A Country Boy Education

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" was a big hit when I was a child.  Singing the praises of a simple, country life, John Denver won the hearts of everyone I knew.  Thirty-five years later, when my boys have the chance to visit Nana and Papa Dale in Missouri, they rediscover the pleasures of blue skies, creeks, and all that country life has to offer.

This past week, Spencer went turkey hunting with his Papa Dale in Missouri.  He watched a big gobbler flee unexpectedly, followed closely by a large coyote.  The boys played with their cousins, Breanna and Hannah; they went hiking through the woods, riding four wheelers, and chasing rabbits.  They practiced archery with compound bows and crossbows.  They shot rifles, went bicycling, and played outside until dark nearly every day.  John Robert learned how to fix a flat tire on a bicycle.  They went swimming.  They played hide and seek with the neighbor children.  They spent the week smelling like grass and, well, like little boys.

There are many private schools these days that make a big deal about their outdoor education programs.  They take hikes and field trips and charge thousands of dollars for these "enrichment" experiences.  We called it spring break.  But it was really just a little bit of Country Boy Education.  And it was priceless. 

DIY Adventure in St. Louis

Last Sunday, I created my own DIY adventure.  It was called the St. Louis Marathon!  Thanks to the support of my parents who kept the boys, my best friend who ran beside me for several miles, and my husband who traipsed from point to point delivering bananas, walnuts, and Odwalla juices, I completed the marathon!  Don't ask my time: suffice it to say that I finished, and I was not last!

My husband's work is a constant adventure.  He flies around the nation hauling the famous and merely rich, flying through storms, over mountains, across the Bermuda triangle.  Every day is different.  He never knows what the next hour will bring.

My life is very organized.  I go to court on the same days each week.  I teach yoga on Wednesdays.  I organize and teach our homeschool.  I manage our three boys' interests and needs.  I cook, I clean; I take care of the dog; and although every day is a little different, I wouldn't say that my life is an adventure. 

Last weekend, I changed that routine.  After a mere three months of training, and no long runs past 13 miles, I ran the full 26.2 miles of the St. Louis Marathon.  What a surprise!  I expected to drop out somewhere between 13 and 18 miles.  After the first two hours, my jitters went away as exhaustion set in. At the halfway point, I would have stopped if not for my dear friend, Tammy Johnson, who ran alongside me through all of Forest Park, and kept me energized with laughter and conversation.  Once we reached mile 15, I decided to go for it!

John described my pace as "Chugga-chugga."  I guess that's about right.  I was just proud not to be walking.  The miles creeped by.  John handed me bananas and juices whenever he found me.  Strangers cheered and held up funny signs-- none of which I can now remember.  Strangers set up renegade aid stations serving everything from water and Twizzlers to beer and waffles.  I gulped Gatorade and sucked Gu gels and kept going.  The muscles in my legs became more and more stiff as I concentrated on moving forward.  I no longer had a thought in my head.  Just running.

At mile 25, John ran with me to the finish.  He chanted bits of marine corps running songs.  He distracted me and cheered me.  As I sprinted forward to the finish (at least I thought I was sprinting!), John veered off the course to avoid entering the finishers chute.  At that moment, a (presumably) homeless man shouted to John, "DON'T GIVE UP NOW!  YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!!"  Bless his heart.  The poor man didn't want to see John quit.  John, dressed in khaki shorts, t-shirt, street shoes, and wearing a backpack, turned around and thought about explaining that he was not in the race, but changed his mind when he saw the man's appearance.

The walk to the car was almost as hard as the race itself.  My legs were seizing up on me, and I was afraid I would fall over when I had to step down from a curb or hurry across the street.  John held my arm and helped me.  He tried not to laugh.  I was both teary with pleasure at my unexpected accomplishment and simultaneously amazed at what a stupid idea it is to pay to go through it!

Much to my surprise, John told me how proud he was of me as we drove home.  He told me how he had stopped questioning my ability to accomplish the things I set out to do.  Quit my job and go to law school on a full scholarship?  Sure.  Work for a big Atlanta law firm?  Done.  Quit my high paying job, have three kids, three part-time jobs, homeschool, and train for a marathon?  Why not?! 

I guess my life is a bit of an adventure after all.  Of course, the next big adventure was crawling up the stairs to a hot bath.  Weirdest part? As I lay in the bathtub unable to get out, I found myself planning for the next one!   

   

Normal Surprises


There are no normal days in this family.  Every day is a surprise.  Every hour brings some unexpected event.  It's a good thing I'm a yoga teacher.  Most of the time I can stay flexible. 


