It's an August Sunday afternoon, hot.
Seeds have brought finches to raid the coneflowers.
The thunder is rumbling on all sides of the mountain
but the rain is holding off.
Soon I may have to rescue my school bag sitting on the driveway
but I'm saving that for an adventurous dash.
School begins Tuesday.
I am still teaching first grade at Penfield,
a tiny school with a forested hill behind it,
a creek across the road,
and an occasional elk on the ballfield.
"Are you ready for school?" people ask.
Yes.
After thirty-some years, I still love to teach.
This year, the toughest thing
may be saying the final line of the pledge of allegiance--
"...with liberty and justice for all."
My wise uncle suggested I say the words as a prayer instead.
My mind will soon be filled with memorizing names
and remembering to bring milkweed for the monarch caterpillars
and studying yet another new math curriculum.
I will unload ten thoughts from August
before they get crowded out.
10. Lightning
Recently a lightning bolt struck a large oak
near where Paul and Kate were married ten
(ten!)
years ago.
There is now a large crack from a treetop branch to the ground.
We found oak splinters sixty feet away on our sidewalk.
Lightning strikes are scary cool.
9. Fenwick Beach
Here is our beach advice:
Build a giant sand castle in front of you at the beach
and no one will move in and block your view.
Especially if you build steps down to the surf
and number them.
Then you can also watch the tide come in mathematically.
If you want passersby to stop,
make bridges
and deep doors
and windows that cast shadows
and embellish the castle with beach finds
like feathers
and shells
and seagrass roots.
By the way,
we start our mornings with coffee and donuts
instead of yoga.
And those toned and tanned lifeguards?
They have no idea that someday they may have
a sixty-year-old coffee-and-donut body.
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| The view we remember |
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| The striped umbrella is ours. We are NOT in the picture |
8. Clothing
The perfect all-weather summer wardrobe is a scrub top,
nylon swim trunks,
and Crocs.
7. Rocks
All those rocks
that Denny helped me drag home
from Lake Ontario over the years
are now even more fascinating--
I've just watched Youtube rock stacking videos.
Once you understand the physics,
rock stacking can be addictive.
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| Fun near the mailbox |
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| Rocks are the new Legos |
6. Cat Changes
Getting rid of a cat can be
both a happy
and sad occasion.
Chai the Indoor Siamese Cat
moved to Mechanicsburg to be Luke's companion.
No more being herded to the food dish!
No more moving the gate at the top of the stairs
each time we go up or down!
We no longer need litter box access--
the basement door can remain closed!
We can travel without finding a cat-sitter!
But we miss the adoration
(Siamese are more like dogs),
the nose bumps,
and making Chai groove when fast music comes on,
Twoey the Outdoor Heinz Cat is filling the gap.
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| Chai the Cat on his leash in the shade under the rock wagon |
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| Twoey the Cat in the shade of the jeep roof on the hay wagon |
5. Safety
It's important to finish jobs involving scaffolding before school starts
so that, if you fall,
your wife can call 911.
Sitting around waiting to call 911 is a tough job,
but somebody's got to do it.
And so the cabin chimney is done,
complete with a carabiner at the top
for anyone interested in climbing up to ring the bell on the eave.
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| Almost finished! |
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| Waiting to call 911 is a tough job |
4. The Swimming Hole
Hot afternoons call us to the swimming hole.
En route, we pluck wild blackberries without leaving the jeep.
They are hard little nuggets this year from lack of rain
but still very tasty.
I explore while Den bathes.
Water boatmen,
the ADHD insects of the aquatic world,
prefer the still water found inside rock rings.
Soon some will be living in cups
in the center of first grade tables.
Science is fun.
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| Hard. Seedy. Delicious. |
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| Look closely and you'll see boatmen's ripples |
3. Diets
Most of you know that I prefer short hair.
but as motivation to lose ten pounds--
I didn't snore ten pounds ago--
I'm letting my hair grow until the weight comes off.
One friend told me I may die looking like Rapunzel.
2. Police Encounters
I was followed by a city policeman recently
and when I stopped,
he informed me that it was illegal
to drive jeeps with the doors off
but he wouldn't ticket me this time.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou for not giving me a ticket!" I said,
and drove off, happy.
For about a mile.
Then the Libertarian in me got irate.
WHY should some law tell me I need doors?
Bicyclists don't have doors!
Motorcyclists don't have doors!
Doorless? Roofless?
That's summmmmmmmmmer!
I walked into the house complaining to Den,
who called the PA State Police.
It turns our we DON'T need doors.
If I get ticketed, I'm fighting it.
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| It's SUMMER! |
1. August Olympics
While watching the O's,
we thought of Chariots of Fire,
the movie about runner/missionary Eric Liddell
who competed in the 1924 Olympics.
"I believe God made me for a purpose,
but he also made me fast.
And when I run, I feel His pleasure."
We are not Olympians,
but God knew that when he made us.
"I believe God made me for a purpose,
but he also made me... enthusiastic?
And when I...
Build a castle?
Play with rocks?
Construct a chimney?
Taste warm blackberries?
Sing?
Write?
Dance?
Tend bees?
Bake?
Knit?
Paint?
Change a diaper?
Feed a cat?
Teach?
... I feel His pleasure."
As August fades,
we hope you use what is truly you
to feel God's pleasure.
