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Showing posts with label summer 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer 2009. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Farm: Mad dogs, Englishmen and my dh

We've been living here at Hilltop Farm now for six weeks and the theme for the last week or so has been ....

At twelve noon the natives swoon, and no further work is done -
But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

(song by Noel Coward, 1932)

But, Mr. Coward forgot my dh in that description.
You see, my dh is a school teacher and August is rapidly coming to a close and so, even though "it's one of those rules that the biggest fools obey, because the sun is much too sultry and one must avoid its ultry-violet ray" there is my dh in the front yard fighting the battle between the vinca and the liriope ... taming the much overgrown azaleas ... mulching the magnolia ... separating the pebbles from the topsoil so we can minimize the pebble areas and reap the harvest of the now-aerated dirt ... puttering in and amidst the natural beauty of this place.
Yes, dh is out in the 90+ (with humidity, more like 100) degree weather fixing the "farm" so that he can finish before the school year starts (or at least be at a reasonable stopping point).

Well, dh may be like the Englishmen and the mad dogs, but what am I?
I am out there too ... screeing gravel, spreading mulch, planning the garden produce and (most importantly) thoroughly enjoying the time with dh while the kiddoes are in the a/c playing! Only String Bean joins us occasionally. But that's ok ... because if it was good enough for Coward to sing about, it's good enough for us to do!
[I promise pictures soon of the work we will have done by the time dh goes back to teaching. we are whipping this long-neglected spot into shape!]

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Writing: latest issue of mater et magistra

I just got my copy of the Summer 2009 mater et magistra issue down here in the wilds of Virginia and I'm very impressed and proud to have a part in bringing out such a great magazine!

The articles are great ... the theme this issue is preparing for college and beyond and there are some great articles about choosing a Catholic college, getting to college in an unconventional way, going to conservatory instead of college and (the one I wrote) about sending them off with hand-crafted items to help them remember hearth and home.

There is also an amazing unit study, put together by Alicia vanHecke (who manages the amazing website Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers), about Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth . Alicia's unit study, the pull-out in the center, pulls in many different resources (videos, books and games) to help the kids really understand the concepts covered in Juster's classic. All of this is done in such a fun and interesting way, the kids won't even know they're learning about math concepts, science and grammar!
What more could you ask for?
Check it out ... I'm sure you'll be impressed. And if you don't subscribe to THE only Catholic homeschool periodical available, go on over to the mater et magistra website and subscribe! It's well-worth every penny!