Summer reading challenge update

I have gone through my stack and have chosen the books for my summer reading challenge. Seeing the list makes me excited for the reading hours ahead:

The Iliad by Homer

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (finish...started long ago.)

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


The Devil Knows Latin: Why America Needs the Classical Tradition by E. Christian Kopff

Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education by David Hicks

Who Killed Homer: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom by Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath


On the Art of Writing by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.

Not knowing that he edited the Oxford Book of English Verse, I first heard of Quiller-Couch when I read 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. From the preface to On the Art of Writing:

It amounts to this - Literature is not a mere Science, to be studied; but an Art, to be practised. Great as is our own literature, we must consider it as a legacy to be improved. Any nation that potters with any glory of its past, as a thing dead and done for, is to that extent renegade. If that can be granted, not all our pride in a Shakespeare can excuse the relaxation of an effort - however vain and hopeless - to better him, or some part of him.

Letters to a Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine by Dorothy Sayers


Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

My other personal challenge is to read two mysteries by authors I haven't read before. I have a list of potential authors, plus my next-door neighbor (aka: Mom) is a mystery junkie. I will find plenty of options at her digs should I need them.

Our American history reading will keep me busy, too, but I am not listing those books here. I wanted to list books I would be sure and read, not those I would be doing as part of my homeschooling job. I'll list those next week when we return from camping.

The biggest challenge will be sticking to the list; I am easily distracted when good suggestions come my way. I will have to plug my ears and stay focused!

Reading, listening, watching, and packing

Reading aloud



Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales (the pictured volume is a beautifully-bound copy from Barnes and Noble.)

Reading

Watchers of Time : An Inspector Ian Rutledge Novel by Charles Todd. A new mystery favorite. Highly recommended, but start with
A Test of Wills:

"Having just returned from France after World War I with a medal of honor and serious shell shock, Inspector Ian Rutledge struggles to settle back into his duties at Scotland Yard."

The Latin-Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell

Watching



Bleak House

We love Dickens and found this movie to be very well done. It is long, though...at least seven hours.

Listening



Kenny G: At Last...The Duets Album


Packing


for a camping trip here. It will be a "friend fest" extraordinaire, including a happy reunion with The Autumn Rain, Lavender and Old Lace, and A Learning Life. I never thought I would look forward to camping so enthusiastically. Will Saturday ever get here?

Summer Reading Challenge

I have decided to join other bloggers in the Summer Reading Challenge started by Amanda. Everyone sets their own goals, and the time for the challenge is from June 1st to August 31st. I have a huge stack of books in my "to be read" pile, but I also want to be reading along with the summer history program, and my son and I will be reading The Iliad in preparation for Great Books I with Wes Callihan. So, I have not decided on the list for my personal challenge yet. I'll post them before the week-end, though.

If you'd like to join, click here. The deadline to sign-up is May 31st.

HT: Semicolon and I Have to Say

Last week-end, the boy version

Destination: Point Reyes National Seashore.



If you are ever near the northern coast of California, I urge you to go to Point Reyes. Beautiful all year long, the spring is particularly gorgeous. The wild iris bloom around Easter, and the different wildflowers continue to bloom throughout the spring. And the ocean view? Worth the hike to get there.



For a number of reasons, the boys' week-end plans had to change from an official Boy Scout outing to a non-official, family outing instead. This meant one very important thing: the pre-scout in our family could attend. I wish I had had the camera at the dinner table on Wednesday night when the announcement was made. Thrilled? Ecstatic? Hmmm...I wonder what word would best describe the look on his face. Let's just say he began packing immediately following dinner. Come Friday, he strapped on his pack and had his very first backpacking adventure. All reports on the week-end were unanimous: the youngest brother is one rugged hiker and backpacker. He made his dad and brothers very proud.

The school year ends...and continues

It's the last week of my husband's school year. How is that possible when it was raining yesterday? Having it be cold and wet on May 22nd has been completely disorienting. By mid-May I am usually well into my warm weather inner dialog that goes something like this, "I won't complain about the heat all day. I won't. I won't." Instead, on these chilly May mornings, I reach for my sweater or, even better, snuggle deeper under the down comforter for "five more minutes." This weather may be disorienting, but it is blissfully so.

