Perilous Preparations {Advent Lights}

Joseph makes a mad dash to get to geometry class, with Peter on high.

Sparing no efforts and wasting no time, Joseph and Peter cooperatively executed a well schemed decorating project which effectively illuminated our exterior surroundings.  Following in the footsteps of their Grandpa Cliff, famous for fantastic lighting displays, the boys spared no expense, spending their own money to acquire new strands of lights for the festive design they envisioned.

A written plan, complete with diagrams and check lists kept Peter and Joseph focused and coordinated their efforts to meet a common goal: become the brightest house on the block. 

Alpine Christmas (a planning list)
1. Get more lights soon (extra bulbs)
2. Acquire evergreen branches
3. Place lights with branches
4. Eat dessert
5. Pray to Baby Jesus

Decorating into the night, Peter perches near his handiwork.

  
Not without great danger was this enterprise accomplished.  The farthest reaches of our roof top stand about thirty feet above the ground and come to a small point on diagonal angles.  Although Joseph knew this section of the job was beyond his comfort level, Peter volunteered willingly.  Disappointed that Dad wouldn't let them attempt reaching this corner in the dark, they begrudgingly agreed to postpone completion.  This most perilous corner had to be accessed twice, as the first attempt to secure the lights failed at first wind.   Admittedly quivering, yet bravely determined to complete the project, Peter scaled the heights a second time to attach the wayward strand. 

Joseph and Peter strike a post-decorating celebratory pose.

The great reward for their decorating efforts came in the form of Grandpa Cliff's compliments, complete with an honest expression of his amazement, "I can't believe you put lights up to that corner!"
Mission accomplished.

Lost Birds {Pigeon Wanderings}

Up on our roof, one of the boys' racing pigeons played peek-a-boo through the skylight.

Apparently the boys' new backyard pigeon loft is a destination loft.  This week a banded pigeon (probably from some one's racing fleet) landed at our loft and hung around for a few hours chatting with the captives.  Probably seeking shelter from the rain, this banded bird did not put up a fight to being captured with a fishing net and granted asylum inside the shelter.  The band number has been reported to a 4H member with connections in the racing community.  It may yet be returned to the rightful owner.


Add one bird to the mix. 

 While Peter's recent fishing expeditions were unsuccessful, the net did come in handy for capturing wayward pigeons.

Experiments in training racing pigeons; you win some, you lose some.

An eventful but slightly unsuccessful 4H experiment, the first release of Joseph's and Peter's racing pigeons from the new loft for training purposes ended in a mystery.  Seven pigeons were set free to fly approximately thirty feet to the open loft, but not one cooperated with the training plan.  One bird was apprehended a few hours later and placed in the loft.  Over the next few days, the wayward pigeons enjoyed the neighborhood and surrounds, and eventually four flew into the loft willingly.

Subtract two birds from the mix, and the plot thickens.

Heading East {Washington DC and New Hampshire}

Grandma Billie took this lovely photo of us at SeaTac Airport at around 4AM.

To sleep or not to sleep? That is the question one asks oneself when a departure from home is scheduled for 1:45AM.  I opted to sleep, being a person who can almost always fall into a deep sleep just as my head hits the pillow, if not sooner.  However, on this night before departure, the whole falling asleep thing didn't quite happen as normal.  So, rather than a few hours of sleep to prepare for the big day, I logged maybe half an hour or so of real sleep, but who's counting?

Paying for two nights parking at SeaTac in the 3's, we were inside the airport and checking in by 4 for our 6AM flights.  Grandma Billie and Grandpa Cliff headed to Washington DC with Joseph and Peter (a Christmas gift); Zachary and I were en route to New Hampshire to visit Thomas More College of Liberal Arts.  With flights departing within minutes of each other, we shared the early morning ride and the joys of passing through airport security together.  After the pat-downs, re-packing of our x-rayed belongings and putting our shoes back on, we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

Enjoying a third breakfast or a first lunch (depending upon the time zone) Zachary strolls along at Chicago's O'Hare between flights.

