Trying for Spring

Spring comes in fits and starts. It's raining outside right now. I can hear the water running down the eavestroughs along the edges of the roof as I sit in here my warm, dry study. The calendar says there are 12 days to spring's arrival, but this is a spring rain already! It's washing away snow that has been piled all over the countryside. It rushes through the gutters and gurgles down the drainpipes and that sounds like spring to me.

The sap is running, too. It's been a little cool so we haven't tapped the trees yet, but the sap is running. I heard you can hear it running in the trees with a stethoscope. If I had one, I would try it. But whether I hear it or not, the sap is running.

These are the things nature does when spring is coming, and I feel the change in the air. We've turned a corner, and winter is waning. Birds are singing in the mornings. A little house finch was shopping for a new home outside my window the other day. He's thinking about taking up residence in a nice little mud nest from last year. I'm waiting to see what he decides.

It will snow again. I know it will. Spring comes in fits and starts. It will snow and get cold and act out all that... but it won't stay. At this point, the snows will come less often and melt sooner than they did before. The temperatures will fluctuate. Cold will be less severe and will be interspersed with slightly warmer days, and little by little, spring will edge its way into our lives.

I will be glad. In fact, a lot of people will be glad. Winter has its beauty, but we are ready to be done with it. We are looking forward to warmer days, the greening of the earth, birdsong, and warm breezes. Gardening friends are anxious to get their hands into the soft, fragrant soil to plant food for their families. We are all so ready!

I love spring! I plan to savor every moment and every false start that brings us closer to the real thing.

What do you look forward to at this time of year?

Camping

Beautiful place! Near the junction of two slow-moving rivers, on an island... we had the place practically to ourselves.

The morning sun rising behind my sweet daughter helping with her little nephew Caleb.

Sweet Abigail in the morning.




Breakfast outdoors...
Hot coffee is the best first thing on a cool morning, sitting outdoors while the sausage cooks over the fire, eggs on the camp stove.




Watermelon at lunchtime!


Grandgirls everywhere!


Husband and son lumberjacking together, felling a dead tree for firewood. I love seeing the strength in them both.



Turns out I loved the boat!

I loved the feel of flying over the water, with the breeze blowing in my face, and the occasional cool spray on my skin.
I loved it when we went back over our wake, making our boat rise and fall in the water.
I loved seeing the beauty on both sides of me - the trees, the sand, the green, the cloudless blue above.
I loved seeing the bald eagle flying to the top of a tree and the swans on the water, and the egrets standing on long legs.
It made me laugh right out loud for the sheer joy of it all.
I loved the boat rides!

August Pleasures

383. second round of baby birds (the first, of course, was in the spring), squeezed tight in their little nest waiting for dinner to be delivered, clamoring in high pitched baby voices when it comes.

384. my birthday... all month! Claiming every celebration as my own!

385. basil and mint growing friendly together


386. hearing fireworks, from somewhere, celebrating something. I don't even know what... but isn't it fun to know someone, somewhere is celebrating?

387. Sunday night, family watching a movie all together

388. Hot temperatures calming down. Opening up my house to feel breezes again.

389. cicadas singing loud hot songs on long hot days

390. planning a party! for a beloved son who has earned it.

391. being proud of my kids in a mom sort of way, not proud of myself, but thrilled at the good qualities I see growing in them. I like these kids of mine!

Rainy Day On the Porch

I'm sitting on my porch listening to the rain. It whispers through the air, gurgles down the downspouts, splashes happy against the ground. Little raindrop footsteps stomp all over the porch roof, running, dancing over my head. Daughter is out in the wet grass, letting go the garter snake they found and caught a week ago. It seems happy. She is happy. I am too, here on the porch in the rain.

I love porches. On the porch I feel the air move, breezes blow my hair and slide warm and soft along my skin. On the porch I listen to the birds, watch the sun travel through the sky.

Or like today, on the porch I feel the rain without getting wet. The porch shelters. I smell the rain and feel the dampness in the air. The grass drinks up and sighs contentedly, and so do I. Rain releases tension, like breezes do, like a massage releases tension.

