Mother Culturing: Third Quarter 2023
What we need is a habit of taking our minds out of what one is tempted to call “the domestic rag-bag” of perplexities, and giving it a good airing in something which keeps it “growing”… Is there, then, not need for more “Mother Culture”?
MOTHER CULTURE” PARENTS’ REVIEW – VOLUME 3
October is the treasurer of the year,
And all the months pay bounty to her store;
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
And fill her brimming coffers more and more.
But she, with youthful lavishness,
Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
And decks herself in garments bold
Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold.
She heedeth not how swift the hours fly,
But smiles and sings her happy life along;
She only sees above a shining sky;
She only hears the breezes’ voice in song.
Her garments trail the woodlands through,
And gather pearls of early dew
That sparkle, till the roguish Sun
Creeps up and steals them every one.
But what cares she that jewels should be lost,
When all of Nature’s bounteous wealth is hers?
Though princely fortunes may have been their cost,
Not one regret her calm demeanor stirs.
Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free,
She lives her life out joyously,
Nor cares when Frost stalks o’er her way
And turns her auburn locks to gray.
~ October by Paul Laurence Dunbar ~
I went into the summer thinking I’d have lots of extra time. The last month or so of the school year felt frenetic, and I was looking forward to having mornings to catch up on things that had fallen behind. Instead, the frantic pace continued into the summer, and I feel lucky that I somehow managed to get most of our new school-year planning done before we started up again on August 21st.
Honestly, it wasn’t a bad kind of busy. Lots of hikes (which made up for last summer when I was having health problems that kept us at home), meetings with our nature group, a camping trip with friends, and other events took up most of our time, and though I felt overwhelmed at times, I have no regrets spending that time outdoors with my kids.
In August, B also turned 13, which I can’t even think about without getting sad, so we won’t talk about that. 🙂 He’s such a fantastic kid, and I’m so glad he’s my son.
In September, I turned 43. Not much else to say about that… We also adopted a new pet! We noticed a bunch of toads hopping around in our window well one day, so C, being the animal lover that she is, climbed down, caught all of them, and let them go in the yard. While she was down there, however, through the basement window, we noticed something else buried in the leaves that looked suspicious, so B got a rake and poked it (gently), and it turned out to be a half-frozen tiger salamander. We actually thought it was dead at first, but then we saw its tail move ever so slightly. C got some gloves, picked it up, and began breathing on it, and suddenly, there was a mad scramble to get the aquarium ready for a new resident (we returned the frog that resided there earlier in the year back to the field in which we found him).
We gave him a nice little habitat with some fresh grass, a small “pond,” a hiding place under a piece of bark, and lots of dirt in which to dig. He has warmed up to it nicely and often emerges from under his bark to gaze around and follow us with his head (or try and eat one of our fingers). This guide has been extremely helpful in knowing how to care for him and, at this point (and after a family vote), the plan is to keep him at least through the winter. We’ll re-assess in the spring.
We also found a swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on one of my fennel plants, so we brought that in also and got to observe it through the rest of the caterpillar stage, the pupa stage, and finally the butterfly stage all in a matter of a few weeks. This was very neat, as we’ve only ever had pink lady butterflies in our butterfly enclosure.
In September, we also opened registration for the 2024 Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat and were full in three days! That is definitely the fastest it’s ever gone, and I am thankful for that. As I’ve mentioned countless times, it’s one of my favorite weekends of the year, so I’m looking forward to it!
And now, on to the quarter!
Read (or Finished Reading)
For Me
Selected Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This was several years in the making as I read this during my morning liturgy, but I finally finished it! My original impetus for choosing her was from The Cloud of Witness, which contains excerpts from several of her poems, and they resonated with me. I read this for the Tea and Ink Society Classics Reading Challenge (“a narrative poem or collection of poetry”).
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. Lisa See is a favorite author, and I have learned a lot about Chinese history and culture through her well-researched books. I won this one through a Goodreads giveaway, and though it wasn’t quite as immersive as her other books (I particularly enjoyed the Shanghai Girls series), it was still a good read. I read this for the Beyond the Bookends 2023 Reading Challenge (“a book by your favorite author” – she’s not my favorite author, but she is one that I usually enjoy very much!).
