By Sun and Candlelight

Happy Summer!

"That beautiful season the Summer! 
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; 
and the landscape 
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood." 
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Summer Solstice arrives at 1:16 p.m. today, the longest day of the year. But from here on out, every day gets just a little bit shorter, so let's enjoy the light while we can!

Have a great Tuesday, my friends!

:)

Nature Study Club ~ September 2010

Our Nature Study Club met for the first time this (academic) year, yesterday here at our home. We started the meeting in our backyard, but then walked the kids down to a trail behind our home. Our September mission ~ to say goodbye to Summer and look for signs of Fall ...

As usual, we had a wide range of ages attend Nature Club - a few teens, several middle schoolers and plenty of little ones. Twenty-eight children in all, which was a fantastic turn-out! I made up a trail checklist* for the kids to work off of, listing things they might be able to observe on our walk. I also prepared a bunch of clean baby food containers (small plastic tubs with fitted lids) to serve as miniature collection boxes. 

Here's one of the tables I had set up in the yard:

 

In the left corner are the collection boxes and checklists.

And in the right corner is an assortment of autumn books and nature magazines.

*Here's the list of items I had on my handout:

 Ferns and/or moss?

Wildflowers ~ how many different kinds/colors?

A nest or sign of nesting activity?

Scat?

Fungii ~ where is it growing? What kind?

Trees ~ how many kinds can you identify?

Any sign of fall foliage?

Insects ~ see, hear, or other evidence?

Seeds ~ in travel, on the ground, on a plant?

Spider webs ~ what kind? Is the spider visible?

A fruiting plant and/or a vine?

An animal ~ see, hear or other evidence?

Migration in action? (Look up!)

Sounds ~ birds, squirrels, human, elemental?

Can you find the temperature by cricket song?

(Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds + 38 = temperature)

Is there a breeze? In what direction is it blowing ?

Any nice or nasty smells?

 Other observations?

Above is the "moms resource" table. I put out a variety of nature-related books, field guides, audubon guides etc. 

And here are some photos from our walk, as you can see it was an absolutely beautiful day:

Goldenrod, a plant that grows all over New England in September.

Milkweed - the pods have not opened yet, but soon ...

I believe this is pokeweed.

And wild asters (or Michaelmas daisies), another September favorite.

One of the very observant children spotted this incredible caterpillar, munching on some goldenrod (and completely unaware of the tiny spider stalking nearby!).

No idea what kind of butterfly he'll be, but he sure is colorful!

We went off-trail for a bit, meandering into a field to listen and look for insects. There were many, many dragonflies darting overhead, grasshoppers and locusts hopping about and just look what the children found here:

A praying mantis! 

I haven't seen one since I was a child! I remembered them as being green so I was surprised this one was pale brown. We wondered if he was camouflaged to blend in with the faded grass?

I couldn't get a close picture of this shy bird, but I think it is a flycatcher of some sort. Only rarely do we see them in our backyard.

The following picture shows the most startling discovery of all ...

Bill had spotted this animal jawbone earlier in the day. I told the kids to look out for it and sure enough, on the walk back home, they were able to find it. Out came the cameras and sketchbooks! 

We wondered what it might be - and what might have happened - trying to determine if the teeth were sharp or dull. Guesses included coyote, fox, dog and deer. Bill looked online last night and actually this most closely resembles a deer jaw. 

Do any of my readers have any thoughts? (Other than, ew, lol!)

Last photo - this a collection box that got left behind ... just look at all the little treasures that fit in here!

We made lots of neat discoveries, but the nicest part of the day was the friendship and good fun. When we returned home, the children played, the mums chatted and we all enjoyed some cold cider and cornbread. I'm just so thrilled to see another year of Nature Club off and running!

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope wherever you live, you're enjoying the blessings of this lovely time of year. :)

A Hello and a Few August Pictures :)

Dear friends, thank you so much for your concern, for checking in here to say hello and see if I'm about ... suffice it to say, a whole host of issues kept me offline these past few weeks, but I'm here at last and eager to share some August pictures with you ... I hope you all have been well. :) 

First of all, we just got finished celebrating Crackerjack's 11th Birthday this past weekend ...

 

This was taken at his "friends" birthday party on Saturday. (The family celebration was held on Sunday.) It was another Lego theme party - our favors were smiley "minifig" face bags filled with a jumble of treats:

 

I found these football candles at Shaw's Marketplace (my grocery store of choice). I couldn't resist them - we get very excited about football season around here. Not that any of the boys play, but we are, as many of you know, super-huge Pats fans and what's more - football season means fall - and both are right around the corner. :)

 

We've been happily watching our little red squirrels - five in all at last count!

