04 April 2009

Spring!

The sun is bright! The buds are bursting forth!

The squirrels and rabbits are bounding enthusiastically all over the yard, chasing the subeams and each other!

Spring has sprung beautifully (never mind the snow predicted for Monday.)

Of course, spring has sprung and now we have a mouse. Without the girls here, we have to figure out what to do about that ourselves. First step is to make the pantry just a little less welcoming. We have seeds and grains and dried fruits in paper and plastic packaging; it's time everything went into glass.

Then we can encourage them to leave. (We've seen one...but mice never travel alone.)

In the meantime, Rod and Jack have been digging in to Unit three with some enthusiasm - - and inventing projects on their own, which is even better! Jack was playing in the yard last week and he was able to get very close to a bird he didn't know. He observed it carefully, and then came in and mimicked it's song for Rod, and then they looked it up. It was a chickadee!

A few days later, they got a good look at a pheasant as it flew so close to the car that Rod was afraid they'd hit it. A few minutes later, Rod's bird totem (cedar wax-wing) drew their attention. I love hearing about their observations!

Instead of starting on one of the historical fictions about the unit they're on, Jack decided that he wanted to jump ahead to Rome, so we're reading Detectives in Togas. I am surprised at how much we're enjoying it. As with much formula fiction, the character development is a little weak, so it will never be a "classic", but it's en enjoyable book with lots of history and logic woven in. It's done very gracefully I have to say. Fortunately, it has a sequel, so we can get that one and read it when we get to Roman history. Next, though, we'll visit with Sheldra and Seth.

Tomorrow, we will be heading out to see the Great Lakes Primitives demonstrating all kinds of paleolithic and neolithic skills. It's a shame we won't be able to make it there in time to see the spear throwing contest at noon, but it has become far too complicated an adventure for that to be likely. It does seem to be a twice a year even, so perhaps another time we'll make it for that.

Now, off to clean the pantry and do laundry.

2 comments:

  1. Very cool! My son also loved Detectives in Togas and read all of the other books by that author; including the sequel.

    Spring has finally sprung in the PNW as well. We can see actual blue sky and sunlight, the birds are chasing each other like crazy, and we just got baby chicks for my daughter's 4H project. :)
    Gina

    PS There is also a twaddle series based on Roman times that my kids enjoyed. Good enough to check out from the library but not really good enough to buy. The title they read took place near Vesuvius.

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  2. What's the name of the twaddle series? We may need a but more "ammo" when the time comes. ;)

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