Cars riding on the wet road make a different sound than when the road is dry. Every rainy sound joins with the next to make a restful music of nature and wet. Rain music. A robin sings just now, the lilting melody that robins do. Nothing like it. It fits in with the rest of the Rain music, a little descant.

If I were inside the house, I would be missing all this music. All of it. I would be busy with things-I-ought-to-do-inside. But on the porch, I see, and hear, and feel nature. And I relax. It's like being on vacation.

this perfect night

I am sitting on my deck right now, smelling grass that flies out of the mower as son cuts.

It's tall!

The mower was broken for a while
and the grass just kept on growing while it was out of commission.
(Wouldn't it be nice if grass - and other responsibilities - stopped growing
until we were ready to handle them?)

I love the smell of freshly cut grass. I watch the tall stalks of grass lie down and become like their brothers, all sheared the same...and looking good. Jack Red-Wing fusses at son, then swoops low over my head as if he holds me responsible for the disruption my son and his mower are causing.

The air is warm and perfect. 81 degrees and I can't imagine a more comfortable night. I wish I could move my bed out here so I could sleep in this 81 degree perfection, with the smell of grass, and the ideal temperature, and the sounds of life at night. Frogs and their friends.

I am thankful for....

318. perfect nights.

319. a strong son who willingly helps.

320. the smell of grass

321. sweet girl learning to mow the yard too

322. warmth, finally!

323. times for rest

324. "Life piles up." -- my wise friend, and she is right, and it's ok.

325. Sound of mower humming, growling at the tough places, then humming again.

326. How pretty the yard looks after it's mowed.

327. Romance. Not just the falling in love kind, but the finding beauty in every moment wherever you are kind. Which sometimes includes falling in love all over again.

328. watching a movie together that makes you laugh out loud.

329. mower coughing, spluttering on a thick, too-tall place, then skillful maneuvering getting past it without stalling and feeling like a conqueror!

330. Bugs. they say it's summertime! (or close, at least)

331. sun lowering, casting house shadow that climbs up the trees

332. this right now time after supper, when the day slows and winds down peaceful

333. family volleyball the other day! I dared to take part! No fear of ridicule this time.

334. Girl home from far away. for a few days. So good. So good.

335. family gatherings always fun and love-full, with laughing and talking and dealing and being. Together.

336. Birds singing bedtime songs.

337. Being able to be thankful. Sometimes it is hard, but right now, in this near perfect moment, it is so easy.

Singing Anyway

Today is rainy and cold.... and windy. I wonder what the wind chill is today. It's not comfortable, it's nasty out, and frankly I would like some warmth and sunshine.

So I'm sitting here on my laptop and I hear a bird outside my window. Chirping! Happy-sounding little guy. How sweet!

And I think, "There he is out in the cold, wet rain... singing!" And here I am complaining about the darkness, the cold, the wind, the weather. Inside, where it's warm. With the lights on.

I'm not saying I have to pretend I have no preferences. I still would prefer nice weather... but I can sing! Can't we, even when things are not comfortable, choose to see what is good, choose to be thankful anyway?

Can't we sing?

Granted, there are times when life gets so heavy we have no song in us, but that's not most of the time. Most of the time we let little things get to us, and we lose our joy, or we ignore the joy that lies dormant in us.

Quit it, people, ok?

Let's sing!

Let's allow joy to prevail!

Sugarbush time

The weather is changing. It feels good to see winter wane. After being cooped up all winter, I felt we could use a change of pace, so yesterday we went to the Nature Center,
then out to lunch, and after that, to the library.

It was a good day.

We saw the animal hospital, where wild animals are rescued and their injuries treated. Once healed, they are returned to the wild if at all possible. If not, they stay here.
There are several types of owls here. Very interesting.


There are also turtles. Big sis got right down there to see them.



After that we walked along the trail to the sugar shack. Sunshine and temps in the low 40s have melted a lot of the snow, but there is a narrow strip of it right in the shadow of the fence.



In the sugar shack, we watched the maple sap being boiled down into syrup. We lstened to explanations of hygrometers and fires, how to stoke them so the newly made syrup won't burn as you draw it off.


Outdoors, there's the "Pioneer Sugar Camp".


It shows the old way of gathering the sap...


and cooking it down into maple syrup.