What happens if you're late for breakfast!

As much as I work and plan for our homeschooling, I find that my children constantly surprise me.  I sometimes fear that money is wasted on books and materials that lie untouched, only to realize they've been used and learned while my head was turned.  For instance, two years ago I bought John Robert a book about math called Go Figure.  It was full of facts, history, and math brainteasers.  I thought he would love it.  Sadly, I never saw him pick it up. 

Then yesterday while he was doing his algebra, John Robert asked,"Where is that really good book about math?  This math problem is talking about pi, and I want to read more about it in that book."  I had no idea which book he was talking about until he pulled it off the shelf.  "Here it is!  This is an awesome book."  He proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes rereading and occasionally sharing bits of information with whomever would listen.



Sometimes surprises are less pleasant.  I cannot keep the boys in clothes and shoes.  John Robert has only two pair of pants that cover his ankles.  Spencer lost his one really good coat.  Then today as we were leaving Wal-Mart, I looked down and noticed Denver had what appeared to be a leaf stuck to his toe.  When I asked him about it, he said, "That's not a leaf.  It's part of my shoe!"  When I looked closer, I realized the entire toe of his shoe was open, and the sole of his shoe was shredded and falling out.  Needless to say, we turned around and went back to the shoe department! 

I cannot predict what is going to happen this evening, much less what the week will hold.  Denver now refuses to wear underwear, while he insists on wearing his chef hat while baking.  Just another normal surprise in the Degonia family.   



Blueberry muffins



Happy Easter

It stopped raining at 4:30am on Easter morning.  I lay awake, looking forward to the day.  It is fun having a child who still believes in the Easter bunny.  Since I was already awake, and knowing Denver's propensity to wake up early, I prepared the Easter baskets.  Then Lady and I went out into the yard with a flashlight and a bag of Easter eggs to hide.  Lady must have thought I was crazy, walking around the yard in the dark dropping eggs; but she didn't eat them! 

At 7am, Denver awoke and jerked into a seated position.  "Happy Easter," I smiled at him.  "I wonder if the Easter bunny came.  Why don't you open the door and look outside?"

Denver ran to the door and opened it.  Eggs.  Everywhere. 

"Yes!," he shouted.  Denver quickly awoke his brothers and his father.  Within minutes, we were all outside in the cool, wet morning.  The boys had a wonderful time.  All too soon, they were back inside admiring their eggs while I made blueberry pancakes. 

After breakfast, we were off to church, while John left on a flight to Philadelphia.  The boys love their Sunday school teacher and their good friend, Quinn.  They seemed to enjoy church even more than usual. 

After a lovely Easter service, the boys participated in the church Easter egg hunt.  As one of the parents who helped hide the eggs, I can tell you that hiding them was almost as fun as watching the children find them!

With tummies full of cupcakes and candy, we then hurried to Mimi and Paw Paw's house for a big Easter dinner.  Mimi had gifts for the boys, and Spencer and Denver played outside with a new toy until dinner. 

It was a fine day.  A day of many blessings:  These beautiful, healthy children.  A fine, warm spring day with flowers blooming and green grass everywhere.  A loving family.  Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, like the eggs overflowing our Easter baskets!

 

Survival Skills and Sunny Skies

Today the boys enjoyed a beautiful, blue sky day with temperatures climbing into the 60s.  Even better, it was Charlie Elliott Homeschool Day, and the topic was Survival Skills. 

From morning to mid-afternoon, the boys and other children hiked, identified edible plants, tasted dandelion tea, fished in the pond, built wilderness shelters, made fire starters, and learned how to make a fire.  They played games and ate lunch outside in the fresh air.  It was delightful.  

While the boys were having their day in the sun, I enjoyed my day, too!  Another mom and I took a walk, and then I began a wonderful long run with my faithful dog.  Every thirty minutes or so, Lady and I ran by the boys on the hiking trail as we put in our miles.  Lady has learned to be at ease with people when we're away from home, and she allowed everyone to pet her-- finally living up to her name!

Each time we passed the children, they were involved in a new endeavor.  Each time we passed, I could have told them about the deer Lady and I just saw or the turkey, the armadillo, the squirrels, the ducks, or the geese.  It seems every creature enjoyed the warming air and blue skies today.  



Wilderness shelter



After our Charlie Elliott adventure, I came home and collapsed into the bathtub.  It was nice to be done thinking about survival skills, and just relax in the comfort of home.  John Robert folded laundry and read a book.  Spencer and Denver, however, still had energy to burn!  After a brief snack of cheese and apples, the boys joined their dad in outside chores where they shoveled dirt for over two hours!  Spencer then left for Mimi's house to catch up on his Spanish while Denver continued to work outside for another hour (though he insisted that I sit outside and watch him work!).

