McKillipKlan

4th of July

     Well our family survived another July 4th of pyromaniac children and husbands.  Colorado has been very dry this year, extremely dry.  So much so, that our illustrious county officials, AKA God, have decided to institute a fire ban.  That means NO outside burning, including fireworks.  Say what?  NO fireworks?  What about my kids who rank fireworks up there with Christmas and hunting trips?  As the annoying little neighbor kid informed us, "There is a $150 fine for the first offense, $250 for the second, and JAIL time after that"  I think he was wanting us to be shakled and hauled off to jail in his evil little mind.  I may not have ever mentioned the little known fact that I am a rebel.  Married to an even bigger one.  It's true.  Homeschooling middle-aged mom or not, rules really irk me.  I love reasonable law and order, but a rule for every single waking moment of my life?  Not so much.  Just find my old high school principal, he was well aquainted with my free thinking ideas, school?  Are you kidding me, do we really have to go?  Ok, I went, I graduated and went to college, but there were those wonderful spring days where being locked in the jail they called school just didn't work so well for me, and I found other relaxing places to be.  In those days, school aged kids wandering around small Midwest towns didn't work very well, so I had to be discrete, like driving to the lake and reading all day.  I even got pretty good at faking those "blue slips" and you know, I still feel fairly well educated, no thanks to the public school system.  Except for my highschool English teacher, she was awesome!  She actually explained Shakespeare in a reasonable way.  But I digress, I am talking about the 4th of July, right?  So in memory of Independence Day, we were independent and Broke the Law.  And that most annoying neighbor kid?  He was right there, with his matches and lighting every flammable object he could find.  Our house is surrounded by irrigated turf grass, I had the hose out and soaked the asphalt driveway and surrounding areas, we did only legal fireworks, and managed to have a great time without lighting our house or property on fire.  It was a perfect night, no wind, plenty of stars.  Oh, and that outdoor fire ban?  Broke that one too, we have a sunken fire pit make out of stone, surrounded by rock, we were brave and made a completely illegal, but totally safe fire, roasted marshmellows and hot dogs and had some mighty fine adult beverages.  The kids stayed up late and played Ghost in the Graveyard, (no I have NO idea what this game is, it intailed much running and screaming and laughing), a few neighbors and a bunch of kids had a wonderful night.  I think I'm doing a fine job of raising up some people who will actually think for themselves, no matter if they are called rebels or not.

You'll note my intellectually challenged dog, he was trying to retrieve burning objects.

SONNY SCOTT:Home-schoolers threaten our cultural comfort

I read about this article through my friend over at http://starryskyranch.typepad.com/, but just had to link it here.  This is a very short article, it articulates what I have felt to have long been true when someone attacks our ideals about homeschooling, take a moment and read it.  Here is one paragraph that especially struck me as true.

     Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own "self-fulfillment."

Read the whole article here: http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=274594&pub=1&div=Opinion

The Revolution, a Manifesto by Ron Paul

Now there's a title for you, huh?  This is an interesting little book on our current state of affairs here in America, endless war, rising taxes, losses of personal freedoms, ever increasing government.  Our constitution (remember that little document?) LIMITS government but we have thrown out the constitution in favor of elites who think they know better than we ourselves, how our lives should be led. 

     In the first chapter called "The Foreign Policy of the Founding Fathers" we read,  "In the same way, Henry Clay, was merely repeating George Washington's wise sentiments, rather than giving voice to isolationism, when he urged this piece of advice upon his countrymen: 'By the policy to which we have adhered since the days of Washington.....we have done more for the cause of liberty than arms could effect; we have shown to other nations the way to greatness and happiness....Far better is it for ourselves...and the cause of liberty, that, adhereing to our pacific system and avoiding the distant wars of Europe, we should keep our lamp burning brightly on this western shore, as a light to all nations, than to hazard its utter extinction amid the ruins of fallen and falling republics in Europe.'  Thus we shoud strive to lead by example rather than force, and provide a model for the world that other people will wish to follow.  We do no one any good by bankrupting ourselves."

