Home Spun comic strip #464

Carnival at The HomeSpun Life

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling is up at The HomeSpun Life! Please stop by and take a look at this week's selection of articles from our homeschooling blog community!

Home Spun comic strip #463

I can recall at least a couple of hikes where my little fashion plate, then 2 or 3, dressed to the nines. Once it was a lovely pink velvet and chiffon party dress. Another time it was a more down-to-earth white cotton slip dress. And of course, no hiking outfit is complete without the shiny white Mary Janes with no tread on the soles. Perfect when you accidentally walk off the trail into brambles and have to climb down a leaf-strewn incline (Marina says it was a cliff) just to find your way back to a path. True story.

Home Spun comic strip #462

We are in for rain and possibly a wintry mix this weekend. You can bet what I'll be doing next time the weather warms up and the sun shows itself!

Error is not Forever

There is a great intimacy from putting pen to paper that I cannot experience from typing and tapping away on a keyboard. It's nice to complete a thought without the instant corrections of spell and grammar check popping up like a surly English teacher wielding a red pen. I wish I could explain this to my children, especially Chase. He has been extremely pen-phobic, afraid of making a mark he can't undo. More than undo--obliterate. I suppose we are all afraid of making mistakes these days. When your mistakes can be instantly broadcast and mocked to the four corners of the Earth, it is much easier to fall into the familiarity of what you know. It is a safe and well-worn path through life.

Perhaps the problem is in equating mistakes with failure. After reading through all of the various definitions in my low-tech Merriam-Webster dictionary, I can honestly say I did not find one mention of "failure" among the various meanings of "mistake", and vice-versa. In fact, the term "failure" seems complete and irrevocable in its definitions (a lack of success; deficiency; deterioration; decay) while "mistake" seems to offer some hope of change (misinterpret; misunderstanding; error).

Mistakes are a form of learning. We often forget that in our modern, fast-paced, success-at-any-cost world. As Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus would say, it's time we "Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!" We cannot learn or do anything new without taking some risks!

For myself, I think I will take more time to turn away from the computer, put down the pencil, and do some writing in pen. It's amazing to see the thoughts that freely flow from ink.

Author's note: This post was transcribed from my journal, a simple spiral-bound notebook with book quotes along the top of the pages. It was originally written using a Pilot clicky pen with jet black gel ink, which doesn't smudge when I'm writing. This is important when you are left handed. Spell check has put a red line under the words "versa" and "clicky". I am letting myself be content with my choice of words and leaving them as is.

Carnival at Home Grown Mommy

This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is at HomeGrownMommy.com. Please take a moment to look at some of the interesting articles submitted to this week's carnival!

Home Spun comic strip #461

Well, I must apologize! I went to bed last night completely clueless that I needed to put my comic strip up. I thought Tuesday was Monday. I blame spring fever and an evening meeting. And Molly, because she just hatched her second owlet. That might go under the heading of spring fever.

Ever wonder why schools have snow days and we don't? Because if it's snowing badly, the road conditions make it impossible to reach the school safely. On the other hand, snow does not make it hazardous to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen and living room. Since we don't have snow days, I think it is perfectly logical that we should take off when a beautiful day beckons, especially after a hard winter. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Molly-fied

I have not been getting enough sleep lately. It's entirely my fault. I've become addicted to watching Molly the Barn Owl thanks to a post at Malia Li'i Kula. Last night we were waiting up for Molly's mate, McGee, until way past our bedtime. McGee tends to come in between 10:30 and 11 PM EST, but last night he didn't show until well past midnight. They are wild owls, and because I've read the book Wesley the Owl, I know there are so many dangers that face owls. My mind starts imagining the worst. It's my mom in me. (Sorry Mom, but you know it's true.)

Watching Molly has been a fascinating experience. We were lucky enough to witness the hatching of her first owlet, named Max. Right after his hatching there was a problem at UStream that took the webcam down for hours, so we were happy we had the opportunity to see the event. We are now on egg watch for the next owlet.

This has been a wonderful experience in animal behavior for the kids and me. I knew many things about barn owls from my reading, but to be given the opportunity to observe the life of these owls in one of their most private settings has really been educational. I never knew that owls kept a pantry for food their mate brings in. Or that the owl "bonds" with her mate every night. Or that the first small hole that appears on an egg is call a pipping. And it has been a thrill watching Molly care for her new baby. It has really made me long to attract some of our own local owls with a box. They could probably use a home this year after all the trees that fell in our area from the windstorm. I wonder if I could set up a webcam....

Home Spun comic strip #460

It's interesting when you suddenly realize that your child is teaching you. This happened early for me. What can I say? Marina is a voracious reader and lover of history. She tells me so many stories and facts that the slightest comment from me sets off a chain of memories. I'm suddenly treated to the intimate details of the life of Elizabeth I, Akhenaten's push for monotheism, or the properties of the element Polonium. I live an interesting life.

Home Spun comic strip #459

You would think this had changed now that I have two teenagers, so I tested it a few days ago. I bought a package of 100 pipe cleaners and left them out near my computer. Sierra snatched them up first. The following day, Chase asked me where the pipe cleaners had gone. Little pipe cleaner creatures are popping up everywhere...