“A big bullfrog serenaded me from a pond.”
Three more of our Girl Campers left yesterday morning. It’s always sad to see the week end. So much fun and wonderful memories are made during this gathering. I’m blessed this year with two extra days spent with Gail, my fellow Girl Camper and camphost extraordinaire. Plus, there is the added bonus of Mr. FixIt being here!
“Alpaca roving for spinning.”
“A pileated woodpecker has decimated this tall pine tree at the edge of the campground.”
This trip has been such a blessing to me. Laughter is the best medicine and there has been so much joy shared between us as we sit and work with our hands. We have shared stories and learned more about each other. We have loved on our furry friends, including a little stray black cat who showed up Friday night. We think someone must have dumped him along the road because he is so friendly. He’s the camp cat for now and will more than likely go home with the camphost as her husband has taken a shine to him.
“I finished knitting socks for Daughter #1’s birthday! Shhhhh….don’t tell. It’s a surprise!”
I only went to summer camp once. It was a church camp that I attended with my good friend, Sharon. There were about eight to ten girls per cabin. Sharon and I were instigators and we often got in trouble. “We are the the Night Owls. The mighty, mighty Night Owls. Everywhere we go, people wanna know…who we are, so we tell ‘em….” It was tons of fun. I’m not sure we were welcome back the next year because I never went again.
“Baby Water Snake”
The first time I remember holding a snake was back-to-school night in seventh grade. Mom walked into the science lab and I went straight for the aquarium that held a tiny blue racer. Much to my mother’s horror, I picked up the wiggly little critter and let it slither around my fingers and hands. I laughed at my mom’s squeals of horror as I held the snake closer so she could see. Poor mom. I deviled the heck out of her at every opportunity, I’m afraid.
“Knitting at the campground.”
What a wonderful day. Several of us got out a “work in progress” and did some hand work yesterday. One gal was working on a woodcarving. One was crocheting. Two of us were knitting. It was peaceful. These are women of faith so as we worked, we shared stories of our faith walk. We spoke of the many ways God has blessed us, the lessons we have learned along the way. It reminded me of the early farm communities when the women would gather at someone’s home, or the local Grange, and spend the day quilting, cooking, sharing. We don’t get much of that this day and age and I feel the younger generations are sorely missing something. Their lives are so busy…athletic teams, music lessons, social events…young mothers today spend all their free time in cars shuttling the kids to event after event. I wish they had the peace just spending a few hours knitting and chatting with like-minded women could afford them. I hope they don’t wait too long to figure out how important these relationships are. And, these skills.
“A campfire is cheaper than therapy.”
There is something incredibly special about girl camping…be it with an organization like Girl Campers or Sisters on the Fly, or just a group of like-minded gal pals who like to get out in the great outdoors. Sometimes conversations go deep. Sometimes you open up about things you never dreamed you’d talk about. You meet strangers and they become Sisters. You laugh. You cry. You learn. There is always common ground with someone.
“Sitting in the morning sun, coffee in hand, Country Living Magazine…birds and roosters entertaining me. It’s a beautiful life!”
One of summer’s delights in the east…a warm morning spent outside reading and sipping my morning coffee. We’ve hit the summer thunderboomer circuit early this year here in West Virginia. The skies are brilliantly clear in the morning. The humidity is high from the rain the afternoon before. The temperature soars by noon and the thunderclouds begin to build till they boil over. Thunder, lightning, hail, high winds all can play havoc with your plans.
“St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle”
I was a relatively new military bride, expecting my first child, when Hubby #1 and I lived in England. Britain was all abuzz with the news of a Royal Wedding coming that fall. Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, married Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973. The country was bonkers for this event that drew an audience of over 500 million worldwide.
“Tilling in his garden.”
The other day I told you Mr. FixIt put in a garden for “me”. I was so excited. I haven’t had a garden in ages and I was really looking forward to going out and getting my hands in the dirt. Then, before I knew it, Mr. FixIt had the plants and the seeds in the ground. sigh
I was really disappointed. Then I looked at it a different way. Why should I get to have all the fun things? Riding the big lawn mower is a whole lot more fun than pushing the smaller one…but, Mr. FixIt pushes it for me. Hooking up, towing, and unhooking my camper is a lot more fun for me than sitting and watching someone else do it. The same is true for Mr. FixIt.
“My good friend, Lisa and me.”
It was the fall of 1960 when I met Lisa. We were in second grade together in Mrs. Alexander’s room. It depends who you talk to. Some say Mrs. Alexander was a sweetheart. Others…not so much. She seemed to have one student every year that was on her black list. Nothing you could do would please her if you were on her dark side…and that is the unenviable position I found myself in during second grade.