Magic Desert

I am not one of those people who think the desert is ugly or horrible. It's not that I particularly like high temperatures, but I've learned how to survive through the summer months with good air conditioning and a swimming pool. I also truly enjoy the unique beauty of the desert - especially its mountains and plants - and creosote after the rain.

Plus! Plus, there aren't a lot of other places where rivers appear and disappear like magic! Yesterday afternoon a tempestuous thunder storm rolled over us with a roar. Afterward, we went to Pittman Wash with my dad to behold the brand new and temporary river.

I've run that asphalt trail along the wash numerous times, but never when it was a riverfront route. Usually it looks like it did today, when we went back to the same spot to see.

So - as the hand is quicker than the eye, let's see that again. Now you see it:

Now you don't:

Magic! Now why would you want to live anywhere else? Well, except for Colorado. Or Pennsylvania. Or the English countryside. Every place has its charm - and its magic. I'll relish our magic while I'm here.

Seven-Word Realization

If I don't talk, I can't yell.

Why the Tears?

Why does this poem always make me cry?

You know the one:

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Last week my oldest three kids started memorizing poetry. I decided that I would join them, and I chose this one, an old fave. On the first day of school I read all the poems out loud and I couldn't get through mine without crying. I tried a few times and it actually became funny. At dinner, with Kevin joining the audience I tried again and I cried again! The line "knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back" is the tear-jerker, along with "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

I know that we can't do everything in this life - we can't choose more than one path. This bugs me, and I guess that explains the tears. I've often said I'd like to try everything at least once, but I don't have the time, true desire, or aptitude for all the paths that sound fun to me. I'm a dreamer, but I'm also finite. I guess that explains the sigh in the last stanza. And also my own tears.

I Am Science-y

In case you don't think this blog delves into human experimentation enough, I'm happy to report that I recently conducted a study. I don't think I have many readers who come here for my science, but just in case, I'll write up my findings in an official way:

Teri's Human Study #4,313 

(I am constantly involving my children, and people I see at the grocery store, in my human studies. So I have quite a bit of experience. I just don't have time to write down all my results but I'm guessing I've done at least this many studies. If not more. For a complete, typewritten list of what I think I've studied scientifically, send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope, along with $45.00)

Question: In a blind taste test, using 13 human women, which of the following brands of coffee would be most popular: Folger's? Peet's? Mystic Monk? or Dunkin Donuts?

Materials: 13 human women; 4 coffee makers; 4 brands of coffee; 52 cups; a Sharpie, writing utensils, and scoring sheets.

Procedure: Cups are labeled A, B,C, or D. A secret list is held by me, the study facilitator, which reveals which brand of coffee is designated by which letter of the alphabet. Coffee is brewed, poured, and sampled. Findings are written on sheets of paper in order of preference.

Disclosure of Errors: The coffee makers kept overloading the circuits in our laboratory, thus shutting down the power and stopping the brewing of the coffee. It was annoying. Also, I did a poor job of grinding one brand of coffee, essentially ruining it's quality and producing a coffee drink similar in taste to sewage. And not even good sewage.

Hypothesis: Subjects will like the most expensive brand. Or maybe the cheapest one.

Results: Dunkin Donuts received more votes for "favorite" than any of the other brands. Mystic Monk was least favorite. This was the brand that I messed up with poor grinding skills, though, so it should be stated that Folger's was the next least favorite. ("Next least?" Is that how a real scientist talks?) Ten of the thirteen subjects are daily coffee drinkers. One admitted to drinking an entire pot a day by herself. I will say she's a chipper type, and now I know why. Keurigs are popular. So is Splenda (these facts were revealed in the data that each subject provided). All 13 subjects wrote legibly and one used a green pen. One shared that she gets coffee free from hotels and now I'm curious how often she stays at hotels. And why. And what brand of coffee do hotels most often serve? This is a study for someone else, I haven't the time.

I participated in the study, and it should be noted that my husband insists on buying a brand that I rated #3, followed only by the sewage-flavored brand.

Conclusion: Subjects liked the mid-priced brand. And our laboratory needs some electrical work. And coffee is better with cream and sugar or fake sugar. And next time we should do wine-tasting. In the name of science, I mean.

Spacewalks and Hang-Gliding

For reasons only a professional therapist can explain, the above scene is what often pops into my brain when I consider my homeschooling experience. Maybe it's the adventure. Perhaps the otherworldliness or the loneliness. With all those comparisons, it's hard to think of what differentiates space walking from homeschooling. Maybe the biggie is that I don't have to fear getting hit in the face by micrometeoroids traveling at up to 27,000 kilometers per hour, whereas astronauts do.

If I was to consult that therapist, perhaps she could also provide some insight into why I chose this little guy as my homeschool mascot:

Yes, Hang Gliding Smurf has adorned my desk shelf since my first year of homeschooling. He symbolizes the action-packed, daredevil nature of my decision to homeschool. Maybe you don't see it. Maybe you're happy to adorn your desk with a traditional apple. I'm not against the apple. But for whatever reason the risk and wackiness displayed by Hang Gliding Smurf are more appealing. As is my decision to educate my kids at home.

Mom on the Sofa with Sun

Sitting on the sofa listening to one of the kids read. Sun coming through the window. Four year-old takes a snapshot with the iPhone, as he often does. But the photos are usually of the carpet, stuffed animals, siblings, or art work. If I'm in the photo, it's a less-than-flattering view of my backside because it's funny to take butt-shots, or because I just got in the way. This time, he got me in a rare quiet moment. Not yelling, or commanding, or directing. Just listening. I'd like to listen more, it makes for a nicer picture.

The Year Begins

First Day of School

2012-2013

Cayna - 4th Grade

John - Pre-Kindergarten

Joseph - 6th Grade

Bethanie - 2nd Grade

My memories from today: New shirts! Cayna chose a fancy sleeveless blouse. Bethanie a cute and sparkly butterfly t-shirt. Joe went with Captain America, and John R2-D2. Their personalities are well-represented in their choices.