Life With The Crew

She Has Good Eyes

Ever since the little babe was born, I made a concentrated effort to encourage her to not just look at the world around her, but to NOTICE.  To see the Red-tailed Hawks beside the highway (not just Big Birds), tiny sparrow chicks sticking their heads out of the nesting boxes on our shed, the large green orbs on the ground that must mean she'll see a Black Walnut tree if she looks up.  The skunk cabbage that has been nibbled - who would eat that?  The tracks in the mud - just squirrel or something more exciting?  The poop in the snow - almond shaped deer, round rabbit, or cashew shaped porcupine?  See how that bird travels upside down on the tree and says, "ank, ank" - must be a Nuthatch (one of the first bird sounds she learned and remembered.)  So now at age almost seven years old, my daughter has darn good nature eyes.  We point out things to each other now on walks; this week she found the Praying Mantis first.  I would have stepped on the "leaf".

Remembering that earlier in the year, way back on a cold walk in February, we had discovered multiple egg cases on the dead stalks in the field, I kept my eyes open for more mantises.

See it?  Check out those sharp spines on its forelegs - used for snaring and holding prey while it devours them.  (When looking up info on Praying Mantises, "devour" comes up frequently.)  These are fierce little buggers.  This is the egg case.

This is another good article about mantids.  The little babe sighted the first mantid as it dropped off my skirt.  I am thankful for my adventure partner and second pair of eyes.


 

Almost Autumn in the Woods

The asters and goldenrod are in full bloom.  I never really noticed how many different types of asters are in our forests until I read an article in the most recent British Country Living magazine.  (No, I don't live in England, but we have great asters too!)  I just love the types with the tiny blooms.  The forest is full of movement at the moment.  On a walk with friends last week the kids discovered four different types of caterpillars.  We found this bright yellow American Dagger Moth caterpillar on a stump.  My daughter "spotted" two Red-Spotted Newts on the forest floor.  They are so tiny and delicate.  The Monarch butterflies are still hanging around.  We don't normally see frost until early October, so they have a little bit more time here.  

This is the last week of Summer, with the mornings feeling like Autumn, but the sun still shining warmly in the afternoons.  I noticed the change of its angle though; it doesn't reach my back deck at this time of year and my clothes aren't drying so fast.  The season of change is upon us.

 

A Mini Meow for Monday

 

This is the Mini Meow by Claire Slade, with some changes.  The little babe wanted 3/4 length sleeves and I decided to try something new and make them a little "puffy".  The picture is taken before being blocked, so it is a little rumply.  I used a 100% wool instead of the Knit Picks Wonderfluff that the pattern called for, so my version is bulkier.  The color choice was chosen by the pink princess - "perfect" is her word for it, "gaudy" is my word.  This is the first sweater that I have knitted that involves seaming the sides together and then picking up the sleeves around the shoulders.  I do not like it.  I don't like how the sleeves attach; it is too broken up and disjointed.  However, it was not intended to be a frilly sweater, but a sturdy one for Autumn adventures and cold Winter mornings.  My little kitten declared it itchy, but when it is worn over long sleeves as intended, it will do.

September Cruising

It is a beautiful September day here in Pennsylvania.  We just had a really nice morning walk in the forest with friends - a perk of homeschooling - weekday mornings in the woods are pretty quiet!  We saw a tiny toad, tons of mushrooms that have shot up recently with the cooler wet weather, and plenty of acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts.  The leaves are slowly changing, though the main color is still green.  In the garden, I still have cukes coming along.  My tomatoes are being eaten by stink bugs!  I have never had them be a garden pest before, just an inside annoyance.   My large mystery pumpkin is still growing.  I am crossing my fingers that it is a Jarrahdale Blue, but I'm not sure.  I planted several types of pumpkins in a scattershot approach to see what evaded the chipmunks.  My garlic chives are now in full bloom and the bees are happy!  These are from seeds that a lovely person sent me in the mail a couple of years ago.  I am so sorry that I cannot remember your name, but if you are reading this - thank you!  I love them and yes, they sure do spread!

The little babe and I are in a good rhythm now.  We have a nice mix of activities, indoor learning, reading time, and free time for her.  I have discovered some fun homeschooling activities/curriculums and it is fun to see her get excited.  I thought I would share two of the new things we are trying.  KiwiCo offers mail order hands-on learning kits and they sucked me in through their FB ads.  I ignored it for a couple months, but finally checked them out and am glad I did.  We have the geography subscription and the little babe can't wait for the next one to arrive.  They offer science, art, and geography kits for all ages and would be great for any kid, not just for homeschoolers.  Our neighbor introduced us to Teaching Textbooks.  They provide a fun interactive math program for kids.  The little babe actually enjoys doing it!  

So September is cruising along smoothly.