Tuesday, April 05, 2011

"It has come, the Spring!"


"...Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like? You don't see it in rooms if you are ill."
"It is the sun shining on the rain, and the rain falling on the sunshine, and things pushing up and working under the earth," said Mary...
...She unchained and unbolted and unlocked, and when the door was open she sprang across the step with one bound, and there she was standing on the grass, which seemed to have turned green, and with the sun pouring down on her and warm, sweet wafts about her and the fluting and twittering and singing coming from every bush and tree. She clasped her hands for pure joy and looked up in the sky, and it was so blue and pink and pearly and white and flooded with springtime light that she felt as if she must flute and sing aloud herself, and knew that thrushes and robins and skylarks could not possibly help it...
...The afternoon was even lovelier and busier than the morning had been. Already nearly all the weeds were cleared out of the garden and most of the roses and trees had been pruned or dug about. Dickon had brought a spade of his own, and he had taught Mary to use all her tools, so that by this time it was plain that though the lovely wild place was not likely to become a 'gardener's garden,' it would be a wilderness of growing things before the springtime was over.
 --Frances Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden"

Mary and Dickon and Colin have been our literary inspiration lately.

On cool, grey or rainy mornings, we've been reading "The Secret Garden," studying botany, playing The Ladybug Game, continuing our Roman history, and trying to get started on a little spring cleaning.



Outside, we've pulled weeds, planted two avocado trees, three blueberry bushes, six rose bushes, a few lavender plants and lots of pansies, and watched our happy chickens scratch for bugs.


We've finished the first two chapters of "Exploring Creation with Botany," learned about angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (conifers), studied the parts of a seed and their role in germination, identified the difference between monocotyledons (petals in multiples of 3, non-branching veins) and dicotyledons (petals in multiples of 4 or 5, branching veins), and collected samples for their notebook pages.


Tulip: angiosperm, monocotyledon

Western redbud: angiosperm, dicotyledon
Today I've been laid up in bed ala Colin (with a bit of food poisoning), but tomorrow we're hoping to get some summer veggies in the ground. It should be another lovely, sunny, warm spring day.

How are you enjoying springtime?

10 comments:

Single Gal said...

I have wanted to own chickens of my own for the longest time. I hope that when I get my own home, that I will be able to have a few.

Springtime has been great for me. Actually wintertime wasn't that bad either. Despite some setbacks in my gardening schedule.

Things are looking up now though.

Looks like schoolwork has the kids busy. Which is always good.

There's a friend of mine from church who really enjoys avocados. For whatever reason, they seem to grow really big at Costco. So I think he has a preference for the ones that are bought there.

Enjoy your week!

Grandma Honey said...

What a great childhood your boys are having! If I had to do it all over again, I would homeschool, hands down.

Sarah said...

It's Spring! Gotta be Spring! Birds gotta sing! Chimes gotta ring! You! Put away the flu! Count the hours 'til the flowers send their pollen in the breeze to make you sneeze! Swell? Oh well, it's Spring! (junior high choir song)
It's my favorite season, and I enjoyed your post.

Kathy's Red Door Welcome said...

Food poisoning? What the heck did you eat?

MissMOE said...

I've been planting stuff for spring--though not quite as much as you! Looks like you had a great start to spring.

Lift Up Your Hearts said...

Food poisoning - *ow*. I hope you're better quickly! Springtime looks like all kinds of learning and fun at the Homegrown Life house!

American Home said...

Sweet post.... very refreshing! Love your pictures!

Have a happy day!

Jocelyn said...

Love the chicken and blooming tree photo! So we are moving into our house around June 1. What kind of garden can I start that late in the season? and I would love to have chickens! Hmmmm

mandi said...

Oh no! I hope you're feeling better!
Avocado trees?!?! how very exciting!

angie said...

your spring looks lovely! much ahead of ours here in Maine...it's coming though.

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