CATCH OF THE DAY - TARANTULA

As much as I would have thought snakes and tarantulas would be where I'd draw the line, the truth is, I'm not nearly as worried about the creepy crawly things around our new home as I thought I would be. For many years as we prayed about our next move, we always considered we may end up in a foreign country where things like heat and wildlife would be part of the deal. Being right here in California still with so many creature comforts, including air conditioning and FedEx, not to mention familiarity, friends, the beach, etc...I have to say our rural move has been more than a blessing, wildlife included.

That said, there is still a learning curve when it comes to the critters around here and what I've noticed is that the more we learn, the less we fear. Knowledge is powerful. Wisdom affects how we view the world around us. So, it's our job to understand our habitat and those we share it with in order to respect God's creatures and also protect ourselves and our children.

Our most recent catch of the day was a bit easier to not fear because our new neighbors were over at our house when we found it and they have lots of experience with TARANTULAS! They even let them walk up their arms when they find them (which apparently isn't too often). But, eeek. I'm still not a fan of these hairy, crawly creatures and knowing they don't come around often is just fine by me. However, we did get to inspect this one and even take a couple pics before releasing him....over there!

Later that evening, the kids came in with a book we have about spiders and it turns out these guys aren't nearly as intimidating as their appearance and reputation...especially compared to much smaller spiders we had right in our house back in town. We have so much more to learn and thankfully science is all around us in our new environment, covered with the fingerprints of God.

WIKIPEDIA TARANTULA

"In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."

Psalm 104:24

CRAFTING WITH MRS. REYES

When Mrs. Reyes comes over to play, guaranteed it's going to be FUN!

...and MESSY!

(leaf craft)

One word...FLUBBER.

Mrs. Reyes, one of my most cherished and dear sister-friends, is truly unique and special. She was Aida's 1st and 2nd grade teacher back in our early co-op homeschooling days. Always the teacher, Mrs. Reyes loves to come craft with the kids!

(making sand candles at the beach house)

She loves exploring nature!

She loves children!

And mostly she loves the Lord!

(We laughed and laughed as it got dark before our sand candles hardened and some even were

swooped away by the rising tide. What an adventure to go searching in the DARK for lost candles with Mrs. Reyes!)

Mrs. Reyes, our whole family loves you so very much!

Thanks for the many fun (and gluey) memories! We hope there are many more!!

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'"
Matthew 19:14

PAINTING CLASS

We tend to go with the flow for homeschooling (and creativity is always flowing around here), but every now and then enrichment opportunities come along and this week the older girls got to attend a painting class with our wonderful neighbors.

As the class began, Elka whispered to me that this was her first official "class" ...ever. And, it dawned on me how very much we've changed over the years in our homeschooling approach. In the early days with our 2 oldest we chose the co-op road and I'm so glad we did, because otherwise I don't know that we would have experimented with homeschooling at all! But to think of such weekly classes being part of our rhythm (read: off beat drum) at this point in our homeschooling journey feels completely foreign.

Off beat works best for us.

Yet, it was a treat for the girls to join into a sweet community event this week here in our new place in this world.

Their paintings remind us of the experience and Elka is asking me to get out my oil paints for her now. She will love oils!

And I love these girls.

"He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work."
Exodus 35:35

CATCH OF THE DAY - KINGSNAKE

I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled about this catch of the day at first...but after doing our homework,

I see that this kingsnake who has made his home in our yard is actually our friend, even protector.

He stays.

It was a rough lesson this past week to see a large snake prey upon our beloved bird's nest up in our tree. We grieved as a family while he enjoyed a meal. It was like National Geographic right in our own backyard! It's taken me some time to digest the whole thing because really, it was traumatic, especially for sweet Nova. All of the children were distraught! I was nauseous. Brodie, of course, remained calm and even found a lesson for us all through the distressing situation. We all felt for the mama and daddy birds as they tried their best to peck at the snake that took from them. And we, mama and daddy to our little ones had to explain the circle of life and even find and teach respect for this creature (and his Creator) in our garden.

We prayed and thanked the Lord for the compassion we saw in our children for the vulnerable little birds. We asked Him to use that compassion to fuel their love for His people, also in need. We thanked God for how He cares for even the birds and asked that He would comfort them and help them build a new nest and have more baby birds soon. He cares and so do we.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Matthew 10:29-31

After that episode, we nudged the snake over to the field by our house, only to find him back again yesterday. So, we did some research. (Insert science lesson here.) What to do with this determined snake who obviously likes our garden???

As it turns out, this kingsnake is, in fact, our friend. He will eat rattlesnakes and other snakes. He will also eat rodents and he is not venomous himself. The kingsnake is on our team. So, we will respect him and we will not touch him. We will not kill him or even try to remove him because we see that he will help protect our property ultimately. So, this catch of the day stays....and another country lesson tucks under our belts. We need not be afraid and we're growing day by day.

WIKIPEDIA CALIFORNIA KINGSNAKE

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens

and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"

Genesis 1:26