We also saw falcons, hawks, and a bobcat, each in its own large enclosure there.
We saw and heard lots of other birds, singing the songs of early spring.



Here's a cool looking sculpture with my offspring behind it


At the little general store, we bought spiles for tapping our own maples, and pixie sticks. My kids thought I was crazy to buy them a treat like this. They are used to my telling them how important it is to eat healthy. But this was a fun day and I wanted them to enjoy it.

We did enjoy it. It was great.

We even saw a heart shaped log. Kind of reminded me that love pops up in the most surprising places sometimes. I love my my kids a lot. Spending time doing fun things together like this celebrates that love and gives us all chance to enjoy each other's company. It makes love grow.

See how the light shines through this heart log? Isn't that what love is all about?
It's letting the light shine through us onto others.


fun day...good day

Dirty Snow

The snow is old and dirty. We need a new layer to freshen things up.  Old snow gets black around the edges where the dirt from the road gets kicked up onto it. It looks like the end of winter when snows come less often and winter looks bleak and worn out. It's misleading. This is January. Mid-winter. This is the month when blizzards come and rescue us from the world and its schedules. It's the time for firesides and cocoa and family, hot soup and coziness. It's not time for dirty snow melting into mud and making us wish for warmth. Not yet.

I want some fresh snow. Winter needs a good cleaning.

Selling some land

We are selling 12 acres today. I am losing part of my home, but I feel like part of my soul is being sold instead.

It's the right thing to do. I know it makes sense. We have owned this land for 30 years, lived on it for over 18. The kids have walked all over it, discovering nature and freedom. They've dug for treasure and found it in old broken vases and salt shakers from generations ago. They've caught frogs and snakes and fish and shared with me those wondrous delights. They've played in the creek in the hot summers, and skated on it in the coldest of winter. They've rescued baby mice and injured birds. And we have all watched deer, fox and rabbits run across our yard.

But the youngest is 13, and there are not so many nature walks being taken anymore. Those who dug for treasure have moved on to new adventures, and frankly, we don't NEED those 12 acres anymore. But I love them.

Emotions are oblivious to the facts sometimes. So while I can see that selling the land makes sense, still I wish to hang on to it.

I have struggled with the fact that I feel so deeply sad when that emotion seems to contradict common sense. I have been told that I should be happy.

But I have come to believe that, while I don't have to live by my emotions, I can live with them. I can let the sadness be where it is, knowing that it will pass. It will. I don't have to fix it, or try too hard to feel differently. I will do what I have to do, regardless how I feel. I will go to the meeting with Husband and sign those papers. But I don't have to pretend it's easy, or that I am not sad.

And if there are people who have a hard time with the way I feel, then I am sorry, but I am going to have to work through my feelings myself, and I can't also be working through theirs. I will try to be considerate and kind, but I can not carry the responsibility of making everyone feel better.

God has said that He will bring good out of every situation for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) And Psalm 84:11 says, "No good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly." So I know that this is all going to turn out alright. My part is to "walk uprightly" -- in other words, to just keep on living with the goal of pleasing God. God's part is to work out everything else.

He will. He always does. I do know it will be ok... I will probably feel happier about this as it unfolds. But I am not there yet, and that's ok too.

We will still have three acres with the house. We'll still live in our house on the hill for awhile yet. We'll watch wildlife from the windows, and the kids will still catch creatures for as long as they want to. The people who will be our new neighbors seem very nice and have said that we may sled on the hill that will be theirs, and I'll bet the kids will still be able to go down to the creek on hot days if they want to. I will miss having it as our own. I really will. But I think it's going to be ok.

Rain

Things the rain brings that I love:

156. Sitting and watching the raindrops fall gently

or...

157. Gathering with the children in the living room during thunderstorms, opening all the blinds and curtains wide, and watching the lightning show!

"OHH! Did you see that one!!"

"Oh, that was bright!"

"So beautiful!"

"Wow, that one surprised me!"

158. Hearing their guesses as to the storm's distance as judged by the number of seconds between lightening and thunder.

After the rain...

159. Raindrops on clovers, catching the sun's sparkles and throwing them back.

And,

160. Raindrops on flower petals...

...so pretty!