So, here it seems Ron Paul is saying that it is much better to lead by example than by force.  I'm all for it.  I've been a closet pacifist for years.  YEARS, ever since I was a child and had to see my uncle come home from the Vietnam War, injured.  At least he came home, only to die a lingering death from Agent Orange.  I hate it.  I know our military keeps us safe, and I have only the utmost respect for the men and women (now) who fight for our country. My whole family is active and retired military.  Lord knows I couldn't do it.  But to see this current war drag on and on, seemingly endlessly, to know that this generation of young men will live with bodies crippled by the injuries they receive, to battle the nightmares and post traumatic stress, grieves me greatly.  I have long wondered why I have such high esteem for the American Revolution and the Civil War.  And I think it is because the ideals were clearly American ideals.  The freedom from Great Britian's oppressive rule and the civil war's fight for freedom for all men, even though that was not the entire reason for the war, all men were granted freedom in America.  Great men, great thinkers led our country in those times.  I don't care for the term "Nation building" I keep hearing these days.  I sure wouldn't want Iraq coming here and telling me how to live.  Anyway, as we celebrate our 4th of July, I am grateful for my personal freedoms, what are left of them, and I pray that my children will change this country back into the God-fearing, freedom loving place it was just a short time ago.

New book

One of my favorite authors, Laura Berquist, has endorsed the book, Haystack Full of Needles: A Catholic Home Educator's Guide to Socialization.  Laura Berquist is the author of many books and a popular speaker at Catholic Homeschool Conferences.  I had the privledge of hearing her speak many long years ago when we were trying to figure out if homeschooling was right for our family.  Here is what Laura has to say about this most interesting sounding book:

Here is a portion of the beautiful foreword written by Laura Berquist:

Everything in A Haystack Full of Needles is guided by the principle that we must see Christ in all those around us. That is what makes this such a valuable resource. Frankly, I think it is a valuable resource not only for those who are homeschooling, but for all who have school age children or grandchildren. Alice talks throughout the book about her good friends and she does it in such a way that she, and they, become our friends, too. They become the very best kind of friends, those united in the pursuit of virtue and the love of God.

I love this book and I don’t say that lightly. It is truly wonderful. I am honored to write the foreword.

There is a limited time 20% off the book, which helps the high cost of shipping.  I ordered my copy today.

http://hillsideeducation.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=147

Gas and food prices

I just read that gas prices are possibly going to reach $7/ gallon?  $7!!!  A GALLON.  ONE GALLON=$7.  Pick me up off the floor.  I drive a Suburban.  I get 15 miles/ gallon.  I live 30 miles from the closest major shopping and 40 miles from a big city.  Let's do the math, kids co-op classes, 40 miles away, plus 10 miles for misc. driving while in town, 90 miles per week=6 gal. gas=$42 per week, x 4 weeks=$168/month in gas for co-op classes alone!  Plus all the other misc. driving we do, piano, church, teen group functions, getting together with friends.  Last year my month gas bill was something like $200/month!  I am crying at what it could be this year.  That and the increase in grocery bills and energy bills have me a bit concerned.  My husband owns a landscape business, with thirteen trucks, many diesel, they all pull trailers with heavy equipment.  It is hitting us hard.  We can't exactly downsize the trucks to hybrid cars like all the greenies want.  I can't exactly put all my kids into a mini-me car either.  Oh, but I have too many kids, don't you know, a women at the pool told me so, we are having a population crisis....hhmm, that was an interesting conversation!  I am looking at the very, very real possibility of not being able to drive to everything we would like to.  What should we stop doing?  Co-op classes for my homeschooled kids?  They might not get 'socialized'!  The horror, well that is MY top pick of what should go first.  Then what of piano?  It is close by only 15 miles away and our teacher is gifted and wonderful, and music is such a blessing to us, one of our kids is planning on a career in music, so no, not the piano lessons.  Hmmm, could be an interesting year.  I have a stove guy coming to give me a bid on a pellet stove, but I think we'll just do the install ourselves and save the extra bucks to buy wood (just paid $450 for 2 cords of hardwood!) and pellets. 

Check out the http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/ for a good article on Big Ag, Big Profits, Big Problems, I highly recommend the reading.

I also just joined a produce co-op for organic produce for my family, I'll keep you posted on how I like it, and if you are in the area, email me for more information, it is surprisingly cost effective!

A Tale of Two Tomatoes:

 How Bacteria Travels Through the Food Supply

Salmonella is not a bacteria you would expect to find on a tomato.    They are a group of bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds and reptiles.    But during the past decade, fresh and fresh-cut tomatoes have been linked to more than a dozen different Salmonella outbreaks and nearly 2,000 confirmed cases of food-borne illness in the United States.

Contamination with human or animal feces can occur as the result of physical contact with runoff water near feedlots, overflowing manure lagoons, contaminated irrigation water containing raw sewage, improperly treated effluents from sewage treatment plants or inadequate farm worker toilet and sanitation facilities.

