Animals and Music

Musicians and artists are sometimes inspired by their animals. Many famous composers had pets, and some even wrote music about their four-legged companions!

Mozart
As a young boy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart traveled throughout Europe. He sent postcards to his dog named Bimper! He also had two other dogs, some birds, and a pet grasshopper.

Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi loved animals. He had a dog named Lou Lou, parrots, cats, and even peacocks!

Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky had birds as pets. He wrote a polka for fifty elephants wearing tutus!

Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev had a cat and a dog. The cat loved to sleep in Prokofiev's favorite armchair.

Chopin
Frederic Chopin wrote his Waltz in D flat (Op. 64 No. 1) about a dog chasing his tail! He also wrote a Cat Waltz (Op. 34 No. 3) that was inspired by a noise a cat made by by jumping on a piano.

If you know of other composers who wrote about animals, please leave me a comment. I am writing a blog entry on Camille Saint-Saens who wrote, The Carnival of the Animals. The South Carolina Philharmonic performs it every year for local school children.

What is Your Bete Noire?

Bete noire wasn't on my official vocabulary list this week, but it is a word I have to learn. Keep reading, if you want to learn why! We were driving back from piano lessons yesterday, and my mother used "bete noire" in a sentence. She paused. My brother and I looked at each other and waited. We knew what was coming next.

My Mom asked my brother and me if we knew what "bete noire" meant. Hey, I knew it was of French origin! I told her I should get Brownie Points for knowing that! "OK, a half point awarded to Elizabeth," she replied.

Bete noire is pronounced \bet-NWAHR\. It is a noun that means something or someone particularly detested or avoided. Have you ever heard of it? If not, you just learned a new vocabulary word. Who says blogs aren't educational?

My bete noire has been mathematics. I always dreaded math time. Lately, it hasn't been too bad. Sometimes I even enjoy it. (Ok, Mom. Don't faint or anything.) We use Math-U-See now, and that definitely has something to do with it.

Math-U-See is a homeschool math program that uses nifty manipulatives and DVDs. Steve Demme is the creator and teacher of Math-U-See. Mr. Demme's photo is on the Math-U-See website. He makes learning math fun, though I suppose there are some math teachers in the world who might be thinking that "math fun" is an oxymoron. (You have to give me TWO Brownie Points, Mom, for finding a way to use this one. Oxymoron consists of two words that seem to contradict each other, or actually do contradict each other. An example would be a "wise fool.")

I have been working harder on math for a number of reasons. One, it was part of the deal to get Sailor. Two, I want to take some correspondence horse equine classes. I already have them picked out! But I can't start something new until I finish the budget for Sailor, get the fencing and barn put up, and finish another Math-U-See level. (I did get the grass planted!) Three, there is more math than I imagined involved in equine science. My mother reminds me that I don't have to be Einstein in math, just competent. Sounds doable.

What is your bete noire?

End-of-the-Year Review

It is getting close to the time of year when my Mom asks us to evaluate how our year went. We are suppose to think about what we enjoyed, what worked for us, and what didn't. We have been living in a 12 x 30' building for the past 7 months! This has not been an ordinary year!

My Mom also requires us to write goals for the New Year. She doesn't expect a list of New Year's Resolutions though. No one ever seems to keep those. Instead, she wants us to think about books we would like to read, topics we would like to study, field trips we might like to take, and that sort of thing.

I decided that I might as well get a jumpstart on the assignment. I have had a good year overall. One highlight of the year was our family trip to Disney World. Disney was awesome.

I read quite a long list of books. When I find an author I like I tend to read everything she or he has written. I need to find some new authors for 2006 because I am almost out of titles. I make good use of the InterLibrary loan services at our local library. I would love for you to post books you have enjoyed this year.

I spent three incredible weeks at Valley View Horse Ranch in Cloudland, GA. I learned a lot about horses, and had fun meeting girls from all over the US! It was my first time at an overnight camp, and I never got homesick. I loved looking out over the mountains in the early morning when the sun was rising or setting. Now I know why my grandfather loves West Virginia so much. The mountains are a peaceful place to live.

I also got to spend a few weeks with my grandparents in West Virginia. They took me to Hawk's Nest State Park, which was pretty fabulous. I enjoyed shopping and going to the Kanawha County Library with my Mamaw. We both LOVE to read! My Mamaw is a great cook, and there is nothing like eating good West Virginia meals! I had a lot of fun going fishing with my Papaw on the lake, too.

I hope I can go to West Virginia some time this winter when there is snow on the ground! I know my favorite thing to do will be to sit in front of the big windows at my grandparents house and read. It would be even better if snow were falling outside! : )

The best thing that happened to me by far this year was getting Sailor! I know I have made the right choice in choosing him. I can't wait until I can bring him home instead of boarding him at a boarding barn.

Oh, I guess I should tell you why we have been living in a 12 x 30' building! We have been remodeling our house. It has taken so long. We are suppose to be moving back in next weekend. As my Mom says, "I'll believe it when we are in!"

