Jul. 26, 2008 Preparing for Migration
For the past several years our family has bemoaned the fact that we were in an isolated little pocket of houses that could not get high-speed internet service. None of the cable companies provide service here, our telephone company does not provide service in this area, and satellite service was financially out of the question for us. This would all be very understandable if we were "out in the boondocks", but we are in a major metropolitan area with high-speed all around us! There were so many great on-line opportunities that we felt we were missing with our limited dial-up connection!
Recently we found a way that we could afford to have satellite internet service installed and be able to budget the monthly expense. We were ecstatic! We could finally do all the things on line that we had previously been unable to do! So, this past week we had satellite service installed. Once it was up and running we had our three computers all happily using the internet at the same time; updating programs, surfing and watching videos, etc. when we suddenly lost the ability to load even the simplest web pages! There was nothing wrong with the signal; we just couldn't do anything anymore! Now what?
We checked our control page and found that we had "exceeded the fair access policy threshold". What's THAT??? Further investigation revealed that we had a limit (determined by our plan) to the number of megabytes we could download in a 24-hour period. Once exceeded, the system slowed our speed WAY DOWN for the next 24+ hours until our system recovered! But, nothing, told us what that "threshold" limit was! So we turned everything off and started waiting out our 24-hour recovery period.
As the 24-hour "recovery period" expiration approached, my husband called the company to get more information about this limitation so that we could determine how to prevent this from happening again. One of the first questions was: what is the download threshold limit for our plan? The answer was 200 MB! We are running 3 computers on this connection so that limit encompasses everything that all three computers do! As anyone who uses the internet and maintains a computer knows, 200 MB is NOTHING!
I think our situation is a little like that of the birds who congregate on the power lines each autumn preparing to migrate to a warmer climate for the winter. I imagine that the immature little birds must think that they'll just jump off that wire and instantly be in a nice warm climate with a lot of food. Of course we, and the older wiser birds, know that the journey will take some time, food along the way may be hard to find, and the birds will have to learn the way patiently, with many stops and re-evaluations. Apparently, our journey to internet abundance will be much the same as we slowly learn to schedule our updates and manage our downloads to live within the boundaries that are set for us.
Hmmm ... boundaries ... now there's another thought .... for later!
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Jul. 24, 2008 Sonshine and Shadows
It's funny...the things the Lord uses to speak to our hearts. Like the idea of shadows. I receive a daily devotional from Alpha Omega Publications called "Daily Focus". The title of the message dated Wednesday, July 23, 2008 was "Shifting Shadows". The author was reflecting on how the Lord used the idea of shadows to provide an art lesson to her children and a spiritual lesson to her about perspective. I suppose this stuck with me because, at the same time, my husband and I have been reading the book "Peter and the Shadow Thieves" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson with our 10-yr. old son. In the book the evil inhuman (spiritual?) force is Lord Ombra. His ability to control a person has to do with his being able to "steal" the person's shadow. Of course this is much easier if the shadow is lengthened by a light-source coming from a plane that is low to the ground so that it causes a long shadow to be cast. The same would have been true for the art lesson on perspective while taking an evening walk when the sun is low in the sky. It would have caused elongated shadows to be cast on the ground.
After I read this I found myself meditating on the spiritual lessons of shadows even more. It occurred to me that as long as the sun is directly overhead, there is very little shadow cast, if any. But as the sun moves lower in the sky, shadows lengthen until eventually darkness overtakes all. I began to realize that as long as I stayed directly under the full "light" of the Son (in Whom there is no darkness), I would not "cast any shadow" (of what? Doubt? Unbelief? Sin?) on the world around me; but the more I lag behind Him, the more of "my" shadow (my human nature, my weaknesses, etc.) would be cast around me. How do I lag behind Him? By not spending time with Him daily. By getting distracted by the concerns of life and wandering off in a different direction than He has been leading me. How easy it is for the Evil one in the world today to get a hold of my shadow and strengthen his hold on me when I do not stay in the full light of the Lord of glory!
