Very Late Update on Our Farm

We are slowly creeping into Spring here in the Pacific Northwest.  Our baby chicks have grown into young adult hens and roosters.  The tulips in the front are exploding through the dirt to reach for the sun.  And we’ve actually seen the sun and not just buckets and buckets of falling rain.

Homeschooling is going along pretty smoothly lately.  We still have our little bumps here and there.  But I can see the progress that have been made and it is very encouraging.

We just finished the History book that we have been reading for a while.  This would be the second book in the series written by Susan Wise Bauer.  The enjoyment that we get out of reading these history books beats any text book, any day!

I have a few videos, well, about 24, lined up on YouTube for the kids to watch before we start reading again.  This is basically to go back through the times that we’ve learned so far.  The kids like the change of pace.  I’m not sure what they will think of these videos though.

The guy seems a little cheesy to me, but hey, kids like cheese, right?!

Anyway, after we are finished with the videos, we’ll start reading The Story of the World book three.  I really can’t see starting a different History program now.  We will finish this out with book four when we’re done with three.

Watch soon for a review on book three.

I have tried to schedule our days a little more.  Mostly because I have so many things to do, that if I don’t follow a schedule and work on certain things at certain times, I’ll just run around like a tazmanian devil and accomplish many areas of nothing.

And of course, it doesn’t work at all on days like today, when I just do not have the motivation to do anything.  The kids wanted to take off President’s Day, like public school students, but I had said no.  This morning, my body was screaming YES!

Life on the farm goes on though.  The animals don’t stop laying eggs or ahem…depositing waste, just because I am not motivated.  And today was one of those days that work on the farm needed to be done.  I’m very thankful that the sun was able to hang in the blue sky, with very little clouds dancing in front of it.  It made working outside just a little exciting.  But just a little because I was still freezing cold.

I was also able to visit with the girls and roos while I was out today.  Even snapped a photo of one of the babies that we had last Summer.  She turned such a black that she is has glossy green feathers.  Very beautiful.  I named her Raven.  She is almost completely black, except for a little bit of white on her legs, and maybe beak.  And that’s only been the past couple of months, before she was all black.

So while we all anxiously await Spring here, we’re taking the time to enjoy the beauty and crispness of Fall.  Hope you are also enjoying your Winter!

Book Review: The New American Herbal by Stephen Orr

When I saw this book on the list of books for me to choose from to review, I knew that I had to have it.  Hoping with all hope that it would be the kind of reference book on Herbs that I have been searching for.

Lucky for me, I could finally stop searching!

This book has brought information together that I have found spread from here to there in the herbal-book-knowledge world.  There is a lot of information, but it’s not altogether.

And the photos in the book?  They are expressive!  I am in love with the photos throughout this book.  There are some lovely presentations of recipes and herbs that almost make me wish that I could frame them and have them hung.

Included is a very thorough list of herbs and quite a bit of information dedicated to each one.  There are lists, recipes, gardening tips and pages that explains the terms that you will find useful to know in the world of herbs.

Two of the particular pages that stuck out at me is Getting to Know the Major Herb Families which breaks down the members of the families.  For example, the onion family is

really a subfamily of the lily or amaryllis family…is known for it’s pungent flavor.  Useful members include chives, garlic, leeks, onion and shallots.

The other page that I found interesting was a list of what gives herbs their flavors.  There are so many, I had no idea!

The only complain that I really have about this book is that the type and text is very small.  This makes it difficult reading for me as the book is too big and heavy for me to hold up with my neck problems, but the print is so small that I have to be close.  Reading at a desk is the best way for me with this book.

Definitely one that I would recommend for those interested in knowing more about herbs.

**Disclaimer:  I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.