Monday Musings...

Outside Our Home...
Upper 80s these days, and very, very dry, which has made wildfire a real danger in northern California. While we've seen smoke from afar, and had some hazy smoggy days, thankfully the fires are not too near us. On the plus side, this has led the kids and I to discussions about fire safety, emergency evacuation procedures, and what we would take if we had to leave.

We've taken some advantage of the warm weather, with regular beach and pool visits.

In Our House & Garden...
Some of our yard has succumbed to the drought. The fruit trees, redwoods, and other established trees are okay, as are the Mediterranean herbs -- rosemary, lavender, sage, oregano -- but our yard otherwise looks as crispy as everything else. We could continue watering, but somehow with current water regulations and the general state of things, that doesn't seem the best option. On the plus side, the drought is killing many of the weeds I was seeking to extinguish! And thankfully we are redoing much of the yard anyway, and didn't lose too much. Clean slate...

We've been tackling a new cleaning routine, in which the kids have much more responsibility in helping me keep the house clean. So far, so good! And we continue to get rid of things... books, old/outgrown clothes, and things of that nature.

In Our Homeschooling...
One of the caterpillars we brought in has cocooned, and the others are starting to. The Girl read a book on chameleons this week, and has been very excited to share her new-found knowledge. The Boy has been skimming, and occasionally dipping more deeply, in the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. I plan to start watching Human Planet with them today, and we're anxious to check out CuriosityStream at some point. Today, I am also ordering The Boy's first college textbook!

I need to look at ordering The Boy's math for the fall as well, but beside that, I am not ordering any school supplies. We own so much already from the last 8-9 years of homeschooling!

Reading...
The Boy meant to start Animal Farm yesterday, but got distracted. The Girl has finished The Time Cat, and is concentrating on Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, and her pile of animal books from the library (mostly water creatures). I'm starting to really think about our first read-alouds for the fall... maybe Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia, and then something fictitious.

This and That...
I'm gearing up to head back to work next week, and to send The Boy to the junior college. So that means getting work clothes washed and ready, tidying the rest of the house, figuring out bus schedules for The Boy, revisiting my cook-ahead breakfast list... yikes, the summer went fast!

Hope your summer is going well!