ski weekend

Last weekend a friend and I went away for 4 days skiing the Maine Huts and Trails system.  It was a repeat of last year's adventure, only longer!  I was hoping to find something poetic to say about it, or to tie it into the nature journaling and phenology work we're doing around here....but, I can feel the time slipping away, and wanted to share these photos.  If you live nearby and can figure out how to make it happen, I think you should go.  

It was a wonderful weekend with such good company, amazing strangers to talk with, good food, a bit of sweet knitting, nice weather, and long days of good hard skiing.  Certainly an annual tradition.  

    Lunch break, trail side

   Near-Arctic Explorers

      Lung Wort Lichen

Trip Highlights:

* Bob cat and possibly Fischer tracks
* amazing weather, single digits in the mornings and warming to near 20's.  It was perfect weather for non-stop movement.
* 40+ miles of terrain covered
*Not having to wash dishes or prepare food at all for 4 days.
* Due to a boot/ski malfunction I got to borrow a slipper (to cover my socked foot) that had climbed Mt. Everest 3 times! (can I now say my foot has touched the Mt. Everest summit indirectly?)
*Due to said boot/ski malfunction I now officially need new skis (I'be been long overdue, and now its truly time.)
* Having a companion in complaining for the better part of 15 miles of icy, steep up and down skiing, who skied along with me when we should have clipped out and walked (when I couldn't take off my skis without also taking off my boots due to aforementioned malfunction) and who still had a fabulous time through it all.
* No injuries
* After that first hard day, we had 3 more long ski days on well groomed snow with set tracks, and saw no more than 4 people or so for most our time on the trails.
* Spending 4 days away and coming home feeling renewed by the good company, good exercise, quiet woods and fresh air.  No jet lag and very little unpacking.
*Coming home to a clean, quiet house with dinner already prepared for the evening.

Pigs!

We welcomed two sweet piggies to our homestead last week.  Mac and Cheese are 5 month old brother and sister, American Guinea Hogs.  They are a small heritage breed, easy to keep due to thier small size and excellent foraging abilities.  My sister raises this breed down the road at  Toddy Pond Farm and her family has enjoyed them so, we thought we'd try our hand at raising a couple.  This is our first adventure in raising our own meat but so far we all seem comfortable with the understanding that these cuties will be breakfast someday next fall.  We chose a food inspired name (Kale's choice) to help us all keep in mind they they will be food as well as pets.  But for now we are just enjoying their fuzzy bodies and funny ways.  

For winter months they are living in our well fenced garden, but when the snow melts we'll run electric fencing in the woods so they'll have space to forage for acorns, grubs, etc. with plenty of room for play, a small stream, and shade.  They don't seem to love the snow, but also seem unfazed by the cold.  

Pretty much they enjoy one thing...food.  And the occasional good scratch on the back.  

Here they are...

Something Good About School

I haven't written much lately, and I think it is in part because of my inner conflict about Wylie's school situation.  I don't feel great about it, but I struggle to find the words to say exactly how I do feel.  It isn't terrible, but it isn't what I want for my kid either.

I could go on and on, and still not be clear about all that I'm feeling.  But, what I really want to say is this--

There are a few good things about Wylie experimenting in school this semester, and here's one of them:

 Last week he received, at an assembly in front of the school (along with one other child from each class) a "star" from his teacher, thanking him for being such a kind person.  Its always great to know that your kids is being appreciated.

"Its my blog and I'll brag if I want to..."
(to be sung to the tune of "its my party"-- you know how it goes)

A word about 4

In November I wrote a bit about how challenging 4 yr. olds can be.  But, it seems I may have been a little hasty in my judgement.  It could be that for our little guy 3.5 came a little on the late side, or that the transition to 4 was a rocky one.  Whatever it was it sure felt like our normally easy going, jolly guy had been body snatched and replaced with an angry, grudge holding troll.  Thankfully, I can report, now that we are solidly into 4, it is turning out to be a lovely age.  I can't really remember what it was like for the other kids but these few pictures seem to suggest relatively peaceful times:

        Wylie at 4 yrs.

                      Juniper at 4 yrs.

Kale is back to his friendly nature, sharing with friends, up for adventure, and willing to negotiate and compromise logically.   Either the aliens have retuned him or even trolls can change for the better.  Either way it's good.

     morning goofballs

Fiddler On The Roof (and a new kitchen island!)

The big kids and I went to see "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Waterville Opera House with our homeschool group last weekend.  The show was very well done, and despite being a little long we all enjoyed it.  I'd seen the show once before, in high school I think, and remembered just a little about it.  What surprised me is that I either hadn't realized (or I'd forgotten) that the fiddler is only a metaphor for the lives of the people of their village, precariously balancing tradition and changing culture and surviving against the odds.  Somewhere in my adolescent brain I'd seen it as an actual trade in their town, albeit a risky one.  

