Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Summertime Science

As much as I love the advantages of technology, it equally makes me crazy.  Last night I sat down to load my pictures from the day.  I noticed Bean picking up the camera, then later Nick, then Bean again.  I didn't think too much about it until 189 pictures came up to import. Oh my!  About half way through the import this ol' Mac said, "Umm, can't do it."  So, I discontinued the process, the camera was dead, so charge the battery. Then, I couldn't get online. So while trying to figure the new problem out, I went through yesterday's pictures and deleted, oh, a hundred and twenty or so.  No problem importing today.  In hindsight, I don't think one thing had anything to do with the other. So phone calls to tech support said I needed a new router.  Anyway, it has been quite a road to getting this post up.
It was a big population day at Playdate.  I meant to take a picture of the vat of sauce I made with six pounds of ground beef and the five pounds of spaghetti, but just getting all those plates filled kept us rather occupied.
The kiddos love science day. So after getting settled and getting all participants in safety glasses, we started with an easy one I picked eight years ago when Missy Bugg and Antebellie were two. I've never really disallowed a child doing a science project no matter how little.  Even if they don't get it at two, they will as the years go by.  Anyway, into everyone's cup went raisins, then lemon lime soda.  We watched as the raisins danced and talked about how that works. I was impressed with their powers of observation and ideas. Did you know you need safety glasses to watch raisins dance- pretty crazy.


After watching the dancing, we took a different spin on Gak,

 adding cornstarch to the glue, resulting in a bouncy ball- cool.  Gak has always been a favorite


These baby boys are the ones passing out the stuff this year

Baby Giddy-up was not too sure about this Gak business. Now, science is his love.

Next we made Explodanators.  Vinegar and water in baggie, slip in some baking soda wrapped in tissue, seal and pitch- Kapowie!



This is elephant's toothpaste in process.

Simply fascinating.


Using salt and colored water to mine ice for treasures is always a favorite.



Then story and snack, this time with a Missy Bugg reader.


Miss Min sporting her own little Wayside dumpling.




Our Kate's boy has sure grown and look at those adorable curls.

 Before heading to creek for science of the fossil variety, Miss Glitzy did our traditional Mentos/Diet Coke, ahem, experiment. Eventhough we all know what's going to happen, it is still a thrill.
Good picture Bean Town.
I'm not sure Ms. Glitzy was quite as excited as our first experiment back in the day, but pretty close.
 Then off to the creek with hammers and chisels to find more cool fossils.





Hat's off to Ol'Henry. The only one besides his sister able to lure this boy away from Mama.  Ol' Henry helped him explore the wonders of the creek.

Hammer Heaven

My Little Mermaids


What a geode.




Ooooh, what is that cool tool you have Uncle Jimi?

How fun, a mustard trick.  That Giddy-up loves tricks.

Missy Bugg's lillys are in bloom.
 You might notice our Haitian guests are missing.  I went to pick them up at their ESL school across the river, but they were not there.  Attempts to resolve where they might have been have failed to this point.  This has been somewhat of a trying experience and can't say where it might be going.

Our little Peony Posie left us this afternoon. Though it was only a few weeks, that squishy sweetness sure has left a mark on our hearts.  I don't how to comfort my child, or my own self for that matter.
Pray on!







Thursday, June 15, 2017

Most Mysterious and Fascinating

My goodness, what a week.  Our church hosts Art on the Parish Green every year. Monies raised from this event support our Shepherd's Kitchen all year long, where we feed whoever wants to be fed on Friday evenings.



While one person manages all the great artists, another person manages everything else.  She was not able to be there for set up, or for the fair, and asked me and another couple to do her job. Oh my.  I was available, so told her I would do my best and I did, though I did not have much idea about what I was doing.  The weather was warm, but no rain.  Handy Man came to help the other volunteers with set-up and spent a lot of time there with me, thankfully.  Missy Bugg came to spend most of Saturday with us and is always such a help to  me.


Rae brought her chicklets to enjoy the kiddie activities.  What a big time.





