A morning bird watch

It was 6:24 when I woke up and looked at the alarm clock on our windowsill (turned off, of course, for a leisurely Monday morning in summer). I smiled at the memory of my random, crazy dream and then curled back into delicious sleep. At 7 I awoke again, but this time I only laid there thinking. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, I sat up, did a cat stretch and my allotted crunches (I'm working up to doing 250!) and gathered my Bible, prayer journal and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm into my blue bamboo book bag (incredible alliteration, right?). Then I set off, full pitcher in hand, to my Bird Sanctuary just down the slope behind Hilltop Manor.
It was balmy out, and there were sun-dapples and shady places in abundance in the Sunrise Woods and The Meadow. There was just the slightest stirring of a breeze in the air, and the scent of July 1st clung to everything. When I got to my sanctuary, I tried to quietly refill the bird baths with the bright, beady eyes of a chestnut-backed chickadee watching me (these friendly little birds are still somewhat wary of me, though I am familiar to them and they almost never fly off when I come). Then I scampered up into the Climbing Tree to have my Quiet Hour and enjoy the birds. I saw some yellow warblers and a sharp-shinned hawk. I read a few chapters from Numbers and some of Rebecca, but mostly I simply rested there and let all the peace sink in. I've been watching the cherries ripen on the tree by my sanctuary: this morning they looked jewel red and almost ready for picking. I tried to memorize the unique calls of the warblers and chickadees (I usually recognize them when I hear them, but can never think of them in my head afterwards). I went breathless with excitement when the hawk flew past with a remarkably quiet, though powerful,  wing beat and perched on one of the nearby limbs of the maple tree. The chickadees went ominously silent at his arrival, but my stillness was the product of pure, wondering awe at the elegant creature so close at hand. He was amazing.

When the days get warm

I like to come home from Church and drink water. Lots of very cold, cold water that compliments the beach-blue geometric print on my Mexico dress.Then I go up to the Glow-light room I share with Ladybird and I listen to the coldest music I can find (something instrumental, with lots of space in the melodies) and I lie on my bed.
I could stay there for a long time, probably, but most often I get up after about 15 minutes and clean the room and twist my hair up into a bun where it will do me the least damage (heat-wise). Then I come down here, where the family has probably gathered, and help Mama prepare our Sunday lunch. I'm looking forward to cold watermelon and cold pasta salad, and more cold water.
Why do I love summer so much when it keeps me in here much of the day, relishing what cold things I can find? Probably because it is pure nostalgia for me, and I finally have an excuse for my watermelon addiction.

In Comes Summer

I finished my freshmen year approximately 3 weeks ago. This may not have been my opinion for every day of the past school year, but I think that it was my favorite year over all. So much learning and doing and discovering new things! I found that there are some fun new things to enjoy doing, but that many more old things (things at home with family or outside, which I have enjoyed for as long as I can remember) which are even more worthwhile and so very wonderful! And now that I realized this, my summer break is looking far up and out (I'm really not sure if I can see a horizon at all)!
The past week we have been taking care of our neighbors' alpaca. I wake at 6 and stay in my bed for an hour, dreading the thought of getting up. Then I do it and we drive 5 minutes to the farm, and I thoroughly enjoy my time there--the alpaca don't realize what comical creatures they are with their just-shorn fur and their tuneless humming! But I like them that way; you see I have always wanted to hear what llamas humming sounds like. I think it must be similar to this talk of the alpaca.
My morning when we come home is filled up with breakfast and exercise, piano practice and room cleaning, and a quiet half hour reading my Bible, thinking, praying, writing long entries in my journal or just scribbling a random note. After lunch my afternoon usually consists of "one big useful thing and some time outside" as I wrote down on my list of summer goals. Usually the "one big useful thing" is a chore around the house (which I actually enjoy as long as I have good music) or an hour or so gardening. For my time outside I like to walk or nature journal, or watch the little creatures in my bird sanctuary from the vantage point of the climbing tree. When I come in there is a hodge-podge of small, random things to do which fill up what's left of my afternoon.
Of course, this is an idealized day on summer break for me. It's hard for me to make myself be productive when we come home from taking care of the alpaca. I usually worry at least a little about how well I'm practicing piano or the speed of my learning. I spend time mulling over whether I'm spending my time wisely and being productive enough with this short span of no school. But for the most part I just enjoy it, and I know I must be keeping busy enough, for time truly does fly! Soon we'll be off for the family reunion, then me and Ladybird will go home with our cousins for a few days and ride the train back here after that. I looked forward to it all immensely!

