They have not been bothered by the dog at all. I do wonder what the garden will look like in the spring time. Will there be anything left, or will it all be nibbled away through the winter.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
More Deer
The deer are making themselves quite comfortable in Dad's back yard. Several times in a day he will see these two napping on the lawn. 
They have not been bothered by the dog at all. I do wonder what the garden will look like in the spring time. Will there be anything left, or will it all be nibbled away through the winter.
They have not been bothered by the dog at all. I do wonder what the garden will look like in the spring time. Will there be anything left, or will it all be nibbled away through the winter.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Back to School
Yesterday was our first day back at school this school year, and we opened the year in style--with a field trip to the zoo!
It had been several years since we had been to the zoo. We all enjoyed the beautiful day. The crowds were at a minimum. Some of the animals posed for photos, and others put on shows with their behavior.
We were introduced to one part of the zoo we had not visited before, the veterinary center. It was interesting to see the vets working with two monkeys new to the zoo. The monkeys were anesthetized so as not to be traumatized by their exams. The almost looked like floppy stuffed animals as they were carried from the exam table to the scale. But the gloved hands and careful handling by the vet proved otherwise. When their lab work is done it will likely be determined that it is safe to lift their quarantine.
It was less interesting and more depressing to read the placards on the walls about genetic control of the population in the world's zoos. Not that that is a problem in itself. For animals. But adding the knowledge that many of the world's zoologist-types also believe in controlling and limiting the human population, and in using genetics to do so, it was rather depressing.
Rick was the photographer for our day at the zoo. Here are some of my favorite shots.
It had been several years since we had been to the zoo. We all enjoyed the beautiful day. The crowds were at a minimum. Some of the animals posed for photos, and others put on shows with their behavior.
We were introduced to one part of the zoo we had not visited before, the veterinary center. It was interesting to see the vets working with two monkeys new to the zoo. The monkeys were anesthetized so as not to be traumatized by their exams. The almost looked like floppy stuffed animals as they were carried from the exam table to the scale. But the gloved hands and careful handling by the vet proved otherwise. When their lab work is done it will likely be determined that it is safe to lift their quarantine.
It was less interesting and more depressing to read the placards on the walls about genetic control of the population in the world's zoos. Not that that is a problem in itself. For animals. But adding the knowledge that many of the world's zoologist-types also believe in controlling and limiting the human population, and in using genetics to do so, it was rather depressing.
Rick was the photographer for our day at the zoo. Here are some of my favorite shots.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Summer Reading
The kids did not have summer reading per se, this year. Last summer we thoroughly enjoyed the works of Jules Verne read to us on CDs. The kids were fascinated by the stories, and I enjoyed listening with them and knitting, rather than reading aloud.
We enjoyed it so much I wanted to do something similar this year. We started by listening to Les Miserables. I could only find an abridged version, so I assured the Artist she would enjoy the book when she could read it at her leisure. The Engineer suffered through the listening, utterly unimpressed.
Then, while I was planning the school year I found so much literature from the historical era we will be studying --roughly 1600 - 1815-- that there was little hope of reading a nice representative sample unless we read literature 8 hours a day for the entire year. Even looking at the recommended lists, there is more than a family of readers can handle.
I checked the library for books on tape and CD again, this time with the recommended reading for the kids' upcoming school year in hand. I am thankful we got to listen to so much of it during the summer. And I hope we can read a good portion of what is left during the school year.
This summer we enjoyed:
Some stories we missed because my place in the library hold line has not come up yet. Some time soon we will hear The Last of the Mohicans and The Three Musketeers.
We enjoyed it so much I wanted to do something similar this year. We started by listening to Les Miserables. I could only find an abridged version, so I assured the Artist she would enjoy the book when she could read it at her leisure. The Engineer suffered through the listening, utterly unimpressed.
