We broke our rainy day streak when the sun appeared mid morning. I had thought to spend another day looking out the windows while the drizzle continued.
Now I wish to find some boots and traipse through the orchard. Too bad one small child remains in slumber. Somebody should give her a poke and wake her up, I think. Oh wait! I have two sleeping children... oops.
Lilac festival. Unfortunately, the weather refuses to cooperate this year. Not only is it wet and rainy, it's downright cold! I found this notice on the Lilac Festival's official homepage-
It is a mud puddle kind of day. The grass is soggy, the back porch is drenched, and the driveway is muddy. The girls took umbrellas to school and the boys wore boots out to the bus stop. Too bad boots don't keep pant legs from getting wet and muddy... Ah, well, good thing for washing machines.
I know that we have had too much rain. The farmers are struggling and will continue to struggle with their crops. People complain about the Rochester weather and threaten to move, but there is so much to be grateful for...
#724 Firewood on the back porch (Yes, I know it's mid-May, but hey, who doesn't love a fire in the wood stove on a cold and dreary day?)
It's been a beautiful week of sunshine and blue skies, warm weather and cold lake winds. My "flower garden" has flourished! I have loved almost every minute of the week. I found myself soaking in the blessing of watching little ones pick dandelions. I have snuggled soft, sweet smelling children. And I've laughed at the funny things small children say.
I really should write a book and I think I just might have an idea for the first one. (My little girls really do play the funniest games...) If I ever get a book written I'll need to find someone who can illustrate it for me. Maybe that guy who moved to Minneapolis a few years back,... or that woman who went back to school to become a librarian,... or my graphic designer friend out in Montana,... or maybe that painter friend who let my daughter sleep on her couch out in California... Guess I need to get that story written before I send it off to be illustrated.
I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed my "flower garden" this year. There have been tired days and trying times, yes, but overall it has been a wonderful year. I have just a over a month left, then will come the summer and the flowers in my garden will disappear. I am fairly certain some "grandflowers" will arrive to take their place, at least some days
As I stopped to consider my "garden" this past weekend, I realized that it has been quite some time since I have felt lost and aimless in in my day to day life. That is not to say I am never discouraged or frustrated, only that I have found contentment in snuggling small children, changing stinky pants, and plucking small children off of tables and out of mud puddles.
Yesterday afternoon I sat and watched these little ones pick dandelion bouquets for unsuspecting mommies. I smiled as mothers gasped in appreciation and gently gathered tired and drooping blossoms. What a privilege to offer love and affection to these precious little "flowers" whose mothers entrust them to my care. I am truly blessed.| But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." |
when they hurt deep inside, my heart aches too. I am no longer at the point in time where I can kiss away the boo-boos or easily distract a troubled mind. I can't make their decisions for them and I can't manipulate the world in order to make life easy. There are days when I fear the callouses on my knees are missing, and times when I whisper a name repeatedly in prayer. I can't erase the pain that comes with life and I suppose it wouldn't always be wise anyway. Somehow experiencing pain, both emotional and physical, gives one the ability to empathize with others, to care how others feel, and to love our neighbors just a little bit more. It is my prayer that my children will always know they are loved deeply and unconditionally, that I am here to help them where I am able, and that it is my heart's desire to be available when they need a shoulder to lean on. I know I have failed often...
I let the kids do the work even though some of them are mothers too. I made a big green salad. Priscilla couldn't stay long. Rachel came early and we ate dessert first. (We ate it last too.) I gave my mom a box of Jelly Bellies and all my kids a box of Sugar Babies. (Lucas and Simon have to share...) Jim called from far away and I wished I could give him a hug. Lucas picked dandelions. I took pictures. It was a nice day.
I had planned to get up early this morning and meet the women from church for breakfast, but the backache that tormented me for the past few days and a night of restless dreaming encouraged me instead to close my eyes and soak up an extra hour of sleep. No rushing about the house this morning. I took a leisurely shower, sipped my coffee, and wandered out to the road to pick up Mom's newspaper.
After a trip to the bank and a stop at Mom's house, I was ready to peruse the aisles of the local grocery store. I picked up some good stuff; salad fixings, bread and milk, several hundred eggs, and a ton or two of yogurt. (My mom likes that stuff, yogurt, I mean.)
Back at home I found my camera and took another walk around the yard. It's amazing what a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures can bring about. The world is not only turning green, but is sprinkled with other bold and beautiful colors as well. I wonder who took the time to plant tulip bulbs beneath the sugar maple in my front yard? I might never have thought to plant them outside a garden but I think they're pretty special growing out there.
It is a beautiful day and Hannah has taken two small boys for a short walk. Though the sun shines bright, the wind is brisk and cold. This is the blessing (or curse) of living so close to Lake Ontario. I feel cold but I'm trying not to complain about the weather, especially since the sun is shining. After all it is a beautiful day!
Monday evening I went to bed with a slight catch in my side which turned into a full blown pulled muscle on Tuesday morning when I picked a small child up off his stomach in the driveway. I have been taking Ibuprofen to alleviate the discomfort ever since. The muscle pain has gradually turned into back pain, probably because my posture wasn't so great during the pulled muscle stage. I skipped out on a walk with a friend yesterday because I was feeling yucky and a heating pad has been my friend since last evening. I think the relationship may continue through this afternoon.
