Passing the Time

Thane finally had a great morning fishing.  He got 5 catfish and 1 trout last Saturday.  He was THRILLED!

We played another round of Chopped too.  The ingredients were canned hash, powdered cheese, a can of peaches and corn muffin mix.

For the first time Annabel came out in the lead for both flavor and presentation.  She made a biscuits and gravy sauce to pour over her corn muffins, which were made with chopped peaches.  She also made a yummy peach butter to put on the muffins. 

We received official notification that homeschooling has been extended to the end of the school year.  While not a surprise, this news was a disappointment in some ways.  Despite the restrictions we are muddling through and are grateful that our loved ones are healthy and safe.

Nature Walks

We've been taking daily 3 mile walks to get some fresh air and to make scientific discoveries.  One cool thing that we've observed over the winter is a tree down the road that has a number of huge nests in it.  Turns out that they were blue heron nests, and these majestic birds are back sitting on their eggs.  So cool!

Thane's gone fishing in Little Goose Creek several times, although the fish have remained elusive. Speaking of elusive, we've also seen a couple of camera-shy mink swimming along the creek several times.

Unfortunately less savory critters are also out in abundance now that warmer weather has arrived.  Here's Thane with a snake - one of over a dozen that we found in a nest by the creek.  As long as it stays by the creek!!

Creativity and Other Bull

Homeschooling, it turns out, goes much more quickly than regular school which leaves the kids with extra time on their hands.  Annabel often uses her spare time to draw or do crafts.

Thane, on the other hand, spends time outdoors or builds thing in the garage.  This is a rodent trap that Thane found online and tried to replicate using mostly recycled materials.

The kids have also done some special projects for Easter, including egg decorating.

In lieu of our weekly Chopped competition, the kids decorated Easter cakes.  Annabel's was colorful and had lots of beautiful swirls and glitter (imagine that?!?)

Thane took a more pastoral approach with his barnyard design.  If you look closely, you might notice that the bull is contributing to the, um, fertilization of the field.

There's nothing like a 10 year old boy to keep it real!

Chopped - Part 2

We recently played another round of Chopped, which the kids hope to make a permanent part of our weekly routine.  This week's ingredients were:

Thane made a chicken, kidney bean, cheeto and potato hash with a lovely grapefruit vinaigrette.  His spice of choice was garlic powder, and the whole meal was delicious!

Annabel chose to make eggs, bacon and hashbrowns seasoned with dill.  On the side she served a cheeto and chicken dip with carrots.

Once again Thane won for originality, but Annabel (with her adorable new glasses!) finished in a close second with good flavor and a beautiful presentation.  

Spring break ended earlier this week, and we are slowly getting back into our new home schooling regimen.  I'm not sure when we'll have time to do another round of our favorite cooking game, but we'll be sure to keep you posted when we do. Until then, stay well!

April Fools!

After more than two weeks of balmy weather, yesterday we awoke to several inches of snow that had fallen overnight.  It hasn't stopped snowing since.  April Fools indeed!

Well played, Mother Nature.  Well played. 

Others

Like the rest of the world, we have been trying to find creative ways to keep ourselves occupied during the quarantine.  For the most part our weather has been lovely and spring-like, and we have spent several days outdoors raking our large yard and garden.  We've also gone on daily walks and/or bike rides.

We have come up with a daily schedule, which includes a new thing for us. We call it "others" time, and we spend this 45 minutes a day trying to do something for loved ones and neighbors.  We've made cookies for a local nursing home and artwork to send in care packages to family.  More importantly we spend time praying for our country, leaders, healthcare workers, researchers, family & friends.

This whole pandemic is a total mess.  Others speak far more eloquently about our current reality's ups (increased family time) and downs (grievous loss, decreased freedoms), and I have little to add.

But one thing does come to my mind each time I dwell on our collective situation:  others.  Perhaps my feelings are best summed up by a song written by a dear friend Laurel Elderkin:

Others, Lord. Yes, others.
Let this my motto be.
That I may live for others,
And others live through me.