Last Rites of Fall

Our family is obsessed with picnics at our local nature reserve. It is where The Wood Artist took me on our first of many dates. We spend more summer weekend evenings there than anyone I know. We drag anyone who will go with us there. It isn't usually hard to get them there once or twice as it happens to be one of the most beautiful, recognizable landscapes in the world. But there are a handful of friends who will return with us again and again. These have become true kindred spirits - the kind who are like an extension of one's family. They fit like a comfy, old pair of shoes and you just expect to enjoy their company on a regular basis.

Yesterday was one such day. After church we headed to a trailhead with one friend and took a small hike. I was not in my best hiking form and everyone else didn't seem to mind. It was unseasonably warm and we found a cool spot by a small brook. The Wood Artist and Mr. Blueberry eyes explored the area and hunted tadpoles. They found a frog, which we played with for a while. Laughing Water begged chocolate from our friend, The Wanderer. The Wood Artist struck up a conversation with a hiker who passed. It was the most pleasant of afternoons. Toward evening we made our way to our famous picnic area. Here we met up with fellow die-hard picnic friends and cooked our dinner, laughing and eating the evening away.

As it turns out, it may have been one of our last of the season. Even as we drove home in the dark, the lightning could be seen. A short time later fall rains began. I'm not ready for it. My onions should have been harvested before the moisture came. But for today,I must relax and not worry about what didn't get done.

We are making the best of it. Beethoven is frolicking out of our BOSE. Mr. Blueberry Eyes has made a charming castle out of a blanket and the cat pole. A blue flag flies to signify the king is in residence. His Majesty and his mighty hunting hound (our Yorkie) peer at me from time to time from a castle window.

Laughing water is learning to operate the sewing machine as she stitches strips of cloth together. We made the strips from old polyester pants given to us by a local community service center who could not GIVE them away. (There ought to be enough about the evils of polyester pants for a post all its own!) Anyway, these strips will eventually be made into a crocheted rag rug for my kitchen. Laughing Water is learning the ins and outs of operating a sewing machine and alternates laughing over her successes and crying over her mistakes!

I must go and cut more strips for her. Nanette