No. No. No. Don’t explode elderly people. I’m talking about the marshmallow variety. If you still have some sugary sweet Peeps hanging around from Easter, try popping them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. They balloon up like crazy, much to the delight of any child watching. Fine. You caught me. I’m delighted by this too. Then again, it doesn’t take much to tickle my fancy.
Lots of excitement at the nest today! As usual, it was occupied when I peeked around the corner, but as I glanced at the fence, another Junco appeared from next door and dropped off some grub. As soon as the food was deposited, both birds flew away. Gazelle to a nearby tree, the other up to the fence line where he sat, glaring at me. All that, and I haven’t even arrived at the exciting part.
During the 6 weeks of great composers at CC, we study various composers, the parts of the orchestra and lots of musical vocabulary to give a broader understanding of the fine art of symphonic sound. As a classical music nut, I adore these 6 weeks. I had the opportunity to introduce my kids to Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade this week as we studied the Romantic Period of classical music. I whipped up a little lesson plan that you can easily use to introduce your own kids (or yourself) to this glorious and exciting tale, woven into beautiful melodies!
Good morning everyone! Hydro is still an only child. I’ve decided either he’s an overachiever from way back, or the other eggs are just not going to hatch. We are learning about odds and probability in CC. 1 out of 3 is pretty lamesauce (lame sauce…yes it is too a word) when you are talking babies. Sheesh. For the first time, I didn’t grimace in horror when I looked at him. Finally! Continue reading
Quick update with zero pertinent information. Really. It’s our CC day, so I was out of the house early in a mad dash of backpacks and orchestra materials. No nest checking. Now that we’re home, Gazelle is hiding any activity with her big fluffy keister. I’d wager she’ll remain on the nest the rest of the day since it’s turned cold and drizzly. Hopefully I’ll get a better look tomorrow and there will be more ugly babies.
I managed a quick video of little 4-day-old Hydro this morning. He was stretching out his wing, trying to get leverage to turn around and reach the breakfast morsel Gazelle had just dropped off for him to eat. After momma bird flew off in search of more nourishment, I thought I’d have a moment or two to catch the little guy nibbling his meal. Alas, Gazelle returned to the fence line immediately. Clicking loudly and hopping (literally hopping up and down) mad, she shooed me away from her precious baby. Continue reading
With one simple feeder, our yard has become “a paradise for birds” says my daughter. I can’t say that I disagree. They’re like white on rice! We’ve observed more birds flocking to our yard in a week, than we’ve seen in nine previous years. Pine Siskins and Chickadees are the most common feeders, but few new friends were spotted in the past couple days.
Little Hydro is looking markedly more like a bird today. He is sporting a mohawk and unseeing eyes. Still not exactly the fluffy adorableness I’m waiting for though.
“Recent Reads” is new feature on Dissonant Symphony. You can expect to see a post like this once or twice a month detailing our current page turners. I’ll include a short description of each book and every title will be a link to purchase it. However, I highly recommend utilizing your local library whenever possible. We spend copious amounts of time reading. I’d be dead broke and living in a box made out of books if I purchased all the literature we consume. I generally assuage my conscience with the idea that if I “fail” at all other aspects of homeschooling, but have passed along a voracious love of the written word, I will have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Continue reading
Apparently, it’s a good thing my chosen vocation isn’t coroner. In a crazy Easter miracle, our first baby bird isn’t actually dead like I previously observed. This is clearly additional evidence that I know absolutely nothing about birds…or babies…or breathing. Continue reading
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