Seedlings

I finally got my seeds in dirt.  I couldn't be happier.

 taken with iPhone

The boys and I did an experiment to see what birds are eating in our feeders.  They recognized the sunflower seeds, of course, but not the rest.  The results so far are in the cups behind the seeding tray.  Only one sunflower seed sprouted and the boys are diligent about watering and watching.  It'll be fun when they all flower.

~R

Deer Poop

You know you are a homeschooler when...

Three days ago, BN walked out front and came back in saying that the deer ate all my roses again and pooped on our walkway.

For whatever reason, nobody cleaned up the doo.  And then it just became a curiosity.

The boys and I have been examining the poop every day since.  First, the flies came.  Then the slug.  Then the rain.

Now there's nothing left but grasses of some sort. 

I was certain I'd find roses.

~R

Giddy Gardener

That's me.  I love this time of year when we plant goodies in our garden.  I love sitting on my deck and admiring our work.  And watching things spring from the ground and grow.

Lots of things are coming up right now.  I love when beans and legumes come up.  The beans that we planted have split open and are growing what will eventually become the bush beans and limas.  I love how the original bean tries to cling on for as long as possible.

One of the first things to break ground this year was our corn.  It was a race against the squirrels and their voracious appetites and we won...this time.

And a little surprise was this tiny fellow.

Last year we tried to grow asparagus and we had these beautiful fern-like stalks that filled their little square.  And that was about it.  So in preparing the garden this year, I pulled the still beautiful fern-like growth out.  I thought I got all the roots but gladly, I did not.  I may have to pull out the silver to dine on this delicious little morsel.  I think I'll designate a permanent location for asparagus now that I'm learning how it grows here.

~R, the Giddy Gardener.

Be Free My Friends

A friend gave us Painted Lady Butterfly caterpillars and I already feel bad for them.  They are in these little plastic cups with mush to eat and tiny air holes in the lid.  Here soon, they'll attach themselves to the lid and  make the chrysalides.   Then we have to tape these lids to the top of a butterfly cage and wait for them to emerge.  Their little lives will be a mere 2-4 weeks.  In that cage.

But I'm gonna set them free.  After they emerge and my boys get to see them, we're gonna go out back and let them go.  The paperwork says we're not supposed to but I just can't help myself.  

It's gonna be a glorious day.

Until then, we will continue to watch them eat and poop and produce silky strands.

I may even try to get a stills video of the metamorphosis. 

To be continued...

~R

When Nature Calls - Trees

While.admiring.my.new.tomatoes.on.the.vine,Repete.excitedly.told.me.he.knew.where.some.

more.tomatoes.were.as.he.walked.toward.the.imaginary.line.dividing.our.yard.

from.our.neighbors.

Heres.his.tomatoes.

After.a.quick.search.here.at.ArborDay.org,

we.discovered.we.have.a.

Persimmon.Tree.

It.is.said.if.you.cut.open.the.seeds.you.can.predict.the.winter.weather.

Supposedly,if.the.shape.inside.the.seed.looks.like.a.knife,the.winter.will.be.icy.cold..

If.the.shape.resembles.a.spoon,there.will.be.plenty.of.snow.to.shovel.

If.it.looks.like.a.fork,the.winter.will.be.mild.

What.do.you.think?

I.see.a.long.thin.line.in.the.center.

Icy.cold?

Brrrr.

~R

When Nature Calls - Cattails

Barb over at Handbook of Nature Study is graciously hosting a Charlotte Mason approach to nature study. This series from her "Outdoor Hour Challenge" is the "Autumn Series" and this week's nature calling was Cattails.

I used to drive this overpass and see houses way out yonder and wonder who lived there. How does one even get there. I found out. We live there now. This area is on the outskirts of the Great Dismal Swamp so finding cattails should be easy. In fact, maybe there are some in my back yard.

We stand on the deck and zoom in a bit. We look left.

And then right. No cattails.

So the boys and I drive around to the next street where Sushi lives. She has a pond behind her house and I am pretty sure I remembered seeing cattails out there during one on my walks.

We are not dissappointed. Well maybe a little because they are

so scraggly

and we can't touch them.

I'm late getting to this, so I'll leave you with just these photos and when the boys and I finish our notebooking, I'll come back and post those pages.

Thanks, Barb!

~R