What about next year? I want to add more art to my schedule. I would love to take pottery classes. Maybe weaving or some other craft. Our local craft stores have classes all the time.

I will continue playing the piano, violin, and drums. I would like to join the local Appalachian dulcimer group. Appalachian music is part of my heritage. I am looking forward to getting new piano music. My piano teacher said I can pick my own book in January!

I hope to go to West Virginia this winter to find some good Celtic fiddle books, too! I wish I could find a Celtic fiddle teacher in my area. Sadly, none are to be found. I would love to go to Swannanoa Gathering in NC. We almost went last summer, but the dates didn't work out. I am not really into classical violin very much.

We are going to have two new ovens in our remodeled house, and I am looking forward to learning how to bake! I love to read cooking magazines. My favorite is A Taste of Home!

I also want to enroll in some equine science classes in 2006. I have picked out a few that interest me.

We haven't had been on many field trips this year, so I hope we do more in 2006. I love it when my Mom takes us on road trips. We didn't have as many this year because of remodeling the house. Our Honda Odyssey makes traveling fun, too. I love having my own climate controls in the back! There is a nifty sun screen that pulls down, too, that I use all the time.

I would like to go to Washington, DC because I want to go to the National Gallery of Art. I love art museums! I also like visiting old historic buildings, so a trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Atlanta would be fun. There is also a place in North Carolina that I always wanted to go to called, "Old Salem." It is a living museum about Colonial Life in the Carolinas. We didn't go to the beach this year, so I hope we can do that in the New Year, too. My brother and I like to boogie board, and my Mom and I like to walk the beach looking for treasures. I would love to go to the Outer Banks since I have never been there before.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Please post some of the things you want to do in 2006. I would love to hear your ideas!

The Trail Less Traveled

Two trails diverged in a wood
And my brother and I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
---With Apologies to Robert Frost


There are so many TV, radio, and newspaper ads, especially this time of year, that are trying to get the attention of pre-teens and teens. The ads seem to shout, "If you would only wear Brand X make-up or use a certain handheld game, then you, too, will fit in and be accepted." Or how about those TV commercials that make it sound as if a trip to a large department store in the mall will transform you into a super model or super jock?

One of the advantages of homeschooling is that you don't have daily pressure to follow the crowd. (Let me interject something here---in case, you are one of those people who think that homeschoolers don't get enough socialization. I can assure you that it is NOT the case! There are plenty of socialization opportunities, and sometimes there are TOO many and can be a distraction from school work.)Sure, everyone wants to have friends and fit in. Homeschoolers, however, don't tend to care what brand of shampoo you use, or what label is on the back of your jeans. No one cares what the writing says on the side of your shoes. They are more interested in who you are and what you are learning.

Traditional schools start up in August here in the Carolinas, and my mother always asks if anyone (meaning my brother or me) wants to register for school. Neither one of us has ever had a desire to go to a traditional school. My mother was offered a job teaching science at a very posh school downtown. One of the perks of the job was that we could attend tuition-free. We weren't tempted by the offer.

It is going to sound rather corny, but my brother and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to homeschool. We love going down the trail less traveled! The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the homeschooling population has grown from about 10,000 to 15,000 children in the late 1960s to perhaps one million children by 2001. This sounds like a lot, but is only roughly 2 percent of the school-aged population. The number is higher now in 2005, but I couldn't find a recent statistic. The numbers reported are always on the low side since some people don't register with a support group, and the numbers continue to grow.

We run into people all the time who don't understand why we choose homeschooling. If you homeschool, then you know "THE LOOK." I'll translate "THE LOOK" for you. It means you can't be learning as much as you would in a traditional school. Your socialization IQ must be in the basement because you aren't sitting in a classroom all day. No amount of explaining ever changes their minds, so I usually try not to get into it.

Or maybe you are more familiar with "THE QUIZ?" That is when well-meaning (I think) people quiz you on trivia. Things they wouldn't even know if you quizzed them! I can put up with "THE LOOK" more than "THE QUIZ." Sometimes they continue to throw questions at you before you even answer the first one. I used to play along, but I don't play "THE QUIZ" anymore. It is very annoying. (My mother said I could decline as long as I was polite. Thanks, Mom!)

Sometimes my brother or I can't resist the temptation to say something to naysayers. (See, Mom! I am using one of this week's vocabulary words!) We were visiting Yosemite with some homeschooling friends in late March one year. March is a great time of year to visit Yosemite, by the way. No crowds, great photo ops, and LOTS of snow! Oh, and make sure you pack chains for your vehicle's tires! You'll need them on the snowy roads. But I digress...(Give me five, Mom! Another vocabulary word!)

