Sam Watkins fought as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. Twenty years after the war, Watkins wrote this memoir, Co. Aytch about his experience. His stories about surviving enemy fire border the surreal.
Co. Aytch book cover
His company was named “H.” Back then, they spelled words they way they sounded – hence the title. Sam’s regiment hailed from Tennessee. Since I live in Tennessee, I recognized a lot of the places he mentions. Continue reading
Cedar Springs Homeschool, our team, won second place in the Tennessee State Science Olympiad, held on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. Our son won gold in Solar System and Crave the Wave. Our daughter won silver in Flight.
Between events, in the homeroom
Waiting between Flight and Bridge
We are proud of their achievements – overall, as a team, and individually. Our children did their part to help the team win second place out of the best 15 teams in the State of Tennessee. Continue reading
The medals our team earned at the Regionals in Science Olympiad (SO) came in, finally. We forgive the organizers for forgetting to order them in time to distribute during the awards ceremony last month. It is hard to imagine how one would forget to order medals when one organizes a competition, but we will be gracious and give them our thanks for all their efforts in putting together such a massive effort as SO Regionals.
Our daughter with her two golds from SO Regionals
Our son put his on – four golds and a bronze – but he did not want to be photographed. Then, he took them off. He said it felt good to have them, but not getting them on the day of competition took away from their aura. Continue reading
It just so happened that I had to wait on the kids almost the entire day at co-op and at orchestra rehearsal. That gave me time to read this book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in one day – to be precise, in about four hours. The book is only 78 pages long and the plot moves fast.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – the first of his three autobiographies
I knew what to expect – shocking portrayals of slavery during the 19th century. That is why I hesitated before reading it. Violence in a book or a movie never appeals to me. In fact, I avoid it as much as possible. It was hard to read the four or five passages in which Douglass describes horrible acts of violence against African Americans. Continue reading
One of the funniest books you will ever read, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett is his autobiography. Talk about Southern charm. The voice of David Crockett rings honest and funny. His quaint language tickled me from the first page.
David Crockett’s autobiography
It did not take me long to read this book because the stories move fast and keep one’s interest. Crocket got bullied in school and decided not to attend anymore. When his father found out, two weeks later, he chased David “at top speed” for over a mile. Hold it right there. How fit were these people? Continue reading
Alan Paton wrote a masterpiece which fed him and his family for the rest of his life. Cry, the Beloved Country is set in 1946 in South Africa. I loved it. It reads fast and easy.
Alan Paton – Cry, the Beloved Country – my copy
The plot moves rapidly, despite repetitions and descriptions. Paton writes well, what can I say? Continue reading
Mark Twain can be funny. In Humorous Stories & Sketches (affiliate link), he is super funny. I especially enjoyed “Journalism in Tennessee.” Since I dabble in journalism as a local, lifestyle columnist for my local newspaper AND I live in Tennessee, this story seemed particularly suited to my situation.
Mark Twain Humorous Stories & Sketches – my copy
Of course, thank God, we do not have to face the kind of tribulations as the newspaper editor Twain worked for while in Tennessee. The humor came not only from the description of the violence Twain had to face alongside his boss. It especially stemmed from the edits the boss made to Twain’s reporting. Continue reading
In February, our children played at the historic Tennessee Theater with their respective orchestras. This was the 2023 Winter Concert put on by the six ensembles which comprise the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestras.
Inside the Tennessee Theater
Of all the things I do as a homeschool mom, taking the kids to the concert hall so they can perform is one of the best. It is right up there with competing in the Spelling Bee and Science Olympiad. Continue reading
How is this possible? How did I not blog about my pride and joy, the youth symphony concerts which have already happened this season? So back in November, our children with their respective orchestras played at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville.
The Tennessee Theater
There are six orchestras. Our daughter plays in Philharmonia (the one in the middle) and our son plays in the Youth Chamber (the second from the top). The music is gorgeous. Continue reading
C. S. Lewis gave three lectures at Cambridge about the philosophy of education as he understood it. These lectures became The Abolition of Man (affiliate link). Many commentators put this book on a short list of books that can save Western Civilization.
Lewis starts out by criticing an English high school textbook of his time. From there, he builds a case for education in morality and absolute values. Honestly, at times, I had no idea what he was saying. He lost me about the middle of the first chapter, Men Without Chests. I got the main idea, but when he got into the details of The Way (which he calls the Tao), my poor mind did not comprehend him anymore. Continue reading