Studies weren’t the best last night.

The Snake Unit – I am trying to be enthusiastic about our snakes study, as I want my son to learn about nature with an open-mindedness I may not feel. Of course, my son is finding all of the revolting facts fascinating, but I wish I didn’t have to read about rodents and little birds meeting their maker via le snake du jour. Shedding skin, venom, billions of babies. Ewwwwww. I know, I know, CIRCLE OF LIFE. Last night we read about bull snakes (called bull snakes because of the bull-like grunt they make) (lovely) and corn snakes (called so because they have been found in corn fields) (note to self: wear boots in corn fields). Tonight it is going to be some sort of snake that has its stripes running length-wise instead of ring-wise, which is yet again, so gross.

And then,

The Pirate Unit – I am starting to question the scholarship of our pirate-facts book author. Last night’s focus, “The Gang Plank”, should have been AWESOME. Who doesn’t yearn for every chilling detail about THE GANG PLANK?  But ever so regrettably, the only information our author provided was that she was unsure whether gang planks actually existed. WELL REALLY. How about somebody get to the bottom of this before somebody dangles such a  tantalizing chapter title before the reader?

We needed soothing music to conclude our evening. Our Sunday night music agenda calls for ecclesiastical music. We chose the most peaceful church music to erase the distress caused by general snake grossness and the gang plank disappointment.

• A motet by Anton Bruckner. Honestly, the title is so long, and it is in Latin and I have no idea what they are singing, but it is in 8-part harmony and it is gorgeous and it easily earns a 10 on the soothing scale. (I can think of a lot of people who have no idea what a “motet” is – seriously, that would be everybody I know (except Ed I. and Bob E.  They know.).  So:  a motet is a choral piece with several parts – meaning sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, bases – singing in lush harmony.  The motet was a significant musical genre of the Renaissance).
• By Johann Sebastian Bach, “Sheep May Safely Graze”. Comfort music.
• Joseph Brackett’s Shaker song, “Simple Gifts”. We listened to YoYo Ma’s thoughtful rendition.

Welcome to the best part of my day!

– Jane BH