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College winding down.
We’re almost through Rosie’s Freshman year at college. Although she is a commuter student, she is gone from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. many nights of the week. She’s made a lot of new friends, become very strong in her faith, and even has a new beau. She also made the Dean’s List and is thriving in her studies. I guess as a homeschool mom, I can’t ask for more than that.
What is different is Rosie is not running competitively this spring. Her friends, her studies and her boyfriend have taken up all of her time. But she does get out and run on her own and I think that’s a win. She won’t get medals or accolades but she has a routine and a skill for lifelong fitness and I think that will serve her well going forward.
The art student
Izzy’s semester is also winding down. She wrote a paper about this piece, Samson Kills the Philistine.
Giambologna’s piece – Samson Kills the Philistine
It’s actually a pretty remarkable sculpture and it’s hard to believe that Giambologna was the #2 guy behind Michaelangelo!!
One of the more interesting things I learned from Izzy’s paper is that this 2000+ pound sculpture went from Italy, to Spain and then to London via re-gifting!! The statue was originally part of a garden fountain. The King of Spain took a liking to it and had it cut up and sent to Spain as a gift for one of his ministers.
But let’s face it – this isn’t everyone’s taste. As awesome as it is, I’m not sure I would want it in my backyard. Apparently this minister could bear to part with it and in 1623, it was gifted to the English Prince of Wales (Charles I) when he came looking
for a Spanish bride. Off to England it went. But the King did not keep it either and it was gifted to the Duke of
Buckingham, an art enthusiast, as soon as it got to England! (vam.ac.uk)
Under Buckingham’s influence, the sculpture caught on with the English people and copies of it were made and appeared throughout English country houses. I can’t imagine getting one of these as a gift and where in the world would you put it? Eventually the English Royal Family re-acquired the original sculpture again when King George III purchased a fixer-upper mansion in London that we all know as Buckingham palace.
Are you thinking you’ve never seen pictures of Samson killing the Philistine from Buckingham Palace? Well that’s because King George gifted the piece to a friend who had moved to North Yorkshire. And there it remained until finally in 1953 it found a home in the Victoria and Albert Museum, where art enthusiasts can study and admire it.
But honestly, that wasn’t my favorite piece by Giambologna This is:
A Baptism
My little grandson got baptized a few weeks ago. Miss C., Mr. Pete and I drove 8 hours to witness the event. Unfortunately, Mr. Pete got pretty sick that morning and had to miss the entire thing and I got my first taste of what it would be like to do family events like this without my husband – I didn’t like it!
Still it was great to see my son and daughter-in-law and hold the baby.
I still have great baby skills even if my grandson doesn’t always agree. Uncle Noah and Aunt Annabelle are the godparents.
Homeschool things
New homeschool moms are militant! When I was new to homeschooling, it was all about gentle learning, home environment, solid education and delight directed learning and strong family bonds. In my experience, new homechool moms want a TON of core courses taught in a co-op or by an accredited teacher, they want armed guards or moms at the door, and they are a little inflexible. Honestly, they are taking their experiences in an institutional style school and trying to make it fit into homeschooling It’s so shocking to me!
Next semester I will continue to teach Little house Literature, but I will be subbing for a teacher on maternity leave covering Tolkien’s The Hobbit. So I will have a lot of summer reading this year.
The Eclipse
I obviously had no idea how to capture totality, but this is sort of what it looked like behind my house during the total eclipse of the sun and it was phenomenal!
At Least one Running Picture
