We love our birdfeeder. It belonged to my great grandmother Rhoda. She feels present whenever I look at it. Which is a lot, since I can see it out our kitchen windows.
We don't just get birds visiting, although, we have our fair share of Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Finches. We also get critters; deer, raccoons, squirrels and other unseen nocturnal creatures. It was the squirrels that became our biggest nuisance though. In fact, they began to take over the bird feeder to the point that instead of seeing cute little birds fluttering around we just saw one big bushy tail out there. Caleb got the notion to defend the birdfeeder with his BB gun, for the birds of course not just for the opportunity to fire that old gun of his. He kept it right next to the backdoor and at the first sight of a bushy tail; he grabbed the gun, swung the door wide, and opened fire on those darn squirrels. This happened so frequently that I got to wondering what kind of people the neighbors might think we were........Idaho Hillbillies? Hannah even got in on the action.
Moonshine anyone?
The Old Mill
Paris, Idaho
I was with my sister Jenni when I took this photo of an old pioneer mill up Paris Canyon.
The mill has always been a symbol to me of the pioneering spirit of perseverance. Despite the heartbreaking difficulties they experienced in life much of their effort went into preserving their own and procuring future lives. And the mill was vital to all this.
The mill is only ruins now but within this decaying symbol lay a living one. It is not visibly apparent from the picture but that tree grew out of sandstone rock. It is a mystery to me how imbedded in rock it could have received the necessary nutrients to produce such beautiful blossoms of life. So, it too became a symbol; a living emblem of the human spirit. As children of God we, like the tree, have something deep within that can rise and grow despite the fierce adversity we might battle. We too can be fruitful and create beauty even when, and perhaps because, our roots grow out of the rock.
“The most beautiful
people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known
struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons
have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills
them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people
do not just happen.”
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
By Hannah:
We have a lot of Hummingbirds that come to our feeder! We particularly like a hummingbird that we call Champ. Sadly, we don`t have a picture of him.
This is me and Caleb watching the hummingbirds. They get really close!
Hope you liked it!
Our decision to Home School didn't come lightly but ultimately we felt like it would be what was best for the kids this year. It has been both wonderful and challenging. We love the ability to really emerge ourselves into a subject, that we have more time together, that the kids take ownership in their education, and that we now have time and energy to enjoy our extra curricular activities in the evening. It is a little challenging to keep the kids on task though. Caleb seems to think he needs to have a GAZILLION snacks and Hannah wants to read ALL DAY LONG but for the most part they do a really good job of working hard.
We have been studying the Scientific Method and have learned about observations, inferences, hypothesis, and testing a hypothesis. We decided to go to the Science Center and put all this into practice. The kids loved, loved, LOVED it.
Here we are just starting out in our lab coats, goggles, and gloves. Not exactly a fashion statement is it?
The kids conducted labs for finger printing, blood typing, viewing their own cells, seeing DNA without a microscope and solving a crime. How cool is that?
They had an absolute blast using authentic scientific equipment and being able to think like a real scientist.
What a great day of learning!
As a family we took a trip to Collinsville, Illinois to experience the Cahokia Mounds. It is the largest prehistoric Indian site north of Mexico. The site covers 4000 acres and includes at least 120 mounds.
After 1050 AD, Cahokia became a regional center surrounded by farmsteads, villages and satellite towns with several mounds. It peaked from 1050-1200 AD, sprawling over six square miles with a population of 10-20,000 people.
Monks Mound is the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the Americas. The base covers more than 14 acres, and it rises to a height of 100 feet. A massive building once stood on the summit where the principal chief would live, construct ceremonies, and govern.
This is a view of the second stair case to the very top of Monks Mound. It was quite a climb for us and Hannah counted a total of 153 stairs in all!
It was worth the hike to see this amazing view of St. Louis.
Looking directly South on Monks Mound you can see one of the two Twin Mounds.
The people of Cahokia built a stockade two miles long around the central ceremonial precinct to defend them against enemies. The actual stockade logs were covered in a type of plaster.
The Interpretive Center Museum was impressive.
Our favorite part of the day was hiking around the site under the cool canopy of trees. We saw several deer, a fawn and even a four point buck just off the side of the trail.
The forests here have thick jungle like vines throughout them. Caleb decided to try his best Tarzan impersonation by swinging from one of them. AAAAAHHHAAAAHHHAAA!
