Wow, I had no idea that I had not blogged for a week. Time just flew by. I don't think anything remotely interesting has happened so I'll bore everyone with curriculum and classes for this coming school year. (or at least the Fall which is all I have firmly planned.)

History:
We are STILL working through our 4th year of World History using The Story of The World: Volume 4, Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, and numerous library books. We should finish in late November or December. For the Spring, we will start back with year one of history, and hit a few key points of ancient times using Jackdaw portfolios.

Math:
KJ will continue reviewing basic high school math with aleks.com. We will also finish up Algebra II using the Algebra book from our class at MCC this past Spring. I'm hoping to finish this in the Fall and have KJ review what he has learned in the Spring with aleks.com.

Science:
I'm teaching Human Anatomy at the Families Learning Together co-op this Fall so KJ will obviously take that. He will also have a year of Chemistry at the Brazos Valley co-op.

Writing:
KJ is taking a class based around this book at the Families Learning Together co-op.

Latin:
KJ will continue with Henle Latin using our wonderful tutor from last year. I think he is finishing up book 1 and starting book 2.

Grammar:
Most of this will come from Latin, but we will finish up Get Wise this summer.

Literature:
We have a few books from the Year 4 history list for KJ to read in the Fall, and then he'll start the Ancient's Great Book reading list. These lists can be found in The Well-Trained Mind.

Music:
KJ will continue with drum lessons.

Other:
Continuing Education Sign Language course at MCC.
Heart of Texas Fencing Club (P.E.)
Stonhenj Renaissance Players (theater, P.E., history)

I added links in the sidebar for all our T-shirts. The "Homeschooling Rocks" series is David's baby.

I don't mind doing laundry, but I despise matching up socks. I usually let the laundry basket get completely full before I'll match them. Today, about mid-way through the basket I happened to notice that I had 12 white athletic socks without mates. 12! I didn't realize there were that many styles of sock. I had 3 with gray soles...one with "Hanes" on it, and 2 plain. Did the 2 plain match? No, of course not. They had different tops. I had 3 solid white and not a one matched the other. You get the idea. Where are all the %&*#@ socks going?

Now in defense of the mateless socks, I did have to send a few socks to sock heaven (under the kitchen sink). Why, oh why do David and KJ continue wearing socks that look like this?

When I finally finished the basket, I had 7 white and 5 colored mateless socks. I'm giving them one more laundry cycle to find a mate or they too will be going to sock heaven.

Caramel Frappuccino

Creative and expressive, you tend to match your Frappuccino flavor to your mood. And a flavored syrup is always a must!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

David went with me to do DOD today and we snapped a few quick pics.

Moe: "I don't want my picture taken."

Moe: "At least get my best side."

Me and the Mexican Milk snake.

Me and Pablo, the Burmese Python.

Apparently, Waco was the site for the National Hot Air Balloon Championships last week. We saw this almost every morning on our way to camp.

Pretty cooool!

My niece, McKenzie, was here all this past week for Keeper Shadowing Zoo Camp. She came down early so we could relax at our Aunt Olene's on Sunday. The kids hopped into the pool right after we arrived. KJ is working on getting a tan...

while McKenzie looks at him in disbelief. "Hey, I thought we were going to swim." (I came back and edited this post to blur her cleavage.)

Meanwhile, Olene was making her famous french fries.

The kids got out of the pool long enough to eat lunch AND dessert.

That is a made from scratch brownie with Haagen-Dazs ice cream and chocolate syrup. Mmmmm...
After letting all that food settle a bit, I joined KJ and McKenzie back in the pool.

KJ actually did swim. I just don't have a picture of it. All three of us took turns diving for a rock.

Thanks everybody for the kind comments. They really helped. David and I are adjusting to life without Wanda, but we're much better now.

I've been busy sweating quarts of water at the zoo this week so I've been too exhausted to form enough coherent sentences to blog. On Wednesday, I did a Zoo Mobile which is all I had signed up for this week. I had not planned to do any camps since July in Waco is HOT and this year, HUMID. I'm basically a wimp about the heat, and between perimenopausal hot flashes and my blood pressure medicine flushing the potassium right out of my system...just didn't want to be outside all day. However, the 2nd/3rd grade counselor was in a play and had two day performances on both Thursday and Friday. He asked nicely and sounded so pitiful and desperate that I agreed to sub for him. Oh my goodness, was it unbearable! The heat index was 104! The whining, the grouchiness, the damp clothes, and red cheeks...the campers were also having a tough time. I made a few executive decisions and moved some activities indoors whenever I could. I also shortened afternoon playground time. Believe me, they did not mind a bit. We all survived and had a reasonably good time.

On another note, I finally have made some decisions for KJ's upcoming school year. I'll post his subjects and activities some other time for the few who are interested.