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. This was the first Hemingway I have ever read, though I did read The Paris Wife (about his first wife) several years ago, which stuck with me. As was to be expected, it was an interesting story and very well-told. I read this for the Tea and Ink Society Classics Reading Challenge (“a classic set at sea”).
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. I usually am very wary of books written by modern authors that extend the work of Jane Austen, but I heard good reviews about this one. I enjoyed it at first and wanted to like the whole thing, but the ending fell a little flat for me. (I did, however, enjoy Constable’s Mary Freer portrait on the cover, though!) I read this for the Beyond the Bookends 2023 Reading Challenge (“a book about sisters”).
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tay. My first Josephine Tay! This was recommended by a friend who also owned it, so I was able to borrow it. The dialogue reminded me of Gilmore Girls with the pace and quick wit, but then I imagined Katherine Hepburn in many of the roles. It was a fun read, and I enjoyed the subtle twist at the end. I read this for the Beyond the Bookends 2023 Reading Challenge (“a detective book”).
Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World by Sally Fallon Morell. I read this while eating lunch, so it took me a while, but the information was fascinating and inspired me to start drinking a glass of bone broth daily.
For the Kids
The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth. A fun little story about a dinosaur that hatches from a chicken egg. Both kids enjoyed this one.
A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos. A collection of fictional journal entries from a girl living in a small New England town after her mother’s death. It’s beautiful and sad and very well-written. Both kids liked this one.
The Bark of the Bog Owl and The Secret of the Swamp King by Jonathan Rogers. I wish I had found this series sooner! A re-telling of the story of David with wonderful characters. Both kids liked both of these and eagerly await the third one.
Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry. The story of “Wild Horse” Annie (Velma Bronn Johnston) and her quest to save the American wild mustangs from being hunted to extinction. Henry is just so good at the animal books, but it is somewhat graphic in parts when she describes how the horses were treated. Both kids liked it, but C said it was a little sad.
Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates. I had never heard of Amos Fortune before reading this book, so I was glad to expand my knowledge of this early American slave-turned-freeman who saved others and led an incredibly inspiring life. Both kids enjoyed this one as well.
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright. A great little story about two cousins who find a village of abandoned houses (some not-so-abandoned) early one summer and spend their months together exploring. This was so good, and I’m pretty confident the kids will agree with me on that when they finish it!
Four Dolls by Rumer Godden. Four stories about dolls! We have the Barbara Cooney version of Holly and Ivy, but I had never read the other three stories, which were very amusing. C also enjoyed this collection.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I have had this on my to-be-read list for years and finally got around to it as a pre-read for the kids this fall.
Currently
I am currently reading Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (I found a 30-year-old receipt inside the front cover which I have left there), A Chicken’s Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids About Sex by Kevin Lehman, The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, and Everything Worth Preserving: The Complete Guide for Food Preservation at Home by Melissa K. Norris. I also started Rembrandt is in the Wind (I love that title) by Russ Ramsey, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish it before it’s due at the library.
For my morning liturgy, I’m using Celtic Daily Prayer, and reading Selected Poems 1988-2013 by Seamus Heaney and The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard.
For C, I am pre-reading Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright and reading to her before bed The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Merryat (we never finished this for school in Year 3). For B, I am pre-reading The Way of the Wilderking by Jonathan Rogers and reading to him before bed The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Made
Sadly, because of the busyness of life, I did not make much other than food. I made a big batch of “sick soup” and froze it to prepare for cold and flu season. I also made a few batches of beans, which I froze, and some double batches of meals for the freezer, but not nearly as much as I like to have on hand.
We also bought a grill with a smoker over the summer, so my husband is now sharing in cooking responsibilities (besides the weekend breakfasts that he always makes). Not only is it tasty, but it’s also nice to have a break and has expanded our repertoire. We’re hoping to improve our smoker skills to preserve food that way also!
