June is for outdoor living

June has been just a grand time for outdoor living! The ticks are terrible and the colorado potato beetles too. But we're enjoying the little ripe wild strawberries and the field of blue flag iris to draw us outside and enjoy. The weather has been up and down. Rainy and cold then crisp and autumn like, and in between times, hazy hot and humid! Gotta love New England weather. I've been out riding a lot lately. I finally broke down and got shoes on King's back feet too. I'd worn his feet off to stubbs again. I'd been trying to make some new hoof boots work, but the learning curve is too steep for us and my patience too little. Shoes all around and we're off and running again. This weekend I managed a ride each day even with the "liquid sunshine" that was all around. At least the soggy cold weather kept the nastiest of flies at bay. I managed a ride yesterday, and the day before. Each for a couple of hours. Ahh. Tuesday found us with homeschoolers aboard the replica ships of the Nina & Pinta. Hard to imagine men living and exploring on those little ships. Next we let the kids run around at Fort McClary in Kittery.

Around the yard it's been egg laying season for the turtles. Snappers mostly but some little painted ones too. We took a whole morning to watch several of them laying eggs and meandering back to the pond via our stream, then we came in to nature journal about them and web search the answers to all of the questions I was asked. "Are they Herbavores?" "How many eggs do they lay?" "How do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Ahh, one I can answer...it's a girl because it's laying the eggs... "I know that, but how do you know a boy from a girl?" Hmmm. We'll wiki that one too. I think we answered about 15 of his 20 or more questions. Science can be so much fun to do.

Another interesting happening around here is our new automatic mowing lawn! Okay, it's actually my dad, his dog Reba-Nellie, and HIS new mower! Dad has always loved to mow lawns. His 5 acres is mostly woods with a little patch of lawn. Our 11 + acres is mostly fields with a little woods. I've spent hours each week in the summers (John too) mowing the lawn parts and brush hogging the field parts. HOURS. So much so that I've really been looking into taking a good patch of lawn out and turning it into a riding ring--sand. No mowing sand! I'd like a 100 X 200 ring down front. However, my dear groom sees that as his golf green. He likes the lawn. Apparently my dad does too. I'm outvoted when dad buys a shiny new Cub Cadet and then shows up to mow for us too! You may have noticed the little brown doggie on the mower. Dad's dog can't live without him. If he puts her in the house or car while he mows she runs, pants, barks, claws at the windows...in general she goes nuts. But she happily rides along while he mows! Even for HOURS. Thanks Dad! Thanks Reba!

~Rachel

Spring - part 2

Graduation! We threw a big party to celebrate the High School Graduation of our oldest. We've home educated him from 5th grade on. Over the years he has accessed in public schools and taken college classes as well. Sometimes it's finding what works for the student. He will be off to college in the fall to study Mechanical Engineering. This morning he is off to work at a local farm...his full time summer job where he "picks things up and puts them down" as he says. He makes me laugh every day! They all do.

We found our way to VT a few times this spring. Usually we travel in bits of our family as some one is home working, performing or otherwise busy. We enjoyed an afternoon with the folks and siblings as John says. :)

We also enjoyed seeing "the siblings" who were able to travel here to the graduation. It means so much to us to see them! Some of them traveled a very long way! Thanks!

~Rachel

Spring - part 1

Spring found us very busy indeed.

First off, I have to mention Cancer -- Melanoma. I'd like to blame that for my lack of blogging...but it's probably more to do with having happenings each and every weekend, planning a graduation for our oldest and working through the college entrance process, chasing our little scout around to overnight camping events and rocket launches and more and I will admit to going riding each and every available minute!