 

Since it's been so hot here this summer, the squirrels have taken to "lounging" in the seed trays. The above is actually an action shot - this fella was feeding himself in this very position! It was too funny to watch.

The squirrels have also taken to sampling the spruce needles ...

The raccoons have also made their presence known ... they're comical and so very clever.

 

Another critter to look for at this time of year is the grasshopper. We find them on our house - walking across clapboards or as in this case, a storm door.

 

I just took out a library book for Earlybird on grasshoppers because he's slightly freaked out when he sees them, lol. We also have a beautiful Tiger Swallowtail that graces our yard on occasion, as well as a pair of hummingbirds, ginormous dragonflies, lots of chipmunks, and we THINK a screech owl in the woods. (We've heard him but not seen him.) The boys also found this odd looking insect on the deck recently ...

 

We're pretty sure this is a Carolina Locust. Bookworm (who took this picture) said he had wings like a butterfly when he flew off. He also asked me if I thought we should alert the proper authorities considering the infamously destructive nature of these creatures. Lol.

I told him since we lived in a residential (rather than agricultural) area we were probably ok. But I asked him to let me know if he sees any more. :)
 
   

Above you see my most successful gardening venture this summer - my glorious morning glory vine!

The basil and nasturtiums have also done well.

The tomatoes, not so much.

I dare say we've used our deck more this summer than ever before. I bought some pretty sun lights for the railing ...

 

 They'll look even better when they're peeping out between morning glory blossoms. :)

 

That's all for now, folks! I hope to be back again before the start of the new year (academic, that is). I have lots of planning to do and a school room to set up. Hope to get it all done before Labor Day!

Be safe and well ~ and see you all again soon!

Morning on the Web

 

So pretty, that early morning light ...

I hope you all had a nice weekend - I spent it combing through last year's file folders, inbox piles and work baskets. Working on the end-of-year reports, due later this week - I didn't quite get it all done, but made a good start. Preparing the ed. plans for next year shouldn't take nearly as much time - we're going with Oak Meadow for all three boys so the curriculum details will be pretty straightforward. (I'm also writing a nature-based lesson plan for Earlybird, but that doesn't need to be sent in to the school dept.)

Summer sure is flying by -  it's so hard to believe we're knocking on August's door! It's been a hot and steamy one here in New England - my patio garden is thriving (herbs, tomatoes and morning glories) but our perennials out front are near dead! Today however, so far, is just beautiful - breezy, cool(ish) and bright. Oh, and don't forget: tonight is the Full Thunder Moon - be sure to look for it rising around 8:30 p.m. :)

Have a great day, my friends!

Stormy Summer Skies

 

Thunderheads, Late Afternoon, July 21st, 2010

What's that buzzing in the woods?

A cicada! Or, as we call them, heat bugs!

 

Nothing quite says summer like the lazy drone of the cicada on a really hot day ... We don't see them that often, but we do find their exoskeletons on occasion. This one was perched on the side of our tent. He's quite a prehistoric looking creature!

Rabbit, Rabbit ...

... and, Happy July!

 

 

That beautiful season the Summer! 
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; 
and the landscape 
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood. 
-   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Happy Summer!

 

(And a happy hummer!) 

The Solstice arrived at 7:28 this morning ... though it's felt like summer for weeks now, it is now officially a brand new season!

I'm sorry to have been missing these past two weeks - we've been quite busy trying to catch back up after all that "time off." Our academic year has not quite come to a close ... but we're getting there. ;)

I'll post again soon - hope your week is off to a good start!

Happy 1st of July!

In vain the cruel skies their hot rays shed; 
The lily does not feel their brazen glare. 
In vain the pallid clouds refuse to share 
Their dews, the lily feels no thirst, no dread. 
Unharmed she lifts her queenly face and head; 
She drinks of living waters and keeps fair. 

(from A Calendar of Sonnets by Helen Hunt Jackson)

I always know July is upon us when the roadsides are bursting with bright orange daylilies. I've come to think of them as the 4th of July Flower, and honestly, when you look at them they do look like colorful fireworks, exploding against the summer blue sky ...

