Buffaloes before breakfast

With the approach of the rainy season, things are getting maximally dry on the island. What this mostly means is that the bison and deer are starting to wander into town again. For instance, this morning...



We have also had to deal with bison taking over the volleyball court at the lab (they like to roll in the sand - it helps get rid of parasites), and causing traffic jams on the road to the lab.

As long as I'm at it, I'll talk about the new school year. Everyone was very excited the night before. The Things tried on all their clothes (after a bit of prodding) to see what fit. We managed to convince Thing2 to wear a button-up shirt for his first day. The next morning, after a good breakfast, we all walked down to the schoolhouse together. Every year they have a little ceremony on the front steps. The kids run the flag up the flag pole and everyone says the Pledge of Allegiance. Then Ms Frizzle took them all inside the schoolhouse and we parents drifted off, kid-free for the first time in several months.

Thing 2's first day went very well. He is working on his reading and writing. I think it will be good for him socially, too, to be in school. The older kids won't see him as a 'baby' anymore, and will probably be more willing to play with him. Thing 1 is also doing very well. He's always been a good reader, and now his writing skills (and his willingness to write) are improving. He also is getting better at staying on task and finishing assignments, although we still have some work to do there.

A late surprise was the addition of another kindergartner to the school. The daughter of the woman who manages the general store moved to Two Harbors with her daughter, so now Thing2 has a classmate (let's call her Fern). Thing 2 has so far had trouble playing with Fern because, well, she's a girl. We've tried to explain that he needs to play with Fern because there aren't a lot of other options, and it seems to be slowly sinking in. Slowly.

The teacher handles having four different grades (there are no first or fourth graders this year) by having stations. Each grade level goes to a different station for 40 minutes at a time. Ms Frizzle bounces from station to station, explaining, teaching, assisting, and then moves on to the next. The kids get occasional music instruction from a very nice couple who don't live on the island, but try to visit frequently. They sing songs with the kids and teach ukulele. They also get art instruction from the teacher's aide. Last year they made these cool reindeer heads out of palm fronds.

The title of this post, by the way is the title of the Magic Treehouse book on which Thing 1 did his first book report. He had to design a cereal based on the book and make a cereal box with information about the characters, plot, etc. It was also a lesson in how advertisers try to entice you to buy their product. Clever!

Anyhoo, I hope everyone watched the VP debate tonight. I think Biden clearly won on points, but Palin exceeded expectations (by not botching it completely), so both sides could claim victory here. The Presidential debate last week (or whenever it was) I thought was pretty much a tie in terms of performance, but it was Obama there that exceeded expectations. That being said, I don't agree with any of McCain/Palin's policy statements, and I do agree with Obama/Biden's. And another thing I like about the Dem ticket is that they're not afraid to agree with their opponents, or say that they have admirable qualities. Who do you think has a chance of breaking partisan gridlock in Congress: the guy who refuses to admit to any common ground with his opponent or the guy who is happy to point out that there are places where they agree? Vote your conscience, but hey, I'm just saying.

On a final note, I've discovered John Fahey in the last couple days. Wow.