Ah, what a glorious day!  It was finally warm again, warm enough for shorts and a sunburn on my arms. (I was wearing sunscreen, but I must not have applied it generously enough.) The pool was “officially” opened as TGD and  I attached the ladder, and I vacuumed the pool.  I had to chuckle at my original plans of purchasing a used pool and setting it up ourselves as TGD and I installed the ladder. We had two twelve inch paving stones to set in the ground to support the ladder.  We fussed with them for a while, trying to get them level, and then we gave up and just installed the ladder unevenly.  I can only imagine what sort of slanted, cockeyed job we would have done on a whole pool!

I got a book in the mail, Sheridan’s  Nightingale, which is a biography of Elizabeth Linley, Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s first wife.  Their story is fascinating and reads like an over-the-top romance novel.  This summer, I’m planning to research their courtship and perhaps make that tale the basis for a book. If there is no book, then at least I will have learned a lot about late 18th century England!

I’m looking forward to the next few days of picnics. After church on Sunday, we go to Curwensville for a picnic at my mom’s.  It’s so nice to relax and visit there.  I’ll probably plant some flowers or weed something.  Maybe I’ll just sit on the porch and watch the frogs in her pond.  Here’s a picture of the pond from last summer. It’s just gorgeous! 

The striped awning isn’t always there. The algae was getting high, so they put it up to cut down on some sun.  They have about 25 huge koi (fish) and a bunch of frogs.  Other than the backhoe which dug the initial hole, Mom and John made the whole thing  by themselves.  There is a three-tiered waterfall in the upper right-hand corner of the pond, but I don’t know if you can see it in the picture.   Here’s a second picture just for fun!

I have a moment while TGD reads Rachel a bedtime story (The 512 Ants on Sullivan Street–a mathematical doubling book) before we watch a video (Zorro Returns, or whatever it’s called).  So, I thought I’d address the two issues most frequently mentioned regarding my last post.

First, just because it’s summer BREAK doesn’t mean it’s summer VACATION!  Plus, it’s too cold to swim, so we may as well work as hard as we can so that we can be true pool bunnies this summer.  I even bought each child a funky, big beach towel for his or her personal use this summer.  (I thought it would cut down on the regular towel laundry in addition to being sort of nice.)  Today’s agenda included de-crabgrassing some areas and planting tomatoes and some giant pumpkins.  Libby and I also began painting the basket swing since I finished spray painting the stand for it. 

Second, my Bronte bias–I’ve read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights a number of times, and I was always struck with the dark overtones and the difficult to understand passions of the characters. I found it hard to relate to the characters or to sympathize with them in their situations.  I like my characters light-hearted and happy, which is probably why I like Jane Austen’s novels.  Even in her novels, though, the deeply passionate or morosely moral folk irritate me.  Lighten up, Fanny! Get a grip, Marianne!

But, back on topic, in  this reading of Jane Eyre, I’ve been struck by the nuances of Jane’s character. She is no caricature of solemnity full of odd yearnings; she might even be Charlotte Bronte herself come partially to life.  As Rochester himself says of Jane, “I saw you had a social heart; it was the silent schoolroom–it was the tedium of your life–that made you mournful.”  What governess-like tedium did the author share?  Was Bronte as homely as Jane is described as being? Did she suffer from loneliness and friendlessness?  Even if Bronte did not, she well-describes a character who did. 

I think that books read as a teen or young adult and dismissed should be revisited as adults.  What young girl can fully understand Anna Karenina and Tolstoy’s amazing characterizations?  I’m not tempted to try Lady Chatterly’s Lover again, though. It was icky.

It’s so nice to be on summer break!  Today, the kids and I (either together or independently) scrubbed all the carpets in the house, mopped the hard floors, sanded the stand for the basket swing so it can be painted, ran the weed eater all around the property, tidied all the house, baked cookies, and did all the regular chores besides. Phew!  I actually have calluses on one hand from rug scrubbing for three hours.  (Waah, waah, poor baby.) This evening, I ironed all of TGD’s dress pants. It’s a wonder the man had anything to wear to work. I hadn’t realized how high the ironing pile really was, which is silly, because it sits right on top of the washing machine.

