ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

                      ~ birdsong ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments). 
                                              
                                     happy day!

GIFTS FROM MOTHER EARTH

 The unfurling, the blossoming, the greening, the warming, and the renewal from Mother Earth. 

It is the same each Spring, and never would I tire of it.

Spring's green bud is bursting fast, And winter's reign is o'er at last, And summer's sun Has now begun His genial beams o'er earth to cast.   A magic want in hand unseen, Decks nature in her robes of green; And liquid notes From songster's throats With music hail the brightened scene.   Rubies and pearls bedeck the morn; And golden vestments eve adorn; And life abounds, And joy resounds, Where melancholy stalked forlorn.   The flowing rivers, winds and showers, The sparkling rills, the radiant flowers, Leap and rejoice With sudden voice, Eager to test their new-born powers.   The choral anthem--incense sweet! With swelling melody replete, Fills ev'ry gale With grateful hail, The gentle influence to greet.   "Glory to the matchless sprite! Glory to effulgent Light!" Aroused from sleep, The land and deep Unceasing chorus day and night!   Should I then omit to bring My choicest gifts to welcome spring? Join in the choir With heart and lyre, And loudest in the concert sing? C.B. Langston

  

                                        

Linking to Barn Hop #8

WORDS

A quote for Monday. . . 

As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; 

to see the land as an animal does; 

to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; 

to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; 

to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees

               ~Valerie Andrews

happy day!

DUCT TAPE CREATIVITY

This is her newest duct tape creation. 

She knew what she wanted to make and went to work on it, without a pattern.

There are so many things to make using duct tape.  
Do a search and you will find directions and videos.

.

She also make a glove, but it was too small

perhaps it could be a sculpture on her shelf, titled

"talk to the hand"

Duct tape comes in a multitude of colors and designs.

And there's even a Duck Tape Club ! 

What are you going to make?

happy day!

HORSE BEHAVIOR

 They watched my every move. They knew what time it was and stood there. . .  waiting. But I had other plans for the moment.

I walked to the farthest paddock, stood by the fence, clucked my tongue and called "come here!"
They just stood looking and wondering why I wasn't feeding them now. After all, it was grain time and they knew it.


Did you know horses have incredible memories? 
Every time you interact with a horse it is a teaching moment, because they don't forget a thing. It's important to always make that last memory a positive one, or one in which the human is in charge. They are also creatures of habit expecting the same thing done at the same time. 


We both stood our ground. They weren't moving and neither was I.  We kept eye contact, but noone moved. Not until I turned my back and looked the other way.
Curiosity took over and and Lilly came running to me. It was no longer a battle of wills.

Oftentimes, when horses are unsure or confused, they will not move. But as soon as you turn your back and release eye contact, they become curious and move towards you, as long as they don't feel threatened.

Big as they are, horses are prey animals, and the least little thing can scare them and their means of protection are flight.  They would never deliberately hurt you, but being in the way of a 1200 lb equine who may run and buck out of fear, can seriously injure and even kill a person.


No matter how well a horse is trained, and how experienced a horse person is, a horse is still a horse with horse instincts. Awareness and caution keeps people and horses safe.


As soon as Lilly came running, Leah followed. Horses are herd animals and when one moves to a different area, the others will follow.

Even though it was grain time, curiosity got the better of them, and they trust me. 

They stood and posed for some pictures. Thank you my sweet beauties! Now I need to go feed grain.
                                   happy day!

Linking to:
 Photo Challenge - Outdoors at RAZMATAZ. 
 Farm Friday at Wabi-Sabi Wanderings
 Farm Friend and Farmgirl Friday  

WHIRLWIND

It has been a whirlwind of activity around here this week,  leaving me little time to blog, even though I have many things to share.


We went to the homeschool co-op on Monday;my daughter actually committing to art and sign language for the spring . 


The rest of the week is filled to the brim here: 
with Earth School, a vet visit for the horses, Teen Connection, A Nest in Nature, and a horsewoman friend coming to work with my daughter and me, with the horses. 
Luckily, it's all things I love.


