Monthly Archives: July 2010

This week is a planning week.

I am getting the kids’ notebooks and schedules in order for the next school year. Even though we school year round, the big sales are going on, so we stock up on most of our supplies, now. I also have to order many of our math books and science things, since the kids go at their own pace and are going to finish earlier than expected.

I’ve got to decide what I’m doing with the Sarge for science this year. (Probably Biology I…. but maybe Chemistry) He’s also going to be in a speech/writing class (Yay, someone else gets to force encourage him to write something!)

The Gremlin is flying through his math books and will be moving beyond his grade soon. The kid blows my mind with his math skills! He definitely got his math genes from his daddy.

The Imp is doing much better this year. Reading for fun all summer has helped her confidence and sight word skills. She isn’t sure what subjects she likes best yet, but seems to be doing well over all. Yay, we have made it past the reading hurdle!

Lesson plans for my co-op history class are in the works too. I try to make history fun, since I HATED it as a kid. This week we will be trying some medieval recipes and looking for more props and activities with fire and weapons to use throughout the year.

Yesterday the kids went biking with Hubby. While they were whipping up and down the neighborhood streets, they came across a 5 ft. diamond backed rattle snake that was sunning on the pavement next to the long grass. With all of them on bikes, it must not have heard them and was startled. It rattled at the Sarge, but thankfully did not strike. Hubby said it was really big around too. Big enough to eat rabbits and smaller cats and dogs. Hubby brought the kids home and went back to see if it was still there…..it had slithered back into the grasses. Mommy is not loving the wild life, anymore!

First, spiders that are the size of your palm, now big scary snakes……Eeww!

Our garden is about through. The corn is yellowing and most of the creeping plants have dominated the yard but are not producing much these days. The grass has grown up around them and the few things that are growing, are not getting enough air circulation to stay healthy. We’ve been cutting things back and I’ve found that borers have tunneled channels through the main stem of most of my creepers (this is why the leaves have all been dying and turning yellow.) Right now, I have about 5 watermelons, a basket of cucumbers, 1 zucchini, 2 squashes, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the counter. It has been awesome not to have to buy all this produce and we’ve been able to bless others with it too. Very cool!

I’ve been slowly clearing out the rows to try a 2nd planting of our summer crop. It is taking forever because it is so hot here, but progress is being made. Yesterday we tore out the corn and cleaned out the fire pit. We’re going to burn all the plant materials and throw the ash back into the dirt for nutrients. Today we pulled out the creepers that were compromised by the borers and I made a pile of them at the back of the property to start a compost pile of sorts. I haven’t decided if we should burn those too, or not. The borers have long since left them, so it’s not an issue of bringing back the worms.

We had an awesome run with the corn, watermelon, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash. We are going to flip planting ends and try adding a few new things to experiment with. I still have beans that are producing and the cherry tomatoes are staying put. I should have another complete growing season if I can get them in soon. There is something very satisfying about growing our own food. I also like the daily checking and tending, as we watch for new things to harvest.

Now I want to start our chickens and bunnies!

Last night we ate mostly from our garden. We had fresh sugar baby watermelons, sweet corn, and a zucchini and squash dish….all from the garden. We’ve had problems with something munching the leaves and caterpillars attacked the tomatoes, but everything else is coming along and we’ve learned what to do differently, next year. My tomatoes are making a comeback. The little bunny we are pet-sitting is enjoying the garden too, his favorite treat is a slice of cucumber or zucchini.

When we got Xerxes from animal control, his paperwork said he was going to be a little 25 lb dog and that his mom was a Schnauzer. He was the only smooth coated dog in the litter and we loved his personality so we brought him home.

The first vet commented that he had big feet for a puppy, but never said more to hint that the animal control paperwork was off.

The next visit, I mentioned that he eats everything in sight. Even though I am feeding him for a 25-35 pound dog size, the dog eats bark, mushrooms, grass, leaves, etc……he doesn’t just chew them, he EATS them. The vet grinned and told me that I should be feeding him the amount targeted for a dog that will be about 60 pounds. (He had already doubled his weight in 2 weeks.)

Oh my! Hubby is not thrilled that our little dog is going to be big. The vet thinks he might have either Rottweiler, Doberman, or German Shepherd mixed with whatever his mom was. They do not think he has any Schnauzer. I saw her and she looked like a coarse coated terrier and was about 25 pounds. But all the handlers at the vet think he has a really laid back personality.

Everyone who sees him takes a guess at what might be in him. So far, we’ve ruled out dachshund and beagle. He is already the same size as the neighbor’s puppy that he plays with. Pictures coming soon