What's more, during processing in order to help keep the fruit "fresh," hot tomatoes are placed in large vats of cool water, which can cause the water to get sucked inside the tomatoes. If that water is contaminated with Salmonella, many tomatoes can become contaminated, and routine washing at home will not effectively remove the internalized bacteria.

When food production of this kind occurs on a handful of farms and facilities, and then serves the entire nation, it creates potential widespread public health risk. Smaller, more localized production and processing systems are less costly, far easier to trace and have less widespread consequences.

The latest food safety fiasco boils down to two choices. One tomato is available year-round, harvested by unfamiliar hands (or machines) and passed through multiple potential contamination points before reaching consumers.    The second, is a local, organic tomato carrying a bounty of nutrients that only develop on the vine. It requires patience, but some things are simply worth waiting for.

Sources:

• Rodale Institute June 19, 2008

 

Granted tomatoes are a bit touchy here in Colorado to grow without a greenhouse in the backyard, but there are plenty of farmer's markets this time of year and canning tomatoes from the market for winter usage is a hot but rewarding job.  There is nothing like the taste of home canned tomatoes in pasta sauce on a cold winter day.  I have to practically lock up the canned tomatoes, my kids will eat them right out of the jar!  My patio tomatoes are looking happy, so we'll keep hoping for a few tomatoes to eat from our porch.

Missing child

My oldest child has been MIA for a week now.  And I cannot tell you how much I miss her sweet smile and her cheerful voice.  Last weekend she went to Steubenville of the Rockies, a retreat (more like an endless concert) for Catholic teens.  She loved it, she came home for one short day, totally exhausted and left the next day with her 4H horse judging team to CSU in Fort Collins.  She isn't loving that so much!  She did great on her team and out of the state of Colorado, she placed 8th in overall judging.  Not much of a surprise to me, she has 'been' a horse since she could talk and walk.  Other than the judging, the kids are attending classes on being a good 4H citizen (hmm, interesting stuff there, sort of 'university speak' for indoctrination on being a World Citizen....she even left one of the dances, said the noise hurt her head, not really her type of music, Lord the kid is opinionated).  Anyway, she is ready to come home.  Last time she went away for a weekend, I took all her stuff out of her room and stayed up all night to paint her room.  Not a mean feat when you consider the sheer volume of stuff a teenager can accumulate! This time is was much easier, I went shopping for a new bedroom set for her bed.  I like what we did!  I hope she likes it too.

The "before' room picture.  The flannel sheets were too warm for the summer nights.  The comforter had seen much better days.

After.  Cool sheets, new comforter and bed skirt.  Yes, I know the bed skirt is funky at the bottom, her bed is an older hospital bed that adjusts up and down and the foot has a metal restraint to keep the mattress on the bed when the head is elevated.

Here's her little horse waiting for her to come home.  :)  We have missed her very much, I think that I'm going to have a hard time having her go off to college some day!

Levi's Jeans

Way back when I was a teenager, Levi's jeans were the thing. I mean a pair of Levi's on a boy was the neatest view I could ever hope for in my limited rural world. I remember one kid in particular that we would watch daily as he walked down the hall in his Levi's. My entire opinion on Levi's has been changed! They now have an ad for the gay market, and have had for some time. Well, my sensibilities are assaulted, and I'll never, ever, buy a pair of Levi's again! And I think I'll go burn all the ones in this house! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK. At least Wranglers are still for the straight men in your life, or maybe Carhartts, but for this house, we'll never give a penny to Levi's again.

Johnny's Anniversay!

   One year today!!  I have had a very hard day.  I cannot even express my bizarre emotions.  I am so grateful for my son's life.  I witnessed a miracle.  Me.  Who has doubted miracles in everyday people's lives.  Last year our son was given back to us, more of a miracle than his birth, because he should have died.  His trauma surgeon said that he had NEVER seen such a serious accident survive.  Never is a fairly strong word.  And we heard it from everyone.  Nurses came to look at the miracle boy.  The entire trauma team came to see him.  I think they were glad to see such a happy case when they are surrounded with so very many sad ones.  I know, that's what I did for a very long time, I was an RN on a trauma step-down from ICU, in an inner city hospital.  Sad is the order of the day in trauma.  All I have to say is "Thanks God, I believe now."

http://mckillipklan.typepad.com/mckillipklan/2007/06/index.html

Tasha Tudor

  I was very sad to learn of the passing of Tasha Tudor on June 18th. The world has lost a great person and I feel just a little sad that I can no longer peek into her life on this earth. She maintained a life without all the trappings we consider essential and lived to be 92. I think I would have enjoyed talking to her very much, and hope that in the next life I can chat with her. May she rest in peace.