August....

....is a month of abundance.  Hot days, warm nights.  Summer rain.  Sunshine.  Sunshine.  Sunshine.  All these things bring about abundance in a garden. 

 Eggplants.

 The "wealthy" apples, just like my grandma grew, from the tree we thought was dead.

 Pears growing in their perfect roundness.

 The sweetness of nectar sustaining such beauty.

Yet....these same things....sunshine, and heat, and even rain....the things that are essential for growth....they also stress the plants.  Too much of any of these causes the plants to be stunted and weak. And as I'm out in the garden, (like Eve?) I wonder how one balances all this.  How do we, creatures that need growth to live, how do we ever control the "circumstances" enough to avoid stress and thrive?

 The summer goodness also brings weeds.  The garden was full of them when we got home!  I didn't mind too much, because nerd that I am, I actually like weeding.  It sorts my insides out without me knowing it.

And in case you haven't seen this crazy picture yet....the summer goodness also brought this to my potato patch....

 And no, I didn't chase them away even though the Mr. McGregor in me thought about it.  I waited a few days until their eyes opened and then I did! 

 They sure were sweet to watch though.  The boys loved, loved, loved them.  And when we released them (ahem...chased them out with a stick) the little hollow left behind did feel a bit sad and empty.  And I sat and weeded around their old home after they were gone (yes I left the weeds while they were here so they'd have something to eat) I kept thinking, thinking about how the same goodness grows both the good and the "bad".  Doesn't it?

And what about me?  How do I handle the sun shining down on me?  What do I do when it's too hot too many days in a row and I just can't breath?  What about when the rains come washing down so hard that I can't see in front of me at all and I don't know which way to turn?  How do I handle all of it?  I went to bed that night feeling like I didn't know anything at all.  Only that somehow I still knew that God is good, but how do I make sense of it all?

The next morning I woke to this....

 The cardinal flowers that I had waited all summer for, finally blooming, showing their brightness in the morning sunshine!

 A yellow finch husking sunflower seeds like an old man does peanuts....

(His eye on the sparrow?)

 And boys.  Boys making pancakes.  (note the storm trooper "flipper")  Boys that greet each day with a freshness that is contagious.  (Morning by morning new mercies I see...)

 And then later in the week....the boy who all last summer and this season too...just couldn't find the courage to join in at soccer, yet desperately wanted to go each time.  Such a struggle, maybe more for the mama than the boy.  And finally, as if I was the most forgetful of all children, finally after many many times of struggling with this...I mumble this weak prayer to the one who fixes hearts...(please help him, Lord) and then the very next time...this!  Out there the whole game!  Smile on his little brown face!

Perhaps we manage all of this crazy goodness by just accepting the Grace?  With open hands.  And we keep going.  Trusting that our ship will come to no harm that He doesn't have providence over.  That no struggle will be too big for Him to guide us through.  That even though we don't always understand, we can trust that He is good.  He is love.  We are loved.

Summertime!

Sunshine comes in many forms. This beauty greets us in the morning out the dining room windows.  Several of them actually.  The song birds have decided to claim them and we do not mind.  There is always something to watch while we are sitting to eat or to do a creative project.

 Here's Hen all ready for a walk.  Such a happy boy.

 Little Owl with his walking stick.  Reminder to self, don't ever try to convince a boy to choose a smaller stick unless you really feel like getting into it.

 Many of our walks end at a park of some sort.  The brothers wouldn't all look at the camera. (I don't blame them as I am not one to pose children) I love this picture even though they aren't all looking in the same place because it is so natural.

 Hammock love.

 Badger at soccer.  The boy loves to run.  And run.  And run....

 Go team!

It's finally Spring

 I stand under the apple blossoms and feel as if there is a wedding happening all around me.  Such extravagant beauty must be the beginning of something wonderful.

 The currant bush that I have babied since we moved into this dear old house.  My dad says that grandma used to have one in the backyard and she would make currant jelly in the spring.

 The herb garden.

 We took a break from all the planting and headed for the lake.

 Skipping stones.

 Checking out the bugs.

 Brothers.

 What a difference a year makes.  He's keeping up with the big boys now when we hike.  He knows many different bird calls now and is eager to stop and take a closer look.

We watched the turtles basking.  There were many very small ones (babies?) but this big guy sat still for me to photograph.  It was fun to watch them swim in the algae water and poke their little heads up for air.  We also hunted for frogs but never spotted one.  We could hear a bullfrog though so we know he's out there somewhere.  Maybe we'll find him next time.

