Strawberry Memories

When I was a child, my family went to the local strawberry and apple orchard once a year and picked enormous quantities of strawberries.  We would take them home in cardboard flats, eating them by the handful as we went.  Then, my grandmother and mother would shoo me out of the kitchen while they spent hours making strawberry jam that would last all winter.  

Enjoying a strawberry slushie after a grueling
30 minutes of strawberry picking!

Forty years later, I don't make jam; but the boys and I do enjoy strawberries.  This week, on a sunny warm day, Spencer, Denver, and I went to Mitcham Farms to fill our buckets.  
As we picked, I couldn't help noticing all the young mothers with their young children toddling about and enjoying the sunshine.  My sons, 13 and 10, tall and strong, didn't have to be told not to squish the plants. They didn't have to be encouraged to put a few more strawberries in their buckets.  Those days have passed.  The boys and I chatted and worked as a cheerful team. 

Within 30 minutes, we had loaded buckets and were happily sipping strawberry slushies in the shade while tired toddlers and their mothers and grandmothers were still searching for berries or had given up and headed for the car.

And yet . . . I miss my own grandmother and the memories of my children as toddlers.  Those memories are sweeter than these strawberries: my grandmother serving us cold strawberry jam on warm toast in the winter; my own children eating strawberries straight from the plant while sitting, tired and hot, in the strawberry field.  

Diving In

Gazing out from the starting blocks before the 50 Freestyle finals.

Last fall, Denver joined the Walton Waves swim team with his big brother.  His goal was to improve his swimming skills for triathlon. I expected him to last a month.  He has a history of impassioned zeal for whatever is new-- and this zeal usually lasts no longer than 48 hours!

A Display of Good Sportsmanship at the end of the race.

The Launch

To my surprise and delight, Denver has become a devoted swimmer; and most recently, he had his first really successful big meet at UGA in Athens where he placed in the top ten in five events!  But this is not the best part of Denver's devotion.  

The most amazing change in Denver's life has to be the connection to his coach and teammates.  Always a social person, Denver leaps out of the car for swimming and is immediately surrounded by high fives from the boys and "Hi Denver!" from everyone.  His coach is delighted by his hard work and enthusiasm.  When we attended his last big meet, he left me at the door of the building with a smile and a wave, and merged into his group of pals.  I didn't see him again until he was at the starting blocks for his first event.  

Every child is different, with his own needs and interests.  As a parent, it is a tremendous joy to watch a child find a passion that makes his heart sing and his world widen.  Swim team is that gift for Denver at this moment. 

Buddies at a January meet in Madison, GA.

Hercules Pose

Learning how to leap from starting blocks
with the help of John Robert

First Place in his Heat by One Second.

Hiking Homeschool

My kind of Cathedral.

On the Move!

Under towering trees and a canopy of colored leaves, we hiked on the newest Charlie Elliott trail today.  I thought we needed to keep a sharp eye out for trail markers-- the trail was nearly invisible due to the confetti of fallen leaves.

While I spent my time appreciating the fresh air and beauty of the forest, Denver and Spencer ran circles around, in front of, and behind me-- involved in an all consuming battle with invisible enemies.

I didn't know whether to laugh or shout when Denver refused to stay within sight, or even near the trails.  He insisted that he could tell where the trail was going, and that he need not concern himself with the trail markers or my continual reminders.  

Spencer on the move.

The funny part is-- he was right about the direction of the trail every time!  Darn him for being so much like his daddy!

After a full morning of fresh air, blue herons, and observations, we made it back home for grilled cheese sandwiches.

My kind of school day.

The only time they sat down during the whole hike.

Denver dashes for cover from the
imaginary enemy.

Colored leaves affecting light like stained glass.

An Apple a Day ...

"It's finally fall!," Denver exclaimed as he stood on the back porch in the cool morning air.  "And YOU bought apples this morning. You know what we need to do?"

I had no idea.

"BOB FOR APPLES!," Denver exclaimed.  "Can we do it?!"

I agreed if Denver was willing to clean out the metal wash tub and fill it with water on the back porch.  