And so, July 1st is upon us and that means the season is steamrolling along. It might be nice some fine summer evening to sit down with your family and compile a list of things you want to make sure to do before September arrives. Use the comments in my Summer Fun post as a jumping off point, but I'm sure your family will have personal favorites to share. Keep the post handy - maybe hang it on the fridge - and don't forget to correlate the ideas with your calendar. Ideas are great, but plans make memories. :)

My kids made sure to say "Rabbit, Rabbit" this morning - well, truth be told, I woke them at 7 to remind them, lol - and before the holiday weekend I'll freshen things up in the learning room once again, changing things over for a new month ahead. I'll do some housekeeping here at my blog too - new booklists and sidebar items, maybe even a new template to change things up for the season. We'll see. 

As for the file crate follow-up post - well, I'm still banging away at it! Oddly enough, writing time has been hard to come by of late. It will be up soon though, I promise! In fact, I'm taking it with me to Bookworm's orthodontist appointment this morning - every spare minute helps, lol. :)

Have a Wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

****************

The Sweetness of Summer: A Second Winner!

Well very early this morning I filled Crackerjack's bright yellow bucket hat with tiny slips of paper - each one baring the name of one of the Summer Fun commenters - there was probably an easier way to do this but at this early hour and on limited caffeine, it was all I came up with lol - we mixed them all up and then the boys chose a name, our second summer winner is ...

... Melissa R.!

Congratulations, Melissa! Please zip me a note at drhanigan AT comcast DOT net when you have a chance and we'll discuss the mailing details. :)

Now, what summer pastime does Melissa NOT want to miss this year?

Blueberry Picking!

Mmmm, blueberry picking is a must-not-miss in New England, especially if you can make it up to Maine ~ Maine blueberries are so sweet and tender! When I was a little girl I remember wild blueberries grew on the hill behind my grandparents' house. I remember sitting there on hot August days, nestled in and amongst the scrubby wild bushes, filling my tiny dixie cup with those teeny dusky blue berries - always hoping to pick enough for a pie, but never leaving many in the cup. (Most of them made their way into my mouth!)

My grandma made the BEST blueberry pies in the world. To this day I've never had better, and I now resolve to try making one this summer. Actually, a cup of coffee and a blueberry hand pie, eaten outside on a hot summer morning would be the epitome of summer sweetness ...

... or maybe a couple of these blueberry bonanza bars:

Making blueberry jam with the kids would be another wonderful August activity! If you can't pick them yourselves, a local farmer's market would be sure to have some for sale. 

Another blueberry activity - one I have saved in my August journal from last year - is to make blueberry fabric stamps.

How cute are they?!

If you are working on Christmas gifts this summer, these homemade stamps could be used to make a set of pretty notecards or recipe cards. Buy blank cards at the craftstore, along with the cork and blue and green ink pads. Purchase a length of pretty blue or yellow gingham ribbon as well - what a lovely gift and an easy hot day summer project!

A jar of that blueberry jam mentioned above would make a perfect summer hostess gift. Decorate at plain gift bag (another craft store purchase - I always keep several sizes on hand) with your blueberry stamps, pop the jam inside and tie the bag up with some ribbon.

If you have little ones, here are two favorite blueberry books I can't help but mention: 

Blueberries for Sal

and 

Peter in Blueberry Land

Thank you, Melissa, for reminding me of the summer goodness of blueberries! I've made a note in my August calendar to try some of these projects and to request those books from the library. :)

Now, my very next post will be a compilation of all the wonderful summer thoughts you all shared. (I had planned to do it here but I got a little carried away with the blueberry theme, lol ...)

And yes, I am working on that File Crate post - still! I have it about halfway done, and will hopefully get it up early this week. 

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone! Thanks as always for stopping by! :)

And my 11,111th commenter was ...

... fellow New Englander and frequent commenter, Penny in VT!

Penny's favorite things not to miss in summer are: 

"Smores made outside over an open fire!"

(This particular smore was made in NH, not VT, but close enough!)

Congratulations, dear Penny!

 Please shoot me an email at drhanigan AT comcast DOT net and we will work out all the mailing details. :)

In the meantime, I want to THANK EVERYONE who participated in my contest! I enjoyed reading through all your "summery" thoughts - 83 as of first thing this morning! I plan to do two things with all your comments ... 

First, I will cut and paste everyone's comments into a big post about the Sweetness of SUMMER ... 

And second ... I am going to draw ANOTHER WINNER tomorrow! I will add everyone's names to a basket and let the boys choose a name. I will announce the second winner on Sunday afternoon.