It was the last week of Winter session of Earth School as the children filled their binders with all their artwork, writings and photos from the season.

It was fun to hear the chatter as they reminisced about their experiences as they looked through their pictures.

The pictures are important records of their learning. They can look at the pictures and tell you the story of that day, what they did, where they explored, what they discovered, and the happenings between each other. It's a true memory of the season.


Learning is not measured by worksheets and pieces of paper but of real life experiences.

Real, natural learning is in the living.

It's in the observing, the questioning,

the examining, the pondering, the analyzing, 

the watching, the reading,

the DO-ing, the living, the breathing, 

the loving, the joy. 

It's in the JOY.

                                         ~anne ohman

happy day! 

 A poem for Monday . . . 

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wildness?  Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet,
Long live the weeds and the wildness yet.
~Gerard Manley Hopkins

happy day!

PHOTO CHALLENGE - DOOR

 The door inside the great room looking into the front hallway.
See other photos at RAZMATAZ
                               
happy day!

GARDEN GOLD

I started my spring ritual, adding aged horse manure to the gardens today. I wanted to see how much I could get done before it snowed. Yes, snow! 


I dream of owning a tractor someday, but for now it's five gallon buckets, a shovel, a pitchfork, the golf cart and ME, back and forth from the pile to the gardens.

This particular pile has been composting more than a year. It is well over four feet high, the minimum height a pile should be, to generate enough heat to decompose properly.

The pile is too big to turn by hand so it just decomposes on the spot over time. It has clumps here and there, and that's why it's called aged manure vs. composted manure. While it  still composts, it isn't turned over and over again like composted manure which dissolves into small particles. 

Some people don't like the looks of the clumps. But they are easily broken up with a shovel or rake, and if you bring them  to your nose it smells just like earth...glorious earth.
And boy, does it makes the garden grow. It IS garden gold!

 I filled up the buckets and dumped the aged manure in the front gardens, filled with flowers, herbs, strawberries and shrubs.

Did I mention I had some helpers? 

They are very good at spreading it all around.

We also have the manure from the chickens, ducks and rabbits that we keep in smaller compost piles and add to all our gardens. It's the best fertilizer.
                     Do you have garden gold? 


                                       happy day!

Linked to Farm Girl/Farm Friend Friday blog hop hosted by Verde Farm and Deborah Jean's Dandelion House

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

                        ~ racing ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                               happy day!

SHARE WHAT YOU LOVE

Do you feel comfortable speaking to a group?  
What about talking about something you love, does it make a difference?


I decided to have *leadership* activities for the children in earth school, to encourage them to be in charge, to address the other children.  


The more you speak in front of others, the more natural and comfortable it will feel. . .  plus we all have something to give.


It wasn't mandatory to take part. Freedom and choice are huge parts of earth school, and no child would ever be made to do something he/she did not want to do. 
Encouraged ? Yes 
Made to? Never.


I asked the children if they would teach the other children how to do something or share something. It could be anything. They just stared at me blankly, perhaps thinking ..what? me teach? 


Think of something you love to do and share what you love ! 


That made all the difference!


When you share what you love, what you are passionate about, it becomes easier to speak in a group. The first few sentences might be wrought with trembling lips and a racing heart, but as you talk of your passion it all flows and your body calms down, and your love for the subject shines through.


Come and see what the children shared!


                   Finger Knitting  
She is quite adept at it and makes it look so easy.

Napkin Folding. 
He sets the table each night at home and loves to create with napkins.

Drawing a Humpback Whale.  
He draws alot, and especially loves to draw animals.

Uechi Karate. 
He is a white belt, blue bar and loves his class.

Lithuanian Words 
She is learning the language of her ancestors and was excited to share with others.

Slap Jack 
It's a fun card game he likes to play with others.

Along with modeling behavior, and giving our children freedom and choices as they grow, there are also *tools* we can give them to increase their confidence. . . like opportunities to share what they love!
  
                       happy day!