Michael’s baseball game tonight was a big loss, 13 to 3, but they were playing the best team in the league. Oh well. You can’t win them all!  Thankfully, the weather was much milder, so we didn’t sit huddled under blankets as we did on Monday night.  I took a bunch of pictures for the baseball yearbook. It’s the first year to have a yearbook, so I think many of us are sort of “Duh” about the whole thing. (Duh, the deadline for picture submission is over? Duh, we had to have our orders in? Duh?)

I have become a small celebrity of late. My picture was on the front page of the Centre Daily Times (our local newspaper)–full color and everything!  It was of me on my front porch looking quite serious as a reporter quizzed me on my views of rezoning in our township.  I wasn’t quoted in the article (which was just as well!), but my picture was there.  I thought I looked mean and hunchbacked, but everyone else thought it was a nice shot of me in my wicker rocking chair with pots of flowers and the side yard in the background. 

I am enjoying Jane Eyre. This is the third time or so that I’ve read it, and it is probably the first time I’ve actually liked the book.  I think that knowing Jane’s life is somewhat autobiographical in spots helps me to understand Bronte’s reasons for writing the way she did.  It makes me think I should read Wuthering Heights again to see if my Bronte sister prejudice has lifted totally. (Never really cared for WH either, although Timothy Dalton IS Heathcliff, in my mind!)

Big news: The Good Doctor has finally made a weblog entry! 

Well, I’ve had a full week of “summer vacation”–rain, gloom, and sleepiness.  I am hopeful that this week will see the return of a bit of sunshine and some of my energy.  I’ve got so many things I want to do, not just things I SHOULD do or HAVE to do, but things I really want to do.  But, this past week, I’d not had the time, interest, or motivation to pursue anything. I must have been really “burnt out” from the school year, or at least from the past month or so, and needed some time to recover.  Or, maybe I’m just turning lazy. 

This past Friday, I took Nathan and some other teens to a state-wide competition called Talents for Christ.  Teens compete in Bible quizzing (had to memorize the first ten chapters of Hebrews in the KJV or part of it), Bible knowledge (on those chapters), instrument playing, singing, public speaking, writing, puppetry, etc.  Nathan took second in male voice and first in brass.  Yes, there were no other junior high brass competitors, but still, he did a great job! It was fun to watch the teens compete and to see how very gifted they are.

While I was gone, the good doctor had a productive time holding down the fort.  Even though I left him with no “honey-do list,” he managed to fix all the downspouts, do some pool landscaping, tidy both floors of the house, and do all the dishes. I know I’m forgetting some things that he did…

I believe I’m going to start reading Jane Eyre tonight.  It’s been too many years since I read it last, and it keeps popping up in my life.  (A friend’s letter, a book I’m reading,  and so on.)  I was reading Meg Cabot’s books (Princess Diaries et al), but I need a break from teenage girl angst.  Six books in a row was all I could handle.

James and I watched the new Gwyneth Paltrow movie Proof the other night.  If you saw Paltrow in Possession, you’ve got an idea of how this movie is–academic setting, mildly interesting, and mostly boring.  Proof is the story of some made-up, famous mathematician’s daughter.  He is dead, but he appears in the movie often enough as a part of her imagination or in flashbacks.  He’s a likeable crazy person, and she’s difficult to like.  One feels sorry for her but wishes she’d move on with life and have a purpose. 

The climax of the movie is when Paltrow shows a notebook to a good-looking grad student (with whom she’s had a fling). The book contains an amazing proof of some math thing.  But, who wrote it?  The crazy, now-dead father or Paltrow herself? 

If you are in the mood for a ho-hum movie which examines the relationships between father and daughter and sister to sister and crazy people, then Proof is for you.  If you are in the mood for action, adventure, and lots of romance, look elsewhere.   Then, when you find a good movie, let me know about it, too!

First of all, congratulations to Lord and Lady Jabez on the birth of their Littler Jabez, Amelia Grace! 

It’s been gray and rainy here all week, and while I am not in any way complaining (grow, grass seed, grow!), I thought that a shot of humor might brighten the mood.  I thought I’d list the top five most amusing Xanga things.

