On the Old Country Roads

Sunday evenings are different now that Blossom4 is the only one home with the Rugged Mountain Man and me during the youth group time slot.  

Sometimes we relax at home and sometimes we venture out.  Rest looks different each Sunday evening but still, we aim for rest.

In this case, we decided to walk a nearby loop, the loop we walked regularly in our first year of marriage in a tiny town at the foot of our Pennsylvania mountains.  

Under azure skies, we tripped down the road, commenting on wildflowers, farms, small town life, and, of course, our everyday life.  

It's good to go back to places that were meaningful to you in days gone by.

It's like circling back around to bench-marking signposts.  

It's refreshing to the soul and cementing to our relationship.

In this world, we always need more cement in our relationships.  

These times, these walks, are long term investments, nourishment for the bonds between us.

Talking.

Walking.

Nourishing.

Cementing.

Building.

Investing.

Joy Need Not Wait

If there was a lesson in my recent weekend trip to Lancaster with my mom and sister, it would be taking the work that needed to be done and sipping the joy from the midst of it. 

I attend a homeschool convention every year for the purpose of research, inspiration and purchases that span a year's worth of curricula and school goals for four Blossoms.  

It's a lot of work packed into one or two days.  I do find it very inspiring, although it is rarely relaxing.  By the time I drop into my own bed again, I'm exhausted.  The Blossoms have come to look forward to this time with their Grammie because HELLO SUMMER and ice cream, and swimming, and cousins, and goodies, and grilled meat, and pizza, and, and, AND... for obvious reasons.

 But, mama still has to work.  My sister, Naomi, was attending for the purpose of scoping out the preschool homeschool world.  And Mom goes as moral support, official sounding board and ice cream buddy.  

We certainly squeezed in lots of food and walking and conversation and deep-breathing the fresh air and trying new foods and sight-seeing and humming and hugs and laughter and silly jokes and all the good, good parts of family.

Until we leave this planet Earth, there will always be work to be done.  

(Mamas, we need to accept this.)  Life's inbox is never empty.

Can we not smile with our children, our family, take their hands, sing whilst we work and squeeze those drops of goodness from everyday life?

Joy doesn't have to wait til after the work is done.  

Dominique

We visited Rachel's Cafe & Creperie.  I chose the "Cylo," a garlic-infused crepe stuffed with braised pork shoulder, spinach, feta cheese, cheddar cheese and curry aioli!  STELLAR. Of course, I sampled Mom's and Naomi's crepes too.  Mmmmmm.  #crepesrock

Another Ramble

Sunday afternoon rambles have been a pleasurable part of our weekend repertoire lately.

We grab all the layers, pile in the truck and trek away.

I've found the weather a bit trickier to dress for of late, especially since the temps were chillier at this hiking spot than they were back at home in the open sun of our yard.

Still, we find ourselves delighted with the prettily contrasting signs of spring and remnants of winter's gifts.

Blossom1 was nearly beside herself with excitement when she spotted this pair of swans, lolling about with the Canadian geese.

All eyes on the graceful swan pair!

While peering out over the water, we soaked in the peace and reveled in our time together.

Our conversations are the stuff of everyday family life ~

marveling at Rory's rare bold venture into deep water,

discussing the breed of swans,

negotiating the still to come destination and culmination of today's ramble,

commenting on the beauty of an unusual tree rising majestically amongst other "every day" trees.

It is seemingly inconsequential conversation, 

except there is a connection amid the rambling.

together.

This is our quality time;  

the best way to clear away the distractions.

To hear each other.  

To hear God.

We scramble, we explore, we venture, we listen and soon, we find what we were looking for.

There's beauty all around and we savor it together

before venturing further onward and homeward.

Millbrook Marsh Musings

All set for a little adventure!

On the heels of another boring errand - picking up the vacuum from the repairman - I decided that we'd finally check out Millbrook Marsh.

Are you noticing a theme here?  I love throwing something educational and fun in with the mundane things of life.  I see it as a priceless life lesson ~ 

behave in the boring things and good things come your way. 

The boardwalks at the Marsh are rather intriguing, since we don't normally get to explore such things. 

We're up for games of Pooh-sticks... ahem... Pooh-flowers.  

Brush up on your A.A. Milne if you aren't certain how to play.

And the cat-tails!

Oh, the cat-tails!  What curious marsh plants they are, especially when there are scads and scads of them, whispering and rustling gently in the breeze.  Blossom3's delight and fascination with her cat-tails rivaled glee over a true cone of cotton candy.

We checked out the bird-watching station, noting the calling "squee" of fowl 

amidst an azure sky.

Hmmmmm, more Pooh-flowers?

No, more exploring!  

Blossom1 lingered at the back of the pack, lazily and affectionately chatting with me.

Blossom4 enjoyed listening to her hollow footfalls, as the crunchy leaves tumbled down the boardwalk in the gentle wind.

She also adored balancing on the edges.  I don't usually mind walking a bit slower to accommodate her little footsteps.  I was a gymnast; I spent A LOT of time balancing on curbs and whatnot.  My mama never left me behind.

Blossom4's pixie energy drove her to stare inquisitively over the side of the boardwalk, in order to see what was underneath.  I can't say that I blame her, as I wondered that myself.  

It strikes me that a lot of parenting is a generous dose of empathy.  When I step in their shoes, I'm a little more patient, a little more understanding.  I slow down.  I look.  I listen.

Blossom4 also whipped out her magnifying glass to better admire nature's intricacies.  

This "lace" is exquisite, wouldn't you agree?

Blossom2 forged constantly ahead, willing to "harvest" these and other small beauties for her sisters.

So many little things are quite lovely ~ tiny packages of beauty.

Blossom3 was enthralled with the purple plumpness of these berries.  She sketched them in her nature journal, among other such things.

We lingered on a wooden outcropping, getting comfortable and quiet, relishing the cheery buzzing of cricket-like creatures and the faraway squeal of a chipmunk.

Colored pencils clattered about.

Erasers were shared.

The "Mama, how do you spell _______?s" littered our sporadic conversation.

Afterward, the Blossoms ventured creek-ward for more exploring.  Our rock hound, Blossom2, discovered this fascinating rock in the happily babbling creek.  It had been painted by a local artist, complete with a hashtag for internet searching.  

The Blossoms' curiosity was piqued when they realized that Blossom2 had to re-hide this rock.  

"It's a game?  Hide and re-hide?!"  

Mr. Drake here agreed that the perfect hiding spot was absolutely necessary.  (Blossom2 informed me of his thoughts on the matter.)

How 'bout a tree?

Look up!  Should she hide it there?

Or in the wild mint so jauntily swaying in the current?

Doggedly they hunted high

and low for a new hiding spot.

They searched far and wide, 

and settled on a non-descript garden.

I would've chosen the tree, but hey, I'm just an adult.  What do I know about hiding things? 

Dominique