Bike Riding

Claire is really into riding bikes.  We biked to town yesterday, her first time to ride on the highway.  She did well, especially considering it was 4-o-clock in the afternoon and 105 degrees.  We went straight to the Shell station and bought pop and ice cream!

Today, we went to Highland Park in Guthrie and rode the trails there.  We were only able to ride for about 45 minutes, but we had fun.  The trails are curvy and pretty steep in some places.  She handles it all beautifully on her tiny one speed.  I have to switch gears like crazy just to keep up with her.

Cody is beginning to enjoy riding more also.  He still uses training wheels, but they don't slow him down much.  He rode the trails with Clay.  Clay would grab Cody's helmet like a bowling ball to help him up the hills.  I wish I could have taken a picture as it was hilarious.

Charlemagne

I wasn't sure whether to label this as history or art because it is both. 

We are currently reading about Charlemagne in our history of the early church.

 He is also coming up soon in Synge's Discovery of New Worlds. 

This is a painting done by this term's artist; Albrecht Durer.

Fishing

We decided to go fishing this morning before it became too hot.  We stopped by the bait shop, picked out some nice fresh worms and headed east to Grandad's lake.

The fish must have been hungry because they were really biting.  Claire caught the first fish within about 2 min. of our arrival.  She caught 8 more after that!

Cody caught two.

Clay didn't even get a chance to bait his own hook.  He was too busy taking fish off of Claire's!

Licorice wanted to catch a fish, too.  She jumped in and proudly retrieved our bobbers several times before she finally was hooked and decided it wasn't a good idea.

Grandad joined us just when the fish were beginning to go elsewhere.  He decided it would be a good time to clear out some brush.  Clay helped him hook that nasty underwater tree that is always giving our lines fits to the come-along, and slowly, but surely, they heaved that thing out of the lake, never to steal another hook again.

By noon, we were hot, tired, and out of bait.  Bye, bye lake!  Bye fish.  See you soon!

My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

Claire Bear Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like and india-rubber ball,
And sometimes gets so little that ther's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast alseep in bed.

Daffodowndilly by A. A. Milne

Drawing by Makenna Talbott

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

Andwhispered to her neighbor:

"Winter is dead."

Halfway Down by A. A. Milne

Halfway down the stairs is a stair where I sit
There isn't any other stair quite like It.
I'm not at the bottom, I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair where I always stop.
Halfway up the stairs isn't up isn't down
It isn't in the nursery, it isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts run round my head:
"It isn't really anywhere!  It's somewhere else instead!"

Baby Seed Song by Edith Nesbit

Dandelion Seeds

Little brown brother, oh! little brown brother,
Are you awake in the dark?
Here we lie cosily, close to each other:
Hark to the song of the lark
"Awaken!" the lark says, "waken and dress you;
Put on your green coats and gay,
Blue sky will shine on you, sunshine caress you
Waken! 'tis morning  'tis May!"
Little brown brother, oh! little brown brother,
What kind of flower will you be?
I'll be a pooppy all white like my mother;
Do be a poppy like me.
What!  You're a sunflower!
How I shall miss you
When you're grown golden and high!
But I shall send all the bees up to kiss you;
Little brown brother, good-bye.