Rats! But All is Going to Be Ok.

My computer has hit a serious snag, and it is at the College IT room undergoing treatment. I have serious doubts as to its ability to recover. I am able to post using Hubby's computer. The WONDERFUL gentlemen at IT will have one for me to use today. They told me they could simply switch the hard drive from my computer to another laptop. I am very grateful on so many levels:  they are so very kind--all the time. We would be lost without them at the College. Moreover, since it is a school computer, I am not faced with the expense of repair or replacement. I have an online class this summer so having the computer accessible is crucial, and the IT guys are allowing me to use one of their department laptops until mine is either repaired or permanently replaced!  How is that for going the extra mile? No matter how much computers do for us, they will never be substitutes for human kindness! 

Thank You, Lord, for putting such blessings right in the middle of our lives!

The Gang's All Here!

They're all here!  Horace, Homer, Lucan, Virgil, Dante . . . and Dr. Frederick Wheelock . . .
they're all here with the Justus boys and mom!  We are so excited (at least mom is).  Today we began our LT 201 course for summer school. This course was designed and approved a couple of years ago, and I have had the blessing of having taught it once already.  This summer, I am teaching it for the boys.  No one else has registered for it, so we can do it right here at home. I can't believe this is actually happening. We had so much fun today.  I found two translation books which accompany the Wheelock's Latin:  we are moving through them as a method of review.  Once we finish with these first chapters, we will resume our trek through Wheelock's where they each left off in LT 102.

I think the wonderful Dr. Wheelock would be pleased that his marvelous text has inspired not only Classical scholarship, but also a means of strengthening a love of learning and family! What a day!

A Few Heartfelt Thoughts for a Friday Night

Well, that I am out of school is evident by the number of posts I have made the last few days, and here is one more I just have to share an experience we had tonight. We took the kids to a pizza buffet (where everyone can eat pizza until they're completely stuffed and at a good price). There were not many people there yet, and we could hear the TV show playing on the restaurant's television.  The show was "Modern Family." I knew of its existence and that it was not something I would want to see given the content themes. There are no words I can use which will adequately describe how sickening and appalling the show's content were.  The language was foul, and the relationships depicted were not "family" oriented--they were blasphemous and ungodly.  My husband said, "when you laugh, you have given your approval." There is definitely truth in his words.  Too many laugh at this program and others like it. I was told that "Big Bang Theory" was as bad or worse.

I have chosen a picture of the Cleaver family to include in this post.  The Cleavers have been maligned (particularly June) as being unrealistic and goody-goody. We may not all vacuum our homes wearing pearls and a beautifully-ironed dress, but the parents were figures to be respected. There was genuine love between the characters, and lots of good laughs at no one's expense, except perhaps the hapless Beaver.  What's wrong with the notion of Father, Mother and children living together in the same home?

Has our culture really moved so far away from the Biblical model of the family?  If so, it is so because we have moved so far away from the Bible itself and its holy Author.

God, give us Christian homes!

Homes where the Bible is loved and taught.

Homes where the Master's will is sought,

Homes crowned with beauty Thy love hath wrought.

God give us Christian homes. 

Mrs. Betty Greene

I am just amazed!  This photograph is a picture of two of my high school's language teachers, Mrs. Betty Villanueva and Mrs. Betty Greene.  Mrs. Greene  (on the right) was mentioned in a post below. She was such a patient soul, and I would love for her to know how much she taught me!  Latin gave me great joy all the way through college and graduate school. Now, I have been able to teach it, not only to my homeschooled sweethearts, but also to the kids at Truett. This looks like the very corridor of my classroom!  A few years back, I found a copy of our textbook in a used book store. I ought to find a way to use it in some of  our coursework.

Anne of Avonlea

My daughter reads in "fits and spurts."  Reading is either all she's doing or furthest from her mind. I know it has everything to do with what she is reading. I was tickled to death yesterday to see that she is working her way through the Anne books again. She had a copy of Anne of Avonlea, the second in LM Montgomery's lovely Anne series. I like to read this one just before school starts each semester as the story tells us of  Anne's apprehension about beginning the school year as a teacher rather than a student. I hope Virginia will read the entire series this time. 

". . . . I don't believe a teacher should be cross. Oh, it seems to me such a responsibility."

A Nice Cookout

The semester at school is winding down, and we actually had time to catch our collective breath yesterday afternoon. We all loaded up and went to a local State park to have a cookout. The weather is warm, but neither the temperature nor the humidity were oppressive. Hubby did his usual fabulous job grilling the burgers and (turkey) franks. He heated a can of baked beans on the grill, too. It all tasted so good.  4/5 of us have had a bug that has hung on with annoying tenacity. A couple of us would get better then come back down with it all again. However, sneezing, coughing, finals and grading were all forgotten as we enjoyed our burgers and beans and the joy of each other's company. 

Spirograph

This has to have been one of my favorite "toys" ever. My parents weren't ones to get the latest toy just because I asked for it, but they did indulge me here by buying me a Spirograph set. It really was one of the most exciting things I remember receiving. The tricky part was getting the pins positioned in the paper and cardboard--the Spirograph today I'm sure doesn't have the pins. The company came out very quickly with a younger edition called "Spirotot."  Again, Moma and Daddy bought that one for me. It was much better suited for my age (probably 5 or 6). 

I still love coloring and drawing although the best I can do is to stay in the lines.

What were some of your favorite toys?