Although it has recently been quite cold, the Friday before last my learning buddy and I headed to the forest on a drizzly, soggy afternoon. We talked to the forest on a quiet gravel road, really there was no traffic, just a few people out walking or running. Still, there…

Me: Put your thinking cap on and see if you can figure that out. Mr. TOF: But my thinking cap is so itchy.

These days there are multiple chess games every day. Mr. TOF has been learning to play, and his siblings are happy to oblige him in matches. In fact, the chess board sometimes gets to be a distraction and I have to momentarily “misplace” it until some things are checked off…

I have been loving the way the late winter afternoon light makes shadows on the dining room walls this time of the year. When I look out the family room window at my neighbor’s garage, the winter light also makes a beautiful shadow from their grape vine in January, and…

I typed the title of this post, and then wondered, can you really call schoolwork “homework” if all of the schoolwork is completed at home all the time? It just doesn’t quite feel right. Everyone has been back to their little study corner in the house this week as school…

She practices on her own now just as much as she practices with me, which means that I am probably going to need to quadruple my own piano practice time to keep up with all the accompaniments that I need to learn. Also, I am going to need to practice…

The New Year was rung in by everyone sticking their nose into a book and quietly reading away until the clock struck midnight. Then there was a little whoop and holler, and everyone headed off to bed. Earlier in the evening Mr. TOF and the Devious Snail watched some lovely…

They were crazy. That’s all I have to say. (Click in from the main page to see the second picture).

I gifted the kidlets with a gigantic bean bag for Christmas, but truth be told, I’ve lounged around in it just as much as they have this week. The first day, when I nestled in with a book next to the fire, I quickly realized the brilliance of this purchase.…

2020 was a good year for poetry! Some of my favorites this year: Whale Day by Billy Collins: I always enjoy this poet and his work. These poems were terrific. Healing the Divide: This book was a surprise! I bought it on kind of a whim, and it did not…