Category: The ugly face of reality
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So this happened…
In an instant her summer changed. A tool in the shop, a long-handled thing with a blade on the end used for peeling logs, fell onto her bare foot. It landed on her first three toes, slicing through the extensor tendons and into the joints of two, and through the nail of the third. She […]
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Cellular decay, v.2
It was over five years ago that we bought a very out-of-date cellphone. It served us well for about three years. Erin took it with her to Edmonton and Montreal, we used it during our monthly Calgary trips, she took it with her when travelling to and about Calgary on her own, the kids occasionally […]
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Mix-and-match schooling logistics
Okay, I know it’s not going to continue to be this challenging, but can I just complain for a moment about the organizational challenges of having all these kids doing all these extremely different but fairly rigorously scheduled things? My Yesterday7:15 up and make lunches7:45 awaken Sophie, make and drink my coffee8:30 run Sophie to […]
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A tale of two provinces
Where would you rather be tomorrow? With us in BC, freezing our butts in the rain at the Friday Market, or with Erin in Ontario, dripping with sweat while trying to rehearse with the symphony? It’s been like this for almost a week, and tomorrow isn’t even the worst of it. It’s been 10 – […]
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Schedule thoughts
So here’s the thing about me. I have a terrible ambivalence about schedules. I love their tidy organizational clarity. I like fussing around making lists and spreadsheets and calendars. But I know that when it comes to living my life I much don’t like clocks, and I much prefer freedom to structure. So I rarely schedule […]
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DL program thoughts
We had our mid-year meeting a couple of weeks ago at the local public school to discuss how the new Distributed Learning program they created for homeschoolers is working out. If you’re new to the blog, or an occasional reader, and want some background on the creation of the DL program, you can read this […]
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Over-extended-dom
I think I’ve been much better about not over-extending myself recently. But things are piling up a little now. Running has been put on hold. I’ve been able to squeeze rink maintenance in, but nothing else. Tomorrow the giant wholesale dried fruit & nut order needs to be sorted and delivered. I spent all evening […]
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Housecleaning
Tonight at about 10 pm I had to nip out to the van to grab something. Across the driveway I heard the strains of Saint-Saens’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” being practiced on the violin. Erin was hard at work in her cabin. And look what I saw outside the cabin: part of the bed frame […]
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Not normally impatient
I’m not normally an impatient person, but when it comes to my iPad all bets are off. This is my tracking info. It was picked up at the factory in China on the evening of July 8th. Within thirty-six hours it had made its way from Shenzhen, China to Hong Kong, on to Anchorage, Alaska, […]
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The Lesser of Two Evils
Amazing how much I feel like housecleaning when the book-keeping and taxes need to be done.
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Spring climax
It’s that time of year, when so many activities and responsibilities seem to reach their climax. It’s the end of our year of reporting with the SelfDesign program, and that involves a mad rush to submit and rectify purchases we’ve made, and spend the balance, as well as the final “annual report” document to be […]
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Milo, and the Slide
Fiona and I went to the garden center in Nelson this week. We bought some bedding plants as well as some shrubs and herbs for the garden we’re creating in front of the deck. Our old kitchen garden was clear-cut and covered when the deck went in, so we’re starting anew. Just as we were […]
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Dreaming…
“So,” I said at dinner last night to the assembled fam, “Looks like the iPad is will hit stores in Canada right around my birthday.” The reaction was not what I had hoped for. There was some eye-rolling and snickering. “Nice try,” seemed to be the consensus.
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February
My friend Karen says that no homeschooling family should ever, ever make any decision about homeschooling or anything else important based on what is going on in February. Words to live by. Our February had a lot of warm sunny weather, travel adventures and complications, but it was still February. We languished. I’m glad it […]
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“Vacation” and Appendix Failure
