Of Algorithms and Work and Boyish Obsessions

As I said earlier, this has been the very best summer ever. For one thing, the boys worked almost every day. There has not been one bored day, not one. This is huge. Suddenly my oldest two are grown up. Wyatt spent hours and hours along the fence, watching the men building shop on our back yard.


The shop is up and starting to be used for some work, although the three-phase power still is not hooked up which means no welding yet.


One thing Zach got into this summer was the Rubiks cube. Tristan, Wendel & Sharon's son, got him going on it when they were out this summer. It took him about a week and now he can solve it in a minute (shortest time). He used his money from Grandma Isaac for his birthday to buy a fancy fast Rubiks cube. We feel like it's a good thing for him to focus his mind and energy into things that are not harmful and take thinking and perseverance. The other day his face was lit up and he was telling me which algorithms he uses to solve the Rubiks cube. I listened and when he ran out again, I looked up the word algorithm. This motherhood thing is truly over my head sometimes.


And talking about work, Colby has worked part time for a few weeks now for Carlin Toews, in his chicken barns. The shocking thing is that he can arise before 6am to leave for work. It used to be such a struggle to get out of bed for school... And this morning he was up by 7am, ready to go hunting.


Which leads me to Colby's obsession. It's hunting season. Every spare minute is spent perusing Cabela's online and adjusting his compound bow and target practicing. Not to mention the hours and hours he spends in his camo clothes, walking the home quarters with binoculars in hand. He's a naturally quiet person and he manages to find the little hidden animals and hiding places the rest of us miss completely. For example, this spring he found a tiny little Bambi hidden carefully in the trees behind our garden. It was so very adorable with big blinking eyes (the only part of the baby that moved) and huge baby spots on its back. I've never seen a baby deer that close and the next morning it had vanished, hopefully safely with its mother. Also, he found a duck nest in the tall grass under the trees which he watched carefully and came in with a new egg count every day. One day at the beginning of bow season, Colby had his friend Gilwyn over to go hunting with him. They spent almost all day together in the great outdoors. So far, there are no new venison roasts in my freezer but I'm waiting for them.


Of course, Zach is in school again, which is new for him to go alone. He's in a grade by himself this year and feels a little lonely at times. He devours books. Whole sets of books. He's working through Eric Walters books right now. Do you all have good ideas for books for him?