Searching for bliss

Just got back from a couple of days Up North. It was so beautiful; the weather was just perfect--warm, sunny days and cool, clear nights. The dogs came with me this time, the first time in several years that they had been up there.

We spent our days swimming, playing on the beach, or riding and walking through the fields. It's not very restful up there, since I don't seem to sleep any more than I do at home, but it is very stress-free. One day, I walked the dogs out into the fields--they had so much fun and it was such a joy to see them relishing the experience. Polly would thunder down the paths, dive into tall grass, and disappear into the woods. Alice got to play with her ball (much to the amusement of my family) without worrying about running into the street, or getting stuck in bushes, or destroying the landscaping. It was bliss for them. Bliss for me, too, to stand in the field in the hot sun. The grass underneath was cut short and was soft enough to walk barefoot. I stood still, hearing nothing but the birds singing and the wind blowing. No cars, no phones, no chatter--just pure peace and contentment.

At night, I let the dogs outside and stared up at the stars. With no city lights to dim the view, the Milky Way just poured across the sky. It was gorgeous and completely lovely.

Beautiful girl

How much do I love this girl?



More than I can say...

Little baby bunny

Yesterday, the pets and I spent some time lounging in the back yard. After awhile, the girls let me know that they had had enough of the Great Outdoors, so I put them back inside. I stayed outside, working in the garden--deadheading flowers, cutting back plants. I was staking up some some yarrow plants that had flopped over in the rain when I noticed something on the ground. Can you see it?

It was a little baby bunny, all tucked up at the bottom of the yarrow. She stayed absolutely stock still the whole time I was working there. If her little nose hadn't twitched, you would have thought she was frozen. I am absolutely amazed that the dogs hadn't sniffed her out. She was still pretty tiny, about the size of my fist, so maybe she didn't have much of a scent. Her "freeze" instinct certainly served her well!

I checked on her throughout the day; by early evening she had moved on.

Goofy dancing

I can't explain exactly why I enjoy this video so much--maybe it's the combination of sweetness, goofiness, and joy in the dancing. There's something about it that's good for the soul.




More of the videos are on the website. Dance on!

With love

We had a memorial service for my father this last weekend, almost seven months after he died.  We waited until the summer because the last thing he would have ever wanted was for people to travel during the winter.

Miraculously, everyone was able to come--

children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.  I can't help but think that as time goes on, it will become harder and harder for us to all get together like that.  I am inexpressively grateful that we could share this weekend together.

My sister and brother-in-law built a memorial garden on their farm up north.  It's a beautiful spot, surrounded by fields and trees.  They cleared a space, put in a fence, and paths, and a rock wall.  They planted a lilac tree, and a catalpa tree, and lots of other flowering plants.  It's a good place.

We played music for my father, songs he loved.  We read poems and said prayers and told stories and laughed and shed lots of tears.  At the end, while the Liebestod played, the two little girls released yellow balloons into the sky; they flew off high into the clouds, a final farewell

to a man deeply loved by his family.  

I love you, Dad, and I still miss you.

Love,

Maggie

All in a day's work

Child #1:  Do you have any books on entomology?

Me:  Do you mean insects?

Child #1:  No.

Me:  Do you mean words?

Child #2:  No.

Me:  Okay.  What's it about?

Child #1:  I think it's something about human...something.

Me:  How do you spell it?

Child #2 [slowly]:  A...

Child #1:  Is it about horoscopes?

Me.  Okay.  Astrology is about horoscopes.  Astronomy is about stars and constellations.  Anatomy is about the human body.  Entomology is about insects.  Etymology is about words.

Child #1:  It's astrology.

Me.  Okay, let's go look over here.