Lifestyle of Learning 2014 Edition: Volume Eighteen

Autumn has been particularly beautiful this week and we have had another beautiful week of living.
Bishop began his week with scouts which involved cooking for the cub scouts at a park.  This moved him a little bit closer to completing his cooking merit badge (an Eagle Scout required merit badge) and allowed him and his troop an opportunity to get to know better the cub scouts who may soon cross over to their troop.  Bishop had a unique challenge presented to him and he met it well.  For his cooking merit badge he needed to prepare a one-pot meal and he needed to make it gluten-free because one of the cubs has celiacs.  He prepared a pot of chili using his own seasoning rather then a seasoning packet in order to insure there was no gluten present.  He also served gluten-free johnnycakes, clementines, and water.  It went over exceedingly well - both with the gluten-free cub scout and with all the other boys.  He is just so creative and competent with his cooking, even when preparing a camp meal.

Bishop is a den chief; he is a boy scout who once a month helps with a cub scout den.  It is a position of leadership - he is a mentor.  The plan for his den was to go hiking at the nature center and just prior to the hike Bishop was to show the boys how to whip and fuse rope.  Every den decided to join his on the hike and prior to the hike he ended up doing a presentation to the entire pack about whipping and fusing.  He then worked specifically with his cubs on the skill.  I am so proud of him.  He very confidently made the presentation to this group and scouts and their parents when he had come prepared to present to just a couple of kids.  His confidence and leadership skills are growing.  He is a wonderful young man!

The following day Bishop volunteered at the food pantry.  He logged 4 1/2 hours of community service.  Gratefully, there was a lot of food to process and we were kept quite busy. 

History group and nature study group were both unexpectedly canceled but Bishop had no problem finding ways to occupy himself.  He spent two days outside working on primitive skills.  He chopped down trees with his knife, tried making cordage, worked on his bone knife and, after a trip to Harbor Freight, made himself an impromptu blacksmithing forge.  We need to find blacksmithing coal as the the coal that we had did not get hot enough but his concept was sound.

And, finally, after, first, an evening at the theatre and then an evening at the opera Bishop finished his week by going camping with some friends.  He continued to work on developing his skills.  He made primitive hunting tools, tried to cook on a rock and baked food encased in mud.  He went hiking and found some mushrooms for his mama.

His week officially ended with him going trick-or-treating at the campground. Yay!

Since every photo is of Bishop and his endeavors one may think that Maceo did not do much or you might think that I am playing favorites.  Neither of which would be true.  Maceo is always quite busy yet I am largely not present for his endeavors, he functions quite independently or I am not allowed to photograph his work.  Maceo continues with vocal instruction, troupe, and troupe mentorship.  He had quite a few social engagements.  He went to the bookstore and bought himself new reading material.  He watched a performance at the theatre.  Most importantly, his opera, The Elixir of Love, opened on Friday.  It was a magnificent performance.  He was in the chorus so his voice blended with the others; however, his acting was in the spotlight as he was given a role as the salesman's assistant and had to act through scenes in which the salesman or others were singing but he was not.  He was great, highly amusing.  After the show a woman tracked him down to issue a compliment.  She said that she was 81 years old and had seen many, many operas but never had she had someone grab her attention the way that Maceo did.  She said that she could not take her eyes off of him when he was on stage.  What an enormous compliment.  How affirming.  I am so proud of him!

I am so proud of all my kiddos!
They are each uniquely gifted and they each work hard to develop and utilize those gifts!
I am truly a blessed woman!