The boys topped off the day with a mixture of chinese food and Subway sandwiches that John volunteered to bring home.  A strange feast, but they loved it.  Another nice end to a beautiful day.  I saw a butterfly today, too!  We're so glad spring has sprung!   

  

Another Kind of Creation Story

A LEGO Mindstorm robot was all Spencer wanted for Christmas.  He was perfectly fine with it being his only gift.  Yet long after the wrapping paper had been thrown away, the robot (and all of its hundreds of pieces) remained in the box. 

Weeks passed.  Once or twice, I saw that the box had been opened and pieces taken out.  Then the pieces would disappear back into the box.  Spencer said nothing.

In February, I gently asked him about it.  He admitted that he did not know how to use the computer software to program the robot.  He needed help getting started.  Today, thanks to a friend, he got the help he needed.

One of the boys' friends is a thirteen year old budding engineer and LEGO maniac.  He agreed to come over after church and help get Spencer started.  It was a joy!  All the Degonia boys sat around their friend as he guided the construction and helped Spencer understand the programming.  They took the laptop upstairs, and used it to design and program the new robot, whom Spencer named Wack.

Two beautiful hours passed.  Eventually, the other boys moved on to other things-- Nerf gun wars and sword fights-- but Spencer remained devoted to Wack's development; and thanks to his friend, he could do much of it himself.  Late into the evening, Spencer continued to explore his new creation.  His eyes sparkled.  He wanted his picture taken with Wack.

Amazingly, Spencer's brothers seemed to understand what an important event this was for him.  Although they watched intently, and helped a bit in the construction and programming tests, they allowed the robot to be under Spencer's control and respected his needs.  I am grateful to them for their understanding.  I know it wasn't easy to show such restraint!

It isn't always easy to know when to help and when to wait and watch.  Today, I'm grateful to have found just the right person to assist Spencer in his learning; and I love that I could be there-- waiting and watching-- to see yet another of my boys' learning experiences. 

Singing in the Rain

Normal people sleep late when they can.  Normal people get up and drink a cup of coffee while sitting in a comfortable chair on a lazy Saturday morning.  Why not me?

At 5am, 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, and 7am, I looked at my watch, and looked out the window.  The forecast was for cloudy skies, 40 degrees, and rain after 9am.  Torn between going for a run and lying under warm covers, I weighed my options. 

If I wanted to go for a run outside our subdivision, this would be my only chance.  John is scheduled to leave on a flight to Las Vegas today, and he isn't scheduled to be back until Tuesday.  Without John to watch the boys, my exercise is limited to what I can do in the house and what I can do in our subdivision.  If I wanted to try out that new trail, this would be my only chance until his return.

I dragged myself from my cocoon, stretched my legs, and put on my running clothes.  I grabbed juice, a snack, car keys, and my cell phone.  Lady, as always, was by my side and ready to go.  As we stepped out the door, I noticed the porch was darker than usual.  Rain.  Already.  I went back and grabbed my rain jacket.  Maybe I wouldn't need it.  It wasn't supposed to be raining for another two hours.  I guess the clouds hadn't checked the weather channel.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I felt like a goofus.  What kind of idiot goes running in a cold, hard rain?  What was I trying to prove?  Lady seemed to have similar questions as she looked out the car window.  Maybe I should just turn around.  Maybe go get donuts.  But then I saw two runners flying by in their rain gear.  If they can do it, why not me?  That's the funny thing about doing crazy things: when one person does it, it's crazy; when more people do it, it becomes a movement.  And that's what I needed-- movement.



My faithful girl who never, ever complains
about where we run or when.

Lady and I ran five miles in the rain before breakfast.  It was cold.  My legs were stiff, and they never really warmed up.  The rain overcame all of my layers-- a jacket and two shirts, drenched my hat, and even soaked through my running bra.  But the only runners I had seen were long gone, and Lady and I had the trail to ourselves.

It was beautiful.   The rain glistened on the wooden bridges.  Except during the hardest downpours, birds kept singing.  The rain made a little river down the trail, and we ran until our feet were soaked.  It was a perfect start to the day.


As mom and wife and judge and teacher-- there is very little of my day that isn't centered around someone else's needs.  Running-- and a hot bath afterward-- has become my time.  It is nearly non-negotiable.  I think Lady understands that.  And she's with me all the way.  Well, except for the bath.  She's not into that!