We're Back to Bloggin' Baby!

      I recently read a quote in a book ("The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown) that pointed out the communicating wasn't the same as connection.  She says "Sometimes we only THINK we’re connected.  Technology, for instance, has become a kind of imposter for connection, making us believe we’re connected when we’re really not - at least not in the ways we need to be.  In our technology-crazed world, we’ve confused being communicative with feeling connected."

I have been using Facebook for the past few years, instead of this blog, in order to "connect" with my family members and friends far away. Occasionally, a post will engender a deeper, more meaningful conversation with one person, but that is a rare occurance. Over othe years, I've come to see that only two or three people are really intersted in engaging in anything beyond a "thumbs up" or "Congrats!" It has made me re-consdier why I put certain things up on FB. It is not really creating that connetion to family that I had hoped for. I was "communicating" a lot, but "connecting" very little.

     One major downside of using Facebook, is how difficult it is to find your own past posts.  I love how this blog site is organized by months and years, so I can easily use it to document my own dear family, for myself mainly, but also for my kids, and anyone else who really cares enough to check it.  I love how I can click on a year and month and see a childs birthday party, a grandparents visit, or a fun vacation.  Facebook is not set up for being a long term memory repository.  So, We're Back BABY! 

So, let's get some JULY 2023 Highlights in here!

   First up... FAIRS and 4-H Projects!   They are so much work getting ready, but worth it. The kids compted in the local Stoughton Fair the first week of July, then entered a few items in the larger Dane County fair the folloiwng week.

       I started a homeschool 4-H club in Stoughton this past fall.  The kids voted for the name "Clover Vikings" 4-H club.  Actually, they voted for "Kitten School", (we have some very young club members) but Sylvia said she refused to be a part of a club named that, so we negotiated a second choice name that was acceptable to everyone. LOL 

I was so proud to see Sylvia try some new projects.  Archery became a favorite. She and I continue to shoot longbows together at a range in Madison once a week.  She also taught herself to weave a basket, and how to do some woodcarving.  I'm proud of this creative, determined girl.

Sylvia at the Dane County Fair 4-H compeition shoot

It was Ephraim's first year showing a chicken.  This is "Nix". It was going great, until "Nix" jumped out of his arms, and starting bolting away under the judges table!  Ephraim is an excellent chicken wrangler though, so she was quickly caught. That little adventure cost him a few points though, so he got a red ribbon in "showmanship" instead of a blue. It's something to work towards next year!

We enjoyed walking around with the Johnsons one evening, looking at the animals and projects together. It was fun to watch them washing the pigs, and see the highschool kids resting in the pens, draped over their cows!

Sylvia showed 5 chickens, but "Artemis" was the only one who got a blue ribbon.

Ephraim tried out almost all the rides by himself.  I hope to find him a carnival buddy for next year. He was pretty fearless about riding the big swings. His favorite was the "gravitron" which pushes you against the sides as it spins and tilts upwards.  He thought it was cool because astronauts train on machines like it.

Seeing the giant "Best of Show" ribbon on his fishing project poster was an exciting moment!  He did an amazing job learning about muskie lures, and explaining his poster to a judge.

I do not know why funnel cakes are amazing... they just are!

Ephraim and his projects (minus "Nix")

Sylvia and her projects, minus her chickens.  She does seem to have lots of chickens in her photography and watercolor exhibits though.

Sylvia's chickens were not happy about being "cooped up" in the chicken crate as we transported them back home from the fairgrounds.

I thought this painting on wall at the Dane Co Fair was hillarious!

    Going out for brunch on Thursday after the Poultry Show was one of my favorite fair moments.  We'd been in a huge rush that mronig to get to the show on time (8AM) and didn't have time for breakfast.  We spent about 3 hours with the chickens, wiping off their beaks and feet right before it was thier turn to be judged.  Some parts went great, others were challenging (like one of Syliva's birds getting disqualified because of a comb deformity that we knew nothing about.)  So, it was with a great sense of relief that we could plop down together at the Pancake Cafe, and order warm and filling food, as we talked over how the morning had gone.

Sylvia had some amazing photos this year. I love the variety of texture, subjects, color and focus she had.   We also learned that even if one projesisonal photographer thinks something is a great photo, another judge might not agree.

The kids are already thinking about what they'd like to enter next year for exhibits.  Ephraim has already started taking photographs.   It's fun to have an annual goal/deadline to work for, where their hard work and learning is rewarded and celebrated. (And.. there are always funnel cakes... and the smell of funnel cakes..... and if yuou want to see the joy a funnel cake can bring you.. just check out the next photo!)

Halloween 2019

    We made it to Trienen farms with other homeschoolers for a day in the pumpkin patch and corn maze. Sylvia went thorugh the maze with her friends while Ephraim and I got a wagon ride to pick a pumpkin.

It is neat to see Ephraim growing up.  This year, he was able to carve his own pumpkin entirely by himself. 

I tried a pintrest cupcake/Oreo snack.  It actually turned out pretty well!