(Yes, that used to read Saturday evening, but I'm having some technical difficulties here!)

So feel free to keep commenting until tomorrow ...

Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone!

A Little Summer Something Fun ...

I happened to notice my blog is coming up on an interesting number of comments so I thought I'd do something fun. I'm not going to tell you how many I have to go to reach this number but whoever is the 11,111th commenter will get a little summer treat mailed to them from me! (I did something similar back in September when I gave away a copy of The Wind Children.) If you would like to enter this "contest" (for lack of a better term lol) please leave me a comment below answering this question ...

Summer comes and goes so fast, and every year I think of little things we forgot to do ... like, chase fireflies or have a backyard campout or pick raspberries or collect seaglass at the beach. What is something summery you love to do that you don't want to miss out on this year?

 

Please leave your answer below and Saturday morning I will announce the winner ...

Good Luck! :)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Summer Sights

The August Nature Shelf ~

August is just such a lovely time of year ...

The earth literally explodes in goodness, and there's just the tiniest hint of fall in the air - or rather, I should say the landscape. Our burning bush is tinged with pink, the dry lawn crunches underfoot, and the pumpkins are ripe in the garden. I truly believe it does our hearts good to feel the pull of the seasons changing, and that is why I love keeping a nature table. It's a great spot for displaying the kids' nature finds, but it's also the perfect canvas for expressing my feelings for the season at hand.

And - as I'm sure you all know - there's way more to nature than just four seasons! ;) Even living here in New England - a region famous for our four distinct seasons - we can see that there is so much more to our earth than that. We are doubly blessed - with an ever-changing natural world, and the senses with which to appreciate those subtle changes ...

So, with all that in mind, I decided it was time to retire the early summer theme of the nature table, and warm things up a bit. Here's a quick tour.

At the far left in the corner is a small shelf which holds our storm candle and nature angel (not shown) as well as our favorite book of nature prayers - it's open here to the August page.

Next comes this crusty old crab, and a bit of seashore debris just behind. The boys found all these things at the beach last month - and they were pretty sure the debris - or tools, as they saw them - gave strong evidence toward onshore mermaid activity. :) (They get a lot of intriguing ideas from this book.)

Next, we have our first two pumpkins of the year! (Remember them just a few weeks ago? How time flew!) These are called New England Pie pumpkins, and that's just what we plan to do with them.

That bird's nest will always be a part of our nature shelf, though it does seem to be slowly unraveling. We place all kinds of little things inside it - feathers, acorn caps, squirrel fur (that's the tip of a red tail in there!), dried mushrooms etc. About the two books in the picture - one is an old favorite and the other is a new and fabulous find. The other books on display here are Little Farm by the Sea, Sommer (a wordless picture book) and The Corgiville Fair, our favorite August book, by far.

And finally we have a bouquet of August's flowers, all of them found in our yard. We have butter-and-eggs, clover, blue hydrangea, orange lilies and one big red Shakespeare rose. Oooh, this all smells so good!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our Nature corner, and I hope, too, that you are enjoying your August - whatever August is like where you live. Don't forget to look around and take note - things will change before you know it. :)

Have a great day, everyone - thank you so much for stopping by!

Themes & Plans for July

Hot July brings cooling showers, apricots and gillyflowers ...

Well, I hope you are all enjoying your summer! Has it been hot where you live? Stormy or dry? We're having a good old-fashioned summer up here in New England: hot and humid, with afternoon storms nearly each day. These midsummer days are slowy creeping along, and the landscape is showing the effects of time, warmth and rain  ~ everything's popping to life! In the gardens, at the farmstands and all along the roadsides.

And, now that it's the very last day of the month, here at long last is the final installment in my seasonal series ... Themes & Plans for July.

**********************************************************************

Nature:

• daylilies burst into bloom by the 4th
• muggy mornings melt into hazy afternoons
• fireflies wink in the darkness
• bats swoop overhead at dusk
• dragonflies are on the hunt
• damselflies gleam in the sunshine
• toads lie in the cool grass
• spiders spin in shady corners
• baby birds beg at the feeders
• morning glories encircle the lamppost
• roses are withered by the heat
• weeds wage battle on the garden
• chipmunks are everywhere, chirping and scurrying along
• garter snakes sun themselves on the lawn
• thunderstorms rock the afternoons
• cicadas buzz in the woods
• crickets strike up the chorus by nightfall
• greenheads attack at the beach

Folklore:

• July's birthstone: ruby
• July's flower: larkspur
• "St. Swithin's Day if it do rain, for forty days it will remain; St. Swithin's Day if it be fair, for forty days 'twil rain no more."