My prayer today is that, when I begin to see the shadows lengthening around me and the darkness increasing, I would remember to look at where I am in proximity to the Son! I want to remain directly under His light! May your every day be filled with the brightness of the Son!
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Jul. 19, 2008 Bye-bye Birdies
Yesterday the moment that we've been waiting for finally arrived! The only thing was, it wasn't a "moment" it was hours and we were more nervous than either the fledglings or the parents! I had laid down in the afternoon for a nap that my body would no longer avoid and slept for about an hour. I woke up to the sound of my sons talking excitedly and running up and down the hall outside my door. My first half-conscious thought was that "the birds have fledged!". Actually the cause of their excitement was from a whole different realm. I got up anyway, still a bit groggy, and began checking on the status of laundry and plans for supper. I was about to ask my older son to take the garbage out when he walked out the door before I could get my request in. He came back in excitedly telling me to get my camera because two of the four baby birds were on the ground - this time they were alive ... thankfully! I assumed that when the time came, the babies would just fly away and that would be the end of it, but that is not at all how it unfolded! Two of the babies were on the ground just sitting there, and the other two were still on the edge of the nest up on the light fixture. Over the next two hours, one of the two on the ground kept fluttering across the ground about 5-6 feet at a time until it was out in the middle of the driveway. It looked to us like the two in the nest had pushed these two out and that they were unable to fly even though the parent-birds were fluttering around chattering and calling to them. My husband finally put some grass clippings in a box and got the one that wasn't moving at all to hop into the box and then went to retrieve the other one in the driveway. It fluttered out of his reach a few times but he eventually got it into the box and put the box with both babies on top of the dog house. Within a few minutes the more active one of the two was again out of the box and fluttering its way toward where the mother-bird was calling to it. It made it's way all the way across the side yard right up to the edge of the brush. The mother kept bringing food to it and encouraging it to follow her. By now the other two were perched very precariously on the light fixture and weren't even in the nest anymore. When our supper was grilled we all went in to eat.
As soon as supper was over, I went outside to check on the fledging situation and found that there wasn't a baby bird to be found! I could hear them all over in the brush at the back of the side yard near where the one was still on the ground and the parent-birds were still fluttering nervously around the area. Later, after a walk I checked again and while I could still hear the soft little chirps, I could no longer find any of the babies. The mama-bird had somehow rounded them all up and gathered them together where she could continue to feed and care for them. It was amazing to me that this whole process actually took about 4 or 5 hours!
This morning I could still see both parent-birds gathering food and taking it back to that same area of brush to feed the babies. These Eastern Phoebes perch on the run-line for our dog and catch insects on the fly from there. Any day now I expect to see four little birds with short tails sitting up there and following their parents' example as they learn how to hunt for their own food!
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Jul. 18, 2008 And Then There Were Four
Shortly after writing my previous entry ("On the Edge" July 15, 2008) about how big and strong the baby birds were getting to be, we noticed one that didn't look very good. It seemed smaller, and hanging it's head over the edge of the nest weakly, appeared to be failing. We've all heard the term "survival of the fittest", and heard stories of how animals (and birds?) will abandon or force from the nest one that is sick or dying. I don't know if that is what happened but one of our little "peeps" was found dead yesterday with it's head wedged between the cement slab outside our front door and the foundation of the house. My older son and I left for a brief time to fulfill his commitment to care for a friend's cat while the family was on vacation. When we returned, our dog was up on her hind legs just under the place where the birds are nested, tugging at the line that tethers her to the house barking furiously at something out in the yard. We jokingly call her our "squirrel dog" and as we have an over-abundance of gray squirrels invading our bird-feeders, we assumed she was barking at a squirrel. Checking the nest quickly as we ducked in the front door, I only counted three little beaks poking out of the nest. I've never actually observed the moment when the nestlings "fledge" so I've been keeping close track of their progress hoping to see the moment! Concerned that I missed something, I went back outside to count the babies again and that's when I noticed the little feet sticking up in the space where the cement slab has pulled away from the foundation of the house. It must have fallen, been pushed, or jumped out of the nest and taken a nose-dive onto the cement below. Maybe it was already dead and was pushed out of the over-crowded nest; I guess I'll never know. It was sad. When I went to pick up the little body and dispose of it away from our front door, it was so tiny and frail. What made the difference between this one and the others? Was it the youngest? (Not all eggs are laid on the same day, maybe they don't all hatch the same day either. With such a short time to mature, one or two days would make a huge difference! Did the bigger, stronger siblings demand (and receive) most of the parents' attention and feeding?
