Earth Moon

May I say, your post is WHY I'M DEDICATED TOOTH AND NAIL TO UNSCHOOLING MY
CHILDREN. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
earthmoon



At 04:47 PM 8/6/00 -0700, you wrote:
>So today I'm suffering from a bit of "empty nest" syndrome, as I packed
>Aliyah off to go wolf-tracking in Idaho this morning with the Wilderness
>Awareness School
>
>Actually, the send off began yesterday. Packed more clothes than I can
>possibly imagine her using; made sure she knows how to put up and take
>down her
>tent (will still require help); got her a new knife. She's taking her
>violin, too
>(it goes EVERYWHERE).
>
> Her daypack must have weighed 20 pounds!
>
> "What have you got in there, Ali?"
> "Books."
> "Nature guides?"
> "No, don't need those."
>
> I looked inside. William McNeill's "The Rise of the West"; William
>Saroyan's "My Name is Aram"; Thoreau's "Walden" (appropriate, I guess),
>and... "The
>Collected Poems and Plays of T.S. Eliot." And a journal.
>
> "Eliot? , Ali, do you need all of those?"
>"Yes, I'm in the middle of Murder in the Cathedral" and it is a long ride."
>
> And then she started to recite "The Hollow Men".
>
> Then we both got dressed up to go to hear Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (and his
>teenage sons!) play the sarod at the University of Washington. He looks
>the same
>as when I saw him 20 years ago (we actually look like twins.) He's now
>grayer.
>So am I. We both need some of that "Hair Dye for Men" (purple and
>green). Amjad
>Ali Khan is the latest in along line of musicians from Gwalior dating back
>to the
>time of Akbar the Great (he played some of the music from his great,
>great, great,
>etc., etc. from the 16th century, too.)
>
> Aliyah decided to wear one of her South Indian performing outfits. She
>knew it was North Indian music, but she wanted to show it off again while it
>still fits (and we don't have any performances coming up.)
>
> Concert was sensational!!! but only 3 1/2 hours long (in India, it would
>have been at least 5 1/2). Indian man comes over to Aliyah and asks, "Do
>you know
>what you just heard?" "Yes, Rag Darbari. Actually, it is the North Indian
>equivalent of the Carnatic raga Kilvilley." Man walked away opened
>mouthed, he was only trying to make polite conversation with the pale
>skin. Now I remember why she likes to write "modal" music.
>
> Got up at 5:30 a.m. By the breakfast place, I see a berry bush. "What
>kind?" I ask. "Salida(?) or Oregon Grape", she says. (I believe her --
>last week
>she brought home thimbleberries to make compote, and I had to ask her whether
>they were edible too.) So, "edible"? "Salida is not tasty", she says,
>"Oregon Grape" is very bitter. But very good for you if you get sick from
>bad water.
>I've tried it." (You can imagine my attempt to keep an interested, less
>than overly concerned look on my New York face.)
>
> "Our woods though have been invaded by poison hemlock. Looks almost like
>Queen Anne's Lace, so you have to be careful." She laughs -- she knows
>I'm not
>likelyto eat ANYTHING which comes from the woods unless she gives it to me.
>"There's a beautiful purple-flowered member of the nightshade family,
>too. Quite
>deadly." "Oh, well I won't eat it." I joke. "No, the problem is people
>pick flowers, and then put their hands in their mouths." So I promised
>not to pick any flowers in the
>woods until she got back. (I never do anyway!)
>
> Over breakfast, she informs me that a subspecies of Eurasian cuckoo
>proves that birds can count. I bite: "How?" "Well, as you know, they lay
>their eggs
>in the nests of other birds, who also feed the hatchlings. Can look pretty
>funny, seeing a lark trying to feed a cuckoo. They can change the color of
>their eggs
>(not their size) to match those of the eggs in the nest. But with this
>subspecies,
>for every one egg the cuckoo lays, she throws one of the other ones out of the
>nest."
>
> "Well, that only proves the cuckoo can count!" I say.
>"Good point," she notes. (Win one for Dad!)
> >
> So off she goes. Jon Young, director of the Wilderness Awareness School
>says, "The only thing wrong with teenagers these days is the lack of large
>carnivores."
>
> > I guess I'll find out.
>
> David
>
>--
>"And the Skylark Sings with Me is to homeschooling what Tom Paine's
>"Common Sense" was to the American Revolution."-Greg Bates, Common Courage
>Press. to read a sample chapter or reviews, or to check out my speaking
>schedule, visit my website -- www.skylarksings.com -- or send an e-mail to
>shantinik@...
>
>
>
>
>
>Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
>Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com
>
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>

David Albert

So today I'm suffering from a bit of "empty nest" syndrome, as I packed
Aliyah off to go wolf-tracking in Idaho this morning with the Wilderness Awareness School

Actually, the send off began yesterday. Packed more clothes than I can
possibly imagine her using; made sure she knows how to put up and take down her
tent (will still require help); got her a new knife. She's taking her violin, too
(it goes EVERYWHERE).