Next up was Playdate Two.  We played in the pool, and treated our stuffed animals to expert veterinarian care.




Blue Eyes found a cool snail.


Ol' Henry and Bean did some heavy lifting before Ol'Henry had to head off to camp.

My little Wayside Posies having a big time.  Some tough decisions have to be made about this littlest and latest Peony Posie, who has won our hearts in such a very short time.  Would appreciate your prayers that her best interest is afforded her.









In addition to pet tending, decisions had to be made about which mint to use in your fragrance concoction.

 This week, Antebellie was in charge of storytime and did an awesome job reading to our rather large group of twenty kiddos.  I have no words for how dear it is to me for the older Playdaters to be managing the traditions for the smaller ones- sweet.
I know that there is just no way they can know the amount of time, money and work I spend on Playdate.  It is simply a priority for me.  It is easy to say kids need more down time, play time, creative time, outside time, story time, but quite another to see it done.  I take it very seriously, even when others don't. Still, when that same Antebellie reminds me, that to her, nothing could be better than Playdate and that it is her favorite thing and her favorite memory it makes it so worth it.


 The joy of finding a crawdad, no matter how tiny, never gets old.
 We were in the creek when Claire's Junebugg pulls out a rock and says, "Miss Kimberly, I think this is a fossil."  Oh my, was it ever.
We've been playing in this creek for thirty-one years and never have anyone of us found such a perfect fossil. Where did it come from?  Mystery Number One.
I mean it seriously looks like something from a souvenir shop.
I messaged a friend who's feller is into such things and she thought it was a brachiopod and indeed it was, but how did it get there?  The place she found it contained a big area of every kind of rocky material imaginable, that I believe was dumped there- red brick, asphalt, concrete, etc, which led me to believe it was somehow in that pile. So, Bean, Bugg and Giddy-Up and I haul it down there again today to spend some time in that pile and we find a few wee fossils, but nothing as charming as the one above.  As we are gathering up our finds, Bean yells, "Here's another one." and it indeed it was!
Still a mystery, till on the opposite side of the creek, where there is a large flat of shale that I had noticed looked  a lot different after the flooding of earlier weeks, I saw the place that  the fossil was dislodged from.  Bean and I took a closer look and that shale was covered with red lumps, which we realized were fossils.  Bean came back to the house to grab a chisel and hammer and sure enough, fossils everywhere.










You certainly never want to interfere  with their growth, but I've been a bit stymied by Bean as a teen, or nearly so.  He was the perfect first grandchild because anything I showed an interest in, he was all in and we would it explore our current obsession six ways from Sunday.  Teaching him and providing experiences for him was my greatest joy.  He has become quite an accomplished swimmer, a feat that requires a huge amount of his time.  I'm happy about this too, but I sure miss our adventures.  Each time they come to visit I ponder if I'll find something that he'll enjoy.  
Last week I asked him to bring a knife or two to help me with a project. Let's go back a week here to the day we made Deer Deterrents.
 The Smalls played in the garden while Bean sharpened the bottom of branches.

 Then we drilled shells, tied silvery ribbon and shells and yarn to the branches.
 Then we carved Irish Spring soap to fill a bag to add to the branch.

 When we finished, Giddy-Up proclaimed, "That is beautiful!"  "It is yard art, and I need one for my yard even though I don't need it for the deer."  Be still my heart.
Then up the hill to play and cook out.

 Back inside to work on the summer dress.

What a dolly.


So back to today,  which for me, hunting ancient fossils with Bean, was like ol' home week.
 Mystery number two and we'll be done.  I found this tiny blue egg in the chicken yard.  We have no idea where it came from. I've gotten small ones before, but not this small.  The very small ones have never had a yolk. We were curious to see what was inside.
Well, lookie there, it not only had a yolk, but a good sized one for an egg that small.

Giddy-Up wanted to cook it, but after he and his friend had poked and prodded and squooshed it, I didn't think that would be a good idea.
All of God's amazing creations just impress my socks off.