[Memorial] Monday Musings...

Memorial Thoughts...

Grandpa, with one of my cousins

My maternal grandfather trained as a fighter pilot between the World Wars. There's a very handsome picture of him somewhere in a family album, with his aviator helmet and a long scarf. But, despite his training, when war actually came, he couldn't do it. He couldn't fight and kill people. He registered as a conscientious objector instead, which was first recognized as an option during WWII. And yes, he served his country all the same, as a cook for a war orphanage in the Philippines. I am incredibly proud of him for that -- being a co was not a popular option in that time period or place.

My other Grandpa

My paternal grandfather was not in combat either. He worked on Mare Island, lining the inside of submarines with handcrafted wood paneling and inlays. He was a woodworker all his life, and built a dollhouse for me when I turned seven, which naturally I still have.

Outside My Window...
We have temperatures in the 80s and 90s lately, thankfully cooling down at night a bit. Sunny, clear skies for the most part, although sometimes lately we have had gorgeous piles of billowing white clouds on the horizon. We have a squirrel or two that moved into the neighbor's elm tree, and that chuckle away manically every afternoon. And yesterday we saw a mother turkey with her baby on our way to derby practice -- what a cute little fluff ball the baby was!

In My Kitchen...
I'm slowly collecting and trying out recipes to go with what we are growing in the garden, such as these delicious enchiladas, which will make good use of the zucchini when it is in. We're grilling a lot lately too. And we're eating a lot of tomatoes -- sandwiches, salads, just plain tomatoes.

In the Garden...
Everything is growing well! Our tomato and pepper plants have doubled in size. There are blossoms on the strawberries already, and we're picking cherries every day. The watermelon, squash, and cucumbers are coming back nicely from a dreaded slug attack. The green beans are sprouting, and I still need to get my mesclun planted, now that I've decided where it is going. The hydrangeas are starting to bloom too! And I still have plenty of artichokes coming in.

In Our Homeschooling...
I'm trying to wrap things up for the year, at least by the end of June. The Boy is working with decimals and integers, The Girl with multiplication and division, alongside some geometry. I'm trying to have The Girl finish Reading Pathways before we stop for a summer break. And The Boy and I are working on writing better paragraphs.

Watching and Reading...
We have fallen behind on Cosmos, what with all the car repairs, etc. going on lately. And we had misplaced A Wind in the Willows, which I later found in The Girl's room (she liked the pictures), so I need to finish that up. We're about a third of the way through A Little History of the World, but at a chapter or two a day, we'll finish it up relatively soon.

Planning...
I'm working slowly on plans for next year. Sort of Charlotte Mason meets interest-led. I have The Girl pretty well figured out for sixth grade, but The Boy is proving to be more of a challenge, which is funny because it is usually the other way around! I'm also planning on some light, "fun" learning activities for summer break.

What are some of your favorite summertime read alouds?

Plans for the Week...
Today we're planning an early evening family bike ride and picnic, as fencing practice is off for the holiday. The Girl has derby practice again later in the week, and there is a game on Saturday, though we're not sure yet if she's on the roster or not. The Boy will have practice at least Wednesday, and maybe Friday if he isn't too tired from Park Day. Nothing too out of the ordinary!