who made this all happen retired this spring. We do look forward to getting to know the new teacher, but will really miss Mrs. L.
We got home, to our house, at 1:30A Saturday morning. The kids and I slept all day Saturday and much of Sunday.
Hopefully, if the planets are aligned just right, if the bytes and megabytes are flowing through the lines correctly and IF no one calls in to break our very tenuous connection - I will share some photos in a future post.
Peer Pressure, Speaking
Peer Pressure - family members on my favorite husband's side communicate with one another via myspace. I have an account so I can be listed as a "friend" and see some accounts kept private, but do absolutely NOTHING with it. I don't have the time, the high speed access nor the inclination to keep up with the cool graphics and other features I see out there. I do, however, enjoy catching up on the family news. It appears that one niece has received a significant promotion, another has a new job and possibly a new relationship, and one of my favorite husband's sisters has passed an exam for her job. We did get the 'heads up' that one nephew is getting married in August, but much of what used to be a telephone call or an e-mail is now out there on myspace. Not commenting re: good/bad, just there.
Speaking - Next week I am giving a series of five seminars on homeschooling. Someone referred to me as "an experienced homeschool parent." I still don't feel like it, but realized that after doing this for 11 years, I probably am.
Speaking - Next week I am giving a series of five seminars on homeschooling. Someone referred to me as "an experienced homeschool parent." I still don't feel like it, but realized that after doing this for 11 years, I probably am.
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