catching up

Oh dear, I fear I have ignored this learning blog for far too long. We had high gardening hopes for the month of March. Alas, a miraculously wet spring has disrupted our plans. The positive aspect is that the rain is making an actual dent in the extreme drought we have endured for years now. The negative, albeit selfish, is that as it is unhealthy for the plants and soil to be worked when wet, we didn't do even half of what we had planned. Nonetheless, we dug up nearly three 64 sq ft garden beds. One is planted with tomatoes, sweet and spicy peppers and a tomatillo. (Forgot eggplant?) One is planted around the perimeter with sunflowers in hopes of growing a little sunflower house. Normally it would be too late, but we are hoping to drop a few melon seeds in our third bed just to see if they might make it in this strangely wet and "cool" spring weather. There are few herbs to add (how could we make it through the summer without fresh basil?) and then we'll be stopped by the inevitable hot weather.

The fig tree looks gorgeous. The blackberry patch is flowering and putting out the preliminary green sours. And the peach reports from the orchards is good, so far.

In the meantime, we have made some irregular attempts at school work. Plugging along on math, Latin, and handwriting for Firstborn. Math & handwriting for Sunshine. A bit of history for the pair of them. And reading/writing for Rosebud. In the last couple of weeks, she has started some very primitive attempts at sounding out three letter words. We're on the brink of a breakthrough.

There had been a lot of days "off" this spring because, well because, outside life becomes so demanding in the spring. It is this way every spring. And Advent. The natural consequence of a flow in Life is an ebb in formal research and discovery. We very nearly fall into a patch of unschooling. And that is okay. It really is. The children are happy, we have read a lot, done some baking and cooking. Art, ballet, choir, music, and baseball mark the week and puncuate the education with bits of normalcy and formality. But now the children are begging. Mom, when can we get back to school? Can't you read us some history? When will I read? When will you get my new math book?

The flow of life is gradually ebbing and I've got the little scholars right where I want 'em: begging for more education. Bwah-ha-ha! Actually, I think it is their way of begging for my attention, for their routine and for our morning together time. We enjoy learning together and being together. Come to think of it, I am ready for a return to mornings in the Study.

We are trying some new formats and I am refocusing on spiritual preparation. More details forthcoming. I'll be writing more about these in the days to come.