5.  Tevildiel’s Uh-Oh

Tevildiel usually has great entries, and her quizzes with random song titles as answers are often funny (true love Pilgrim, anyone?).  Her biting wit and erudite observations on her fellow man leave me amused. But, none were quite as funny as her commentary on a group of odd homeschoolers when one of those commented upon actually found the blog entry and left replies.  Tevildiel wins the “Oh, I’m SO Glad That Wasn’t Me!” Award.

4.  KID6896′s Quotes

KID doesn’t get the credit she should for her amusing posts. Her “tell it like it is,” matter-of-fact tone in no way diminishes the raw humor of the excerpt of her life she presents.. She comes in at #4 for her quoting of her children.  Who can forget such classics as “Let’s all pick our noses” or “I don’t want to breathe.”

3. Jess’s Valentine’s Day Post

2. Loeschdogg’s Perfectionistic Christmas Tree

Oh, Tannen-Bomb!  I still laugh when I read this post. I even printed it out and saved it!

Yesterday, I had a great Mother’s Day as usual.  I got my four hanging baskets of wave petunias, many signs hung around the house, and Libby made me a very nice flower pin from clay.  We went to Pizza Hut for lunch (my 12th year running–no line!), and then Libby and I went to a huge used book sale.  We like to go to look for animal story books for her, and we found about 12. I got myself a few books as well.  I wanted to pick up more paperbacks so that I could read them while floating on a raft in the pool this summer and not worry if they got wet. But, few things looked appealing.  “Raven Lovelyface, the spunky Regency-era heiress, thinks she understands men.  But, when she meets Blake Thedude, Duke of Chutney, she is in for a surprise…” Blah. They all sound the same after a while.  So I got Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose.

Today was our first day of summer vacation, and a rainy, cold day it was.  But, I loved it anyhow.  I served myself breakfast in bed (Lucky Charms and tea) and read my Bible. With all the rain and gray sky outside, it seemed a perfect day to stay in bed.  Later, the kids and I had a discussion time of summer plans, chores, and school.  Much house cleaning was done, and I had the boys go through all their clothes to get rid of what was too small or unworn, etc.  It’s always a big chore to manage the summer/winter and too small/I need new ones switches twice a year. It was even worse when I was shuffling boxes of baby clothes, too.  Now, when something is too small for the youngest two, it’s bagged up and passed on to a family in church.

Does anyone have any opinions on SAT prep software?  I realize not many of my readers would have an opinion, but I thought I’d ask. 

Wow! I had 17 comments to my last post! I’ve never had so many before. (I feel special.)

Tonight marked the true end of AP for me as I put all the final grade reports into envelopes to send to parents.  It’s been a great four years of teaching, but I’ll be glad to have next year off. 

Only two more days until the curriculum fair!  I’ve made my list, but I’ve bought a few things from Ebay and Amazon, so I don’t have as much to look for as I normally might have.  Still, it’s a great time not to be in a hurry, to think about “only me,” and to have a lot of fun.  Plus, I get to hear a bunch of great homeschool speakers as well.  This year, Doug Pillips from Vision Forum, Hank the Cowdog author John Erickson, You ‘da Dad Todd Wilson, and Turansky and Miller (anger/character issues) will be some of the speakers. 

Wednesday is our last portfolio evaluations.  I trust they will go as well as the first ones did.  I’ll just be glad to be done with it! (Have I been saying that phrase a lot lately? It surely feels as if I have been.)

Today was inaugural pool day.  Yes, it was 67 degrees outside. Yes, the water was also 67 degrees, but the kids wanted to try it. And why not? They all jumped in, screeched at the cold, paddled around a bit, and then got out.  The Wilson kids were also brave enough to jump in, although both moms were wise enough not to do so. 

I thought I’d answer some questions asked of me. First of all, Dean Koontz’s Velocity–why was it “icky”?  I like Dean Koontz’s creepy, interesting storytelling, and when I saw the premise for this book, I thought I’d try it. A man receives a note on his windshield which reads, “If you don’t take this note to the police, I’ll kill a lovely, blonde schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I’ll kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide.” 

The story goes on from there with the killer continuing to play mind games with the hero, and it really isn’t clear who the killer will turn out to be.  The book is suspenseful, and it’s a real page-turner. 

