Catching Up Again

Isn’t if funny that when I mentioned spiders, I received a number of responses about them. What causes folks to click on the comments button one day and not on another usually surprises me. Perhaps spiders are something most of us deal with—whether we are on the farm or in the city. I think the garden spider is one of my favorites; they stay outside, they are beautiful and harmless, and they make gorgeous webs in the fall. I don’t think there is an inside spider that can be called a favorite. Those are as quickly as possible eradicated from my home. We have one we call the quick spider. I don’t think my son was bothered by them until he woke one night with one walking on his face!

I’ve enjoyed seeing new people stop by to leave a note in my comment box. If they leave a link, I like to go and visit them. It is fun to see who is passing through. I also enjoy the Site Meter on my blog; they have recently added a list of the ISP’s that are used when visiting my blog, so although I cannot tell what the hometown of the visitor is, I do have a guess on the area of the country because there is an ISP location given. I’m fascinated at the folks who drop by from places around the world; I also am amazed at how much information can be tracked through a Site Meter! Yikes!

It’s fun to know that someone is keeping track of my poppy seeds (those computer html marks that appear when I use Mozilla). I suppose only the Microsoft Explorer folk can see them, and the only time I use ME is when I post on my blog. Sometimes I forget.

The family seems to be moving forward after our sad farewell yesterday. I was keeping on schedule today until the man who came to spray the outside of our house for Asian beetles and cluster flies came; I saw that someone had left a case of bottled water on the deck and got caught in the spray’s mist as I walked out the door to take it in. I tend to react to chemicals—the last times I used OFF and Cutters is the last time I will ever use it!!! I immediately showered and did everything I could think of, so I hope it will have been enough. We have never had the house sprayed before—I am always afraid of what it might do to people and pets, but it has been hard to share my house with thousands of pests swarming in each fall. We will see if it is worth doing another year or not.

I was out after dusk a few days ago and snapped the full moon. How serene the country can be at night!

Blessings.


Full moon.

Farewell

Today Citrus did not come in for breakfast. That alone would not be a reason for concern, but when I saw him lying under the pine trees mewing loudly, I quickly went to see what was wrong. Although he did not seem to be battered, he was not able to use his back feet. His breathing was labored.

The vet says that he probably had a blood clot and maybe a stroke, and that he had other symptoms that made her predict that if we were to medicate him, he would still not survive. She gave him some meds—the kind given when a cat is going to be spayed or neutered—to let him rest comfortably. Then I talked to the family, and we decided it would be best to put him down.

We will miss “Sir Stiff ‘n Stein” as the kitty who always seemed to walk with stiff legs and was hard to cuddle. He had long-long legs and one “finger” was orange when the others were white. We said he wore a ring. Citi was always a scaredy-cat; he’d ask to be petted, but when he saw us coming towards him, he’d bolt to safety. Silly ol’ thing. He’d come into the house to warm himself by the woodstove, get frightened by something, and try to bolt out of the window.

He was born four years ago. His mother was Ruffy; his grandmother was Nickabrick (Mama Kitty). He was born in our sun porch as we watched. Although we no longer have any of his siblings, he was born the same summer as Charcoal and Spit Fire, and they all played together as brothers and sisters. The last couple of years, Cit liked to sit on a ledge in the front of the house, watching his world go by.

We love him. We will miss him.


Citrus

The Day's Work is Done

Today has been a good day, but it has been a long day. Just about everything on my list that needed to be done today is finished. This is the last thing I plan to do before I put myself to bed. I should do some reading, but a trip to a college for my daughter took up most of the morning, throwing everything else off schedule. Tomorrow The Odyssey will still be waiting for me on my bed stand, I’m sure.

The other activity that did not get done today is my own time of devotions. I read a chapter in Proverbs together with the family, but I did not spend time in my Big Green Chair. Perhaps, as I settle into bed tonight, I’ll get my Bible out and read the next section in Psalm 119. My note taking and reading of Elisabeth Elliot’s book will have to wait until tomorrow morning. I’ll check my prayer notebook, but I must say time there will be abbreviated, too. Alas!

It took me a long time to learn to read my Bible daily. I did not even know that I “should” do so until I was in college. No one told me that it would be a wise thing to do, as far as I can remember. By the time I had my first baby, I had read the Bible through nearly a dozen times—I loved The One Year Bible. However, having children threw that schedule off, and I had to grab what I could get whenever I could get it. Now, once again, I am getting back into the habit of sitting before God and listening, meditating, and sharing with Him. It is a very good thing. I’ve taught my children to do this as soon as they could read or look at a picture book. I do not want them to get to college before the get into the habit of reading their Bibles!

Time for bed! Blessings to you all.


A window in my church.

Woodchucks and Pinkeye

We’ve been having a problem with a woodchuck that has taken up residence near our shed. Woodchucks are beautiful little creatures, but they dig big holes and get into our feed. In the wild, they are wonderful; on the farm, they are pests. Yesterday my son finally was able to shoot the animal that has cause so much damage of late, and he has decided to try and tan the hide. I’ll have to take pictures of the process.