Sorry for the lack of blogging. We found out Friday evening that a close friend had died, so David and I have been struggling to come to terms with the loss. I've been wanting to write about it, but wasn't sure I could without breaking down again. I think I finally can now.

When I met David, he had already been seeing a massage therapist every other Friday for a couple of years. I started going too, and we took turns getting massaged. We almost always both went, because just sitting in the office was relaxing. Our massage therapist's name was Wanda. She was 66 when I met her, but was in good health and sharp as a whip. David and I usually went a little early and stayed late just to visit with Wanda. She was semi-retired and only saw four clients a day four days a week. Some went every week and some like us, went every other week. Even KJ had some massages from Wanda. She practiced Reiki massage so going to her revived our spirits in addition to relaxing our bodies.

Wanda was so loving and generous of heart, but she wouldn't hesitate to tell you what you needed to do, whether you wanted to hear it or not. She told many stories, listened to our ups and downs, and always had a joke to tell. Wanda was a voracious reader so we discussed books a lot. She was always loaning me books and got me started reading several new authors. Wanda was a fixture of our life for 6 years for me and 8 for David...every payday was time to get Wandaized.

When we left Wanda on Friday, June 22, we hugged good-bye like always with our usual, "see you in two weeks," and "call me if you need anything." The next week was uneventful for me, but the second week (the week of the 4th), I noticed Wanda's SUV was always in front of her trailer, even when she should have been at her office. (I passed by her trailer nearly everyday.) I thought maybe she had taken off for the week, and told David that we had better call on Friday just to make sure. Wanda had gone on vacation before and forgotten to tell us. When David called her office, it said the number was no longer in service. Huh? We called her at home and got her answering machine with her usual message telling telemarketers to hang up now, because she wouldn't be calling back. I left a message, and we decided to check at her office.

When we arrived, we found a note and her obituary on her door. The man in the office just down from her saw us and explained what happened. The Tuesday after we had seen Wanda, she had a stroke. She was in the hospital and then moved to a nursing home to recover. That Friday she had a second stroke and died. She was buried the following Tuesday, July 3rd. Wanda had died a week after we had seen her last. The man explained that her daughter found Wanda's appointment book, but there weren't any phone numbers in it. They looked all over the office, but couldn't find phone numbers anywhere. He theorized that Wanda had just memorized them all...wouldn't surprise me. We have VOIP and aren't listed anyway so nobody could contact us.

David and I spent the weekend in shock and crying. We couldn't believe she was gone. It seems like everything reminded me of Wanda...fed the chickens and I remembered Wanda's rooster story, took out a pen and it had Wanda's info on it, wrote in my pocket calendar and it's the one Wanda gave me...On a funny note, David and I were buying some essential oil for his office, when he said, "What does this remind you of?" I smelled and said, "Wanda's office." Just then my cell phone rang, and the display said, "Wanda Ruffing calling." We both had a deer-in-the-headlights look and froze. Was Wanda calling us from beyond? I answered and it turned out to be her daughter who had gotten the message I left on Wanda's machine. She was making sure that I knew Wanda had passed on.

Her daughter also emailed me, and I told her that I still had some of Wanda's books. She told me to keep them as that is what Wanda would have wanted. David, KJ, and I decorated Wanda's grave a little today. I can almost hear her chastising us for that. I know she's not there, but the act made ME feel better anyway plus gave us all some closure. I know Wanda would want me to remember and move on, and would probably be as mad as a wet hen if I keep wallowing in grief. It's hard though, I miss her...

P.S. I almost made it through without crying.
*******************************************************
Here's the obituary.
Wanda Lou (Fielding) Ruffing, 72, of Waco, passed away at a local nursing home, surrounded by family, following a brief illness. Graveside services will be 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, at Waco Memorial Park with the Bro. Michael Moore officiating. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Pecan Grove Funeral Home Chapel, 3124 Robinson Dr., Waco. Wanda was born Nov. 10, 1934, in Estelline, Texas. She grew up in Estelline and Buckeye, Ariz. She was a massage therapist up until her death, and as a massage therapist, her hands and heart touched many lives. She was a caring and loving mother. She was preceded in death by her parents, W.R. Greenroyd and wife, Ovelle Bragg Greenroyd of Estelline. Wanda leaves behind three brothers, Bob Greenroyd, Bob Thrasher and Eldo Thrasher, and their families; one sister, Fern Conaway and family; three daughters, Vonda Dashman, Becky Woodall and Phyllis Grossman, and their families; and one son, Jerry Fielder and his family. She has many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also left behind her loving pets, Suzi, her dog, and Sampson, her cat. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Fuzzy Friends Rescue, 6321 Airport Dr., Waco, TX 76708, 254-754-9444. Online Family Register Book at www.pecangrovefuneral.com November 10, 1934 - June 29, 2007

We're dorks. We stopped by the Blue Bell 100th Anniversary Celebration. Taylor and David were too cool for the hats, but KJ and I weren't.

boring politics

In an effort to be an informed voter, I just finished reading the transcripts of the 2nd and 3rd Democratic primary presidential debates, and the "issues" section of each candidate's website. I'll do that for the Republicans next. I'm an Independent so I have to decide which primary to vote in. Here's a summary of what I've learned. Who knows? Maybe it will help you out too.

