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| Watermelon |
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| Squash |
The above pictures were some watermelon and squash plants (along with corn, not pictured) that Will planted himself. He put the dirt in the buckets himself and planted the seeds. We had entirely too much on our plates to worry with planting things this year, but I started getting sad about it. Will really wanted something, and I gave him permission to plant some things, even though it was the beginning of July. He started not taking care of them, though, failing to water them, so they are about dead now. The corn died a while back, but I did get a picture of it as well. Will is pictured above thinning out the plants.
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| Will collecting rainwater |
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| Watching collection cup fill |
Pictured above are pictures of Jaden William using one of his collection cups to collect rainwater. We were going to use a pH strip to measure the pH of the rain. We only got a sprinkling of rain, though, so we didn't get much water, and before I could get a pH strip, something mysterious happened to what little water there was. I think Trusten dumped it. So, this project will have to wait until the next time it rains.
August 10, 2010, Roman calendar: Bible reading. Will did his daily writing, a reading lesson, and a couple pages of math. He's been working on 2-digit and 3-digit subtraction.
August 11: Bible reading. Will did reading, writing, and math.
August 12: Will did reading, writing, and math. On our nature walk, we took two plant samples to add to our plant binder. However, we do not know what either is. One is a shrub that has yellow flowers, and another is a wild grass. I wonder whether the latter would be a good source of grain, if needed for survival purposes. I've researched and cannot find the answer for either, so if anyone recognizes either or both, please let us know. We did make copies of the plant on the copy machine, and the sheets are ready to cut and add the binder.
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| Yellow-flowered shrub with toothed leaves |
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| Lovely wild grass with flat heads of grain/seed |
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| Plant binder of local plants we started last year |
August 13: We read more than half of the latest issue of Ranger Rick. We learned something really neat. We were reading about ways bugs (mainly insects) can be good. We read about wasps depositing eggs into certain caterpillars, and the larvae hatch open inside of them and feed on the caterpillars' insides. They then eat their way out and spin cocoons on top of the dying caterpillar. Well, this answered a question the boys and I have had about some caterpillars around here. We've wondered what the strange white things were on the backs of them. Now we know! We also read other interesting things.
I don't know what else we did this day, except read the bible, which rarely ever goes undone.
August 14: Sabbath day. I read to the boys from the Bible Stories book.
August 15: Will did some reading from one of our atlas books, so he got his reading in, as well as geography knowledge.
August 16: Will did reading, writing, and math. A lot of days, when we read our daily chapter in Proverbs, I elaborate on one or two. This day, I discussed in depth about there are many lovers of the rich, but the poor is despised by even his own neighbor (14:20). As a child and without having the seed of God gestating within him, Will naturally judges the outside. The vast majority of people living in this world are that way, in fact. People are so hung up on outward appearances and by what a person has materially, that they miss what is truly important. So, when I stopped at this verse and repeated it again with different phrasing, he opened the door for deeper instruction by saying, "I would hate a poor neighbor." I explained that he could end up that way, and he would be sad if he did not have any friends to help him. I told him one person could be poor one day and rich the next or vice versa, and he or she is still the same person. The sad fact, though, is carnal people like those who have and shun those who have not.
Sometime, one of these days, perhaps this very day, Will painted a piece of wood he found to make it look like a boat, he says.
August 17: We went to town. Judging the elderly by their outward appearance (wrinkles and such) came up once again, as it has before, and so I had a discussion with Jaden William about this. I told him that we should not judge according to the house/body/temple in which a person resides. I pointed out that he would be the same person if he had a disfigurement, if he had an accident. He certainly would not want everyone hating him simply because he was disfigured. I want my children to learn to judge persons by their hearts, the way God does. It's the carnal nature of people to judge what is on the outside. Man is so hung up on the wrong thing. I reminded Will that elderly people are my favorite (most, as a GENERAL rule). Most people in old age have matured to a level where the possess great wisdom, and they have kind and gentle spirits. Now, there is always the exception to the rule, and I explained to him that some grow very ugly and bitter in their last years. Those are the type, though, that are hung up on outward beauty and the lusts of the flesh.
It matters not what a person's shade of skin is, whether they have taut skin or wrinkled, short or tall, unblemished or blemished, God judges the heart, and the righteous do the same. God showed man's carnal way of doing things with the old covenant regulations, which discriminated against gentiles (non-Israelite, which is pretty much non-white with the exception of Assyrian and Babylonian backgrounds) and those with disfigurements, etc. A woman having her menses was not allowed to even touch a holy thing. Imagine not being able to read the bible for a week, simply because you are bleeding. Such is the carnal nature of people, and God gives people over to their own carnal ways.
During the drive, Will "disappeared" (as he puts it) to Montana and came back to tell me about all the bison he saw.
When we got home that day, Will did his writing, reading, and math. I'd bought a new pumice stone when in town (not sure what happened to my old one), which we'll use for our feet, but I also partially filled a bathroom sink with water and demonstrated its floating ability. This was fitting, since it was just a week after we discussed volcanic rocks, including pumice.
August 18: We read Ranger Rick--the remainder--and learned about marlins and odd turtles and tortoises. During Proverbs time, we talked a little in depth about how wisdom is better than gold (16:16). I discussed how most rich people act, as well as thugs who are materially rich. I speak of those heathen idiots who yell in pride about their sins, accompanied by what they call "music," which is what I call [c]rap. I talked about how absolutely stupid such people are and how very void of wisdom they are. Wisdom goes along with righteousness, whereas foolishness goes along with wickedness. I really do value wisdom and knowledge above riches. I already feel rich, and in reality, I am very rich materially compared to most of the world's people. I would be content with even less, but I never want to go without wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
Will also raked leaves and twigs this day to burn. I have never been one to rake leaves to burn. I always leave leaves. They don't bother me, and Nathan has always been the same way. However, Will loves to burn, so I let him do this. Of course, it was all supervised.
August 19: Will did writing, and he cut a tree with a saw of his daddy's. He, of course, called his daddy to get permission, and I supervised. He just loves doing things like this. He told me about his plans to make things of wood and sell them. He then told me on a different day that he was planning to build a flying machine. I just LOVE my boy! I like listening to him tell his stories and share his meditations and ideas. I hope when he gets his flying machine finished, that he takes me for a ride. He and I both love flying machines.
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| Putting the final saw touches to the tree |
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| Will admiring his work |
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| Will looking at me for a picture |
While Will cut up his tree that he cut down from off the hill, I sat with Trust and Liv on the back deck and did some finger painting with them.
We also saw some deer in our front yard this day, and we've now seen them a few times:
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| Two of the deer |
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| All three deer, 2 doe and a still-spotted fawn |
August 20: Nathan took us to Jasper, AR to stay in a cabin for a couple of nights. It was the best cabin we've stayed in yet. It certainly wasn't the biggest, but it had a huge wrap-around porch, and it was ALL cedar, except for the floors, so it smelled wonderful. My clothes even smelled of cedar after we came home. We saw some elk on our way in.
August 21: The sabbath day. I got to visit a congregation of brethren whom I dearly love. It had been a long time since I saw them. I had a nice bible study with them and sang and talked. I enjoyed sitting outside on the porch of the cabin and visiting with my wonderful husband and children, while taking in the view of the valley below. After the sabbath, we ate some elk pizza from an all-organic restaurant. Nathan went to pick it up, while I got the boys bathed. We also had a delicious chocolate mousse pie from there. It was a delicious meal.
Will update more soon....