So, we prepare for the next season of the year. Summer for us doesn't mean "pack away those school books", though. This week we will finish up some subjects, but with Dad the History Teacher home we will delve into a study of American history for the summer. We'll be reading and mapping and time lining our way through the years before, during and after the Revolutionary War. I can't wait.

Latin and math will continue through the summer, too. Why Latin? Well, because it's important. We (well, some parts of "we") love it, and we (and I do mean WE) are going to drill vocabulary in preparation for next year's Latin class. Why math? Because math for our family is like a cranky relative who gets resentful if you don't visit often enough. Take the summer off? Well, you could get the cold shoulder for weeks, maybe months. It's as if you'd never seen each other before. All those afternoons getting acquainted over tea could be for naught! So, we take care to nurture our math relationships all summer long. It saves a lot of trouble, and a lot of wasted time.

We have a stack of books to read, movies we'll finally have time to watch, and plenty of vacation time. It's a little dizzy to look at the whole summer schedule. Our school days are sandwiched between canoe trips, camping, travels to Oregon, a wedding, an anniversary, and what I know will be hours of gardening, talking, walking, bird watching, drawing, photographing and the other colorful threads that weave together to make our summer life rich.

As nice as it sounds, it usually takes us about a week to adjust our expectations to the plan. Having a second parent around is heavenly, but it also means that I need to coordinate with someone else. I am no longer Lone Ranger, and that is a really good thing. But, sometimes I forget. Maybe, just maybe this time I can skip the week of transition and move right into the dance of shared life. My husband faithfully makes my morning coffee, so I can cheerfully make his lunch; as he discusses history with the older students, I can be reading aloud to the youngers; when he suggests an early morning visit in the garden, I can get my slug body out of bed and join him before the heat settles into the hillside. There's a lot of potential here, I just have to remember that I am no longer dancing alone; we are a team.

Better start freezing some espresso for afternoon cold drinks. My latte partner is almost home for the summer.

Girl's week-end

It's just the girls this week-end; all the boys are gone and we are having a FINE time. A little work, a lot of play, and we are anticipating a lovely evening with friends (also boy-less) to watch Wives and Daughters. We'll be sewing, cleaning, reading, resting, and chat-chat-chatting. Bliss.

Ten things my mother taught me

A friend and I had an email exchange this week, listing ten things that our mothers had taught us. As a be-lated Mother's Day offering, here is my list:

1) Always have fresh flowers nearby.
2) Always have a book in progress. The more the better. Know librarians by name, wear out your library card, have a well-beaten path to Borders, have a well-used Amazon.com account. You get the idea.
3) If you can laugh, you're already ahead of the game.
4) Life is lived better barefoot.
5) Clean the house? Maybe tomorrow, or for company.
6) Fabric is a fine investment.
7) Beauty can be found in little places (a small painting, a piece of pottery, a wood carving.)
8) Having a cat makes life better.
9) Children are fascinating.
10) Liturgical worship brings stability and peace in a world that is constantly changing.

I can't say I live by all these maxims, but they are part of the "caught and taught" lessons of my childhood. I buy less fabric than she does, clean the house a l.i.t.t.l.e bit more than she did, but I honor her for the example she is to me.

Masquerade Ball in pictures

Our location - complete with lantern-lit walkways covered with rose petals



All the masks were on before the dancing began



The dads kept theirs on the longest



Cooling off outside

It was a blast!!!

My Mother's Day find

My husband dropped me and the girls at the used bookstore for half-an-hour on Mother's Day. Amidst Her Majesty the cat and the stacks of books cluttering the walkways, we were blissfully at home. Thirty minutes was long enough to spend a wad and find real treasure: an old copy of The Song of Roland, translated by Dorothy Sayers, some novels I had on my list for American history studies this summer, and this beauty:


Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses by Rob Talbot and Robin Whiteman.

If you are interested in herbs, this is a practical book; if you love Cadfael mysteries and the stories of monastic life, the quotes sprinkled throughout will feed the passion; if beautiful photographs are your thing, each page will fill your senses. If, like me, you appreciate all of the above, this is a perfect Mother's Day gift.