The past few weeks I've been feeling like my own life is a bit like that fiddler.  Of course my struggles don't even begin to compare to those of Tevye's family as they face anti-semitism, extreme poverty, and an angry Czar who drives them from their village. There's nothing like refugees to put your life into perspective.  

Perpective aside though, my struggles have felt real to me--and its been a rough few weeks.  Monday's post of cheery, homeschool love and excitement was pre-written (two weeks ago), and while heartfelt and honest at the time of writing felt fairly like lying based on my present state of mind.  I've been dealing with some minor conflict in a couple of different areas of my life, which came to head just as two fairly large, long planned for projects were beginning with some other groups (one of them is a fantastic community build with Window Dressers organization to help keep our neighbors warm, reduce heating costs, and cut down on CO2 emmissions.  Check it out.) In the midst of these deadlines and commitments, trying to appropriately deal with conflict and meanwhile trying hard to stick to our homeschool schedule, Wylie announced, which quickly progressed to pestering, that he'd like to try public school.  For many of you, particularly those of you with kids in school this probably seems unoffensive, and rather normal.  Even so, to me his request felt like a sock in the gut.  I can't verbalize exactly why.  It didn't feel like an insult as some have suggested.  I know his curiosity well and can see where he's coming from.  But, it put me in an instant state of panic and unrest.  I'm still part way there.  

So, in the past week we have explored the local school, he has tried out the classroom and enjoyed it, though is not ready to make any kind of commitment.  He's not sure really what he's wanting from school, and I'm not sure that what he's looking for is really what he'll find there.  I feel like Tevye from fiddler, balancing pros and cons...  "On the one hand we didn't decide to homeschool him on a whim..."On the other hand, how much harm can come from 4th grade?  On the other hand.....   

As parents the decisions we make about and for our children are never easy.  But, when they were babies I always seemed to know in my gut what was right.  Now that they're older they have so many of their own opinions and feelings to add to each decision there's not just my own gut to consider.  At what point and with what risks do we decide to trust their instincts against our own?  

There are a few necessary steps to be taken before we can pursue the idea of school further, and Wylie is not sure what he wants to do from here.  I'm taking it slowly and trying to keep it all in perspective.  He's not moving to Siberia with his rebel partner, and none of us are facing an angry Czar.  So its mostly good, despite my angst.  

At the end of the play, refugees on stage, huddled against cotton snow flakes, struggling to carry all of their belongings as they are being displaced, Juniper turned to me and said flatly, "That was a sad ending".  Yup.  

I'm not sure how my little struggle will end, but I'm sure it will be better than theirs'.  

And, in the meantime, we have this amazing new kitchen island!  

Three cheers to Grampy, who is always up for a project when he visits, and is willing to work for chicken soup and BudLight.  And, to Rob who is almost always willing to agree to my design inspirations (despite his initial doubt) and who tackles any project with the mind to finish it before the weekend is out.  

We left for the play with the three of them, Grampy, Kale, and Rob, mulling over my design and working out the numbers.  We came home to a nearly finished piece, ready for me to sand and oil.  After 4 coats of mineral oil we've begun using it gently, but I'd still like to get another few coats on before we really get down to business on this beauty.  This new island has a proper overhang so the kids can eat without dropping food all over themselves, space for all three kids at once, and a cupboard on the end for storing our favorite school resources right near the table--where they get the most use.  We made the top and sides of birch plywood so they finished smooth and sleek, but should still be fairly rugged, and for 1/3 the price of butcher block.  I love it.  

Below pics from all sides, plus what happens when they all notice I'm taking pictures of them....

 

 

 

                 

 

Car Chorus

Wednesday afternoons we are in Camden for Children's Chorus.  Today (as usual) the ride home from chorus was filled with song.  Wylie, accompanying Minecraft Parodies loud enough to hear himself through his sound-blocking earphones, Juniper chorusing various songs from the "Sound of Music", and Kale creating his own repetitive tune with the words:  "the deeper the snow, the funner the winter, the deeper the snow, the funner the winter..."

Someday my car will be quiet, and I'm miss it, I'm sure.  Someday.  

Monday Morsels

Mini-morsels this week:  

I've been loving up this beautiful fall weather, doing a lot leaf gazing, not a lot of photo taking.  This past week I stated on some much needed outdoor work: tucking away the garden under seaweed and leaves, harvesting and preserving a few cabbages and beets, curing our small squash harvest, cranberry picking, and starting in on an outdoor project for the coming year--a retaining wall and grape arbor along our some-day orchard.  Its slow going, but I've got three good diggers here to help.  Friday we hauled the picnic table over there for a bit of outdoor art work. We've also been creating autumn bouquets bringing in a few of the leaves to adorn tables and identify at our seasonal table.  Good stuff.  

 

  

 

One Wednesday Morning

Started with snuggles and reading in bed, pancakes, and then this.  Nice way to start the day.