And of course, the farmers are thankful for...

161. Refreshment for the earth and its crops. (And I am too.. that's my food in their fields.)

Rainy days slow us down and help us remember to relax, stop the hurrying and the flurried fretting. It's good.

Springtime

It's spring at my house. The trees are finally leafing
out and the lilacs are blooming. This is my front yard with deep
purple and white lilacs on tiny bushes at the edge of where we mow.

We have lilacs of all colors in the yard. The weather's been cool, and apparently the lilacs love it, even if the farmers are getting antsy to plant. All are hoping that last night's frost is the last of the season. I hope to plant tomatoes next weekend, if it looks safe.

Out in the yard to pick lilacs for the house, I spotted these two deer in the trees out front.
They watched us carefully for a while, and finally trotted off.

The rain was still clinging to the lilac blossoms.

I do love lilacs!

(Looking across the driveway.)

It's that time of year Grandma Grace used to call
"ten shades of green".
I wondered whether the trees' various colors,
even some shades of red and orange, indicated the colors
those same trees would take in the fall.
I asked my brilliant biologist son, who said, yes,
sometimes that is the case.
The green chlorophyll acts kind of like sunscreen
to protect the tiny new leaves from the sun's rays.

The back yard, with (left to right) mountain ash; dark purple lilac; lighter, old-fashioned lilac, and an apple tree, all in blossom. And across the golf course, trees in variegated colors on the hill.

Our road, with the trees just leafing out.

This mama robin has built a nest in our garage! Today when the garage was closed, she must have lain an egg outside, which the children found and placed in the nest for her. We will leave an opening to the garage from now on. Sorry, mama.

Two sisters - one just home from school -
hanging out in the back yard.They were enjoying each other's company.

My front porch, looking south
across the valley.

Here's my redbud!!
Two years ago it looked almost dead. I thought it would never have buds. But this spring it was loaded with tiny pink flowers!

I was so glad!

Redbuds are about my favorite blossoming tree. Lilacs are about my favorite spring flower.

(Except that I love all the spring flowers and they way they fill the air with rich fragrances.)

Sometimes when I step outside, the breeze carries some sweet scent right to me from a bush or flower somewhere out of my sight, and I am caught off guard by the wonder of it! Nature brings me such perfect gifts.

This time of year is to me the most wonderful time of the year. I love it!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday, and how can I not be thankful...

for so many things:

133. the gentle, misty rain that's filling the air today, and making all the colors even more alive.
134. the fun of running errands all day, a break in the routine
135. this wonderful, life affirming time of year, when all nature sings His praise
136. creeks that ripple, chuckling for the sheer joy of being!
137. knowing God - not completely, of course - but as a friend, getting to know Him better day by day... Wow, friends with God! Who deserves such an honor? Not me, that's for sure, and yet here we are, God and I, friends. Wow.
138. being loved by the Creator of the universe! It floors me!

Maybe I should make a point of thankfulness on Thursdays,

because it'd be easy to remember,
and I want to take time to be thankful, to express gratitude.

Pictures of Our Land

It's springtime, I know it.

But here are some pictures of our land in other seasons. I love it here... and you can see why!

10.16.08
As the autumn sun settles down in the west, sometimes its last bright rays catch the tops of the trees to the east of us and make them glow! Breathtaking!

10.16.08

10.18.08 (8:31 am)
When the nights are quite cool, as they often are in October, and the morning rises bright with the promise of a warmer day, then a mist rises from the pond on the golf course.
It looks like magic!

1.19.09
In the winter, I live on the front of a Christmas card.

1.19.09
(8:41 am... remember that really, really cold day here? This is what I woke up to!)

1.19.09

1.19.09

1.8.09
This is the creek down at the corner, rippling quietly under its blankets.


1.8.09
And this is the aptly named natural beauty road.

.......
...

Of course, now it is spring, and the natural beauty road sings with the sound of birds and creeks waking.





It wears greens instead of white, and this,

~this right now~

is my favorite time of the year.



Spring is exploding into life!

How can I not be thankful?



(ps. Please remember that these pictures are ones I have taken and therefore are my property. Please do not use them without my permission. Thanks for understanding. I promise not to take your stuff, too, ok?)