Today Grandma decided to have some fun with the girls and cut out some paper dolls for them to color. They were very impressed with her cutting skills and spent a good part of the afternoon coloring and playing paper dolls.
Andrew was also fascinated and asked for a set of his own to color. He is the artistic sort, loves to draw, and knows many of his colors already and is not even two and a half.
Vinegar was not interested in paper dolls. He found driving cars and putting blocks down the carpet tube much more exciting than paper and markers. At least I didn't have to worry about what he was coloring on or where he was going with the markers.
I tried to catch something interesting on my camera. This is what it looks like to drive down a carpet tube. :)
Even expressions set in stone come to life when paired with a body. (My good friend Judy painted the rock with the shades.) That is Mr. Carp from "A Fish Out of Water.
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I found picture books a great resource for small bodies on which to put my little Rock Heads.
There were slivers of paneling and shredded drywall all over the floor. It appears someone came partway in before deciding better of the idea. Too bad they were stuck. Thankfully there was little sign of bleeding. All the struggle appears to be in trying to get back out. Sure did have Jasmine riled! She spent the whole night out in the barn and the next day keeping guard on the back step.
I love peppers. A salad is hardly complete without sliced red or green bell peppers, and there is no better summertime sandwich than a fried green bell pepper sandwich on toast with cheese, sliced tomato, a piece of ham or turkey, a little bit of mayo, and maybe a leaf of lettuce. Mmm! Perfect!
And chile peppers too! I can scarcely believe that for my entire childhood I ate Chili con Carne without any chile peppers! What is chili without any chile?
After a beautiful weekend, we had another cool and overcast day. I didn't mind. All the little ones took naps and the house was quiet and still for an hour and a half. I even had a chance to catch a few winks, between a growling dog and ringing telephone. I had dinner in the crockpot before noon, washed a couple loads of laundry, and made some important phone calls. After supper we went out to the nursing home. It was a good day and now it's time for bed.
Creation is full of promises. I glimpsed several as I traversed the yard this afternoon. Tiny folded flowers in germ form. In a few short weeks the scent of lilacs will fill the air. I will breathe deep, sneeze often, and drink in their beauty in spite of my allergies. (I love lilacs...)
Embryonic Sassafras leaves caught my eye. Rolled into marble sized capsules, ready to explode into the sunlight. Why have I never noticed them before?
Dandelions, "Summer on a Stem." Weeds to one, flowers to another. Though I am not a fan of stalky dandelion stems poking though my freshly mowed lawn in July, I do find them cheery in April. They mean summer is not far off, or at least I like to think so. Either way in April they always make me smile.
I wandered out to the blueberry patch. Tightly packaged and barely noticeable today. Their tiny, bell-shaped flowers never put on much of a show and I wouldn't even know the canes were starting to bud if I hadn't ventured down to look.
Just two days ago the west side of our yard looked like this. It's difficult to tell by looking just how deep the water is, but it's not very deep. Deep enough for a few ducks and a pair of geese to swim about, but not deep enough to be a pond instead of a puddle. It's good for night peepers, polliwogs, and breeding mosquitoes, but bad for growing grass. And it's starting to stink besides.
This is what the same spot looks like today. The grass is struggling, some of it is brown and dead, but some is lush and green too. My goose friend is out there hiding in the grass ( a little to the left of that tree). I wonder if she has a nest? And the robins are having a field day running back and forth in the mud.
The sky sure was pretty the other night... We had some rain here Wednesday evening which produced a beautiful double rainbow and an equally gorgeous sunset. The pictures Hannah took actually make our backyard puddle look nice. As nice as it is to look at in photographs, the warm weather is beginning to stagnate the water and it is time for Teal Lake to go, hopefully for good...
Last night, after dinner, a friend of James came by with a handy, dandy piece of digging equipment. Together they started digging a trench from the edge of Teal Lake toward the drainage ditch on the east side of our property. James told me the water was gushing through the trench last night and the water level was noticeably lower this morning.
Maybe one day there will be something beautiful behind our barns, something other than a flooded piece of property. (That is not our house over there...)
The sky was clear, the sun shone bright, and the out of doors was calling. Hannah decided we ought to put boots on the little guys and take them out for a walk. It was a good idea. We didn't need jackets today, in fact we removed a sweatshirt from one little tyke and slipped their feet into those boots. They were as eager as we to get out in the sunshine and have a little fun.
We sloshed through the back yard and up to the orchard road in search of good tromping puddles. We hadn't gone far when one small boy was tripped up by an apple tree branch and tossed face first in a puddle. Since he wasn't crying, we documented the moment... and moved on.
Wet and muddy clothes did not stop us and they didn't slow these two either. There were more puddles to plow through. Onward we marched! Even Hannah joined in the puddle fun. (Remember the feeling of mud squishing up between your toes? I do!) This puddle had the kind of mud that pulls boots off little feet... oops. Somebody had a very wet and muddy sock.
We trudged on wearing badges of honor on skin and clothing. Well, some of us did anyway... I somehow managed to stay relatively clean. Even my feet were dry and I wasn't wearing any mud boots.
By the time we arrived back at the house, two small boys needed a bath and some clean clothes. It was a wonderful orchard mudwalk! I bet they can't wait to go again.