The candidates are Mike Gravel, John Edwards, Sen. Joseph Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Christopher Dodd, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Barack Obama, and Gov. William (Bill) Richardson.

I tend to think of these as the big three.

Clinton, Obama, and Edwards all want pretty much the same things and have similar ways of achieving their goals. They all want a time frame to get us out of Iraq. They all want affordable health insurance for everyone, however, Edwards wants to make purchasing health insurance mandatory. His view is that if it is low-cost enough, everyone can afford it. Obama and Clinton do not want to force people to purchase it, but just make it affordable enough for everyone to do so. They all want to strengthen the public schools, make college more affordable, enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur and economic sanctions in Sudan, raise minimum wage, remove Bush's tax cuts for those making over $200,000 or $250,000 depending on the candidate, pro-gay marriage, and want to let gays openly serve in the military. They're also all pro-environment and want to reduce our dependency on oil. They all want to do something about illegal immigration, but nobody seems to have any detailed ideas.

Dodd - He is similar to the above three except Dodd wants to end the war on March 31, 2008 and his health care plan includes a Universal Health Care Fund. Employers will either have to provide insurance for their employees or contribute to the fund. If your employer doesn't cover you, than you are required to purchase insurance from the fund on an income-based price.

Biden - He has a very detailed plan for Iraq that gives the Kurds, Shiites, and Sunis shared power. He has the same goals as Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, but with the exception of his Iraq plan, I couldn't find any other plans, just rhetoric.


Richardson - He is similar to Clinton, Obama, and Edwards in ideology. In my opinion, he doesn't have the experience or political backing to make much of a showing.


These next two are very radical in their ideas and plans.


Gravel -He has radically different plans from the others. Gravel wants health care vouchers given to each person yearly based on projected needs, wants to bring troops home in 60 days, and eliminate the IRS. He also supports the National Initiative for Democracy which means that Congress would have to vote itself out of existence, so the people could vote on their own legislation.


Kucinich - He wants not-for-profit health care instead of insurance companies, wants free college for everyone, and wants to end the war on drugs by decriminalizing illegal drugs and making it a medical and moral problem instead of a criminal one.

KJ's friend, Taylor, is spending the night tonight. He and KJ are good buddies and share a love for animals. Taylor's love of animals extends however, into catching animals so he can observe them, and if his mother approves - keep them. He practically has a zoo in his bedroom. I think that he currently has an African Ball Python, two Leopard geckos, three Tokay geckos, a Giant Millipede, and two Red-Eared Sliders. I suppose that I should have been prepared when Taylor asked if we could stop on the way over so that he could buy a net. But no...I didn't give it a second thought.

Within five minutes of arriving at our house, Taylor had caught two toads. I started cooking supper in a state of blissful ignorance while Taylor and KJ then took off for our neighbor's tank with the net and a bucket. They soon returned with a Red-Eared Slider (turtle). Taylor explained how he attempted to catch a water snake, but it took off into the water. (Thank goodness) He asked if we had a bigger bucket so I directed him to the shed where I had a couple of huge kitty litter containers that David had insisted I keep, just in case we ever needed them. I had returned to cooking supper when KJ came flying in shouting, "Mom, there's a snake in the shed."

I went running out thinking, "Please, let it be a Rat snake. Please, let it be a Rat snake. Please, let it be a Rat snake." Taylor informed me that it was indeed a Rat snake. It had slithered to the very back of the shed, behind quite a bit of stuff. (Of course it had) I moved out the lawn mower, some boxes, the glider, a desk, and a stack of 3 tubs. Taylor put his net over the snake and started scooting him along the floor while KJ had the kitty litter container open and ready. I just stood there uselessly holding a rake trying to convince Taylor that he should let me grab it with the rake and take it to the woods. When he tried to scoot the snake into the container...it made a break for it. The snake started up and over the lawn mower when Taylor grabbed it by the tail. I'll let the videos and pictures tell the rest of the story. Yes, I abandoned the boys to the snake (NON-venomous) to run inside and get my camera. I think Taylor will be another Steve Irwin.

The chickens had to be shooed away at first, but now they're oblivious in the background.

Notice the shovel holding the litter lid open? KJ is on the other end of that shovel, a nice safe distance away. That's my boy.

SUCCESS!!

