look at those happy readers.

It's kinda been killing me that my camera was left out at a friends house and I haven't been able to take new pictures the past week or so. Busy times in general. Lot of pickle making and jam canning, starting school, teething and no sleeping. A big busy blur. But school supplies have been purchased, new shoes have been bought and lunches packed. All very photogenic subject matter, but all undocumented. Such is life.

Summer's nearly done

the weather turned suddenly last week, from really hot to crisp and fall-like. while I hated the 40 plus with 100% humidity or whatever it was I am sad to see the beginning of the end of summer. tomorrow will be the first day back to school for my son who is going into grade 2 and next week my middle daughter will be having her first day of junior kindergarten. I have done zero back to school shopping this year, deciding to wait until I know what they need for school supplies and knowing they don't need any new clothes. back to school time is hard for me as I have a lot of conflicting feelings about school and if it is a path we should even be on. I read about home schooling, unschooling, auto didactic learning and even flirt with the idea of full on going back to the land and having my kids just raise chickens and grow beans for the next five years.

mystery garden

mid summer I noticed what I thought was a pumpkin vine growing out of the flower bed at the front of my house. assuming that a seed from a hallow e'en pumpkin left too long on the front porch had somehow gotten into the dirt and germinated I didn't think too much about it. then I noticed a little green fruit growing right on the sidewalk which I again assumed was a little pumpkin but was still impressed with the little rebel. examining it a little closer, the 'pumpkin' looked like it had scars all over it's skin. "from growing on the concrete?" I wondered. then one day I looked at it again and d'oh! realized that we had a little cantaloupe on our hands. I guess from the compost I turned in there this spring but who knows. the little cantaloupe grew and grew and yesterday when we returned home from a camping trip (with the best!weather!ever!) the cantaloupe was big, fat and ripe. I picked, cut it up and we ate it. so delicious.