Met at Manchester, New Hampshire, by the Thomas More College shuttle, Zachary and I embark upon the final leg or our day-long journey to campus.

Due to an annual vocation awareness event at a local Catholic grade school near TMC, the daily Mass schedule had been changed so the priest wouldn't have to bi-locate.  After the marathon day of travel from coast to coast, we landed on campus right as the 5PM Mass began.  If you know me, you know this was truly the highlight of my day!  God is so good!  

Mass in the small, beautiful chapel was followed immediately by a home cooked meal in the cafeteria below.  Italian beef, fancy rice, freshly baked rolls with fresh salad, topped off with self-serve chocolate ice cream for dessert seemed far better fare than the standard institutional-style campus meals.  A professor joined our table just as the conversation had turned to shooting and eating snakes, which somehow segwayed into a fascinating discussion about beauty in liturgy.  Turns out this gifted professor will be speaking at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, in a few days on this very topic, and the insights he shared with us shall be treasured as a highlight of my TMC campus visit.

Ready for his immersion experience into student life at Thomas More College, Zachary surveys the campus.

Breeding Begins {Pigeon 4H}

Joseph releases on of the pigeons into the new loft.

After months of hard work designing, building and finishing (with a few more hours yet to go) the new loft is ready-enough to house the pigeons.  Several pairs are now nesting in special breeding boxes with the hope of little eggs hatching this spring.  Birds born at home will race back to this loft someday when they are old enough for competitive flying.  The old loft now stands vacant, abandoned in the shadow of the new Taj Mahal.

Members of the boys' 4H club will continue to give public presentations in the months to come, leading up to a crescendo at the NW Washington Fair in Lynden in August.  Joseph and Peter will be presenting not just pigeons, but also the loft building project in upcoming public speaking opportunities. Talk about a multi-disciplinary home school unit, this loft building project covers all the bases and then some, all taught by a great teacher and pigeon expert: Grandpa Cliff.

 Peter peeks out from one of the rooms in the new two bedroom unit for the pigeons.

Grandpa leads a careful study to find the right matches for mating.

Peter and power tools, under the watchful eyes of Grandpa Cliff

Looking in at the two room design, before the "window" installation

Loft Building 101 {Pigeon 4H}

A Home School Project

with Grandpa Cliff

 

Power tools replace pencils in the hands of our middle schoolers.

It's not an Eagle Project, it's a pigeon project ~ an extension of the 4H Pigeon program in which Joseph and Peter participate with Grandpa Cliff.  It all began with a few pigeons given to Peter on his "anything that breeds" birthday in 2010.  From there, the interest and enthusiasm spread to the point that we will soon have a racing pigeon loft in our back yard. 

the frame goes up

 It's not an official break from (home) school, but due to the enormity of this construction project, there is very little actual desk work being accomplished during pigeon loft work weeks.  The exception is Joseph's math homework, since he's enrolled in an algebra class taught close to home on Monday and Wednesday mornings.  Speaking of math, before the pigeon loft project took off, Grandpa Cliff taught Joseph and Peter how to use the plans and measurements to determine the projected materials list.  He has included them in every step of the project, his patience is heroic. 

Yesterday after a full day's work with hammers, drills and power saws, Grandpa Cliff left the boys with a gallon of paint plus supplies and instructions for painting the interior and the untreated exterior.   Peter stayed outside painting until it was dark, but Joseph called in quits in time to make swimming practice. 

Physical education is involved, particularly climbing and balancing acts. 

Once it's complete, the loft will have sectioned off areas for the fancy birds, the racing birds and the
sick birds.   Pairs of pigeons will have their nest boxes, and in non-breeding seasons the males and females can be separated.  Expect great things from these pampered birds, their new home is fit for kings and queens.

planning, measuring, assembling 

Joseph paints the inside of the loft, before construction of the nest boxes.

Painter Peter