Highlights of Graduation Day

"Autumn Rain's Song" by Proud Daddy



A letter from Mamma



Presentation of Diploma


A word from the Autumn Rain

Dear Autumn Rain

This graduation day seemed unfathomable 13 years ago, when we opened that first exciting box of curriculum at our little house on Ganzan Way. And each year your eyes have sparkled brightly as we greeted the package truck bearing our increasingly larger boxes of books, books, and more books.

You’ve read voraciously over these years, all the while storing up your own tales to be told. Tales for you sisters and brothers, tales for Old Fashioned Daughters, and words of inspiration for your audience at the Autumn Rain. Now you’re ready to move on in this journey, to continue your learning life in a new setting.

I’m proud of the choices you’re making for your future. I’m grateful that those plans will allow you to live with us for a few years yet. But I will be sad come September when you will no longer be studying at my dining room table.

You’ve been our trailblazer on this adventure! Thank you for so willingly enduring all the trials and errors along the way. You’ve given me joy in the journey, a breath of afternoon.

I love you,
Mamma

Current Reads

While I haven't hopped on board the Summer Reading Challenge, I have added two new books by my bedside in the past week. "The Rock That is Higher: Story as Truth" by Madeleine L'Engle and "A Brighter Garden" with poems by Emily Dickinson and illustrated by Tasha Tudor.

Living and Learning

Living life has become all encompassing this week as I acquire a new skill, one that should be very useful over the next many years, the fine art of organizing and hostessing a graduation. I've attended a few homeschool graduations in the past few years, but this is very different territory being on this side of the celebration!

So, as much as I'm anticipating the grand event and as proud as I am of Miss Autumn Rain....I'm feeling a bit frantic (because I waited so long to pull the pieces together), a bit overwhelmed at the number of details yet to be taken care of, and a bit teary eyed at what all this signifies...the end of this young woman's days under my tutelage. Some professors out there are about to inherit a gem of a student, one who lives to learn, one who is passionate about whatever she sets her heart towards.

Northern Lights

The books referred to in my previous post, "Ulaq and the Northern Lights" by Harriet Peck Taylor and "SkySisters" by Jan Bourdeau Waboose, are both delightful picture books that relate legends that have stemmed from the northern lights.

Ulaq is a curious fox living in the cold north. His enchantment with the northern lights sends him on a quest across the tundra to discover what they are. His arctic friends join him, all telling him their own explanation of the lights.

"SkySisters" tells the story of two young Ojibway sitsers who set off across the frozen north, to Coyote Hill, anticipating the dance of the SkySpirits. The illustrations (by Brian Deines) in this book are especially dazzling!

I picked both books up at my local library. Keep in mind that these books approach the lights through mystical/spiritual legends and are not scientifically based at all. There is a factual note from the author at the end of "Ulaq" giving some explanation about the aurora borealis.

Enjoy the read!

The Journey Continues

Greetings, Friends!
The journey around His world is progressing quite nicely. Since our last postcard home we've travelled far and wide...through the layers of the atmosphere...around the globe naming the continents...and now learning of the 5 oceans that are really one!




















We've built a model of the atmosphere, done some additional reading of the Northern Lights, and the highlight of the study for the youngest traveller....scrapbooked our postcards home. The adventure is exciting and there is so much more yet to explore.






















We'll be in touch soon!

Sunday Tea

The front porch of Grammy's farmhouse was bathed in sunlight and warm smiles as we sipped tea together and shared our Sunday afternoon. It's always a treat to go visit my husband's Grandmother on the other side of the mountains. Grammy is 87 this year, still living in her own home, still knitting treasures, still serving tea when we drop in for the day.

It's so easy to let the busy-ness of our days keep us from making time to share an afternoon with Grammy...yet we are the ones to gain so much from the visit.

"Thank you for having us, Grammy," we say as we hug good-bye. "I'm the one who wins," she whispers in my husband's ear.



Front Porch Tea



Grammy and Autumn Rain



Grammy and Lavender and Old Lace

Going on a Journey

Summer is hovering very closely on the horizon of our days and with it comes a change of pace. To keep us moving along in our Learning Life this summer, my younger children and I will be journeying through Ann Voskamp's A Child's Geography.

The journey has actually already begun and so far has been a joyful excursion. I'm not generally a hands-on sort of teacher or learner, really I'm more the read-aloud sort, but while the pressure of other school work is low I thought I'd try to do as many of the included (although not required) activities as possible. And so as the children have been busily building globes and scrapbooking this adventure, I've been busily snapping shots of our travels to share with you.

The Paper-Mache Globes

Shaping globes

Hanging out to dry

Drawing the continents


Painting the globe

Adding the finishing touches

Proudly displaying the finished globe

We'll be sending you postcards of our journey all along the way....so keep your eyes on this postbox.

Celebrating The Autumn Rain

A Learning Life
is delighted to announce
the high school graduation of

The Autumn Rain

Commencement celebration to be held
Saturday, June 24th, 2006
4:00 p.m.

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." Ps. 84:5