Mary's Muse

A Breath of Fresh Air

Etu had a difficult day yesterday.  Her mouth is filled with hills and valleys where new molars are poking up through the gums.  She slept or followed me around crying during the day.  But in the evening, from the time the other girls came home from a birthday party, DQ played with Etu until shortly before she went to bed.  They played with a cup filled with craft jingle bells.  Etu dumped the bells out and then filled the cup with them.  Then she shook the cup so that she heard the jingles until several fell out again.  Very Montessori, except it was so natural.  That's what most of my issues with any particular curriculum are: they don't come to me naturally.   They don't fit in to a normal day's work.  But that's another post entirely.  She played this way with DQ for HOURS.  Sometimes the best toys are no toys at all.  Etu was so happy to have her sister to play with that she barely noticed me.

Etu surprised us further by taking five independent steps.  After happy exclamations, she practiced over and over again.  By Christmas, she'll be solidly on her feet.

It's Mule Deer Season!

On today's hike, we spotted several mule deer meandering through our nature reserve.  I noted the difference between the dainty, but actually taller, white tailed deer I grew up viewing. 

  

Mule deer have a curious, bouncing gait when they are running away from you.  It's as if there are tightly wound springs under all four feet.  The feet all move in tandem as the deer bound away.  White-tails have a fluid, forward motion and, if I'm remembering correctly, their legs move two-by-two.  The front two legs curl under as the back two push off of the earth.  The legs mule deer bound on are thicker than those of white-tails.  Mule deer's ears are bigger and heavier looking. I guess that's why they refer to them as 'mule' deer, huh?  They're altogether darker, stockier, and, well, less pretty than white-tails.  

But that's not to say that they're any less majestic to see.  Especially that eight-point buck protecting his harem.  Etu hummed her way through our hike and they didn't seem to fear her.  For the most part, the rest of us moved in hushed awe.  They stood like statues aiming their radar ears in our direction if anything alerted them of potential danger ~ for example, when Princess exclaimed, "Oh look! There's another one!"
 

Do You Live in a Healthy State?

Here are some interesting demographics concerning health.

My Friend

When has she not given of herself to make others comfortable?  How has she managed, with so many children, to take time for me?  And she celebrates differences.  And she opens her mind up to possibilities.  She keeps potential gossip locked in a vault.  She lightens my worries.  This woman has said, "Yes!" to life so many times.  She has been a rock when I've been Gumby.  She has been fair and equitable when I have wanted more for myself.  She has been steady, stalwart, focused.  She has modest aspirations and seemingly no expectations.  She's someone I aspire to imitate.

And now, she's been rocked back on her heels.  Life has dealt her a blow.  Can I be there for her like she's always been for me?  I pray and pray and pray for her recovery.  I'm supposed to pray for what God wills, but that's harder to do when heartbreak happens close to home.  Why can't I suffer something in her stead?  I have to believe it's because I have not yet achieved the level of perfection (by God's standards) she has attained.  I do not make light of this.  I also pray and pray and pray that I have enough strength, with God's grace, to lighten her load.  Now, after 3.5 years since we moved to this place, I know why I'm here.

God bless J and keep her in your arms.  Keep her safe and comfortable as she suffers the trial her life has become.  Carry her over rough parts.  Help me to help her and her family.

Music Education for the Very Young

Ah yes, blogging.

Without having to be eloquent myself, this is why I haven't been blogging much.   Very much family-centered stuff going on, here.  We're pondering possible new paths.  We're off on new adventures.  It's not that I took a particular fast from blogging or any internet.  In fact, this past weekend I was quite busy on the internet.  But now, I sleep.

This Cat Just Ain't Natural!

This is a lot of pictures, but it's a funny little progression that calls to mind a different ending to the Country Mouse's encounters in the city of Jan Brett's rendition of Town Mouse, Country Mouse.  Shasta, so named for a sensitive hero in my favorite Chronicles of Narnia book, slowly awakens to find a small furball checking him out.  Eventually, that furball, whose name is Tessie, makes herself comfortable right in Shasta's soft middle.  She's happy because she found a furry friend.  And he's happy to fall back asleep. 

Confirmation Preparation

Following are some loose plans for confirmation prep. 

Materials: 

Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schulz ~ we read and discuss two sections per day. (16 days ~ 4 weeks)

Created for Work by Bob Schulz ~ we read and discuss two sections per day. (17 days ~ 4 weeks one day)

Practical Happiness by Bob Schulz ~ we read and discuss two sections per day. (19 days ~ 5 weeks)

Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft (21 chapters ~ 5 weeks if we combine Holy Orders and Sacrament of the Sick)

We’re skipping the morality part of Catholic Christianity since it’s in this semester’s Didache book, Our Moral Life in Christ

Finding God’s Will for You by St. Francis De Sales (7 days ~ 2 weeks)

Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales (118 days ~ 29.5 weeks) we’ll be reading snippets of this throughout the year

An Easy Way to Become a Saint by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan (6 days ~ 1 week 1 day)

Method:

Most, if not all, of the class will be conducted as a read-aloud/discussion forum.  There are tons of in-depth questions in the Didache book.  The kids must write essay answers to two of those questions each (and each of the kids has different questions to answer) per chapter.  We also discuss another question together.

Considering the vivid imagery in Finding God’s Will for You, I may have the more visually-oriented kids draw pictures of the images I evoke when I read St. Francis De Sales’ passages.

They will take notes or narrate (meaning retell the passage they read in their own words) in their Catechism notebooks on Catholic Christianity.

The top three books can be discussion only.  I might intersperse them with the books that require more attention so that there are little breaks in the hard core stuff.

And Introduction to the Devout Life often has gems that absolutely, positively must be remembered.  Again, it is St. Francis De Sales who writes, so there will be images to draw and passages to copy or take down from dictation.

 

I Trust You or Trust Me?

I always try to ensure that Drama Queen, now 4, uses the bathroom before she goes to bed to avoid overnight accidents.  So last night I quizzed her, several times.  "Did you go to the potty?  Are you sure?"  The last time I remembered having seen her use the bathroom that night was several hours earlier.  As good natured as she is, she accepted the quizzing with a smile and finally said, "Mommy, don't worry.  I trust you.  I went potty before I went to bed and I don't have to go!"

Prodigal Son Has Returned

Our rabbit, Carrots, had an out of hutch experience for a few days.  I let him out in the cool morning to give him a bit of leg room.  But he tunneled into the raspberry bushes.  Several scratches and a twisted ankle later, we came up empty handed.  He just lippidy lipped through open spaces until we closed in on him, then he dashed into the thick of the vines. 

He overnighted in that little burrow for three nights, defying owls, snakes, and raccoons.  I left carrots, bread, and lettuces out at the entry to his burrow.  When he was spotted in the neighbor's yard across the street, I was more inclined to take action.  It's one thing having a rabbit eat all the leaves off of your own pepper plant.  It's another thing entirely to let him romp and chomp among the neighbor's plants.  The morning after the first appearance in the neighbor's yard, Miss Responsibility and I spotted him among their rose bushes. 

Miss R. crept up behind him.  He was so tired, possibly from being on guard all night, possibly from more exercise than he's used to, that he didn't even budge when she put her hands on him.  As he can be a bit of a menace with his hind feet, she gave him to me.  Somehow, that rabbit is comforted when he's with me.

He seems to be comfortably ensconsed in his hutch.  He slept the entire rest of the day. 

I thought he had died by the third day.  He's more resourceful than I imagined a tame rabbit to be.  He seemed to know his limits.  He'd had his fun and was now seeking forgiveness ... or at least safety and a predictable meal a day.