september plans and theme

September
by Helen Hunt Jackson

The golden-rod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bearing down.

The gentian's bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun;

In dusty pods the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest,

In every meadow nook;

And asters by the brook-side

Make asters in the brook.

From dewey lanes at morning

The grapes' sweet odors rise;

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather,

And autumn's best of cheer.

But none of all this beauty

Which floods the earth and air

Is unto me the secret

Which makes September fair.

'T is a thing which I remember;

To name it thrills me yet:

One day of one September

I never can forget.

summer is quickly fading. muggy nights give away to cool breezes, requiring blankets, snuggling and turning OFF the fans. there's a feeling in the air that soon we will be stocking the wood stove with wood and creating our first fire of the season. leaves are starting to turn and fall from the trees. crickets, cicadas and katydids are winding down with their seasonal songs. 

nature/gardening:

~observe golden rod and harvest for winter use

~pay attention to seeds that are forming everywhere

~apple time!

~days are getting shorter

~national honey month / extract last round of honey from hives

~cool misty mornings, hot afternoons

~gather cottonwood buds

~full harvest moon (26)

~dress nature table in fall colors and found items

homestead:

~clearing out weeds on north side of house and sowing black eyed susan seed heads

~begin fall/winter garden

~clear out weeds in herb garden

~prepare garlic bed

holidays/tradition:

~Autumn Equinox September 23

food:

~apples, apples, apples

~winter squash

~elderberry wine

~elderberry jelly

home:

~purge boxes of items/clothing to be taken to goodwill for donation

~clean out bulk bins in basement

~clean woodstove and prepare for winter

~start gift item list

stories/books:

~handbook of nature study

~the magic school bus inside a beehive

~apple farmer annie

field trips and homeschool activities:

~start up earth scouts group

~back to weekly playdays

~farmer's markets give way to festivals

crafts/activities:

~3-4 washcloths knitted for solstice gifts

~watercolors

~nature journalling

~apple prints

february plans and theme

wow! january went by way too fast and i haven't even gotten through half that list. too much to do, too little time. here is my short list for february. i hope to add/modify it as necessary this month. it's time for spring to start waking up...tapping the maples will quickly give way to the peeper's song, heralding the return of spring next month!

nature/gardening:
~order seeds
~start sweet potato slips
~tap trees
~start seeds at end of month
~days are getting longer
~cut willows to make playhouse
~gather cottonwood buds
~full snow moon (28)
~skunks come out of hibernation to find a mate...will we see any?


homestead:
~begin reviewing wwoofer applications
~begin preparing garden

holidays/tradition:
~Candlemas/Imbolc/Brigid's Day, Feb 2:  

If Candlemas be fair and bright, 

Winter will have another flight; 

But if Candlemas be clouds and rain, 

Winter is gone and will not come again.

The Maiden comes to bring us light!
The Winter dies, and all is bright!
The frozen ground shall disappear -
And all shall sprout, for Spring is near!


Something to chant while cleaning house during this time period:

Blessed be the earth, and all who dwell upon it.
We give thanks for the season now departing from us,
For the blessings it has bestowed upon us,
And upon those with whom we share this world.
Blessed be the new season.
We pray that it will be a time filled with peace,
With abundance, with prosperity,
With wisdom,
With love.

~valentine's day

food:
~citrus is in season
~make orange marmalade
~make salted lemons and limes
~make sugared lemons and limes
~make limoncello
~oatmeal
~dried fruits (dry more apples this fall!)
~hearty stews and pot pies
~homemade bread
~soups
~hot herb tea
~hot lemonade
~hot cocoa a la jim mcdonald
~ham and beans with corn bread
~peppermint patties

home:
~taxes done
~purge playroom and living room
~valentine's gifts for the kids/greg
~lots of board games and homeschooling

stories/books:
~little house series read aloud to jaden and sage
~women who run with the wolves
~treehouse perspectives
~through the wild heart of mary
~a sand county almanac

field trips and homeschool activities:
~eagle days in alton
~columbia bottom conservation area to harvest cottonwood buds

crafts/activities:
~3-4 washcloths knitted for solstice gifts
~work on baby gift for friend
~watercoloring, coloring, beeswax modeling with kids
~valentine's gifts for kids
~spring equinox gift ideas firmed up and started
~create bird supply houses from milk cartons. i saw this idea on someone's blog but can't remember where. they were painted like houses and were really cute.

January plans and theme

while blog surfing, i came upon the blog by sun and candlelight and love her idea of themes & plans for each month. i'm hoping this will help me to focus and organize so i don't think 'oh, i should have done _____ this month!' then, i'll have something to look back on and refer to each year and add to as i need. i hope it will also give us inspiration for our homeschooling ruts as well.

nature:
~begin collecting seed catalogs
~go through existing seeds and make a list of what's needed
~make a list of new plants/herbs i want to try this year
~snow? (becoming more rare it seems)
~tracks in the snow
~full wolf moon (30)
~fill the bird feeders daily
~gather and prepare maple tree tapping equipment
~keep a hole in the water pond ice for the fish; observe life through the hole
~observe the plants under the snow and ice
~log daily happenings in garden journal

food:
~citrus is in season
~make orange marmalade
~make salted lemons and limes
~make sugared lemons and limes
~make limoncello
~oatmeal
~dried fruits (dry more apples this fall!)
~hearty stews and pot pies
~homemade bread
~soups
~hot herb tea
~hot lemonade
~hot cocoa a la jim mcdonald
~ham and beans with corn bread

home:
~thank you notes
~finish putting away solstice decorations
~print off new calendar
~order any seed catalogs not received
~gather tax documents
~plan valentine's day surprises for kids
~plan imbolc activities
~dedicate a plastic bin for solstice to start storing away stocking stuffers and hand made gifts as i acquire them
~create a work sheet to list items for the storage bin
~play more board games with the kids


stories/books:
~read through the wild heart of mary
~sevenwater series

field trips and homeschool activities:
~visit alton for eagle days and try to see the nesting eagles
~resume thursday playdays

crafts/activities:
~knit 3-4 dishclothes to put away for solstice gifts
~work on jaden's knitting skills
~make snowflakes to decorate for imbolc
~watercoloring, coloring, beeswax modeling