random tuesday

The boys have become the best of friends lately.  The other day found them walking arm in arm discussing how when they grow up they will live within walking distance of each other and they will take their families to the fair together, and ride the roller coasters together....  there was only one problem.  "Mikey, to have kids we need to get married," said Del with a sigh, "and I don't know any girls who want to marry me yet!"   To which Mike answered, "Don't worry Deli, I'm your brother.  I'll find you a girl!"  

Love them.

~~~

 We went bird banding at the Indiana Dunes.  I think what I love most about homeschooling is all the learning I do.  Who knows how much the kids learn, and who cares?  I'm having a great time!

We banded 7 birds.  I use the royal we because much to Josie's chagrin "we" didn't band any birds.  We watched while the ranger did all the handling.  Something about proper training or whatever.  As soon as Josie found out that we were not physically handling the birds she was done.  Out of there.  Nothing to see, as far as she was concerned.  It took a lot of convincing to get her to participate.  Next time I'll know to be more precise with my field trip descriptions.

To band the birds, first they catch them in nets or cages, pop them in a cloth bag and bring them inside.  Our job was to weigh them, measure them, figure out if they were male or female, band them and release them.  The weighing (above) was pretty interesting.  The ranger would be holding the birds by their feet, then quick as a wink he would upend them into a little bottle placed on a scale.  The sudden upturn, the closeness of the bottle, the dark would all serve to calm the bird so it would hold still enough to be weighed quickly.  

While we didn't band the birds ourselves, we did get to touch them.  See above?  See that sweet little bird?  Look closely, where all the hands are.  See?  There!  Right in there is a bird.  We banded a goldfinch, three woodpeckers,  a something else, and a couple other birds.  Yes those are the official names of all the birds - the Latin, if you will.  Super scientist, that's me!  

Elia got to hold one in her hand before releasing it.  Sometimes when you place a bird on it's back in the palm of your hand it becomes still and quiet.  The ranger said it was more restful than terrifying for the bird.  This bird was not restful and as soon as she was released she took off like a shot!

Did you ever wonder what a goldfinch heart beat sounds like?  It's like a teeny tiny engine, or a very soft purring of a cat - fast, whirring, thrumming.  Also very cool.  

  

I'm not sure who was more scared at this moment, the kids or the bird.

Near the end, most of the children had lost interest (Josie lost it in the very beginning), but Elia stuck with it all the way through.  She loved every bit of bird banding.  There were a couple of very angry woodpeckers near the end who really did a number on the ranger.  They bit and pecked and drew blood.  We learned that in order to replicate a woodpecker's "peck" we needed to wrap our heads in a pillow, then ram our heads into a wall three times a second at 20 miles an hour.  The boys did not try that at home.  

Bird banding, who knew it was so much fun?

~~~~~

Tomorrow is Poetry Wednesday, and I do believe Julia is now hosting.  For which I am so grateful.  Things have been busy and crazy around here and I have not been reading poetry at the rate I was before.  Before was not that much, but I could come up with a poem or two.  Now it's pretty sad.  Needless to say, it is with great relief that I cede poetry Wednesday to her.  Her writing and her choice of poems are always wonderful.  You would do well to head on over and read her thoughts.  And of course, link up there!

Seven Quick Takes - late to the party edition

UNO**  So I was all excited to join the Seven Quick takes at Conversion Diary this week, but Blogger was being dumb.  And since do not have the know how to write all my html (what is that?) and must use Blogger, I am late.  Speaking of dumb, there have been other problems with Blogger, so I'm thinking of switching.  Wordpress?  Typepad?  Which is better?  I know one is free, the other is not, which factors in, but do you have a preference?



DOS**  Since the weather has gotten nice, this is the Lola dog's preferred place to sit.  From her vantage point she can bark, yelp and growl at passerby to her heart's content.  It's the small furry equivalent of "Hey! You kids! Get off my Lawn!"