Then, while I was planning the school year I found so much literature from the historical era we will be studying --roughly 1600 - 1815-- that there was little hope of reading a nice representative sample unless we read literature 8 hours a day for the entire year. Even looking at the recommended lists, there is more than a family of readers can handle.
I checked the library for books on tape and CD again, this time with the recommended reading for the kids' upcoming school year in hand. I am thankful we got to listen to so much of it during the summer. And I hope we can read a good portion of what is left during the school year.
This summer we enjoyed:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Rip Van Winkle
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Grimm's Fairy Tales (Abridged)
Gulliver's Travels (Abridged)
Robinson Crusoe
Rip Van Winkle
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Grimm's Fairy Tales (Abridged)
Gulliver's Travels (Abridged)
Robinson Crusoe
Some stories we missed because my place in the library hold line has not come up yet. Some time soon we will hear The Last of the Mohicans and The Three Musketeers.
Friday, August 28, 2009
A Sweet Goodby
The Artist said goodby to her cloud room last night and demolition is in progress right now. When moving data off the camera I got to see some of the videos she took. Here's a sample.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Gearing Up
Getting geared up for school this year is harder than usual. A home remodeling project is making the Artist's bedroom and the school room both unusable for a while. All the school books are scattered in various places through out the house.
All the things I expect to need for the first semester have moved into the living room. The literature I used to keep on the built in living room shelving is now in bags in the basement. (I pray this is VERY temporary!)
I used to know, or at least have a very good idea where everything was in the house. Now I would be hard pressed to find some things. You can imagine how much I am hoping I don't need any of those things that are "somewhere" until the remodeling work is done.
The Artist's cloud room has been outgrown for a few years now. It was a lovely nursery and bedroom when the kids were small. As the Engineer got older he moved out of the nursery and into his own room.
The Artist stayed in the cloud room. With her teen years approaching, we thought it was time to repaint her room. She will get to pick her colors and her bedding pattern as a birthday gift.
The school room, annexing the Artist's bedroom, will be unusable for the duration of the project. Her dresser and a bookshelf are moved into the school room, and her closet is behind one of the tarps too.
These cubby holes, which the kids and I used as you may remember using a locker at school will soon be covered with a thick layer of drywall dust. 
Unless there are some surprises hiding inside one particular wall, we hope to add some built in shelving to the new bedroom too. That will help solve a storage problem for the Artist. She has sculptures and keepsakes hidden in a very crowded drawer. It would be nice if she could display them. It would also lessen the chance that they would be damaged.
Tomorrow the workmen come to begin demolition on the Artist's room. Monday we have our first day of school (a field trip), and Tuesday we crack the books. This will be one interesting week.
Now, when I'm feeling so thoroughly unorganized, I have friends telling me how they are not organized enough to home school. I feel like the school year is a marathon, stretching out before me beyond the horizon. I'm not sure I have the energy for a 100-yard dash.
All the things I expect to need for the first semester have moved into the living room. The literature I used to keep on the built in living room shelving is now in bags in the basement. (I pray this is VERY temporary!)
I used to know, or at least have a very good idea where everything was in the house. Now I would be hard pressed to find some things. You can imagine how much I am hoping I don't need any of those things that are "somewhere" until the remodeling work is done.
The Artist's cloud room has been outgrown for a few years now. It was a lovely nursery and bedroom when the kids were small. As the Engineer got older he moved out of the nursery and into his own room.
The Artist stayed in the cloud room. With her teen years approaching, we thought it was time to repaint her room. She will get to pick her colors and her bedding pattern as a birthday gift. The school room, annexing the Artist's bedroom, will be unusable for the duration of the project. Her dresser and a bookshelf are moved into the school room, and her closet is behind one of the tarps too.
These cubby holes, which the kids and I used as you may remember using a locker at school will soon be covered with a thick layer of drywall dust. 
