I would never trust myself with an electric lawn mower. The thought of having to keep track of a power cord jutting from the back and trailing behind makes me shudder. How many times have I driven over the vacuum chord? Lets not count.
 Its obvious that along with chainsaws ( I wont even discus the subject) electric lawn mowers aren't for me. I wish that all life's decisions were as easily categorized. Greg and I are FINALLY taking the foster classes...again. We took them in Oregon and then moved. We signed up for ones in August only to realise that I hadn't scheduled babysitting for the right days. My fault. Now they are only 20 minutes away. The first one is next week and I am surprisingly hesitant. Am I staring at an electric lawn mower or just comfortable in routine.
  I don't know. Perhaps after I have knitted another sweater, like I did through the last classes, God will be more direct. For now we are just doing our best and waiting on an answer.

red sky

This AM lent to a pretty sunrise, and a promise of clouds and rain. Whee.

Here is a shot of the buddies hard at work. They are doing ancient history and after heavily stipulating that creating toilet paper mummies is only something we do with mommy's permission...I let them at it. The lower pictures are of Mr. Steels peacock haircut (wink)

not so Haiku Tuesday

Worries marching in a row
Up and down my bead post go
come the other times a day
I shoo the worries all away

but in the darkness of the the eve
I try my best to make them leave
they whisper lies into my ear
until my heart is full of fear

Just when a victory cry goes out
I remember how to quell my doubt
a simple whispered prayer goes deep
till every worry is in its keep



click for Kristen

OP Glee

My girl came home on Friday beaming. She exclaimed that it had been the best day ever. Why? Because they have started a glee (singing) club. She signed up for it last month but wasn't sure if she would get in as they have a limited number from each class. It was comforting to see her smiling and happy for the first time since starting school.
  On that note, her reading is improving. I looked up the program they are using and its exactly what she needs. Interaction with other kids is still difficult for her, but she is rising to the occasion and finding her own solutions. When she needs space or doesn't want to go out to recess she sits and reads in the library. I am so proud of her!

whoops,...has it been a week

  Where to start. This last week has been a busy one. Lots of teaching school and toting my girl back from school and taking care of the puppy.
  Hmm...well first off, I gave all the boys hair cuts. Thomas got his usually shave job as did Greg. When I went to cut Mr. Steel's hair, he asked for a peacock. In our house that a Mohawk. Little did I know that I was releasing the haircut within. Not only does it fit him,....he looks incredibly good in it. That boy could get dumped in a vat of tar and still look cute.
  The puppy is still growing. We went to petco a few days ago and walked around with her. The groomers were saying,...oh oh you have to bring her in so we can groom her. Considering her huge amounts of hair I might just do that someday, for now she begs me to be brushed. If I forget she stares at me until I give in. Good thing she likes it because she's going to be brushed everyday for the rest of her life.
  I started a new knitting project. Its a baby sweater. Its more for the enjoyment of knitting something new that anything else. It has these beautiful cables running throughout. Not that any baby would notice. Its easier to knit small projects because they get done faster. Hopefully when I post a pic of it the camera will catch the intricate details.
  Well off to another week of teaching school....hope yours is great too!

Haiku Tuesday

assignment near done

I send it in unfinished

You think he'll notice?

This is for you dad.

I know you are worried when I go walking in the AM when there is no light. I also know that it disturbed you greatly when the Honda Preis turned around and parked with his lights on us and then sped away. Since this same Preis happened upon Greg today, I think its in my best interests and safety to not walk when its dark. So there it is dad, I love you...worry less today.

Nukka 12 weeks

12 weeks already! Nukka continues to grow at a fast rate. Some mornings I swear she has gotten bigger in the night.
  Greg takes her on a 3 mile walk every AM. I have the weekends and afternoons. She is learning to play fetch and sits through grooming time as long as treats are involved. On top of being big and fluffy she is talkative. She greets visitors with garbled talk that makes me understand why George Lucas modeled Chewbaca from starwars from his own Malamute. She also grumbles about the things she doesn't want to do. I don't like that very much, so we are working on it. Still accident free! She asks to go outside too. Yesterday the kids and I took a climb up a trail. Nukka went along reluctantly. Still cracks me up that a dog like her begs to stay home and sit on the porch. Oh the reason I am grooming her now is that she is starting to lose her puppy coat. Next month we should be able to find a puppy class for her as she needs the socialization with other dogs.

Walk,beach,life

 Tonight I took my youngest for a walk to the beach. The puppy was making herself a nuisance so we set off and let Greg finish dinner..Love that guy. I enjoy my stolen moments with Mr. Steel and the times I take him out and do what he likes best, outdoors. He found a walking stick and started tracing huge letters in the sand, while I admired a long line of pelicans dipping and rising on updrafts created by the churning waves. This time of year the beach is peaceful. Tourists are hard at work, no longer taking last minute vacations, because fall is here. The majority of the day was filled with gusts of wind and heavy downpour, yet here it is 6:30 and I am pleasured with a sunset. On our way back we met the new neighbor from down the street. A recently widowed man who had to move here after his wife's death. He seemed normal and around here normal is a blessing.
  Homeschooling is going SO well I cant say enough about it. Thomas and Mr. Steel both work hard to finish before 12:00 every day and even when they don't, its not stressful. Life here is quiet...and right now, that's a really nice thing.

Haiku Tuesday

Early morning walk 

One headlamp slashes darkness

Dogs eyes reflect green

click for Kristen



Nukka at 12 weeks

This is how I find her during the day. She is peeking out at another dog watching him wander. Unlike Frank who barks at anything that moves, she just watched. A mile is not enough on her walks anymore, but at home she is just a soggy porch puppy. Oh Oh! I forgot, she is accident free. I still have to take her out and tell her to go when she has been inside for a long period but she hasn't had an accident for some time!