Food:

• hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill
• icy cold watermelon
• corn on the cob
• fresh lemonade
• ice-cream sandwiches
• flag cake
• peaches
• plums
• nectarines
• apricots
• raspberries
• cherries
• basil
• beans
• picnic foods ~ devilled eggs, chicken salad and dilled cukes

Faith:

• July devotion: Precious Blood
• Liturgical Season: Ordinary Time
• Blessed Junipero Serra (1)
• Saint Thomas the Apostle (3)
• Saint Benedict (11)
• Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (14)
• Saint Swithin (15)
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16)
• Saint Mary Magdalene (22)
• Saint Bridget of Sweden (23)
• Saint James the Greater (25)
• Saints Joachim and Anne (26)
• Saint Martha (29)

Houseold & Garden:

• lawn mowing - careful not too cut too short!
• constant weeding of the garden
• tie and stake up growing plants
• keep van packed with beach/park supplies
• replenish sunscreen supply
• check AC units; clean filters/screens
• check/replace batteries
• clean out coolers; place ice packs in freezer
• curb water and energy usage
• write educational plans and end-of-year reports
• begin curriculum orders
• harvest and dry lavender
• purchase/replace canning supplies
• begin Christmas notebook
• deadhead flowers
• plan an autumn tea
• add all those vegetable and fruit peelings to the compost

Life:

• National Hot Dog Month
• National Baked Bean Month
• National Ice Cream Month
• Anti-Boredom Month
• Canada Day (1)
• First zeppelin flew (2)
• Dog Days of Summer begin (3)
• Wimbledon
• Independence Day (4)
• National Sugar Cookie Day (9)
• Bastille Day (14)
• Beatrix Potter's birthday (28)
• JK Rowling's birthday (31)
• Harry Potter's birthday (31)

Book Basket: For summer-inspired reading, please see my Summer Basket at left. :)

Field Trips & Outings:

• a day at the beach
• a picnic in the park, to fly kites
• attending the town parade
• watching a fireworks display
• fishing along a shady riverbank
• a weekly stop at the farmer's market

Crafts & Activities:

(First, let me direct you to the Fourth of July and Summer archives of The Crafty Crow, a fabulous place to get ideas for things to do with your children (at any time of the year).)

And, also ~

• decorate the bikes for the 4th
• make herbal honey
• net (and release) butterflies
• catch fireflies
• make a storm candle
• start a shell collection
• make sand castles
• have a Peter Rabbit luncheon on the 28th
• nap in a hammock
• make popsicles
• make a daisy chain
• go to a baseball game
• make a sundial or shadow clock
• press summer flowers
• make homemade ice cream
• make sun tea
• play croquet or bocce on the lawn
• stargaze on a warm dry night
• outdoor concert
• go raspberry picking
• make peach butter

My aplogies again, that this is so late - really, too late, I guess for this year. But I hope these themes and plans will get tucked away till next year, when we'll be blessed with all the hot, summery pleasures of July all over again. :) In the meantime, please check out my August Themes and Plans ... for that month begins tomorrow! (Can you even believe it??)

Have a great summer, everyone ~ or what's left of it ~ be safe and keep cool!

Summer in New England, con.

A few pictures from places we love, at home and up the coast ...

(Summer in New England, Part One can be found here.)

I hope you're enjoying this summery Sunday!

Summer Breakfast~

Warm and ripe on the vine. The ultimate breakfast to-go.

Stormy mornings ...

... do have their bright sides:

Rainbow Surprises

Majestic Skies

Cozy Moments

Have a cool and happy Thursday, everyone!

Thoughtful Friday ~

"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance." ~ Jane Austen

Here are my makeshift curtains for the French doors in the family room. On most days of the year I absolutely love these doors - and all the light that fills our home thanks to them - but on days like this, not so much. These "curtains" (actually a flannel sheet from one of the twin beds) may not look very elegant, but they do keep the room shady and comfortable. :)

This has been a busier week than usual for us, and I'm looking forward to a quiet and restful weekend. There's not too much on the docket: a VBS meeting, some grocery shopping, a Sunday brunch (not hosted by me) and lots and lots of ed. planning ...

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Summer in New England ...

Then followed that beautiful season, Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow