Juggling Normal

*1*

SCHOOL: Feche finished up The House of Mirth this week and is on to The Great Gatsby. He is cruising along in Chemistry but works hard at it. We are all grateful for our dedicated Teachers at Tutoring Center, especially Dr. H (wife of Ana, who blogs here). Life of Fred Algebra, finally closing in on the end. Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew. Poetry and Oral Interp- reading and memorizing and thouroughly enjoying both.

Cub and Flower: All the basics, Life of Fred Fractions continues to be a blast. SOTW CD's, of course. Return of the Ring each evening, though Flower has declared it sad a bit creepy. She is both mesmerized and repulsed by Smeagal.

We enjoyed an afternoon visit to a friend's house where 2 of hers and 1 of mine did a week's worth of Writing With Ease II. Great program. Still loving it.

Cub wrote the following for English in place of a sentence using a vocab word.

The Tussock

Oh! The tussock,

Yes the tussock is a pretty little clump,

A pretty little bump of the green and dewy grass.

*2*

Found 2 terrific graphic novels this week. We were first introduced to Graphic Novels when a friend gave Cub a Graphic Bible. He basically memorized it. The Graphic Novels at BooksRUs are basically soft porn trash,. However, I did find The 911 Report and The United States Constitution at our local library. I'd love to see more of this genre with good content and decently clothed woman. What a powerful teaching tool!

*3*

Finished "Book Thief."  One of the most creatively written books I've ever read. Powerful. Review on Saturday.

Also read UnPlanned by Abby Johnson. Self-deception, Semantics, Politics, Redemption. Powerful. Review on Saturday.  

*4*

Watched One Clear Day, Glory Road and The Soloist.  It was cold  all week, what can I say? Despite the bitter cold (below zero most of the week; 20 below zero on Tuesday morning) the kids went out to play each and every day. They are making tunnels in the 10 foot high snow drifts.

*5*

I am licensed to drive for the first time since the day my Dad died mid-November. It's the longest I've gone without driving since I was 16. It felt appropriate somehow, like a dedicated time of mourning. A time to recognize that the world is different because my Dad is no longer in it.

*6*

 German Apple Pancake. Homemade and gobbled with gratitude. 

*7*

Biet Midrash: Exodus 37. More details of the desert Tabernacle. And as we prayed I had a picture of it in my  mind's eye of splendor and lovliness, beauty and mystery, lightweight veils cocealing the Holy of Holies, gleaming bronze and gold and silver and beautiful blue and scarlett threads in a sea of brown sand and grit. God dwelling in the midst of the sultry realities of desert living; shelter from the incessent heat and winds. A place of rest.

What is the Word of the Lord to you today?

I woke this morning thinking about a situation where someone has come late to the party, after doing their own thang for ohsolong and is now being toasted and fancied; feeling much like the Prodigal Son's brother.

The Father responds: "All that I have is yours."

Comfort. Mystery. Shelter from demands and striving. A place of rest .