First flowers, daffodils, bud stage. We're seeing it half-way here.
Jasmine, now in bloom. And finally the unstoppable vine we knew it would become!
Giant Sequoia, taking over a section of the yard. Fun fact via Rainer: "Redwoods make their own rain by holding onto fog and it drips down onto the ground below it."
Cherry tree.
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Ok, wildness and equilibrium. Living with it. Thatch ants were marching into our outdoor living space. We had to do something. Us or them kind of situation. So in defense from the wild ants, we are seriously disrupting their expectations. No poison, but some boiling water and a forced redirection of their expansionist goals.
"i don`t want to hurt the ants, but i`ve been bit by them several times, and we have three nests in our
yard. i can`t even use the sprinkler!"-Frida
Three documentaries we watched as we decided on a strategy to battle the ants in our yard:
Just a side thought:
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At the edge of our wilderness, the little free library stands in good shape. Lots of neighbors are adding and taking books. What a rewarding project this has been. Below is a picture of a random day recently. There are a wide variety of books in there: children's, sci-fi, recent fiction, non-fiction. The notepad says, "This is an amazing resource you provide for your neighborhood. Thank you for the experience. Sincerely [scribbled signature]". Thank you, neighbor!
Some generous, thoughtful, anonymous library user gave us the book
about "the adventures of an urban wildlife lover who turned his yard into habitat and learned to live with it." Just like us! How cool that this unknown local reader connected with us.
That book reminds me of another gift to our family about this same theme of starting small and without much knowledge:
Thanks, Aunt Patricia!
Thanks, Shelley, for the apt Hafiz poem.
Adding all these resources and more to our blog's list, which is what we do here at Sequoiadendron Homeschool Academy. The list begins to document more than ten years of homeschooling for our family. What fun we have been having!
Thanks, Shelley, for the apt Hafiz poem.
Adding all these resources and more to our blog's list, which is what we do here at Sequoiadendron Homeschool Academy. The list begins to document more than ten years of homeschooling for our family. What fun we have been having!
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"i was nailing nails into a board. i nailed it onto our swing platform, and realized i could
hang my coat onto it. it was not a coat rack on purpose. "-Frida
Garlic
Blueberry bushes blooming!
We are trying for a small catnip farm, maybe a non-profit.
"oddly, the cats aren't going for the catnip...maybe it needs less cat, more nip, if you know what I mean," says Rainer.
"oddly, the cats aren't going for the catnip...maybe it needs less cat, more nip, if you know what I mean," says Rainer.
"i love eating sourgrass... it is sprouting in the back and in the front. the only problem is,
3 cats hang around our yard, and some of them might have marked their territory around the sourgrass!"-Frida
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All are amazed by the green growth these days, and the shapes of leaves.
All are amazed by the green growth these days, and the shapes of leaves.
"i was barefoot once, and mom told me to be careful of that sharp plant, and i said ok, and then i
stepped in one and screamed!"-Frida
Ecium bush/huge hedge.
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Video coverage of the frog sanctuary:
Frogs thrive here.
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"i feed our two bunnies, hodge-podge and sherbert, treats. i sometimes grab a handful of
grass and get a long blade of grass to tie the other grass together. i call them
'grass ghosties'."-Frida
"i started a new garden. i churn the soil up every week so it gets rich.
it now has 4 plants. my boots are covered in mud now. it is filthy rich!"-Frida