Enjoyed
I mentioned these beeswax candles in my September Azure Haul video, but they’re worth mentioning here, also. I light one of these during my morning liturgy and love the smell and the mood they set. As we go into the colder months of the year, if you’re looking for more hygge in your home, I highly recommend these.
A few around-the-house things, like these pretty binder dividers for my homeschooling binder (my old ones were falling apart), and these chalkboard labels for baskets. I use these with the Y-weave baskets from Target for organization.
I am also very thankful for Canon refurbished products! The card reader on my trusty, 8-year-old Canon 6D bit the dust earlier in the year, and it was going to cost the same amount of money to repair it as it would be to buy a working used one. I was perfectly content with my old camera (other than video), so I had no plans to replace it any time soon. However, with the cost of repair, I hemmed and hawed for a while and finally decided to upgrade to a new camera that took better video. I was so thankful to be able to find a Canon RP at nearly half off the full price of a new one on the Canon refurbished site. Photography is not only a hobby for me, but I also take many photos for my business, so I was glad to save money when I felt forced to buy a new camera (and maybe I can explore making more videos!).
A month or so ago, C asked for her own “real” Bible (rather than the children’s Bibles she already has), and I was happy to oblige. I got her this ESV Kid’s Thinline Bible, and it’s a beautiful, simple Bible that’s perfect for kids but not distracting with a lot of illustrations. (They also have a blue one!)
And a fun one…..I think these Welly bandage tins are adorable. 🙂
On the Blog
Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool Third Grade Year: A Recap (take 2!) And with that, we are done with Form I forever…..aw.
PNEU Programme 94 Form III Book List Because B entered Form III this year, I decided to continue this series. I’ve got Form I and Form II lists also!
Ancient and Medieval Art to Include in Your Picture Study Time I wrapped up this series I’ve been posting over the last several months with picture study artist ideas from various time periods.
Teaching Sewing as a Handicraft for Homeschoolers (+ a free printable!) I did sewing as a handicraft with C last year, and it went so well, so I decided to share our plan!
A Simple Morning Liturgy for Mothers I revisited this post as my morning reading time has continued to change, and I think this has been such a life-giving practice in my life.
How to Take Your Homeschool Group to an Art Museum Visiting art museums is a wonderful field trip idea for homeschoolers!
Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool 7th Grade Plans Even now, over a month into the school year, I’m still having a hard time believing I have a junior higher!
Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool 4th Grade Plans (take 2!) Year 4 was one of my favorite years when I went through it with my son, so I’m excited to repeat it with my daughter!
Education is a Life (New Quote Print to Celebrate the New Homeschool Year!) I offered a free printable for newsletter subscribers to celebrate the new school year in early September. It’s now available in my shop!
My Favorite Kitchen Equipment Food and cooking are two other things that are very important to me, so in this post, I shared what I use in my kitchen regularly.
Albrecht Dürer Picture Study Aid and Art Prints for Homeschool Art Appreciation After taking a few months off from releasing new Picture Study Aids, I was excited to announce a new one!
New in the Shop
Bird Sightings
We had one random, tiny, rufous hummingbird who stuck around for about a week in August, scaring away our normal broad-trails from our window feeder. We have since taken the hummingbird feeder down for the season and will switch to the non-safflower seed in the trays as most of the big eaters have gone for the year. During migration season, we sometimes get a few outliers in our avian variety, and the rufous was unique as I’ve never seen one in Colorado before. We also had a juvenile black-headed grosbeak stop at the tray feeder, and this is the time of year that we usually see those (always juveniles…. I’m not sure why).
In the next few months, we’ll see more of our old friends, the juncos as they come to eat the millet the other birds fling off the feeders to the ground. Of course, our regular house finches have been stopping by along with black-capped and mountain chickadees, Eurasian collard-doves, and occasional scrub- and blue jays.
The owls have also decided to remain in the area through the summer this year, and we’ve heard them calling to each other nearly every night. I love that sound. 🙂
