Tricotomania and more

Although I’ve been working pretty hard, other stuff is happening. The weather has been getting pretty cold at night and went down almost to freezing the other day. The tomatoes didn’t seem to be doing much anyway, so we picked all but the cherry tomatoes (which we’ve covered) and made a whole bunch of green tomato salsa. I don’t like either cilantro/coriander or chili but other people do and it makes great gives. (Yes, cilantro is coriander leaf. And I do like coriander seed. I’m one of those people who think the leaf smells and tastes like soap.)

We also canned a peck of pears and Mat is getting another peck today. We peel them and halve them and put them in a light sugar syrup. Despite Wisteria’s warnings about low-acid foods, etc. I just put the pears in the hot syrup, bring it back to the boil, put them in hot jars, fill them right to the top, put the lids on, and turn them upside down to cool. (Same thing I do with peaches; my grandmother’s method.) Didn’t kill anyone last year but ymmv. I do think that where you live makes a difference, probably, though I’m not sure how or why.

We’ve decided that we should do more tomatoes and beets and possibly beans. Mat was up early so went to the farmer’s market on his own. We’ll see what he comes back with. Tomorrow afternoon might be a busy one slaving over a hot stove.

Tigger has been keeping herself busy and seems to be fine with the level of neglect. Our little co-op has started and this past week it was at a friend’s who is close enough Tigger can go on her own on the bike so she got herself there and back. They were learning about elections, since we are now having one (on October 14th; Becky will keep you up to date better than I will). She’s also been writing like a mad fiend. She and her friend have decided to form a writing club and they spent all Thursday afternoon together writing and illustrating. She’s also been hanging out in her room writing a lot. I see that some of the new stories are up on the blog though I think a lot more has been written.

Tigger has also been working through the next book in the Key To Geometry series. The one on squares and rectangles, which might be the 4th one. There has been some violin practice, too. Her Nana brought her a full-size violin and fixed it up for her. And Tigger has been asked if she can play some sad/reflective music to go with poetry readings that the youth group will do for the Rembrance Day service at church.

Nana and Grandpa have now gone home. Everyone had a great visit. And Tigger has started her choir. Next week basketball and science class start as well as a 5 week babysitting class. So things will be pretty busy and there might be enough structure that I’ll know what day of the week it is

I have some things of my own going on, too. I decided to sign up for a class at church: Eclipsing Empire. It is very interesting. Historical context of Paul’s writings. I had been thinking about it and when I went to sign up, I noticed that many of the folks taking it were people I knew and liked. That helped. And I’m enjoying it. I am also back at my fitness class in the weights room. A bit stiff this week but I think that indicates how good it is for me to do it regularly. And I like the other women there. I’ve identified a 20 minute brisk walk route around my neighbourhood and am trying to do that regularly, too.

Today I think we’ll do a bit of housework and then we are off to a friend’s place for the afternoon. Have a good weekend.

Tigger and I have been doing the Kids Write Basic class with Bravewriter. It is very good. I highly recommend it. But then Julie’s philosophy is just a good fit for us.

Anyway, we are in the revising stage and I took some photos. Tigger has done a couple of freewrites, one of them expanding on a particular section of the first. I typed them up, each sentence beginning on a new line, and then she worked with the sentences to arrange them in the way she was most pleased with. A few were left out altogether. Here is what it looked like:

She’s posted some of her drafts over on her blog. I suspect the final version will go up over there, too. We still have some editing to do.

The process has been great. And it is fun seeing what other kids are writing. We now plan to take 4 pieces of writing a year through the whole revision process. Some of those will be on things we are learning. Others will be fiction she is writing.

This is a brag post. Tigger is now a published author who has been paid for her writing. I am very proud of her. At the risk of giving away her real identity in cyberspace, she has an article in the most recent issue of New Moon Magazine.

I helped her write it back in July. I used a lot of ideas about freewriting and revising from The Writer’s Jungle. We did a little bit at a time over several days. While Tigger found the process hard, she recognized that it really made her writing better. I can see why Julie recommends that you not have your kids revise everything they write. It is hard work. But every so often it is worth going through that process.

The article is Tigger’s work. I guided her through the process and kept her on track with the deadline but they are her ideas and her words. Thanks also to her friend Q. who read and commented on a draft from the perspective of a girl the age of the audience for New Moon.

I became a writer
when I came to Vancouver.
I became a writer
to have something to do.

I started out with stories
(they were NOT about tories).
I started out with stories
about 1880s people.

Then I went to Lucy
(a very pretty girly).
Then I went to Lucy,
a contemporary character.

She sketched into her sketchbook
with pretty sketching pencils.
She sketched into her sketchbook
the week I began to write.

I am still writing these stories
(and shall continue to write them, too)
I am still writing these stories
About Lucy’s art. (and the 1880s, too).

When Tigger went to bed last night (late because we had been out for dinner), she suddenly asked me for a pencil. She said she had a good first line for a poem and wanted to write it down before she went to sleep. It turned into a whole poem.