Letter to my children: Don't Give Away Your Power
/“Dragon made me do it!”
“I did not!”
“Did to!”
“Wow, this is really fun to listen to. Nobody made anyone do anything. Can we please all take some deep breaths?”
Read MoreLetter to Dragon: "My father broke my arm"
/“Look at you. That is some cast. How did that happen?”
Dragon, loud and clear, “My father broke my arm.”
Wait what!? Dragon!
The parking attendant’s face froze. I interjected quickly. “Dragon, your father did not break your arm.”
Indignation retorted loudly, “yes, he did! He hit it with a ball!”
Arrgggghhh
Read MoreLetter to Bean: Your First Steps
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Your wide hopeful eyes were big and round. “Momma, can I please have a spend the night with C! Please!”
It might be time for this.
“Hmmmm, let me talk to your father. We will discuss.”
“Okay.”
Read MoreEncomium to the Public Library
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“Momma, I love the smell of the library.”
“Me too, my love, me too.”
Michelle told us as we checked out, “Corinna, I think this might be the most books you have ever checked out at once.”
Dragon pipes up, “both of our bags are bursting!”
56 books does seem like a lot of books for a woman who avoided public libraries for years.
Read MoreHomeschool Learnings: And Then There was One
/Dearest Beloveds,
We are in full back to school mode. Once again I am juggling what activities to do on what days, laying out my teaching schedule, and sharpening pencils.
Half of the pencils are staying at home and half are going on a bus to our local public school.
Read MoreEmbracing Mercury Retrograde
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“What is going on with me? I am super cranky and snarky. Every single one of my buttons is being pushed ALL DAY LONG.”
“It is Mercury retrograde.”
“Oh Thank GOD. I was thinking I was losing my mind.”
Read MoreHomesteading Middles: The Marvel of Growth
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This seems apparent to note - but plants, like children, change.
Like well cared for children, well cared for plants grow with vigor and joy.
Like curious courageous children, plants do not like staying within lines, following other’s ideas of decorum and placement.
In other words, my new favorite toy is an electric hedge trimmer.
Read MoreLetter to my children: Making Hay While the Sun Shines
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We pulled into the road. Three large metal contraptions faced us. Equipment I would have not been able to identify 10 years ago. Next to the tractor with the forklift front was a round baler and a rake.
The field was marked with the pattern from a mower. Thick threads of dark green wove between the stubbed brown of shorn stalks.
And rain fell onto the windshield.
Read MoreLetter to my children: Yes, Your Mother is a Hypocrite. We all are.
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“Why did that man leave his truck running?” The Bean looked affronted.
“I asked him if he could not idle his engine while he talks to your father - he told me that otherwise he cooks like a sardine in there and he needs the air conditioning.”
“Why doesn’t he open a window? His engine hurts the earth.” Outrage and disbelief sharpened her tone and her eyes.
Oh no, Corinna, own this.
“Beloved, I hear that, but you know what else hurts the earth? Cheese that we have in our refrigerator. It is from France. It came over on a big boat and used lots of food miles to get here.”
Read MoreHomesteading Middles: An Ode to Kaolin Clay
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Oh, you microscopic shards of glass,
staving off the caterpillar’s frass,
denuded leaves forever begone!
To thee I sing this humble song.
Read MoreLetter to my children: Pocket Peas, Black Caps, and Baby Chickens
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“Didn’t you pick peas for dinner?”
“OOOOoohhhhh, right.” Dragon reached into his pocket and started pulling out handfuls. “I did pick them, and I forgot.”
3 peas were palmed onto the counter. 4 more peas were placed on top. Handful by grubby handful, peas appeared.
I looked at our dinner guests and started laughing, “would anyone like some pocket peas?”
Surprisingly, everyone but the family declined to eat pocket peas. Ah well.
Read MoreLetter to my children: Don't Be the Best, Be the Only
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“Don’t be the best, be the only.”
Thank you Kevin Kelly for that fabulous nugget. Children, he is bang on. When I was in school, these were the cultural markers delineating success.
Straight As.
Being on a varsity team (bonus if you are the captain).
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