We all decided we needed to get out of the cold and get something to eat and drink. We went off in search of a cafe because all of the park food stands were closed for the season. A rather large doorman blocked our way into the main lodge as we tried to enter. He curtly asked, "What are you kids doing here? Why aren't you in school?" My quick thinking brother replied, "Sir, we could have read about Yosemite in a textbook, but we decided to see it for ourselves." He smiled, and moved aside. The doorman ended up being quite friendly toward us, and shared stories about the lodge and famous visitors. When it was time for us to go, he told us he enjoyed chatting with us and hoped to see us again.

There are many sites along the trail less traveled that make homeschooling fun for me. I have time to read books that interest me. I travel to interesting places with my family and friends. I study music. But best of all, my horse is at the center of my curriculum. I'll share more about my horse-centered curriculum in another blog post.

Your trail less traveled may not be called homeschooling. Maybe you live on a houseboat in the Florida Keys or are working to qualify for the Olympics? I would love to hear from you about your trail less traveled, whatever it may be!

P.S. Blogspot wouldn't let me in for the past couple of days. That is why I haven't posted entries or comments.

Just when you thought you had enough...even MORE Blogging tips!

Every time I come across something that I think would make a good blog post, I write the title or the facts in the eBlogger Dashboard section and save it as a draft. Eventually I come back to my topics and the facts that I have collected. They usually come from my reading or barn experience. Sometimes topics sit in my draft pile for days before I get to them. Sometimes life is busy here, and I don't get to polish my writing as much.

I spend a lot of time trying to think of catchy titles for my blog posts. I like catchy titles. It isn't easy thinking them up though!

I would like to learn more about html because I would like to jazz up my blog with photos, icons, and other cool things like that. A man I know from church has a very cool blog. He puts video and audio on his blog on a regular basis! I haven't had time to learn how to do that yet.

I experiment with "copied" html code. I find a site that generates the html code for me. (I find those sites on other blogs. Just click on whatever it is they have that you like.) I put the code into the template on my Dashboard. I preview the page, and see if it worked. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. If it works, I save the edits. If not, I delete them. My Mom told me that blogspot doesn't have as many "bells and whistles" as some other blogging sites. But blogspot is free, so that is why I am using it for now.

The best part about blogging by far is getting comments!! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to post a comment. Thank you! It is a lot more fun than writing compositions that only my Mom or brother would read!

OK. Now it is your turn to give me blogging tips. I want to know how you (Jess and Liza) get those neat little dotted lines on the side bar of your blog. I have tried to put more space between things in my sidebar, but haven't figured out how to do it yet. I am not good at figuring out how to reorganize my sidebar. Thank you for any tips!

Special Holiday Gifts for Your Horse

Forget about buying those cutesy Christmas horse hats, antlers, or ties! Give your horse something he or she would love. You guessed it.
F-O-O-D....FOOD!!! Horses love food! Here are my top gift ideas for my favorite horse, Sailor!

Carrots
Carrots are an excellent sources of carotene, which is the precursor to Vitamin A. Vitamin A is usually the only vitamin that horses ever need as a supplement to their diet. A horse may not be getting enough carotene, if he or she is not eating green sun-cured hay.

Oatmeal or some type of hot grain mash
Experiment with different kinds, such as wheat mash, rolled oats, sweet feed, cracked corn, barley, or shredded beet pulp. Be creative! You might add some molasses, a pinch of salt, some oil, and chopped carrots or apples. Check the latest issues of your favorite horse magazines to find good recipes.

Peppermint candy
Just swirl a candy cane in your horse's water pail. It is a good Christmas treat, but also is good for another important reason. Peppermint oil is can be used to disguise water for your horse when he or she is away from home. Sometimes horses don't like to drink water when they are "on the road" or at a horse show. Adding a tasty peppermint in your horse's water while he is at home and away will help keep even the most reluctant drinkers from getting dehydrated.

Homemade Horse Treats
Check out my November 22, 2005 blog post "The Equine Chef" for an easy-to-make recipe.

Molasses Grain Block
A tasty treat that should only be used as an occasional supplement. Horses love them though! Molasses grain blocks are made up of molasses, grain products, and minerals. They usually weigh about 40 to 50 pounds. They have a wonderful smell that horses love. Horses like to lick and chew the blocks. Just make sure your horse has enough water because sometimes the grain blocks have extra salt in them.

Sugar cubes
You don't want to give your horse sugar cubes too often because it is bad for their teeth.

Store-bought treats
Check out your local feed or equine store. They usually stock a variety of horse treats that are sure to please even the fussiest horse!

So, what is on your horse's Christmas wish list this year?

If Your Horse Could Talk...

Let's suppose your horse could talk. What would he or she say?

"Get off my back?"

"Ooh, that girth pinches!"

"Hurry up. Hurry up. I am tired of holding my hoof up!"

"Would you please give me a better tasting snack? And more of them!"

"Go buy a car!"

"You've gained a lot of weight this year."

Probably nothing that harsh. Horses may nurse a grudge for a while, but they get over it. Animals don't stay mad. Except maybe cats. But then, who knows about cats? Cats will walk away while you're trying to talk to them. But cats are another post! :)