I’ve promised a friend that my life should be slowing down soon, but it seems that promise won’t be kept for another week or two. I hoped after the wedding I’d have clear sailing through August until school starts up, but life has a way of squeezing its way into my plans.
Last night we did a very Wisconsin-y thing (or rather, a Midwestern-y thing–I imagine there are dozens of these going on in Iowa and Nebraska even as I write). Every year a family from my parents’ church invites the congregation and just about everyone they know, and everyone they know (which amounts to roughly two-thirds of the county) to their farm for a corn roast/potluck dinner. This year they tried something new–a good ole hee-hawin’ pedal pull (a foot-powered variation of a tractor pull). Margie won the 4-year-old girls’ category by default, being the only female of that age willing to risk her farm-skills reputation on the venture (leave it to Margie). Baba breezed through the preliminaries in the 7-8-year-old boys’ category, but was eliminated in the second round (see video here). Junior must have thought he’d landed in paradise, what with the tractors and cows everywhere. I may have joined in the festivities myself, proving once and for all that my husband is the original WUSSY in our family (but I still love him). The entire photo album is available here.
This week I must, I must, work out a school schedule and finish planning for the year. We’re taking a break from Tapestry of Grace this year, and I’ve decided to fill in the history/reading/geography/music spaces with a unit study on the 50 United States. Right now I’m shooting for two states a week, although I plan to devote an entire week to some (Wisconsin and Minnesota, for starters, and probably also Alaska, thanks to the wealth of information provided by a friend who lives there). Here’s where those of you reading my blog can help me out. If you have some information about your state (or country, even, because we’ll probably expand to other countries sometime down the road) that you’d like to share, (i.e. special children’s book, important people and/or events, music particular to your region) please let me know, either via a comment left here on the blog or by email. We’re working through the states in the order they ratified the Constitution, so I’ve been searching especially hard for information on Delaware and Pennsylvania the past few days. Thanks to my friend JP, I have Pennsylvania under control . . . but did you all know that Delaware is the most boring state in the Union? If anyone from our fine First State is reading this and feeling offended by that statement, please send information that proves me wrong. I’ll gladly print a retraction.
Thursday of this week marks James’ and my tenth wedding anniversary. That seems an incredible number. I’m supposed to be an excited teenager dropped in a college dorm, no I’m supposed to be a naive bride expecting happily-ever-after, no at the very least I’m supposed to be a sleepless mom wading her way through newborn emotions. But here I am with a seven-year-old child and two others quickly following in his footsteps. And I’ve been married for a decade. To celebrate this impossibility (and thanks to my sister and BIL who bravely offered to supervise our children) James booked a weekend-for-two in Bayfield. We also have reservations for a kayaking day-trip on Lake Superior. Hey, Ringmaster, I know you tried to scare us off with your big words about the Big Lake, but we decided we just can’t take your word for it, we must go and freak out for ourselves.
Also worth noting is the fact that I’m feeling under considerable pressure to write something brilliant since my former college English professor started reading and commenting on the blog (yes, I imagine all of his comments in red ink). If someday I persevere to publication, a good share of the credit will go to this man, the first person to show a puzzling interest in what my pen had to say. He’s also the reason I get the giggles every time I hear the word "banal" or "insipid". Thanks, Mark, for popping into my life from time to time and wordlessly reminding me not to waste the gift. Mark’s got a blog of his own, recounting his adventures as a first-year student at Notre Dame law school–do spend some time there upon my recommendation.
I’ll leave you today with this stumper from Margie: "Why do circuses always start at night?"
Kid Artist