I've been wondering what the "lesson" is for me in this experience. Even though I only have two in my "nest", maybe it's a warning to pay closer attention to the needs of the youngest and smallest one. I'm so preoccupied with getting my older son through his Algebra I (that we had to start over in April and now need to complete before beginning the new school-year and with planning and preparing for "next year") that my younger son is spending a lot of time just hanging around, watching TV and being bored. We had been doing Math with him, too, but I just wasn't able to give him much attention and I was concerned that his frustration would establish the feeling that he "just can't do Math", so I decided to let it go and let him have a summer break, and pick it up again in September.
I think I'll try to be more aware of my youngest "nestling's" need for attention and nurturing in the midst of the demands and clamoring of the day! |
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Our state's homeschool requirements state that my children have to take a standardized achievement test annually. A variety of tests are permitted and results do not have to be submitted. In compliance with this requirement, my children were administered the Peabody Individual Achievement Test yesterday. This is the second year we have chosen this option and find it a painless, and encouraging method to meet the testing requirement. The young man who tests the children comes to our home and the tests are given orally. There is no writing required - something that helps my reluctant writers to concentrate on the test question instead of the task of writing answers. Most of the test is multiple choice and the test results are given to us as soon as the testing session is over. It takes less than 1 hour for each student and the fee is very comparable to other written achievement tests.
Like most homeschool parents, I regularly question whether my children are learning all they need to, and whether they are up to "grade level" in all of their subjects. While I realize that the testing does not adequately reflect the education my children are receiving, the "fear" of the testing often overshadows our homeschool year. I breathe a sigh of relief when the testing is over and I can see how they compare to national results. My children and I are encouraged to see that they consistently receive good scores and fall into the upper percentile ranks. When my 4th grader sees that his reading comprehension is comparable to a 10th graders, for instance, he is encouraged to work at his reading comprehension assignments.
So many of us worry and fret over whether we are able to provide an adequate education and whether we admit it or not, we are concerned that we can do that at least as well as and hopefully better than the public school system can. The testing provides, if nothing else, at least the confirmation that we are accomplishing that goal. Should I slack off now, feeling assured that my children are doing "great"? Not by any means! As their parent, I know that they have a long way to go to be capable of the excellence that I desire to see them achieve! Our goal is not to do well in the annual test, but to make the most of the giftings, talents, and abilities that the Lord has given each one. I desire that they are fully equipped to fulfill the plans that He has for them. And so, we press on toward the goal.... |
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
|
|
|
|
My Nest
I love bird-watching! God has taught me so much from the close observation of these small wonders of His creation which He has promised to provide for in every way. They have been both my example and my encouragement. I hope you will find good things to nourish and build up your nest as you visit mine!
A Bird's Eye View
Or... What I'm Reading
Home-Designed High School
by Diana Johnson
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
My Perches
Home
View my profile
Archives
Email Me
My Blog's RSS
Flying Lessons
Here you will find links to some of our favorite
websites for curriculum and resources!
Hands of a Child
Nest-Building
Do you need a little help getting (or keeping) your
nest in order? Here are some websites that you may give you
some useful ideas and resources:
Flylady.net
Birds of a Feather
Did you enjoy your time here? Let me know if you'd like to join my "flock"!
Flight Plan to Fun
Word of the Day
|
| Definition: |
A broad, flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides, common in the southwest United States. |
| Synonyms: |
table
|
Quote of the Day
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule.
Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900) |
|
|