Her daypack must have weighed 20 pounds!

"What have you got in there, Ali?"
"Books."
"Nature guides?"
"No, don't need those."

I looked inside. William McNeill's "The Rise of the West"; William
Saroyan's "My Name is Aram"; Thoreau's "Walden" (appropriate, I guess), and... "The
Collected Poems and Plays of T.S. Eliot." And a journal.

"Eliot? , Ali, do you need all of those?"
"Yes, I'm in the middle of Murder in the Cathedral" and it is a long ride."

And then she started to recite "The Hollow Men".

Then we both got dressed up to go to hear Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (and his
teenage sons!) play the sarod at the University of Washington. He looks the same
as when I saw him 20 years ago (we actually look like twins.) He's now grayer.
So am I. We both need some of that "Hair Dye for Men" (purple and green). Amjad
Ali Khan is the latest in along line of musicians from Gwalior dating back to the
time of Akbar the Great (he played some of the music from his great, great, great,
etc., etc. from the 16th century, too.)

Aliyah decided to wear one of her South Indian performing outfits. She
knew it was North Indian music, but she wanted to show it off again while it
still fits (and we don't have any performances coming up.)

Concert was sensational!!! but only 3 1/2 hours long (in India, it would
have been at least 5 1/2). Indian man comes over to Aliyah and asks, "Do you know
what you just heard?" "Yes, Rag Darbari. Actually, it is the North Indian
equivalent of the Carnatic raga Kilvilley." Man walked away opened mouthed, he was only trying to make polite conversation with the pale skin. Now I remember why she likes to write "modal" music.

Got up at 5:30 a.m. By the breakfast place, I see a berry bush. "What
kind?" I ask. "Salida(?) or Oregon Grape", she says. (I believe her -- last week
she brought home thimbleberries to make compote, and I had to ask her whether
they were edible too.) So, "edible"? "Salida is not tasty", she says,
"Oregon Grape" is very bitter. But very good for you if you get sick from bad water.
I've tried it." (You can imagine my attempt to keep an interested, less than overly concerned look on my New York face.)

"Our woods though have been invaded by poison hemlock. Looks almost like
Queen Anne's Lace, so you have to be careful." She laughs -- she knows I'm not
likelyto eat ANYTHING which comes from the woods unless she gives it to me.
"There's a beautiful purple-flowered member of the nightshade family, too. Quite
deadly." "Oh, well I won't eat it." I joke. "No, the problem is people pick flowers, and then put their hands in their mouths." So I promised not to pick any flowers in the
woods until she got back. (I never do anyway!)

Over breakfast, she informs me that a subspecies of Eurasian cuckoo
proves that birds can count. I bite: "How?" "Well, as you know, they lay their eggs
in the nests of other birds, who also feed the hatchlings. Can look pretty
funny, seeing a lark trying to feed a cuckoo. They can change the color of their eggs
(not their size) to match those of the eggs in the nest. But with this subspecies,
for every one egg the cuckoo lays, she throws one of the other ones out of the
nest."

"Well, that only proves the cuckoo can count!" I say.
"Good point," she notes. (Win one for Dad!)
>
So off she goes. Jon Young, director of the Wilderness Awareness School
says, "The only thing wrong with teenagers these days is the lack of large
carnivores."

> I guess I'll find out.

David

--
"And the Skylark Sings with Me is to homeschooling what Tom Paine's "Common Sense" was to the American Revolution."-Greg Bates, Common Courage Press. to read a sample chapter or reviews, or to check out my speaking schedule, visit my website -- www.skylarksings.com -- or send an e-mail to shantinik@...

[email protected]

DITTO! I just woke up from a horrible nightmare that I had to return to work
and leave my children. I had such a sick feeling when I woke up. It was
scarey!

Julie-mommy to Ali (3) and Matthew (1)