He was trying to skin the animal out last night, but ran out of daylight, so it is now wrapped and in my basement refrigerator (yes, the same one I just scrubbed down due to the spilled ½ gallon of souring milk). I know people who store animal skins in their freezers until they have time to work on them. This could take some getting use to…

Since my son was busy with the woodchuck, he didn’t start the evening chores until close to 7 P.M., which is about the time dusk settles in this time of the year in Wisconsin. When he returned to tell me that Polaris (a calf) had pink eye, we had to call my husband to see what to do. Then we called the vet to find out dosage information. At about 9:30, my son and I were out in the dark giving shots and putting medicine into the little girl’s eyes. She was so sick that she did not even try to get away from us when I put the needle with the stinging meds into her neck. Twice. I hope she will be O.K

The stars were out last night when we were working on the calf, but this morning the skies are cloudy and the day feels dreary. I will work some more on organizing my bookshelves and catching up on the paper shuffle.

Remember to say a prayer for those who are in the midst of the Hurricane. I pray that this time of disaster for so many along the southern coast will lead them to ask questions that will help them find Him who offers courage and peace. I pray for strength for those who weary of the task of cleaning up and rebuilding. My sister says the FEMA crews work 7 days a week and never seem to get done cleaning up—they had much yet to do after Ivan when Dennis hit the Pensacola area. I do not know all that the people have suffered, but I do know that God is faithful in his loving care for us.

Blessings.

I try to get some exercise each day; I rarely walk alone.
Here Ruffy is trying to keep up with me. She mews and
mews her complaints about my going too fast, but when
I pick her up and carry her, she squirms to get out of my
arms. Silly Ruffy.

A Quiet Day at Fairview

A few minutes after 6 this morning I waved good-bye to my husband, daughter, and youngest son. They are going to be at the World Beef Expo in Milwaukee until Sunday. My oldest son is doing the farm chores and I am catching up on this and that.

This: cleaning 2 closets.

That: cleaning the spilled ½ gallon sour milk out of the basement refrigerator. Eeeeeew!

Plus: Calling Select Comfort to figure out why my bed is losing air and pulling the bed all apart to work on the problem.

This evening I sat on my porch swing listening to the sounds of the evening. Bug crawled up on my lap and insisted upon a chin scratch. I heard large snapping noises in the pines, so JM and I went off to see if there were any cows out. We did not find any, and he thinks I was hearing crows.

Tonight I’m going to curl up with a book. Hm. Should I choose Codes of Hammurabi and Moses or Sowell’s Basic Economics? Or perhaps I should read ahead in Traditional Logic. Oh! Such pleasant bedtime reading!

(Homeschoolers are strange.)

So, I’m told that my last post had those poppy seeds again. That means I forgot and posted while using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. Alas! I wonder if they will ever get the problem worked out!

I read a passage in Elisabeth Elliot’s book, Keep a Quiet Heart, that I thought worth pondering: “The servant is not greater than his Lord. When we cry ‘Why, Lord?’ we should ask instead, ‘Why not, Lord? Shall I not follow my master in suffering as in everything else?’”

I’m keeping my eyes on the Weather Channel and my heart in prayer for those of you who are in the path of Hurricane Rita. You should know that there are many people who are holding you up in prayer right now.

Peace.


Bug and Shakespeare (left) attacking a shoe last winter.
Shakey is still missing.

The School Year

The 2005-6 school started a couple of weeks ago here. It always takes us some time to organize ourselves and figure out how to make new books work. This year we are using Veritas Press’s Omnibus I and the Teaching Company’s CDs, Great Authors of the Literary Tradition. My daughter and I are going to try to finish book II of Traditional Logic and then we will see how far we make it in the progymnasmata. She has decided to switch from Latin to Spanish this year, so we are trying Switched on Schoolhouse’s program. I like this since I can teach Spanish; I started learning Latin, but life got in the way of my studies and my daughter quickly move beyond me. My sons will be doing Latin this year yet. Rod & Staff Math and English, Great Source Government, a little ABeka—piles and piles of books were in my school window this year before I handed them out to the children. I find trying to keep grades organized for future transcripts to be a little stressful, but I suppose we will survive! All in all the new year has started off well.

Best wishes to all of the homeschoolers who visit here!

The soybeans are drying down and the leaves
are falling off the plants. It won't be long before
the harvest begins.

Watching the Animals

Have you been watching the elephants, baboons, crocodiles, and other wildlife on the National Geographic wildcam? It is live--and lots of fun!


"I need a scratch under my chin!" says Citrus. Only problem
is that he is such a nervous little guy that when he hears
your footsteps on the gravel he will jump up and run away
before you can pet him!

Sitting in my big, green chair, I noticed some of the pine tree branches dancing in the wind...only there was no wind. Suddenly a big black head shoved itself out into the open. "COW OUT." Everyone grabbed a pair of shoes and headed out to herd her back into the pasture. That's country livin'! 

