Summer Day

Today was the kind of summer day that I love. By mid morning the kids and I were on our way to a nearby forest preserve, with sunscreen, camera, and some trail mix in tow. We played in the water, walked across the little waterfall, spotted and almost caught a huge frog, watched a snake dart his head out of the rocks, got a little muddy and a little wet. We flopped out in the grass to read "Finding God in Narnia" (I recommend it!) after our water play, but before the chapter was over the kids realized that there were blackberry bushes with ripe berries on them growing in the tangle of green around us. The trail mix was gone by now, and thus a perfect container for collecting the berries in was available. The boys went at the picking with a vision... "Mom, do you think we can get enough for a pie?" I was doubtful, but I said we might. Madelyn joined in, after a temporary stint of wanting to just get her own berries, and contributed to the common bucket. Gwen followed me from one bush to the next, begging for berries. Her hands and tongue were stained with purple before we were through! In the end our container was nearly full, and let me tell you that the resulting pie, that Seth made this afternoon with only a little help, was delicious!

The activities of this morning reminded me of when I was a girl. Picking blackberries in the meadow behind our house. Creating adventures in the woods. Playing house under the pine tree in the back yard. Wading in the freezing creek with the smooth slate bottom, the one behind the duck pond at the park, on scorching hot days. Being outside like that, away from the house and the cul-de-sac and things that provide "entertainment", tends to take me back to my childhood. Things seem simple and good.

Give me a sunny morning with a creek and some blackberry bushes any day... it's the best kind of fun there is. Thanks, Mom, for showing me.