The snake is now in the litter container with a small toad for food. They also used a nail to make some air holes and one peek hole. Taylor wants to show his mom tomorrow, and then I have a feeling the snake will be released into the woods.

Well, we spent 9 hours at the hospital yesterday, but David is now gallbladder-free. He is resting comfortably.

On another note, I have fully recovered from my spider bite of last Monday. I was sick as a dog Monday night, so-so on Tuesday, and better on Wednesday.

Meet The Education Animals Part 2

It has been a while since I did Meet The Education Animals Part 1. I finally remembered my camera today while I was doing DOD (Docent of the Day - me feeding, watering, cleaning the education animals every Sunday for those of you who are new or just forgot).

This is Electra. She is an 11-year-old Eclectus Parrot. The whole cocking her head sideways like this is her "I'm curious" look or maybe a more accurate translation would be "What the hell is that?" She is finicky about who she will go to and can be a little temperamental. She acted like she wanted me to take her today, but I am still leery since she was attacking the inside of her cage trying to get to me a few weeks ago.

These are Bonnie and Clyde, hedgehogs. They're still pretty new to the education department, but are already favorite animals with which to do presentations. Bonnie is more laid back than Clyde.

This is the African Fat-tailed Gecko. He almost always gets taken on Zoo Mobiles. He's small and easily portable and the kids love him. His tail resembles a head so they tend to call him the two headed gecko. He is very soft, almost velvety, and still has his original tail. It's hard to tell from the pic but he is only about 6 inches long.

This is Sonnie, a 10-year-old Madagascar Tenrec. He has been around a long time and is nearing the end of his life span. He is so little (I can hold him in the palm of my hand) and sweet. He is not as prickly as the hedgehogs and sure can put away the mealworms.

This is Abigal, a 3-year-old Sun Conure. They are beautiful, but loud birds. I can hold Sunny the male, but not Abigal.

This is one of my favorites, Pablo, an 8-year-old Burmese Python. He is about 5 and a half feet long and is almost a 2-person snake. We can still handle him alone for now though. The kids love him, because he is huge and active. I always feel like I'm dancing with him, because he keeps you moving. One of these days I'll get someone to take a pic of me with him.

I hope you've enjoyed another glimpse into the zoo's education animals.

I forgot to finish out Cooper and Cason's week.

I added a brief blurb about Thursday and Friday after the videos below.

Pray for mercy for I'm KJ.................. in boots!


I spent 3 hours Friday night and another 6 on Saturday making that shirt.

Our week in pictures

As I mentioned earlier, I had a houseful this week. Staci (my sister), Emily (her youngest), Cooper, and Cason (my brother's kids) were all down to visit. Cooper and Cason went to Zoo Camp every morning and we spent the afternoons and evenings hanging out and having fun.


Monday evening was KJ's birthday cook-out.

We stuffed our faces and visited with friends and family.

The lady in red is KJ's G'ma, the lady in stripes is KJ's step-mom, and the guy on the far right is KJ's dad.

Pa (next door neighbor) and She-to-fat

Elora and Rodney (She'll kill me if she sees this pic.)

The little ones blew bubbles.

Cason

The older ones hunted for frogs.

And all the kids had a water balloon fight.

Samuel, KJ, Elora

And even some of the adults accidentally got wet.

Staci, Emily and I walked the zoo while Cooper and Cason were at camp Tuesday morning. Emily had never been to a zoo that she remembered. This is her "Yay, I'm at the zoo" pose.

She enjoyed the birds.

She really got a kick out of the swimming bear.

We waved hello to Cooper as his camp group passed by.
I couldn't convince Emily to join me in the beaver dam.

She liked the playground though.

This is my favorite part of the playground.

Emily didn't want to get tooooooo wet.

Here she is daydreaming...wonder what she's thinking about.

On Wednesday, we met our Aunt Olene at Peter Piper Pizza.

Everybody was hungry!

Olene made sure everyone had plenty of tokens for games and rides.

Emily wanted to do everything the big kids did.

Oh, I forgot something! On Tuesday evening, cool older cousin KJ, said, "Hey, Cooper and Cason, want to have a water fight?"

Emily wanted to play too. She was a little reserved at first so David gave her a small bowl and had her dump it on Cooper.

OK, who's my next victim?

It's Cason!

Water balloon time again.

OK, back to Wednesday. David led a disco dance party.

Staci and Emily went home Thursday morning. That afternoon, Cooper, Cason, and KJ went next door to hang out since my neighbor's grandson had just arived in town. They played outside near the tank (with neighbor there too), watched Eragon (except for Cason who fell asleep on neighbor's couch for an hour and a half), and spent the evening playing with the BB gun and watching KJ shoot his new paintball gun. Cooper and Cason returned home after camp on Friday. This house is quiet, but I miss them all.