Listen here, kid. EVERY time you head down the lane for a walk I expect you to have a CARROT in your pocket. Got that? 

Autumn

Today the weather has changed. A front came through last night, and the muggy September days have turned into cool autumn. I love long-sleeve weather! The air smells fresh and the breeze is just cool enough to be glad that you brought a sweatshirt along for the walk. Glorious! This is a morning to remember that it is God who created our earth, and it is He who has given us such golden days!

In the attic window, Snowflake keeps
an eye on Ruffy who is keeping an eye
on her world from the entryway roof top.

We had rain last night--a steady drumming against the roof punctuated by thunder and lightning. The soybean fields are beginning to turn yellow and the corn is starting to dry down. In another month we should have begun the soybean harvest. The birds are flocking and I've seen a few geese flying in formation. Summer is coming to an end here in Wisconsin. 

My name is William of Orange, but they call me Willie. My name doesn't fit me too well--althought I am silent, I am not brave. Anything (and I mean anything!) will make me run for cover. I am one of last year's kittens and my favorite person is the smallest boy in the family--he cuddles me gently. I love to play with my 3 brothers. I look forward to the leaves falling this autumn since I will be able to dash around, chasing them in the wind. Someone asked about my older brother, Shakespeare; he has not come home. We will wait until the harvest is over and winter has come before we quit looking for him. We miss him. Thanks for asking.

Beteleguese (aka Bug), Orion (aka Wannabe, sitting up), Blackie, and Citrus waiting for the big boy to bring them an evening meal 

Thank You

I want to take the time to thank the visitors who leave comments for me. I love reading what you have to say; my daughter and husband enjoy them, too, and frequently check to see if there are any new ones. I don't reply to your comments very often, but that is not because I am ignoring you! I just have a limited amount of time each day. When I come onto my blog and find another note, I feel as though someone has left a present on my doorstep. Thank you!


A bluebird house along a vine-covered fence row
(Click on the photo to enlarge it)

I picked my parsley yesterday. I did not pick it all--the little plant I bought and planted in my new flower garden did amazingly well amongst the weeds! Today I will make Walker Stalker Cream of Parsley Soup with some of the fresh herb that is still in the garden. This handful of parsley is going to be dried and placed into the herb cupboard to be used in my kitchen this year. After picking it, I swished the heads through water a couple of times and then snipped off the large stalks on the bottom of the clusters. 

Then I laid the parsley out on half of a towel and folded the other half over the top. I've set it to dry on a chair next to the dehumidifier in our basement. When they are crisp and dry, I will pull the remaining stems off and whirl the herb lightly in my blender, just long enough to allow me to scoop it out of a jar with a measuring spoon.

My cousin's boys came to camp with my boys over night in the woods last week. While they were here, they evened out a spot on the hill for a fort and then sawed down some trees. They notched the logs and began building. Impressive, isn't it? 

Missing. One long-haired male--white with orange spots. He insists on being loved, and he has a high-pitched squeeky mew. Answers to the name of Shakespeare. Last seen several weeks ago. Is he roaming or...? :-( 

Whew! Big Week!

Sunday night we brought the cattle and the children home from the fair. Everyone was tired but happy. We watched the weather channel.

Monday we watched the hurricane land. I saw what appeared to be a heartsick look on Jim Cantore’s face as he announced that the people did not start getting out of town soon enough; he predicted that there would be a terrible price to pay for this. He was right.

Tuesday we went to pick up my cousin’s two boys. They spent most of their time in the woods for the next 3 days—and I spent most of the time in the kitchen trying to fill their hollow legs! My daughter started school.

Wednesday the boys attended the carcass shows in the two butcher shops where their 4-H steers hung. Each of them won!!! How does a 16-inch ribeye sound?! After dropping the cousins off on Thursday, we spent Friday getting the boys started with their new school schedules.

Saturday. I have neglected my blog for a few days. I’ve spent a lot of time watching the horrors unfold in the New Orleans area. It is true that some aid might have come more quickly, and there is enough blame to spread around. However I believe that we need to put our emphasis on today, and later we can rework our emergency evacuation programs. The needs of the people are overwhelming. Here in Wisconsin, I pray.

Next week I’ll try to get out and snap a few pictures of the beauty of late summer. Soon we will be talking of harvest. The days are turning crisp and it is time to start clearing off the garden. The cats are frisky now that the dog days of summer are done. The skies have been that end-of-summer, deep blue. Yesterday I saw my first wooly bear (caterpillar) of the season—a sure sign of the coming of winter (you know that you can tell how hard the winter will be by the size of the black stripe, don’t you?)

By the way, did you know that during the hottest days of summer, the sun shines in the sky where Sirius lies? Sirius, being part of the constellation Major Canis (the Big Dog), is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. The ancients assumed that the two shining together caused the heat of the summer, thus “the dog days of summer.”

More later. Blessings.