Saturday, December 06, 2008

"We'll talk of sunshine and song. . ."

Becky at Farm School has bestowed a Butterfly Award on Rockhound Place--thanks, Becky! It seems, however, that with recognition comes responsibility. Here are the rules for this chain letter-esque award:

1. Link to the person who gave you the award.
2. Post the graphic.
3. Pass the award on to ten other bloggers whose blogs you consider cool (though they can't all be the coolest, can they? Methinks the graphic needs a little more tweaking, but my thanks to hornblower for editing the glaring grammatical goof).

Here are my ten (alphabetically by blogger name, except for the last two blogs):

Barb, a friend and choral companion, at her cozy blog, the cardinal compass, has thought-provoking posts from time to time. Now if we could just get her to post her recipes!

Kathy has wonderful arts-and-crafts ideas posted at her blog, Art Projects for Kids. Many of her posts are seasonally themed.

Kris at At Home Science has book lists, product reviews, and much more. Plus her blog's banner is just beautiful!

My buddy, LB, at 3-Ring Binder, who nudged me into blogging in the first place, has an eclectic blend of art, poetry, pop culture, homeschooling, politics, and more.

I'm sure children's author, Melissa Wiley, has already been tagged with this award, but I give a shout-out to her prolific blog, Here in the Bonny Glen, anyway.

Another friend, Sue, at Never Wear Your Pets on Your Head, is one of the funniest homeschooling moms I know. Look for her articles in Secular Homeschooling Magazine.

Suji at Funschooling always has inspiration for me when I feel like I need it! She shares her homeschooling days, resources, and ideas generously. She has a very creative banner, as well.

Yat-Yee Chong
has insights into the writing-for-children world, and is a regular participant in the Poetry Friday round-up.

I don't know if these last two blogs will appreciate this somewhat girly award or not, but friend and fellow musician, Manoj, posts at both Our Unschooling Adventure and How to Be a Great Vocal Ensemble. I'm hoping he'll post some more singing tips on the latter blog soon!

And now, for your reading pleasure, here is a selection from "To a Butterfly," by William Wordsworth:

I've watched you now a full half-hour,
Self-poised upon that yellow flower;
And, little Butterfly! indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

This plot of orchard-ground is ours;
My trees they are, my Sister's flowers;
Here rest your wing when they are weary;
Here lodge as in a sanctuary!
Come often to us, fear no wrong;
Sit near us on the bough!
We'll talk of sunshine and of song,
And summer days, when we were young;
Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.

6 comments:

Suji said...

Christina...thank you! I'm very honored that you feel FunSchooling is worth this award :)

Kris said...

Wow--thanks for thinking of me!

MP said...

Wow! I feel so like, honored! I'd like to thank the Academy for...

Seriously, thanks.

- manoj, girly-man

MP said...

Oh and by the way, you, my dear, do not need any singing tips from me. What you do need is a stiff drink, as you are well aware ;)

- manoj

Christina said...

Yes, everyone who knows me knows I need to learn to relax a bit more, and I know it, too. My undergraduate professor of violin at the dry campus of the liberal arts college I went to wanted to give me a shot of whiskey before I went on stage for my senior recital! Some famous musician out there used to take beta blockers before performing--can't remember whom. But stage fright (or even offstage fright, as likely affects me whilst singing) is a tricky thing--I would think that performing without it would mean the performance would lose a certain je ne sais quoi.

MP said...

Yes, it might mean losing a certain je ne sais quois, but from the audience's point of view it will add a whole lot of another je ne sais quois! And that latter je ne sais quois lifts the performance from technique to art.

With Yoda you go on this one!

- manoj Zen-man