But, what made it not appealing for me is that I don’t really like to read about psychotic killers and murder and torture and things of that sort.  (Our hero has a few nasty things happen to him, which he handles with more aplomb than the normal individual might.)  There’s no sex, I didn’t recall much in the way of swearing, and the book isn’t graphic in its descriptions.  The murders are just reported, not witnessed. 

So, take it as you will! I’m reading Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, and it’s much more my style. She has such a witty, realistic voice for her characters. It’s a delight to read.

As to my favorite “Vision Forum” title, I’d go with The Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. Southworth. Technically, that’s not really one of their titles, so Home-Making by J.R. Miller would be my first pick. I don’t have any books on my queue for the fair, but we’ll see what looks interesting!

I thought I’d do a quick update in the form of a list.  Quick reading is sometimes good, especially when it comes to my rather lengthy posts!

**The pool is in and filled with water.  The electrician came, and all is hooked up and working.  The solar cover is on, and the water is already warming.

**Tonight is the kids’ Art and Music recital. We’ll have recorders, singing, flute, and more singing.  I’ll be glad when all the running is over!

**Five more days of school! 

**I’m close to being done with my AP grading. All students reading this post who haven’t told me if they were exempted from any assignments ought to do so now.

**Six more days until I leave for the CHAP convention! I’m looking forward to shopping, hearing the speakers, and having a generally wonderful time.  I still haven’t made up my shopping list, which normally is a great deal of fun for me. 

**The books I ordered from Vision Forum are House of Love, The Captive, A Peep Behind the Scenes, The Robber’s Cave, Titus: Comrade of the Cross, and Jill’s Red Bag.  I’ll let you know how they are.

**Finished Dean Koontz’s book Velocity last night. I’m just not a murder-mystery gal. Icky.
 
Well, I suppose that list is longer than it ought to be. Besides, my mac and cheese and fish stick timer is going off!

Another reason I have to be gleeful is that the building permit for the swimming pool was approved today!  When I dropped off the paperwork on Friday, we were told that it would take 10-14 days to process. Now we are officially able to set up the pool, much to the joyful jubilation of my children.  I’m not so happy that the permits cost so much–$35 for zoning and $47 for the building permit not to mention all the other costs.

A funny story to this permit situation was that Libby was mentioning to a friend the whole process and said, “Yeah, it’s going to take 10-14 days before we can get the restraining order.”  I think she’s watched too many episodes of COPS with TGD!

I’m excited also because I have a box of books coming–Lamplighter ones I ordered from Vision Forum.  I’ll be sure to share, Words_Are_Things, if you have any interest.  I had a great coupon from  Vision Forum, and I had planned to purchase some of these books at the curriculum fair next weekend anyhow, so it seemed like a wiser move to use the coupon. Plus, I have that added bonus of Books In The Mail!

We finished two portfolio reviews today, the older two boys.  I like my reviewer very much. She used to teach AP Language online as well, and we enjoy all those “Englishy” things that others find so dull.  The younger two have their review next Wednesday with a different evaluator.  (Some evaluators only do high school, some only elementary, and some both.)

Just in case I haven’t said it before, I’ve got a great husband.  I’ve been fretting as these “little” costs for the pool have added up, but he’s been so gracious and has told me that it’s okay and it doesn’t matter and other reassuring things.  It’s such a blessing! 

I am very grateful to all of you for praying for the AP exam. For those of you who might not know what it is, AP or Advanced Placement exams are tests which high school students can take. If they score highly enough, they can earn college credit.  If you are really keen to learn more, visit The College Board.  Nathan feels like he did as well as he could expect to have done.  He’s just glad it’s all over.  So am I!

So, now I’m sitting in the midst of my living room, guts of portfolios strewn about in mass of misinformation.   But, Lord willing, I’ll have order soon. I’d better; evaluations are tomorrow at 1:00!  I’ve got Billy Joel’s Glass Houses on the CD player to assist me.  I’m just singing along, a happy gal.  It’s probably the first album I ever memorized.  I remember sitting on my bottom bunk with my tape player playing it over and over and over in my thirteen year old voice. But, my tape skipped in one part, so I always messed up one line of “All for Leyna.” I still do.  The soundtracks for CATS, Camelot, and Godspell were also memorized around this same time.  Ah, nostalgia!

Nine days of school left to go!