Tuesday 1 July 2008 - What Happened to Homeschooling?

Most of the posts that I added on here are from my personal paid blog space on TypePad and are not specifically homeschool related (except for the robins) so I am sure if anyone is still checking on this blog that you will wonder -- what about schooling?

I have to admit, homeschooling has sort of been taken over by real life.  Having raised 3 children who are now over 18, this doesn't give me the heebee-jeebees the way it might have in decades gone by.

Some of you already know that we had thought we were staying with the mission (finally - after quite a roller coaster ride waiting on decisions) until next spring, only to get it sprung that we had to be out in 5 months.  This meant not quitting my second job during the busy season, packing, and some panic (albeit resting in faith panic) because I still have no certainty where we will live or what work I might find and whether it will be enough to support a single parent family come August 27th.  Moving out of the bush is not the same as moving from, say, Chicago to Atlanta. 

I do feel some guilt how little time we have spent with books, and know I have a lot to make up to Brad for when this transition is behind us -- and not for the sake of academics.

We thought we would be leaving for Washington but God made one thing clear -- not to abandon the relationships with the native community of Christians that it took this long to build.  So we expect to be in Alaska still... and this year's real homeschool lesson is about listening to the still small voice of God and walking on in faith, even when we feel like saying, "Lord, I believe - help my unbelief!"

Tuesday 1 July 2008 - Learning About Robins

There was a little confusion with out ATV robins' nest over why the largest robin chick seems to be the only one remaining.  If there was a remaining chick, not willing to become a fledgling, one would expect it to be the smallest, wouldn't one?

Having raised the question, it was time for some research.  I've heard that in the grand scheme of things there are some young that will knock the others from the nest so that only the most fit survives.  Surely something as beloved as a robin could not be capable of such unhumanlike behavior?

Much to my relief, I was right -- Robins are not so barbaric.  But I did learn some things.  For example, I didn't know that most robins will have 2 nests and 2 families in a single season, and they can overlap.  I wonder if they do that in Alaska where we have shorter summers and less wonderful placement for nests out here on the tundra?  I suppose it would make more sense, really -- less chance of survival, you would want to hedge the odds in your favor as a parent.  And certainly a 14 day growing up period from hatching to fledgling is not too long even for the short Alaskan summer.

Here are links to a couple of robin blogs (one even has a lot of video links).  They made me wish we had done better documentation.  I want to say there is always next year but since my call at the mission ends abruptly on August 27th, I have no idea where we will be or what birds might live near us next summer.

 http://www.howpeg.com/robinblog2005/
 http://www.i-pets.com/rpet19.html 

Monday 30 June 2008 - Flying the Coop... Er, the ATV...

I had no idea how quickly robins grew and left the nest!  Here we see the last one left, up on the edge of the nest and looking about ready to leave...  I guess the 4-wheeler will get hauled off with no trouble about time!

Saturday 28 June 2008 - The "Other" Robins' Nest

Well, thanks to a friend's camera, we got a look at what's in the other nest without me having to lift up my 7-year-old again (we're trying to give these parents a little space, they are more skittish than the ATV robins).  It only had one egg and we thought maybe they'd lay more, but apprently not.  This one is obviously very recently hatched.

Friday 27 June 2008 - Robins Nest in the Craziest Places

It wouldn't look like a safe place for a nest to me, but I'm a human, so what do I know.  It isn't like we have lots of trees out here and I suppose an ATV engine is safer than a lot of places. 

We have had one pair of robins that always comes and makes a nest in the residential doorway of the mission radio station.  Every year I take the nest down when they have abandoned it, and every year I promise myself that NEXT year I will get out there and remove everything they could possibly nest on till after the nest building season has passed... and then every year the robins still beat me to it and I post a "Robins' Nest - Please Use Other Door" sign.

 This year we added to the drama because a 4-wheeler that we need to have hauled off was adopted by a new pair of robins.  Now we're just hoping the babies are big enough to be in the brush before we leave because we need to put the wheels back on and repair it.  The timing should be okay, but it has added some drama to the whole spring nesting period. 

Brad, of course, is thrilled.  He loves birds anyway, and in a short time he has gotten to see close up these tiny wet balls turn into something that resembles a bird by more than the beak.  We've watched the parents change from feeding them little green things (worms or catterpillars of some sort?) to something brown, and the parents have become less concerned about us coming and going from the door, and less concerned about our van, which parks quite close to them.  The one thing they still seem less than thrilled about is the whole idea of bicycles - they must seem less predictable.