I brought out three bright apples, and Denver plopped them in the tub.  

He laughed as he reminded me of the Charlie Brown Halloween special where they bob for apples.  "It's crazy that Lucy doesn't see Snoopy in the water with the apples," he said.  "If Snoopy was in this water I could clearly see him.  That's the thing about cartoons."

Before long, he and his older brother, Spencer, were cheering and coaching each other as their heads went up and down in the tub.   

Spencer laughed as the apple kept slipping away from him.  He finally captured his apple, dried himself, and wandered off to complete his writing assignment.  Denver is on his third apple so far.  He is experimenting to see if he can eat the apple underwater.  

"This is SO healthy," he just exclaimed.  "'Cause you know what they say?  An apple a day . . . ."

Discovering History

John Robert inside the Smokestack

Cool air and a sunny Sunday afternoon.  All the boys were up for a local adventure.  Thanks to a friend of mine who had shown me this little gem, I had just the place.

Tower of Exploration

In a nearby town there used to be a textile mill.  As part of that mill, there still stands an enormous brick smokestack and decaying concrete structures strewn with graffiti.  It looks like the remains of an ancient civilization or a bad guy hideout.  

The boys were delighted.  They took picture after picture.  We climbed trees.  We climbed the structures.  We talked about what used to be there and what it could be used for now.

Denver and John were especially fascinated.

As we strolled away, dirty and itchy from dirt and weeds surrounding our discovery, I noticed for the first time a sign tacked to a telephone pole: NO TRESPASSING.  Oops!  

After ice cream and wandering around the Covington Square, we went home and did a little more research on our smokestack.  The boys learned about the bustling little mill town of Porterdale and its contributions to two world wars and thousands of people.  Always something to discover.  History beneath our feet and climbing higher than the trees.

What was this?  What was inside this?
Why is there grey silt underneath?

Tree Climbing

Our only photo with Spencer, who
was hot and ready to leave--
Can you tell? :-)

Over the Top

We had been doing homeschool for hours.  I was tired, and nearly sleeping at the table as Denver decorated his yogurt with chocolate chips in the shape of a Batman symbol.

Then he said thoughtfully, "You've succeeded in life.  You're a Judge.  A Triathlete.  A Mom."  He reached over and touched my hand.  "The hair color may be too much, though."

I broke out in hysterical laughter.

Big, Beautiful Homeschooling Sky

The ever changing sky on my way to pick up John Robert and Denver from swim practice on the last day of summer.  Like homeschooling, the beauty is always present, though the appearance changes.  Like the sky, homeschooling is so fully a part of our lives that sometimes we forget to take note of its extraordinary beauty.

Nearly six years ago, I began a blog about our family's homeschool adventure because I was more than a little nervous about it.  No matter how many successful homeschoolers I met or how many books I read, I wasn't 100% sure that homeschooling would work for my children or the rest of my family.  This blog began as an attempt to record our lives and learning and to soothe anxious nerves of parents and grandparents.

The boys devouring lasagna and garlic bread-- gone in seconds!

A Good Morning to Read on the Porch.

It has been six years since we first began homeschooling.  Our family is no longer nervous.  It is how we live-- comfortable and normal-- just like most people's relationship with school I suppose.  John Robert assures me that his 3 1/2 years of homeschooling is the reason he does not struggle or have difficulty with academic work now that he has chosen high school.  

He does warn his brothers about the loads of busy work and the incredible boredom which must be endured in his classes . . . Yet, he says he wants to have "the high school experience," so he soldiers on.

Denver completed his first triathlon!

I still worry about the younger boys, too; nurturing Spencer and Denver's learning opportunities as best I can.  Now that they are getting older (13 and nearly 10), they are not quite so open to my leadership.  They don't want to do every activity or unit of study I suggest.  They don't want their pictures taken with every new project.  They have their own ideas about what would be fun and what is worth learning.  They are taking a total of six classes with other teachers and homeschool students this fall.  Things are changing.  We work it out. . . under this big, beautiful sky.

Spencer exploring more Pre-Algebra this year-- His Idea!