Bird

Okay, so monday is Nature Journaling at our homeschool. We had a fun one last week where we went out to the back field for a sort of "picnic" and then were joined by a very curious horse! We had to cut that one short and head back to some land on "our side" of the fence. Sheesh. She found our animal crackers to be delightfully yummy. (personal note: don't feed the wildlife...especially when you don't want a 900 lb visitor on your picnic blanket.)

Today, it was wildlife of the bird kind.
The boys had been outside after lunch for a little while now. (long enough for me to move the laundry, check the e-mail and prepare a NetFlix for sending.) Tide and I finally are getting out the door and we find this Phoebe flapping around the front porch. It lands on a nearby bucket. Tide goes over to investigate and it doesn't even move. After a quick "no" and "lie down" to Tide, which he does follow in an obiedient way...good dog, I called the kids to come over quickly and quietly. Not quite as obediently they arrive to find this Pheobe. It certainly was a bit stunned. We decided that it could see us and the boys offered it a finger to rest on so that we could place it "up" out of the reach of cats.
Okay, that spot was hard to find. We did a little searching around and then settled for a spot on our big rocks. While there we fed a few bugs to it. (Need I refer to the note of last week? The Phoebe decided to stay for a bit.)

After searching around for a good branch to shift it to we decided to give it a moment on the birdbath. The boys hurried into the house to grab their nature journals to catch the event on paper. We began to record and the bird flew onto us. Time and again. Once on a shoulder. Another time on the paper. Again to an arm
Even to land on the dog! Stay still Tide, there's a good dog.
Phoebe did decide to fly away to a tree after we returned it's little weightless body to the birdbath for at least the 6th time.

What fun! I'm certain that not all of our nature journals will involve such active and willing participants!

~Rachel

Busy Fun Weekend

We had back-to-back events this weekend. On Saturday we were at the Moose Mountain Regional Greenways "Trail Day" event. A good time was had by all. I went ahead of the rest of the family as I was volunteering for 1/2 of the day. This first photo is of the boys down at the estuary learning about the wildlife that lives on and in the river. There are fish in that case. It was a neat hayride down to the river too. The boys also saw a wildlife demonstration by Squam Lakes Science Center and went on a tree identification walk too. I was not on those as I was by then in a 2 1/2 hour GPS workshop. I know more about our GPS than I thought I ever would! Very informative.
There was even a little "cookie cutting" going on. The kids activity of painting a tree cookie also involved cutting some too.

The next day had as at the NH Farm Museum for their "Olde Time Farm Days" event. We made little sheep, hammered tin for candles to shine through, husked corn etc. Another good time was had by all. We were out on another hayride here to see the trails and cider mill. We were certainly enjoying the local events this weekend. Back at home we got some more work put in on a few projects. It was a pleasure to be outside in the beautiful fall-like air.

Here's hoping your weekends were as good!

~Rachel

Trip to VT

We're on our way. What a fun trip to Vermont! We stuffed 6 people in the truck and drove for 4 hours to visit some of the extended family (about 60 of them) at a family reunion. Cory brought along "Betty" which is her new Garmin device that gives you blow by blow directions on how to get somewhere. We thought we had upset "Betty" several times as we did not take her advice in NH. She wanted us to take a shorter route which we knew to be longer in time. But in her defense, after we took all of those "wrong" turns and she proclaimed "recalculating" then her time estimates were right on track. It's hard to read in this photo, but she's telling us to go another 108 miles on Rte. 89 with an ETA of 12:09. That's before we stopped to do a quick geocache in Milton VT.

This cache was one of the most interesting we've done yet. The cache container is an old Fleetwood Cadillac! It's the Fleetwood Arts Center and the request is to leave a piece of art behind. We left a poem and a drawing. What an interesting find.

After the reunion we stopped by the farm for a short visit with Gramma and Grampa before hitting the road for another 4 hour drive in the truck to get home. It will be a trip to remember! The kids are far too big to stuff into the truck for 8 hours in a day!!

Our month of July just zoomed on by with parties, cookouts, trips and lots of swimming. I don't know where the time went!

~Rachel

Visitors and Summer Pool

We've been blessed with some very special visitors over the last month. We had an excellent visit from Chris & Rosie and Dad & Mom at the end of June. Rachel had a good time showing them the house and land and letting them get out and stretch on their trip through New Hampshire toward home. We're so glad they stopped in for a visit!

Last weekend we had another wonderful couple from Vermont stop by for a visit. John & Annie stopped by Saturday and got a chance to view the home and area. It sure was nice to have them over and we enjoyed their visit. They also got to see us put in the leveling pad for the above-ground swimming pool. Thanks again for the visit!

I thought I'd also include one of the flowers we've put into the "butterfly" garden at the top of our driveway (directly opposit the vegtable/flower garden that seems to finally be growing).

Well I have to go for now and get the kids into bed for the night. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are. Love to all.

Higgens Museum

We went to the Higgens Museum in Worcestor, MA yesterday. 2 of the boys are in their renissance shirts which we made at home.
We met up with 2 other families there for an educational treat.

We learned all about the armor and weapons of the middle ages here. The boys enjoyed a program on arms and armor in which 2 of them were called up to volunteer in the show. Here is one pointing out all of the vulnerable spots in field armor.

We especially enjoyed the hands on "discovery" room where we could try on helmets and play chess. "Rook threatens Queen," or something like that. Chess had a whole new dimension here with at times 9 children on the board for pieces. John lost this match to his oldest son who cornered him with 2 of his highly opinionated pieces. Lots of the game sounded like, "rook, move back 3". To which the rook replies, "What? Retreat?" Pawn chimes in, "Can I move now?" while Knight leans in to whisper his/her attack ideas. The good king listened to his pieces and got the game won. We're thinking up how to have a life size chess game at our upcoming birthday celebration in August. Our 13 year old would like a middle ages theme. We'll decorate goblets, challenge each other with staff on a bridge. (staff: styrofoam noodles, bridge: balance beam) There will be crossbows and trebuchets. (Marshmallow flinging devices.) And of course food and swimming in our new backyard pool.

~Rachel

Canada Lily

This is the Canada Lily in bloom. What a spectacular wildflower. We have probably 12 or so plants around the property. They do not grow in a group the way day lilies do. They seem to come back each year in the same spot too, so transplanting might work. This one is over 6 feet tall and growing in one of our larger patches of poison ivy. It will stay put!

I've also found a few plants of clematis vining along our stone bridge and near the wood pile. My father has transplanted these in the past and now has a beautiful and well established vine on his trellis. Spring brought loads of Jack in the Pulpit. Some of those were over 2 feet tall this year! The flowers were about 6 inches in length. What fun to go finding wildflowers.

Summer...yummy

Summer is a yummy time. The little wild bushes are producing the most tasty of snacks.

We are in a race with the wildlife for our share!

Each trip across the bridge starts a chorus of alarm, flapping up to the nearby pines; birds heavy with bellies full of berries.

Last night's walk included our first monarch caterpillar sightings on the milkweed. I think of Nina Towne breathing in the sweet smell of the milkweed in bloom. I'll try to get some photos of the Canada Lily that is in bloom...spectacular. Summer....yummy! ~Rachel