Outdoor Times

Another week has been lived out!  We spent many days outdoors, the weather finally cooperating.  Although you can see that Owl has is winter coat on still (above).  It was an evening of play and it was only in the forties, damp and cold.  The littles had much fun blowing bubbles together and the older two had fun with playing Badminton.  (I admit I had to look up the spelling for that)  We have had so much fun playing with the new Badminton rackets and even put up the net one day. (thanks Grandma J)

 We've spent many evenings outside trying to get a little more work done in the garden and watching over our hens.  Last week J spent much time and muscle on moving the chicken fence so the birds could have fresh pasture.  There is a lot of rock under the soil and it was hard work getting all the posts in.  Then the very next day, a Cooper's hawk attacked the hens.  It happened just as we were coming outside to play!  Badger was the first one out and yelled to scare it away but it didn't seem to care.  Thankfully, I had let Millie out to run for a bit so when she arrived on the scene the hawk flew up to a nearby tree.  The bird was wounded, missing lots of feathers and had a gash on her neck.  Poor thing.  We were quite shook up by it and kept watch all that day.  The hawk came back several times to try again, but the frightened hens wouldn't come out of their coop.  Smart birds.

 The hawk tried again a few days later, but I think it has learned that it can't actually carry a bird off as tasty as the idea might seem.  The second bird was injured too, but they are both mending nicely.  The up side to this whole thing is that the hawk has nested on the edge of the woods.  The nest is plainly visible to us from our yard and it's been really cool being able to watch him.

 The picture doesn't do the bird justice.  The nest is quite large.  And yes, we think there is a nested pair as we've seen two at a time.  There is also a sharp shinned hawk in the area too.  Same color pattern, smaller size.  We've gotten quite good at identifying them now and the boys can even identify several of its calls.  Isn't learning at home cool?

 Here he is just leaving the nest!

The warm weather has settled in (crossing my fingers) and we had a watermelon this weekend to celebrate!  The garden has seedlings popping up everywhere!  And there are 30 chicks brooding in the chick house!  God is good.  And spring is here!

This Spring Day

Breakfast with berries and cream is always a good way to start out the day.  J made the coffee, I made the waffles.  The boy cleaned the berries and we were all set.  I love breakfasts together.  It is rare for us to be able to eat together on the days that J works, without it feeling rushed.  I have been making a better effort to get up early and just get breakfast started earlier, and it is making our mornings much nicer. (note to self, getting up early is not just for "me time", I can get up early to help others too)

We made an effort to finish some things we've been working on and get them out of the way early in the day.  So we tackled math and history and cleaning.  Go team!  The littlest two were kept busy with this novel idea....  

 A Balloon!

 They had so much fun!

 They played for about an hour while I cleaned the kitchen and did laundry.  I think I'm finally caught up from being sick over the past month.  Honestly.  I get behind like that and it takes forever to get caught up again!

After lunch, we headed outside to play.  The sunshine was so warm, the sky so blue.  The grass was dry enough to sit on while I weeded the asparagus bed.  I cut fire wood. (for real) They had some jedi training going on.

There was some bird watching...or maybe he was being a spy....

 Then we headed inside for quiet times and I have to say the new couch was incredibly helpful with this today.  No one grumbled a bit and they all rushed to get a good spot on the couch!  After we rested, it was time to get to work on dinner!  Hen helped with the rolling out of the dough.

 Have you ever seen such a cute kitchen helper?

 We made chicken artichoke calzones, one of J's favorites.

 And while we were at it, we made a pizza for later, and this spinach garlic cheese bread.

 After dinner, I was able to go for a long walk with Millie.  It must be spring!  It was still light out when I got home and my soul just felt lighter knowing that longer days are here.  I don't always realize how much the darkness of winter affects me while it's happening.  The sunshine of spring, the light of the longer days....it's like it thaws me from the inside out.  It's such a fantastic feeling of renewal.

Crocus blooming, and hollyhock's green growth.

It's That Time of Year Again

It's that time of year again....

where the sun shines brighter and warmer and the snow gives way in most places except for the big hills left from plowing.  The boys revel in it, hoping for sun and spring, and loving the wet, messy snow too...how it packs into snowballs so well now and makes icy paths for the sled to go even faster.  

It's that time of year again....where little boys find things so interesting they just sit and watch, putting aside momentary differences to watch the changing season.

It's that time of year again....where the hens wake up from their winter survival mode, they rediscover fresh air and sunshine and become emboldened by it, scratching even in the snow for treasure and life.

It's that time of year again...where the man must trim back all that isn't wanted in order to make room for more growth.  He works hard, breathing in the freshness, the sunshine, loving the trees enough to prune them back.

It's that time of year again, where the wife watches it all in amazement, praying he won't fall from that tree, praying for growth, looking to her own heart, pruning it back and letting things go to make room for growth.

It's that time of year again....where we hope for spring, we play as if it were spring, but the cold air makes us give up after only an hour and we come inside to warm up and be together. 

And this morning....I saw the crocuses have poked their little heads up.  Spring is on the way!