Month: August 2014

Tech Genius

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Claire has become extremely tech-knowledgable. She knows that she only has to delicately tap on the keyboard  with a carefully pointed finger to cause the computer to wake up. She does this frequently and then beams at her own cleverness. She also knows what the iPad is, and that she can interact with it by touching the screen. One day she happened to found it charging, and grabbed it- cord and all.

Here she tries to turn it on:

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But she doesn’t understand the concept of ‘out of charge’, so she was a bit confused when it didn’t turn on.

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And she realizes she is caught!

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Curiosity

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   I’ve let milkweed grow in my garden for four years, and this is the first year I have anything to show for it. This week I found not one, but three monarch eggs attached under the leaves, so I brought them inside. Many of the younger boys have not seen or don’t remember the butterfly life cycle, so I’m excited that they can watch the little miracle this summer.  Dominic and the other boys could not believe how small the caterpillar was when it hatched.
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(Mom says to tell you that this is bedhead.)

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All That is Gold

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The last time I updated my blog was March of 2010. When I named it  ‘Pointe Shoes and Paper Airplanes’ I was just about to turn fifteen, raising sun conures, starting geometry, and didn’t even have my drivers license yet. Things have changed a lot since then, and I started wanting to rename my blog to reflect that. I also was itching to change the appearance to allow larger pictures more ways to personalize this little corner of the internet.

Finding a new title was hard. Mom suggested that I find a phrase from a favorite book, and Lord of the Rings came to mind. The author, J. R. R. Tolkein, wrote many beautiful poems in it, and his wording is lovely. The first line of one stuck out to me: “All that is gold does not glitter”.  A turning of Shakespeare’s warning against trusting outward appearances “All that glisters is not gold.” In Tolkein’s rewording, it becomes advice to look deeper than the surface, for the most precious things are not often of monetary value. The most beautiful moments of life may appear dull and drab to an outsider. It seemed perfect for this blog, which chronicles the small but golden times in the life of our family.

 All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Falling Stars!

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   It is time to glance upwards after dark again, the ever faithful Perseid meteor shower will be picking up speed all this week until the peak through the 11-13.  I am hoping for a clear night sometime this week, as there are a lot of cloudy and rainy days forecasted up ahead. There will be a growing moon, but in past years that has not even stopped me and my siblings from seeing some, even from our house in the city. Happy stargazing!

Joseph and Bandit

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Bandit is the first of several rabbits that we acquired lately. I and several other people in my family have severe allergies to cats and dogs, so pets so far have been pretty much limited to things with feathers. We found out, though, that rabbits do not cause a reaction, so now we are able to have a furry animal sit on our laps. Bandit is friendly, and likes to have his head rubbed a lot. All the boys like him, but Joseph, always the one who takes time for the animals, is extra fond of him. Here he is taking Bandit outside for some time to run around:

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