The Dissection Question

Yesterday's poem got me thinking that it was time to order frogs for the Biology lab's dissection unit. The reaction I got from the twins was, "Seriously, Mom??" You see, they went to deer camp this fall for the first time and they helped field dress and butcher 6 deer, one all by themselves. (I'll spare you the pictures but it was delicious!) I could only agree that dissecting a frog would be a bit of an anti-climax after all that. So, thanks, Cousin Rande, for the awesome anatomy lessons!!

Poetry Monday

The Frog
by Hilaire Belloc

Be kind and tender to the Frog,

And do not call him names,

As 'Slimy skin' or 'Polly-wog,'

Or likewise 'Ugly James,'

Or 'Gap-a-grin,' or 'Toad-gone-wrong,'

Or, 'Bill Bandy-knees.'

The Frog is justly sensitive

To epithets like these.

No animal will more repay

A treatment king and fair,

At least so lonely people say

Who keep a frog (and by the way,

They are extremely rare).

Oh! My!

Columbus Day Weekend

We had a great time at our family cabin this weekend! It was perfect, warm days perfect for swimming ( in October!!) and clear, cool nights perfect for star gazing! Here's a picture of three hobbits in a boat....oh wait! Make that two in a boat and one in the water!!

It's Betsy-Tacy time again!

October is Betsy-Tacy month and once again I will be doing some nostalgia reading. Sarah at A library is a hospital for the mind is hosting the Maud Hart Lovelace reading challenge. Last year I was spending a lot of time at the the hospital with my mom who was dying of cancer ( and old age, she was 93) and it was a blessed relief to fall into Betsy's world for a few hours. It was a bookmark in time too as my grandmother would have been about the age of Betsy's older sister and it was easy to imagine life before the World Wars and radios when nearly every house had an upright piano! This year I'm reading Betsy and the Great World and Betsy's Wedding. I never encountered Betsy as a child and read my first book three years ago for the first challenge. I have enjoyed every one!

Updating the picture

I guess it was time! The hobbits sure are growing up! And Saint Anthony seems to have gotten much smaller!

School Days

We've been hard at work here in Hobbiton. Working on the three L's--Latin, logic and logarithms. We've been studying plants and bugs including this dangerous and disgusting one that has taken up residence in the pond in the back yard. They have been eating our frogs and polliwogs. It squeaks when caught. (use gloves!!)We've been reading our way through Churchill's The Birth of Britain, The Brendan Voyage, and The Merchant of Venice. (I love the Ambleside site although I don't really follow it...)

I really like Traditional Logic
from Memoria Press. I bought the DVD's and we are moving along quite nicely. Although one of the hobbits will keep writing "sillygism".

Our days are also full of chopping wood, archery, nephew/grandbaby adoring, and of course lots of reading!

Not Back to School Day

Until recently a friend hosted a Not Back to School picnic on the first day of public school. Alas, she moved to Texas and I am not so good at organizing things. We are celebrating not going back to school in a quiter way. The twin hobbits are small game hunting with their dad who happens to have today off. Little Hobbit (well, not so little Hobbit as he turned 12 a couple of weeks ago!) and I will spend the morning puttering about the yard looking for interesting bugs. I hope eveyone has enjoyed not going back to school this September!