Happy Holidays, and a Bright and Thoughtful Solstice!
Advent and Solstice
The above picture is of our Christmas tree with traditional German decorations: the glass bird from my childhood and the real candles which will be lighted on Christmas Eve in a darkened room while we sing Christmas Carols. It is truly magical!
The candle holders have a clip to hold them on to the branch, and a swiveled grip so that the candles can be adjusted to be straight up.
For safety sake, we have only a very fresh, live tree (this one has a root and will be planted outside in the spring) and we keep a fire extinguisher close by for the short time the candles are lit. They are then extinguished with a candle snuffer rather than blowing them out.
You will find more ideas for Solstice and Advent Celebrations on my website at http://www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com/articles/advent
Volunteer Activities
This year we have been attending an open and welcoming protestant church nearby. We sing in the choir, Quimby does some repair work, and Barbara is a member of the Crafters, a group which makes prayer quilts for shut-ins. We also take our turn preparing dinner for the local homeless shelter.
Barbara is chairman of the local library book club, and we are chair and vice-chair of the County Cooperative Extension Advisory Board. Quimby does nature and tree walks for local conservation groups.
More New Buildings!
This fall Quimby built two new buildings with leftover wood from our other buildings: a hunting cabin up in the woods, and a garden shed in the front yard, very handy to our garden.
The hunting cabin is 8? x 8?, two story, with a great view of a little stream tumbling down the hillside. It is a great place to sit and meditate, or have a picnic, even when no one is hunting.
Taproot Farm progress
Grinding deerburger
Quimby got a deer the first day of hunting season, a very young and tender buck which is now steak, hamburger, and sausage in our freezer. We do our own butchering, grinding, and preserving, using a small vacuum packing appliance. We find that we get a lot more meat that way, since a butcher can?t possibly spend the time to get all the meat off the bones. We also get a lot of really good broth, and our dog has the time of her life with the bones and the skin!
Our garden provided a bumper crop of everything we planted. We were able to eat fresh garden tomatoes and greens into December this year. The rest of the harvest is in the freezer or canning jars. We are trying out some greenhouse varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers in our indoor garden this winter, in addition to the usual few herbs and peppers.
Waldorf Publications Now as E-books!
Now you can order books and have them come as e-books; save shipping!
Just click here to order: http://www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com/books/ebooks
Interesting and informative websites
Handle
HANDLE is an approach to neuro-developmental irregularities that is simple, non-invasive, empowering, non-drug. It is an approach designed to enhance neurological systems that are causing learning or life difficulties (autism, ADD ADHD, etc.) . Their website is http://www.handle.org/index.html For a contact person, email Elizabeth at efrish@sover.net
Handwork Workshops by Elizabeth Seward, Ph.D
Elizabeth has been a Waldorf teacher for more than 25 years, in various capacities. She is now available to give workshops or mentor parents and teachers in all aspects of Waldorf education, bur especially in Handwork. She can be reached at elizabeth@workofourhands.net or 818-571-6343
Jean Miller
Many of you have met Jean at our annual Teacher Trainings here at Taproot Farm. She now has a website, www.waldorfinspiredlearning.com and has two publications available: Solstice Spiral, and Building Community: Playgroups, Co-ops and Festivals. Both books include a CD. I have just received both books and they are very informative.
On-line Colleges
This is a site created by Carrie Oakley, a college professor, listing all the accredited on line colleges for undergraduate and graduate programs. I tested it out by contacting several of them, and had really good discussions with their representatives. http://www.onlinecolleges.org
Stories by Sunmaiden
Here are stories galore, written by a mother for her two young sons. Very nice site! http://sunmaiden.rayservers.net/
Waldorf Family Network
This is an homeschooling initiative by Brenda Armstrong which includes biodynamics, teacher trainings, etc. She is also getting ready to have some sort of interactive directory of homeschooling families and resources. Worth keeping in touch!