A word about cancer.... I had a "mole" on my left shoulder which got renamed a "lesion" as is darkened and then began to raise during the winter and after it's removal it was called a "tumor" when the pathology found Superficial Spreading Melanoma cells in it. Another surgery and we were all able to relax as the cancer had not moved on so the good doctors declared I'm cancer free. Just a little skin off my back (and a lymph node out of my underarm...) but I'm all good now. Please, please if you have any "moles" watch them. The cancer I had is a killer but we caught it at stage 2. :)

Onto the fun stuff! The little guy seen racing around in the top photo was at a 2 night overnight called the "Fish N Run" which is a multi-pack gathering. They tented out and the overnight temperatures dipped to freezing! Brrr. During the days they had skits, challenges, campfires, fishing and all the neat things you can do with well over a hundred little boys. :)

The middle boy is in the middle photo playing his guitar with his "Advanced Guitar Ensemble" at an Arts Soiree in Dover. This class has traveled to schools, coffee shops and events to perform this spring. I lost count of the number of times but it was a lot and they knocked our socks off at this event.

The last photo is of Milton's pack 155 aboard the USS Salem down in Quincey, MA. They were there for an overnight and had a great time learning about the ship and it's WWII history as well has having a harbor cruise. Sleeping arrangements were bunk style cots. This pack is very active and our little one has really enjoyed scouting this year.

More to come...

~Rachel

April Fools

March 31st.

April 1st.

Drawing

Here is a picture drawn by our middle boy.

February

February has been rolling right along and is now nearly gone. We have spent plenty of time playing in the snow and shoveling the snow, and plowing the snow, and roof raking....

Here we are taking in the sights at the Higgins Armory Museum. Not our first trip and certainly not our last. The boys have been making lots of (chain) maille lately between that and their interests in Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying brought us back to the museum again. These kids "study" even when they are hanging out and relaxing!

My artist son spent some of his visit sketching rapiers into his books. I've got to find a way to upload some of his drawings, and music too. His advanced guitar ensemble class is going to be doing a bunch of gigs this semester. We're looking forward to watching them play.

Here is another shot taken at the museum.

We got another foot of snow between the storm on Friday and Sunday. The fence is about to disappear under the snow and our chicken run is quite under the snowbanks too. Tomorrow we may get some rain on top of sleet & ice. I do believe the melting will begin soon. The horse is shedding like crazy and the daylight is feeling so much warmer now. Spring is around the corner! We may have over 3 feet of white stuff on the ground, but it won't last forever. I think I'll go skiing again this afternoon. :)

In the evening, watching TV we find that we are the furniture for our cats. We have been enjoying a little more TV now with our netflix streaming movies right over the internet. We have been watching old TV series; lately "Monarch of the Glen". We've still been reading aloud to the kids in the evening. Lately it's been Harry Potter to our youngest. The older boys still laugh at the funny bits even though they haven't read the books in years. We love to read aloud even though all of the boys (of course) could read these stories on their own. There's just something special about reading aloud. Hope your homes are cozy and warm too.

~Rachel

Winter Chores and Sledding

What is going on in this picture? Winter chores. Our manure pile and hay storage are over the bridge and out in the back field. It makes for an awful lot of plowing...but sometimes it creates a bit of fun too. We could use the truck to move things around, but an ATV is so much more fun on a warm day. This day was 20 degrees with sun and no wind. That's an outdoor day in my book! Out back with the manure, back up with the empty bucket and hay. Repeat. And again. But what do you do with the workforce while schlepping? Why, you drag them along on a toboggan! Of course. And you take one fun run up and down the driveway per trip.

This silliness didn't last long. The teens fell off and had to run. :) Sometimes they were standing up as they went by. Other times I'd see a pig pile of boys. Sometimes 3 of them all sitting....

I enjoyed doing the mucking up at the barn and "supervising" as the men did the rest of the work. The kittens were exploring the new hay in the barn and my dog was hanging out with me, patiently waiting for his turn to chase the ATV. As soon as I drive it he is in high gear. I have to be careful not to run him over as he herds the ATV and I need to go very fast to keep ahead of him. Even at his ripe old age of 10 he stills runs at about 25-28 MPH. I have to do 30 to get away from him. !!

Here is my first attempt at a video on the blog. Our new camera seems to have a smoother uploading process. This is the sledding hill behind our house. The boys have made some interesting trails this winter. Enjoy!

~Rachel