 Rowen (dressed as a dwarf barbarian) and Sylvia (dressed as a dragon-born) went out trick-or-treating together.  Both play Dungeons and Dragons with Sean, thus the costumes.  Ephraim was sad he couldn't go with them, but he is a slower walker and gets tired too fast.

 I went out with Ephraim and we had a good time going to even the scarey-decorated houses this year.  (Last year, he refused to walk on the same side of the street if something looked scary.)  He went for a long time, then came home to hand out candy and eat his own.

  

Having Ephraim around makes holidays fun.  I love making these memories with him.

Ephraim and Mom's first solo campout!

  Ephraim wanted to go camping with me.  I figured it would be an easy and fun adventure to drive 5 miles north to the closest State Park and camp a Friday night with him. It was much more stressful than I would have anticipated.

     It started out well, we got there and set up camp. It was cool, but I had packed plenty of warm gear.  I was hurrying to get everything set up before dark.   What I didn't know, was that by keeping our van hatch open to unload stuff, I burned the battery out.  The car wouldn't start when I got in it to drive back to campground host to buy firewood.   It was dark, cold, and we had no transportation.  My cell had been lost at the coast, so I had nothing to call home for help with.   It was actually very scary.   I tried to keep brave with Ephraim there.  Very few people were in the area.   We walked for a long ways back to the campground host, who said he couldn't help me, or let me use his phone.  But, he did sell me some firewood so we could have a fire for s'mores that night, which is the main point of camping, in Ephraim's opinion.

   After s'mores we got snuggled in bed, and we read with our flashlights for a while.   I prayed hard that we would be safe.  The next morning was beautiful.   I again put on a happy face so Ephraim would not be stressed, and tried our van. It was still dead.

Ephraim enjoyed playing at our campsite, while I made hot chocolate for us.

 I had talked with the campground host, who said the rangers drove through the park mid day, and I could ask them for a jump. So.. we waited.  And waited.  And explored the area by our camp.

      When I finally saw a ranger truck, they said they were busy. They had to meet some other rangers at the lake to take out buoys, but could drive to our campsite and jump start the van in the afternoon.  This was not ideal for me, but what other choice did I have.  So, Ephraim and I went on an adventure hike down to the lake, and I introduced him to slingshots.  We blasted off a lot of tree bark together.

   We hiked back to our campsite at noon, to be sure to be there if the rangers ever showed up. All our gear was packed and ready to head home as soon as we had power.    I decided to try the van one more time, thinking how stupid I'd look if the rangers showed up, and the van started up.  I got in.. AND IT WORKED!    I was amazed. I got Ephraim in and we quickly drove home before something else happened.   I was soooo relieved to get home.

        This outing led me to buying a new cell phone.  It had felt so horrible to be stranded with no way to call for help. I just kept praying we wouldn't have an emergency, like Ephraim falling into the fire, or having an allergic reaction, or something that would require medical help. 

     When we got home, we looked up a mushroom we had found on the trail (and smashed) to learn about it.  It had been HUGE!  We found it was called a"puffball" mushroom, and was safe to eat.  So, we drove up, gathered some of the chunks from where Ephraim smashed it, and took them home to saute in butter.   - Verdict?  - Meh.   Tasted mushroomy.   

    

This was definitely a more stressful and memorable camp than I had expected.  I hope we will have many future camping adventures that don't have me praying for deliverance all night. 

SCA: Battle armor and archery!

  We tried the SCA youth combat and archery practice this fall and winter.   Ephraim did really well in the combat portion.  Sylvia and I enjoyed the archery. 

   The SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) is a group that tries to replicate medieval arts, music, and battle as much as possible.  They are serious about their scholarship, but also very welcoming to anyone who is curious and just wants to give it a try. 

Ephraim trying a pole-arm.

This weapon takes different tactics than an axe or sword.

Sylvia working on her form.

Ephraim borrowing an adult fighters gauntlets to try on.

This is one tough girl!

Sylvia in battle training.

Ephraim taking on a small competitor.

Ephraim looking fierce with a battle axe.

New Chickens!!!

CHICKENS!!!!   Yes, we got a new batch of chics this fall.  Their birthdate was Sep 10, 2020.  We get them mailed to us with in 48 hours of them hatching.

It was as exciting as opening up a gift on Christmas morning!

We borrowed our friends (the Johnsons) box for keeping the young chics warm the first month.  

After a month, they will go outside with heating lamps, and Sylvia will get her room back.

Baby chickens bring out the best in people.

Sassy Cow Creamery tour, Sept 2020

 We started out the year going on a really cool fieldtrip to a local dairy, Sassy Cow Creamery. It was amazing to see all the science that went into dairy products. 

Ephraim and Sylvia enjoyed petting the cows.

 It was hypnotizing to watch the carousel rotate, and the cows get on and off.

We went to the dairy's cafe afterwards, the view was classic Wisconsin beauty.

The ice cream was good as well!  I look forward to taking people here next summer.

C