Did I See a Pike Shucking Corn?

The YMCA Swimming Director approved Shawn’s graduation to Pike (without parent) - IF he can swim a few feet on his own (preferably without floats), be comfortable in a back float (with help to stay afloat), in addition to the other things he’s already done like blow bubbles, bob, kick, splash, reach… SO, we have a strong focus on strengthening a few skills in the next 3 sessions before this class is over!

I put two boxes of old papers and files from when I was teaching into the back of my van before swimming class.  Afterwards, we stopped by the Roselle Train Station for a free public ‘shredding event’ to dispose of them.  (They’d been sitting collecting some nasty cobwebs and old leaves in the garage for at least two years, probably more, so it was time to say goodbye.) It felt good!

Then, Shawn and I went to the Kline Creek Farm Corn Harvest, which was an outing sponsored by Northwest Suburban Families, but the only member that showed up was on her way out when we arrived.  That’s okay though - Shawn and I probably had more fun on our own.  A blurb from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s news release summarized what we did:

Help with the real farm work of harvesting and storing corn that will feed the farm’s cows and sheep this winter. Use authentic techniques of the era to try shocking, or stacking bundles of corn to let them dry; shucking, or removing the ears of corn from the stalks; shelling, or removing the corn kernels from the cob; and storing the corn in the corn crib.

So, we pulled ears of corn directly off the stalks.  We tried to leave the husks left on the stalks, but some people took them to another station to learn how to make corn husk dolls or 'action figures,' depending on the audience.  (We didn't make it to that activity.) We tossed the corn into the back of a horse-drawn wagon.

Then, we left the field to other workers and explored the rest of the 'living-history farm' grounds.  Shawn even got to turn the crank on a machine that twisted lengths of twine into a pretty nice looking rope.

This is Shawn making a rope, but the video of this in action wouldn't load properly.

Later, the wagon returned from the field full of corn, so Shawn helped toss the ears into a corn crib.

I asked a few times if he was all done, but he kept on working!  Other parents and I teased about the ease of child labor, when it doesn't involve their own toys and chores.  Eventually, we visited with some chickens, a mare, sheep, and cows.

With another day in the 80’s, it was a great way to spend the day.  (High 82° / Low 54°F with scattered clouds or mostly cloudy until the evening when they skies cleared up.)

Shawn fell asleep on the way home (Raj was napping after work, too) and when he woke up, Daddaji had come over for dinner.  He brought chocolate covered mini-donuts, the perfect size for small hands.  I cooked Indian food, which I’m always a little nervous about when there are other people consuming it, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.  He stayed for a little while after dinner to chat and have some chai.  Rather than the usual Lipton with sugar and milk, I served Chai of the Tiger (black tea, chopped and powdered ginger, chopped and powdered cardamom, chopped and powdered coriander, chopped and powdered cinnamon, chopped cloves, chopped black pepper, rose petals, lavender, and jasmine buds from Serene Teaz, where Mothers & More had our Open House a few weeks ago) in our fancy Ingenuitea infuser/steeper (a Christmas present from Oma and Opa a year or two ago).  Daddaji was impressed by the infuser/steeper, though I think he’s more accustomed to his usual Lipton version.  Oh, well, I thought it was great!  Shawn gave him the fish he made in art class a few weeks ago to display on his refrigerator.  When the evening was over, Daddaji went home with a paper grocery bag full of leftovers to hold him over the next few days.

After a day of swimming and working outside, it was definitely bath time!  Later, while Raj relaxed in front of the TV, Shawn and I followed along with a few Dr. Seuss stories on YouTube.  Then, he said he wanted to use his workbook, so we did a few pages (Shawn really enjoys matching and pattern exercises) before reading a bedtime story and saying goodnight.  Finally, Shawn put himself to sleep and I did some blogging.

What a full day! But, I have a super exciting adventure planned for tomorrow…!


FYI – There was no roofing work today… I kinda figured as much, since it’s Saturday, but not sure why the company claimed they’d start today!