Our non-reading book group met at the home of a member who keeps bees. (She is the one all suited up.) The week before the kids had learned about bees, so last Monday they got to see them "in the flesh." Actually, only two children ended up with bits of bees in their flesh, which probably doesn't seem bad only because my kids weren't among the stung. Anyway, it was quite interesting. We got to see the queen, who wasn't nearly as big as I'd imagined (apparently she is young), the drones (who really did seem to be wandering about aimlessly, hoping some busy worker bee would fix them a sandwich and give them a foot rub), and the workers. We also got to try the honey, which was delicious except for the bits of wax mixed in.
Because we are All About Learning, I saved the stinger out of one of the kids who got stung and we looked at it through a pocket microscope that our hostess has. It was very cool.
Katie's t-ball picnic was held at the park across the street. They finally got the playground equipment in, and isn't it nice? Of course, during school hours the school has it (I suppose we could use it then anyway, but we don't want to call too much attention to ourselves.), but in the evenings it is a nice place for the kids to play while I stroll around the somewhat-less-than-half-mile walking trail.
Katie got her trophy for showing up to pick dandelions during t-ball games.
And here is my first tomato. He was tasty.
We ate my second tomato today, with some of his canned brethren, some garlic, olive oil, sugar, onions, and two big handfuls of Basil That I Grew over pasta for dinner tonight. It was very nice. (Of course, the children didn't like it, but they wouldn't know good food if it...... well, I don't know what it would do, but you know what I mean. Anyway, it was good, and their rejection of my cooking no longer stings. very much.)
Friday we spent at doctors' offices, having Katie poked and prodded. She has been complaining that her heart hurts sometimes. It isn't at all frequent or dramatic, and I suspect something like gas, but it seemed like something that ought to be checked. The ekg was normal except for some "pauses," the x-ray was perfect (though the technician noted that her stomach was clearly Completely Empty. Which wasn't really my fault, as the child is Not a breakfast eater, but I felt like a Bad Mother anyway.), and the blood test was good except for elevated platelets (I think that was it), which apparently could be from allergies. Poor Katie has a terrible fear of having blood drawn, and cried the whole walk to the lab, "Can't I just have my allergy shots?" Which of course she Can't, because they don't want to give her any more allergy shots until they are sure her heart is okay. Everything is looking good, thank God! The doctor's office scheduled her for an echocardiogram in Statesville in July, where I am counting on them pronouncing her "sound as a bell!" And then she can get back to those nice allergy shots, which now look so easy-breezy-walk-in-the park!
5 comments:
Yum! That tomato looks good. We had our first last week, as well.
Wow, I've got to schedule my own field trip to a bee-keeper! That looks so very interesting.
And the other activities look to be good, too.
Alas, I am spending most of my summertime teaching.
Oh, and the tomato is lovely! I remember when my dad had too many tomatoes to eat, and we'd give away those we didn't have time to can.
His garden is much smaller now.
Oh poor Katie! Isn't it funny how kids will say those types of things when they aren't quite sure how else to say it?
This might make you feel a little bit better - a friend of mine, as a child, used to say he couldn't eat raisins because they "made his heart hurt". His mother chalked it up to heartburn and he made it well into adulthood with no problems! :)
Yes, we have no tomatoes, so it's not nice to post pictures of yours. :)
We have bees, and I'll confess that I've found them less then interesting since I got stung on the head. Ernie gets stung all the time, but it doesn't seem to bother him. You CAN get raw honey without beeswax, though, just so you know. We strained ours really well last year through several layers of cheesecloth. No wax. :D
Will be praying for the "sound as a bell" diagnosis.
Wow, that looks like a lot of fun.
I can't wait to have my own garden.
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