This poor blog is as neglected as our garden come September! I really have let it go. But I promise to try harder to post here more often.
I've been kinda avoiding blogger since I put aside painting during our increasingly busy "school" days. It takes me a long time to "do" a painting - from the sketching to the application of color to the varnishing - weeks. Plus it's a rather solitary activity & I haven't had the opportunity to spend even relatively small chunks of time alone with my thoughts. So I've felt like a little less than myself - being not able to create much for myself.
But recently I came across some information about antique and vintage cloth dolls. SO Gillian and I rummaged around in my cloth stash and she selected the fabric she wanted for the doll and the embroidery floss colors for the hair and eyes. It took a couple of afternoons and I had the doll all together. The hair is not the best, but it was my first try, and her first outfit is still in the making. But Gillian is pleased and has dubbed her doll "Jupiter."
Last Saturday we bundled Charles up and Cole donned his hunting gear and they headed out just after 4Am for Charles' first goose hunt. Since he's only 8, he has not yet had his required hunter's ed course. So he didn't have a gun, but he still had a great time. Cole said he was very excited at all the flocks of geese & surprised at how loud they were.
Charles said his favorite part was the "doofus goose." Apparently there was a solo bird flying back and forth between their blind and another fellow's about a quarter mile over. The bird seemed to be looking down at them & flying rather slowly, but none of the shots from either blind hit him, and he repeatedly passed from one to the other. He was high enough to be out of range, perhaps he knew it.... But Charles is pretty sure he had a smaller than average "Bird Brain." The Doofus Goose eventually flew slowly off, leaving the boys both frustrated and amused. Charles is very eager to get out and hunt with his daddy again as soon as possible.
Tuesday the kids and I accompanied a group of local homeschoolers on a visit to the Putnam Museum for a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit. A number of the displayed inventions were made especially for the children to handle. We later joined a few families who stayed to wander through the rest of the museum and see the permanent exhibits. It was a wonderful day.
Cole is spending the weekend taking advantage of the final deer season. We really want to get one more to restock the freezer. It's hard to describe exactly how much his overall health has improved since we've started eating primarily game. He had been having a lot of pain in the joints of his feet and his stomach was always painful. Now he rarely complains of either!
He's repeatedly said he doesn't want to go back to the pork and beef from the store. He thinks it is the lower fat content of the venison, goose, pheasant, rabbit, fresh eggs, etc... I think it's that and a bit more... I can't help wondering about all the medications that are given to livestock to keep them healthy - not so with wild game, nor our rabbits & chickens. But that's my little paranoid thing.
So. I think that's good enough for today.
They had a terrific time. Charles caught 3 bass and many bluegill. Cole was so proud of how focused Charles was on the fishing. 
They had a terrific time. Charles caught 3 bass and many bluegill. Cole was so proud of how focused Charles was on the fishing. 