Greathall Productions

We received the Greathall Productions catalog last week and saw these:


Thomas Jefferson's America

and


Romeo and Juliet

Our summer school program includes preparing to see Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare-in-the-Park, and it includes a study of American history from the 1750's through the War of 1812.

Did they get a memo from us that I don't remember writing? Are we somehow in the inner-Greathall circle? Or is this just one of those serendipitous moments? Whatever the reason, we are well on our way to being ready for Summer Session on The Hill.

Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

Signs of spring

The pond down the road



Green things are growing everywhere



Beautiful sunsets without summer heat...aaahhh



Wildflowers

Signs of spring, the reality:

I am posting this incredible beauty to, shall we say, focus my perspective. The signs of winter neglect are showing on the surfaces of my house, and dirt makes me grumpy. I have never been a big fan of spring cleaning, but when the sun is shining in my windows, the grime starts screaming for attention like a neglected toddler. As a proud resident on a dirt road, let's just say that dust doesn't seem like a strong enough word.

Perhaps that is why I love this time of night. I am done with today's work, but there is still plenty of dirt to distract me. But, as the sun sets, shadows take the place of the glaring light, and the "dust" and cobwebs fade. There's a time and a place for a bucket of hot soapy water, but tonight I am lighting the candles, dimming the lights, and enjoying the view.

Dr. George Grant on reading aloud

From Dr. G's blog:

The best thing about reading aloud to children aside from developmental progress and all that good stuff, is onomatopoeia. “Clang, clang!” “Harrumph!” “Chugga-chugga” “Choo-Choo” “Splat” “Ring! Ring!” “Flutter, Flutter.” Wonderful children’s literature doesn’t just progress along the pages in staid font transferring information, it sings out from the very book at us! Be it Mike Mulligan’s steam shovel digging away furiously or Peter Rabbit hopping lippity, lippity through Mr. MacGregor’s dangerous garden patch, we are fully engaged from once-upon-a-time to everyone-lived-happily-ever-after. Ducks wear poke bonnets, trains wish desperately to make children happy, dreams come true, elephants and carpets fly, and small children affect the outcome of their worlds. Adults who wear business attire and behave perfectly appropriately in steel and glass towers day after monotonous day transform themselves into snakes, mean old hags, princesses with snooty accents, and sorrowful baby bears when a small child is snuggled on their lap with a good book. Is it any wonder that a happy child’s evening litany includes “Read one more book, please?”

Read the whole post here.
HT: Sparrow and Seasonal Soundings

Afternoon quiet

For Miss Lavender and Old Lace

With the inspiration of our dear friend Lavender and Old Lace, and with the trusty assistance of our favorite cookbook



Fannie Farmer, my oldest daughter reached the next rung on the culinary ladder today:



Lemon Meringue Pie

For your amusement

Found on the website for Scholars Online: Classical Christian Education for the College-Bound Student.

"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

Gene Fowler

Tonight...

the fourteen and older set in our household will be attending a masquerade ball. How do you like our masks?

We have learned the fox trot and the swing, and we will have the chance to brush up on waltzing and salsa at the ball tonight. Ballroom dancing is a stretch for the adults around here, but we are modeling teachable spirits (and nursing our sore toes as subtly as possible.)


Guess who?

A blog post just for me....

It's a "late night" night here, and I decided to take a break and check the blog of one of my favorite girls: The Autumn Rain. I had suggested that she write her own Where I am From poem, and she did it! You can read it here.

Miss Autumn Rain's poem is filled with the imagery of a vibrant, literary, magical childhood. I could practically smell the curry, hear the glorious voices (and they are glorious), and see that drying bachelor button. What a beautiful job!

This young woman is graduating from her homeschool on June 24th. I'll be there with hanky in hand, ready to pray and talk and dance her into the next season of life. I only wish I could give her a hug tonight, the night she heard of her first college scholarship, the night when she was acknowledged to be the brilliant budding authoress that we all know she is. I'm there in my heart, dear. There in my heart. Thank you so much for the poem; I love it.

Tomorrow night....

Phillip Johnson will be speaking in our area. At least four of us will be there, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.

Who is Phillip Johnson? From his website:

Phillip Johnson was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois and graduated from Harvard and the University of Chicago Law Scchool.

After law school, Phillip Johnson clerked for Chief Justice Roger Traynor of the California Supreme Court and Chief Justice Earl Warren of the U.S. Supreme Court. He joined the faculty of the Boalt School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley in 1967 and has been a Professor Emeritus since 2000.

Johnson has served as deputy district attorney while on leave from his teaching duties and has held visiting professorships at Emory University and at University College, London.

With the publication of his book "Darwin on Trial" in 1991 he began a second career as one of the foremeost critics of Darwin's Theory of Evolution and its wider sociological and cultural implications.

Johnson is one of the leading members of the Intelligent Design movement and has done much to help these ideas gain acceptance and a wider hearing worldwide.

Johnson is the author of several books on evolution, philosophical naturalism, and other cultural issues and speaks extensively around the country. His "Leading Edge" column appears regularly in Touchstone Magazine.

A book honoring Dr. Johnson:


Darwin's Nemesis: Phillip Johnson And the Intelligent Design Movement, William A. Dembski (Editor)

A sampling of books by Dr. Johnson:


Darwin on Trial


The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism


Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds

We anticipate plenty of fodder for good conversation. I love having children old enough to bring along. Half of what is said may fly right over our heads, but I can almost guarantee that we will snatch some nuggets, chew them over together, and put a few more pegs in our minds for future use. We can't wait.

Semicolon on Homeschooling High School

Semicolon has a couple of posts on homeschooling in the high school years. And, she promises more tomorrow.

Part One
Part Two

Where I am from...

Iam from peddle-pushers and freckle-face strawberry,
from Folger’s Instant and Kodak Instamatics.



I am from iris on the walkway, pyracantha for the birds to feast on,
from towering pines for hide n’ seek,
from chalk and hopscotch and roller skates and four square.

I am from hardwood floors calling, “Mom’s home!”,
from the sizzling cast iron with pancakes in animal shapes,
from the gas stove going “poof” if you took too long.

I am from the smell of fresh-mown grass and burying yourself in the piles,
from wave chases and sandy PBJs at Natural Bridges,
from olive trees wreaking havoc on the back patio and squirrels chirping
while cats stalk back and forth in front of the picture window.
From daffodils in the sandbox every spring.

I am from rare letters, perfect penmanship,
loud snoring and rollicking laughter,
From TWC and Joe and women I did not know,
paths traced from Ireland and Huguenots,
from simple folk and rich relations.

I am from only-the-good-news, weak lungs and prejudice.
From inner-family squabbles and fierce family loyalty.

I am from “that’s just the way that it’s done” and “say ‘g’ as in Gault”,
from sitting up straight at the table and “run along and play.”

I am from “It Only Takes a Spark”
and I believe in One God the Father Almighty,
from kneelers and stained glass windows.
I am from the down-the-road youth group where my heart was filled.
From campfire songs and Easter-week service projects.

I am from Fort Collins and Montreal,
Iowa City and Rye, New York.
From turkey dinners and tuna casserole,
from steak and Yorkshire pudding.
From holidays with Mom and weekends with Dad.
I am from two different worlds.

From risk-taking men and women who went along,
from Wall Street and the Malibu hills,
from golf course vacations.

I am from Charlotte’s Web and Puff having kittens
while men landed on the moon.
From quiet walks in the rain and fudge during Wizard of Oz.
I am from Gramps guarding the Christmas tree.

I am from the box of memories deep in Mom’s closet,
from the empty baby book and the stories told by someone else.
I am from best forgotten and moving forward.

I am from surviving and forgiveness,
from simple pleasures,
from making the best of it.

I am from stubborn determination and new life, from the miracle of joy and stability.

This is based on the poem Where I'm From by George Ella Lyons. You can read the entire poem here.

If you would like to write your own, click here for the template.

I was inspired to try my own version of this by reading examples by Sparrow and Waterfall. Thank you, ladies. This was a valuable writing exercise. The required reflection was not easy, but it helped me trace the path of God's gentle hand bringing me to the miracle of today. I really do thank you.

From homeschool to college

An interesting article in Worcester Magazine:

"In conversations I have had with numerous college admissions officers, I have not encountered any whose college has a policy of refusing admission to students who have been homeschooled. Although concerns and cynicism exist at some colleges, most colleges express interest in receiving applications from homeschooled students. Colleges that have accepted homeschooled students appreciate the maturity and self-direction these students demonstrate. They believe that because homeschooled students have been involved in shaping their own education, they tend to be motivated learners and are comfortable assuming positions of leadership, both in class and in social situations."

"Homeschooled students, who will apply to college without a standard high school transcript and honor society membership, need to be proactive as they anticipate the college application process. As parents plan their child’s high school years, they would do well to think about the type of college their child might attend — public/private, selective/non-competitive, large research university/small liberal arts college. As they record their child’s progress, they should be aware of ways in which many colleges are likely to evaluate their child’s readiness for college work."

HT: Spunky

The reality of gardening

Getting our garden plot ready for planting has been no simple chore this year. The ground has been fallow for three years, and it is showing signs of our neglect. The first step was to spread old leaves throughout the garden in anticipation of our neighbor's tractor coming in to till. It sure didn't look like a garden plot at this point.


Stage I

Once we started spreading and prepping, we discovered how many rocks were surfacing. Rake, pull out rocks, rake, pull out rocks...we still have way too many rocks in the soil. I will have to hand out buckets and offer a penny a rock pretty soon. I could easily go broke, but my offspring need the money and I need those rocks gone.


Stage II

We thought our garden plot was large until the tractor next door came rumbling down the hill. Suddenly we were dwarfed by this roaring invader. Our chicken coop corner took a beating, but the soil got well dug up. It was free, it took ten minutes, and the difference was amazing. Thanks, Gary!


Stage III

Every year we add compost and soil amendment to improve the quality of the soil, but we have a long way to go until it is rich and black and moist. This year's solution is to start building raised beds. There's another motivation for raised beds: our last garden was decimated by rodent visits. With chicken wire under the boxes, we are hoping to keep those rodents frustrated. We made as many boxes as we had free wood, and then everyone dug, dug, dug to get soil for filling them up.


Filling the boxes

Sifting through composted dirt, bringing soil down from the upper part of the plot, plus adding bags of top soil and amendment has resulted in three relatively safe boxes to fill with vegetables.


Stage IV

One day this week we will head over to our local nursery and buy tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers, squash, melons, pumpkins, and whatever else grabs our interest. We'll buy some seeds but mostly seedlings; we can't wait for the fun stage -- actually planting things.

Confession time: see that blue chair in the garden? That's been my spot for most of this endeavor. If it was up to me, we'd be experiencing yet another fallow year in the ol' garden plot. It's hard work, and I haven't felt up to it. Fortunately, the youngest two love building things with their dad, our oldest son has been desperate for money to buy a new bike, and we have been able to spread the load amongst us to keep it from being too nasty.


Many hands make light work

Our hope is to make some sort of cover for the boxes that will allow us to extend our growing season past the early frosts, and to keep them up year 'round. I love weeding rows, keeping track of pest problems, harvesting, and putting up the harvest. It's just that prep work that gets me down. I am grateful that my family has been able to do Stages I - IV of the garden, and I will gladly hand over my blue chair for them to sip coffee or read a book in the early summer morning hours when I am weeding, watering, and wrestling with tomato bugs.

Life is a first draft

I found this article at Brandywine Books, via Wittingshire.

These are the words that jumped off the screen at me:

Life itself is like a first draft. One of the sources of the global sense of inadequacy that's bedeviled me all my life is my belief that I should be able to do everything right the first time.

Oh.my.goodness. Reading that was one of those "Is he looking over my shoulder or reading my mind?" moments. This has been a struggle for me as long as I can remember.

He continues:

None of us is James Bond, sauntering through our adventures in the best clothes, never putting a foot wrong and always knowing what wine to order. In fact, even the guys who play James Bond aren’t James Bond. They sometimes stumble when they step off the curb (especially after ordering that wine), and they sometimes spill salad dressing on their shirt fronts, and they sometimes say things they didn’t mean to say and wish to heaven they could take back. James Bond doesn’t do those things, because if he does the director just yells “Cut!” and they re-shoot the scene. But you and I don’t have directors or re-shoots. We’re Reality TV, and our mistakes go on our permanent records.

But we’re all in the same boat. Much as I might believe it, there are no James Bonds out there having their lives simultaneously edited for them. The doctrine of salvation by grace, not works, is grounded in the fact that God Himself recognizes, and has pity for, this fact.

All I can say is, "PHEW!"

Get Caught Reading

It's Get Caught Reading Month, and here are some pictures from the last month's family archives:










I'm busy with summer school plans these days, including our reading lists. I will post those soon.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Warble for Lilac-Time

Warble me now for joy of lilac-time, (returning in reminiscence,)
Sort me O tongue and lips for Nature's sake, souvenirs of earliest summer,
Gather the welcome signs, (as children with pebbles or stringing shells,)
Put in April and May, the hylas croaking in the ponds, the elastic air,
Bees, butterflies, the sparrow with its simple notes,
Blue-bird and darting swallow, nor forget the high-hole flashing his
golden wings,
The tranquil sunny haze, the clinging smoke, the vapor,
Shimmer of waters with fish in them, the cerulean above,
All that is jocund and sparkling, the brooks running,
The maple woods, the crisp February days and the sugar-making,
The robin where he hops, bright-eyed, brown-breasted,
With musical clear call at sunrise, and again at sunset,
Or flitting among the trees of the apple-orchard, building the nest
of his mate,
The melted snow of March, the willow sending forth its yellow-green sprouts,
For spring-time is here! the summer is here! and what is this in it
and from it?
Thou, soul, unloosen'd--the restlessness after I know not what;
Come, let us lag here no longer, let us be up and away!
O if one could but fly like a bird!
O to escape, to sail forth as in a ship!
To glide with thee O soul, o'er all, in all, as a ship o'er the waters;
Gathering these hints, the preludes, the blue sky, the grass, the
morning drops of dew,
The lilac-scent, the bushes with dark green heart-shaped leaves,
Wood-violets, the little delicate pale blossoms called innocence,
Samples and sorts not for themselves alone, but for their atmosphere,
To grace the bush I love--to sing with the birds,
A warble for joy of returning in reminiscence.

"Don't you know.....

they're all going to be teenagers at the same time?" they said to us in disbelief when we announced that we were expecting our third child...our fourth child...our fifth child.

As of May 3rd at 7:30 a.m, we are three-fifths there.




But they made it sound like we were crazy or something. Well, maybe we are, but not because we had five children in eight years. That was one of the smartest things we ever did; they are the greatest gifts we could ever ask for.

And our latest addition to teendome? A fine young man. He works hard and plays hard every day. He tells great stories, and is our resident Finder of Lost Things, a very important job in our family. His work ethic, outgoing nature, and commitment to service bless our family on a regular basis.

He started his day having breakfast with his oldest sister. She's not one to go shopping for birthday gifts; she prefers to make them. If you are trying to figure out what to make for your average thirteen-year-old boy, food is the first thing to come to mind. I woke up to the sounds of their feast on the deck outside my bedroom door. We had an abbreviated school day in honor of his birthday, filling in the gaps with basketball, baseball, Jamba Juice, the library, and dinner and a movie with the family. It was a day filled with simple pleasures for a grateful son.

One thing is certain: he is a delight to his mom and dad.


Happy birthday, son.

The 18th Carnival of Homeschooling

The 18th Carnival of Homeschooling is up at The Thinking Mother. This week's theme: A Cornucopia of Wisdom.

For Susan....

"I cannot live without books."



Thomas Jefferson

Another mug option (or addition) for the gift shop at Monticello.

**Susan has the esteemed title of First ACoQ Pen-Pal. She emailed way back when I was contemplating adding comments to the site, and her reflections made it very clear that she is a kindred spirit. An email from Susan is an enjoyable way to start the day.**