TRES**  The Chicago Tribune ran an article yesterday on a blind couple who adopted two blind little girls.  It's just a happy feel good story, but I kept the article and keep going back to it, just to look at the pictures.  I showed it to the kids last night and it blew their minds.  How? they kept asking.  How do they shop?  How do they pick clothes?  How do they know how to eat?  This prompted a blind dinner.  Did you know it's hard to eat ramen with your eyes closed?  The kids have all kinds of questions about this family, and I am just amazed by this family.  The way things have changed in the last 100, heck, 50 years!  There was a time when a blind person was destined for an institution or was thought of as less of a person, simply because he was blind.  This couple's little girls are from India and China, both countries where it is difficult to live, let alone be blind.  And now they are in the U.S., happy, loved, and leading wonderful, regular lives.  Just amazing.

CUATRO** Some of you have asked, and some of you already know, how our home for the elderly is coming along.  Long story short, it's not really.  There are so many details I won't get into here, but we have done all we know how to do, and unless we go kidnap us some old people, they are just not coming.  Which is crazy.  What old person wouldn't want to live with four children ages 8 and under, a small adoring lap dog and whatever Mike and I are, in a teensy house in idyllic Chesterton?  Apparently, NO old person.  So we are having to take a big step back.  We have other plans for our future, but none nearly as exciting as an old people home.  The thing is, in our morning reading the kids and I have been reading stories of saints who did nothing.  Nothing big.  They were either sick their whole lives, able to do nothing but pray, not even feed themselves, or they were unremarkable.  Just ordinary people serving God in ordinary faithful ways.  Some of them had great plans but were felled by terrible illnesses and after a period of bitterness, they found peace and contentment in just loving Christ.  Nothing else.  We are also reading the story of Joseph in our picture bible.  Today's portion of the story was where Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, while weeping and praising God.  The concluding lesson was that God has a plan.  It seemed like God didn't care about Joseph when he was sold, enslaved and imprisoned.  But God had a plan.  I suppose we could draw some lessons from that.  I guess.  If we have to. 

CINCO**    I hurt my foot a few weeks ago.  The best diagnosis I can come up with after all my internet perusing is either a bruised heel or planter fasciitis.  The latter makes more sense, seeing as how this is not the first time I've hurt my heel, but this is definitely the longest time it has taken in healing.  I could go to the doctor, but being a Hanna, and with apologies to my doctor and nurse friends and family, Hanna's aren't really big on doctors.  Which is dumb, but that's what we do.  Or don't do.  Anyway.  Last weekend we went to a wedding and I wore some stupidly high heels, the kind that used to make sense, but no longer do, and I realized something.  My foot didn't hurt!  Apparently standing on my tippy-toes all night makes the hurt heel feel so much better.  So I wrote myself a prescription (sorry doctors) for a lot of high heel wearing.  Yesterday I made breakfast in pajamas....   and heels.  The husband was all like hey, babeeee.  And I was all like NO, my heel hurts.  Poor husband.


SEIS**  Speaking of husbands, this morning I went for a super early walk with a friend and I came home to this:

Seven A.M. and the husband had both boys out in the backyard working on the fort.  It looks pretty amazing.  Wild and crazy and cool.  Tomorrow we'll add some burlap to the roof and maybe even some moss.  It's kind of hobbity and Where the Wild Things Are-ish, and just fun.  I need some photographically inclined friends to come over and take cool pictures of it.  *ahem*  Yes, I'm talking to YOU.

SIETE**  Speaking of moss.  While looking at the picture above I just realized that Del has been wearing the same pants for four days and nights straight.  With no underwear.  And I'm really not joking.  I wish I was.  He may need to change tomorrow.  Or for church on Sunday.  Sometime, anyway, he will change.



Thank you, Jen, for hosting!  And someday I will learn how to add the little post-it note at the top.  (See number UNO for my computer savvy...)