Unless there are some surprises hiding inside one particular wall, we hope to add some built in shelving to the new bedroom too. That will help solve a storage problem for the Artist. She has sculptures and keepsakes hidden in a very crowded drawer. It would be nice if she could display them. It would also lessen the chance that they would be damaged.Tomorrow the workmen come to begin demolition on the Artist's room. Monday we have our first day of school (a field trip), and Tuesday we crack the books. This will be one interesting week.
Now, when I'm feeling so thoroughly unorganized, I have friends telling me how they are not organized enough to home school. I feel like the school year is a marathon, stretching out before me beyond the horizon. I'm not sure I have the energy for a 100-yard dash.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Kohlrabi
We're getting lots of kohlrabi ripening in the garden now. We've eaten them julienne raw with Italian dressing for a while now. In fact, to the point that Rick and the Engineer will not enjoy any more.
So I went in search of kohlrabi recipes. There has to be a way to serve this cooked, right? I found some ideas, such as scalloped, creamed with herb sauce, slaw salads, and several others. But these are the ones I think will go over best with my family.
I don't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes (go figure!) so I'm improvising.
My first step is to blanch the julienne kohlrabi about five minutes in water with lemon juice added.
Next they braised in some butter till they were tender enough to eat pleasantly.
I am not out of burnet and lovage. Rather, I have not heard of burnet and lovage before!
A little search on line told me burnet was an herb with a cucumber flavor. I'm not sure what to substitute for it, because the recommended substitute is parsley. However parsley is also called for in the recipe, so I will be using that already.
Lovage was a little easier to work around. I can use chopped celery leaves as a substitute. That sounds tasty to me, and nutrient rich to boot!Back to the braising. A taste test at this point reminds me somewhat of turnips, but much less harsh and more creamy in flavor. Then I get the idea that this creation might end up with a topping of Parmesan cheese.
By this time I've removed the kohlrabi to a serving dish and begun making a cream sauce in the pan. Before it gets too thick, the parsley and celery leaves go in.
After I got this photo I begin stirring in the herbs in, and I was struck with the thought that this will be a very pretty sauce. Am I the only one who thinks about these things -- aside from the pros?
Ahh Done! 
But have I sabotaged myself? The veggie is done and the kids will need to eat in about 20 minutes and I have nothing else prepared. Looks like the rest of lunch will be leftovers.
Playing with a new recipe was fun. With a final taste before serving, I decide against the Parmesan cheese.
So I went in search of kohlrabi recipes. There has to be a way to serve this cooked, right? I found some ideas, such as scalloped, creamed with herb sauce, slaw salads, and several others. But these are the ones I think will go over best with my family.
I don't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes (go figure!) so I'm improvising.
My first step is to blanch the julienne kohlrabi about five minutes in water with lemon juice added.
Next they braised in some butter till they were tender enough to eat pleasantly.
I am not out of burnet and lovage. Rather, I have not heard of burnet and lovage before!A little search on line told me burnet was an herb with a cucumber flavor. I'm not sure what to substitute for it, because the recommended substitute is parsley. However parsley is also called for in the recipe, so I will be using that already.
Lovage was a little easier to work around. I can use chopped celery leaves as a substitute. That sounds tasty to me, and nutrient rich to boot!Back to the braising. A taste test at this point reminds me somewhat of turnips, but much less harsh and more creamy in flavor. Then I get the idea that this creation might end up with a topping of Parmesan cheese.
By this time I've removed the kohlrabi to a serving dish and begun making a cream sauce in the pan. Before it gets too thick, the parsley and celery leaves go in.
After I got this photo I begin stirring in the herbs in, and I was struck with the thought that this will be a very pretty sauce. Am I the only one who thinks about these things -- aside from the pros?
Ahh Done! 
But have I sabotaged myself? The veggie is done and the kids will need to eat in about 20 minutes and I have nothing else prepared. Looks like the rest of lunch will be leftovers. Playing with a new recipe was fun. With a final taste before serving, I decide against the Parmesan cheese.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Tae Kwon Do Videos
The kids' tae kwon do school participated in Radio Disney's live event at Parmatown Mall. It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun!
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