Our Obstacle to Nature Study

A mighty creature is the germ,

Though smaller than a pachyderm.

His customary dwelling place

Is deep within the human race.

His childish pride he often pleases

By giving people strange diseases.

Do you, my poppet, feel infirm?

You probably contain a germ.

by Ogden Nash

One of our greatest obstacles to getting out and exploring nature has been . . . nature. In particular, those teeny tiny viruses and bacteria so freely shared among family members. It seems that someone in our house is always coming down with, or recovering from, the common cold.

I had hoped that one of the side benefits of homeschooling would be that we wouldn't catch as many colds, since we wouldn't be exposed to all the germs from school. Sadly, that has not been the case. In the fall we made the mistake of regularly visiting a veritable germ paradise, the indoor playground. It took us awhile to recover from this error, at which point we wholeheartedly headed outside into the freezing weather, rather than take the path of never ending illness again.

Yet, here we are, watching the different phases of dripping noses and hacking coughs making their way through each child, knowing that we will be the next victim. We haven't seen the inside of an indoor playground since October, yet the germs still found us. It is obvious that stronger defenses against such a formidable foe are needed.

All of these colds have left us stuck inside the house. It is difficult to justify going outside when one child is running a fever, even if everyone else is fine. The frigid air is not good for their congested lungs. We have been thwarted by a microbe.

Finally, all comes to a grinding halt and falls apart when the germ conquers Mom. She bravely staggers on, undaunted by the ominous signs, until at last, her sinuses and lungs filling with fluid, she sinks. She is replaced by the television, which faithfully mesmerizes her children until she can regain consciousness. Her husband bravely holds down the fort, while wading knee-deep through all the stuff that has managed to accumulate on the floor in the last 24 hours.

I am on the mend, and slowly uncovering our living room floor and kitchen counter tops. The battle is over and the germ has emerged victorious.

The above photo was taken on February 8.