Monday, August 27, 2012

Real Life and Homeschool

Life has been abundant lately. :D


There's  been homeschool park days and surprise 16th birthday parties, college sendoffs, sleep-overs, cleaning jobs, bedroom,bathroom and livingroom renovations, bridal shower planning, fall get-together planning, getting everything set so my Dad can perform my Uncle's wedding in October, my little sister's piano genius for her teacher, numerous guests that make life brighter, canning, pickling, stewing.............

The garden has constantly been calling us - every Monday, sometimes Thursdays; you're never quite sure when you'll end up in the wild jungle of dirt and sky and sun: We have two ginormous gardens that you already know about and now a third garden/farm as well. A fellow on the Menominee Indian Rezervation needed tribal workers to help with his organic farm. We offered to help him. (Did somebody say something about 150 lbs. of beans (picked) on Wednesday?)



Oh! I've just found the  letter Mr. Lingis sent about our work (though, we did call in some recruits to help us) on Wednesday. (He doesn't mention anything about the 300 lbs. that we picked by ourselves on Tuesday. I feel rather productive! lol:)

Note: "Kara" is my lightening-fast little sister (click on her blog button on my sidebar!) and "Bethany" is her best friend. (www.graceofmyredeemer.blogspot.com)


Hi,
... The day's total, 540.12 lbs.
... Kara is still the 'master picker', absolutely threshing the high powered Bethany team in the final moments before the buzzer by .21 hundredths of a lb., Kara 116.69 and Bethany 116.48
... Thanks for the very good day

Dr. Hal Lingis
Native American Organic Farms Specialist

As I said. It makes me feel productive. :D My tan is much improved, I daresay, and I think a few muscles (by the feel of them ;) have been getting stronger, too. :D We've learned a lot about all sorts of things. (I intend to write a post on those subjects soon.)


And. Oh. I started school with Rebecca on Monday. (Half started. I really started a few weeks ago, but only because she needed something to do.) I think we completed the grand total of *checks records* two days this week. Monday, actually. Why?

 
 Because on Wednesday we picked beans. On Thursday we picked beans.  Friday was park day/surprise party/sleepover day. We don't do school on Saturdays - but I wasn't home in the morning then, either.

I looked at mom and asked, "Mom, how am I supposed to get school done with all of this gardening going on?" (I know there's no help for it, it comes when it comes; and you'd better be ready for it when it does!) She looked at me and replied easily; "Anna, that's life."

When I thought about it, I realized how true it was. The goal in my teaching Becca this year is for me to learn how to teach; to become experienced in this area. "Life" has been gracious.  I'm also experiencing how the perils of a busy schedule hinder the school schedule and turn the idea of a schedule in one's own mind into a spiraling whirl. If you're not careful.

I think this is a good, practical, object lesson to us all.

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, things cannot be helped (like gardening). In these times; when the wall is too high to climb over, to wide to walk around, to low to crawl under, we have to step back and pray; "Lord, you take control, I surrender to your perfect will." From then on, we roll with the punches because we know that "All things work together for good."

So take heart, homeschool mothers and sisters and students!

Besides all that, one young lady now has a greater understanding of what ya'll go through. :)

Happy Gardening!

2 comments:

Bethany d said...

Ah, life. :) I wondered the same thing about school since I just discovered (after my short vacation) that I'll be canning tomatoes, beans and pickles. Or maybe I'll have a cucumber smashing contest and a tomato slinging game? Lol. :D

-- Bailey says Hi, by the way. :)

Anna said...

Ah. Hello Bayleaf! ;)
(Same to her. :)

:P We finally pulled up a row of plants...but only (I think) because they were nearly done for the season. :)

Good luck with your canning, Floppy! ;)