The Everyday

I'm not at all like a bear this winter. I'm very busy, actually, and I rarely go into hibernation unless you count the extra hours of sleep on a Saturday morning. My routine is set in motion again, fully in swing now, since I've been back to school for two weeks already (working on my third). I'm very determined to keep my "educational colors" flying high, and so have been working my mind as best as I can. This results in a very  satisfied attitude as well as an intense love of weekends!
The small amount of free time that I have between ending school for the day and eating dinner (usually about forty-five minutes) I spend in going out for a walk, reading a book (currently Blue Hills, by Elizabeth Goudge) or making the dinner. You see, I love to cook, and there are a few days each week that are my designated "dinner days". This evening it was tuna casserole, last Friday was scallop potatoes and sauteed squash, and of course there is bread baking every week. I also tried out a wonderful grain salad this Sunday (the idea came from a dear friend who served it for lunch at a cookie-baking party over Christmas) consisting of boiled and cooled wheat berries, raisins, celery, hazelnuts, and a dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. These, with just a dash of minced garlic, salt and pepper, make a delicious cold salad.
Still, the best part of my life is time spent with people. I love my morning quiet hour with God and His Word, the precious moments with Baby Gavin, daily conversations with those of my family living at home, and weekend or holiday family time with everyone. Also I love Sunday and Wednesday fellowship with friends and teachers at Church. These people fill up my life with blessing and goodness, and I find that these days as a freshmen in high-school are sweet with friendship, fun and family. Though at times I am tired, I can always trust to be refreshed through time out in nature, prayer, and family and friends. As has been the ending of many past blog posts: life is good!

The Garden is Waiting!

About a month ago, I helped to put our garden to bed. We trimmed the dry, grey plants, spreading fallen leaves and old hay across the cold ground as we went (carefully filling in the spaces between baby potato plants that were confused at the sudden sunshine). I clipped back raspberry vines and scattered hay around.
Now is the time of dreaming for me. I have spent hours bent over our Michigan Bulb magazine, picking my favourite flowers, tallying up my spending money and making an estimate of how many gorgeous blooms I can safely take care of. I ended up with several very wonderful ones, not one of which I regret buying. So now I'll just wait, and watch the garden sleep.

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving break is here once again! After a weekend away on a youth retreat, home seems very, very quiet with just Mama, Ladybird and Little Gavin (Daddy being gone on a business trip until tomorrow afternoon). But there hovers a cosy, festive spirit in the fire-lit house on the hill that keeps the four of us warm until more of the family returns on Thanksgiving Day. We have only listened to a little bit of Christmas music so far, in order to enjoy it all the more tomorrow while doing Thanksgiving preparations, and my appetite for holiday music and lyrics has been thoroughly wetted. Our little Willamette valley seems quite ready for winter, with huge rain ponds covering former harvest fields, trees shedding vibrant coats and the sound of sleepy rain or blustery wind lulling each evening into night.

Then Came the Rain

Fall has settled into a wonderful rhythm--not too hard, but not too easy either. Monday through Thursday is very full of school, school and... not much else! Oh, yes, there are Monday night push-ups with Dad, shopping and a piano lesson on Tuesday, Awana on Wednesday and swimming too (so I guess I lied; there really is more going on than school). Friday is a nice sort of mixed-up day, because it is half school and half weekend (mostly weekend, if I have anything to say about it) with another piano lesson and lots of free afternoon time. Saturday and Sunday are all the way weekend, which includes sleeping in on Saturday morning, Church on Sunday and, this week, the annual Thanksgiving dinner at our Church on Sunday afternoon. So you see, my days are very good and pleasant in spite of the occasional wish for more time. But doesn't everybody wish for more time? If I did have several extra hours each day, what would I do with them?
For each day this week there has been something lovely and memorable (memorable as in "I won't forget it for at least one more week, because by that time there will be some other memorable thing  to occupy my mind). Here are a few of the best parts of the week:
1)Sunday--Family afternoon and harvest party for youth group in the evening.
2) Monday--baking Apple Oat Bread (I make bread every week and it was fun to experiment with a new kind).
3) Tuesday--getting up at 5:20, instead of 6:00, in order to exercise before riding down into the valley to help out at some friends' alpaca farm.
4) Wednesday--going shopping with Mama (I go shopping with her every week, and it's always one of my favourite things).
5) Thursday--Learning how to make newsletter by way of Publisher, which was especially wonderful because I have always been terrified to try doing anything besides blog using the computer.
6) Friday (today)--I had chocolate muffins for breakfast, went to the dentist (yes, I like to have my teeth cleaned) had a great piano lesson, went on a run in the rain and went out to a great pizza place with part of my family.
7)Tomorrow--Obviously, I can't divulge this information just yet, but you can just assume that something nice will happen.
But besides all of these nice things, there are a few especially nice things that happen ever single day! One of them is talking to God each morning, another is the possibility of writing a poem in my little notebook, and the third is laying down to sleep each night and listening to the rain fall. I love summer warmth and crickets chirping, but something always thrills deep inside me every year in that first moment when I hear rain droplets crackling on the roof. What a blessing to snuggle deep in blankets and feel warm while hearing the rain sing and the wind whisper. Life is very, very good.