Summer Notes

Kayaking on Puget Sound

     We have been having a very busy summer here, so blogging has fallen off a cliff!  We traveled out to visit family in the Seattle, Washington area.  It was such a blessing to be able to see my parents and spend a little time with them.  We also enjoyed the cooler temperatures--it was such a relief to have the "high" be only 72 degrees!  I cherish these times when my children can make  connections with their grandparents and cousins. 

Summer, 2012 with Bumpa and Grammie

 
 As some of you already know, my father is in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease.  It has been devastating to watch this once brilliant man slowly lose his ability to think and remember.  And yet, I am seeing that in this process he is becoming childlike and, I hope, more prepared to meet his loving Father when the time comes.  My mom has had a heavy burden of care for him and that has taken its toll on her, too.  Please say a prayer for them if you are reading this.  Let us pray, too, that each of us will more and more conform ourselves to the will of God, so that whatever our latter days bring to us, we will welcome it in a spirit of joy, trust, and acceptance as the gift of our dear Father.  I have been thinking about this a lot, but that's another post for another day.   
   Not only have we had some travel adventures this summer, but it  has also been fraught (great word!!) with animal adventure.  When I was traveling in Washington state, a little bird flew into the home in which I was staying.  I said a quick prayer to St. Francis for help (I have tried to catch a wild bird inside a house before and I KNOW it is really difficult), and I was able to quickly catch that little guy and release him with no harm done.  Thank you, St. Francis!
    Then, when we returned home, my son Bugle Boy found an injured mourning dove lying on our walkway.  We didn't know if it had been attacked by one of the hawks that we so frequently see, or if it had been hurt in the serious thunderstorm we had experienced the night before.  We put it into a cardboard box with a towel and took it to the local wildlife rehab center, near Winchester, Virginia.  They told us that the dove's crop had been pierced and it would need surgery, which led me to believe a hawk had attacked it. 

Injured mourning dove on our walkway

Actually, it was a very interesting outing that would make a great field trip. The center had hawks and owls in large cages that they were treating, as well as crows, snakes, and other small animals.  It was set inside a large park-like preserve that had picnic areas and woodland.   They have educational programs and I am sure you could call ahead to arrange a visit.  The rehab center itself is small, but the work they do is fascinating to both adults and children (at least, to me!)


Then, last night, my youngest son Mad Muncher called me up to his room after he had been tucked into bed.  And what should I see but a FROG on the WINDOW!!!  Mind you, his room is a high second (almost 3rd--we have a daylight basement that comes out of the ground below his room) story room with no trees of any kind within 50-100 feet!  What in the world was that frog doing there???

I know this is dark, but I hope you can still see the frog...maybe not?

Is this any better?

It was a great chance to observe those little suction-pad feet in action, and it fits right into our fall science topic of reptiles.  A few weeks earlier (right after we lit upon reptiles as a topic), we had found a perfect dead snake carcass on our drive for inspection-- not at all crushed-- so I take these events as signs from God that REPTILES is the ordained subject, lol!!!


Well, that's it for now.  Maybe I'll post again later, and then again, maybe I'll just enjoy the last few weeks of summer!!!!