Summertime... and the livin' is easy....

Montana
Northern Shore of Lake Superior
Taken from the bridge at Sault St. Marie

Everybody sing...and enjoy the pics of a couple of the cool things I've seen in June.

This is for the birds

There are several "posts in waiting," but this one couldn't, or shouldn't, or won't. This past week, I spent a considerable amount of time with the birds. Watching them, listening to them, trying to decipher whose call is whose when they're all singing at once just after dawn. One day I sat on a deck and watched as two robins literally played hide and seek in a very bushy tree. It was quite delightful, regardless of the fact that there is likely some
"nature" thing going on besides just the sheer play factor that I observed. I sat and watched them for 15 minutes, completely relaxed and grinning like an imp when it was time to go play myself.
A couple of mornings later, having slept with the windows open, I was awakened by singing. Not my daughter's, or my friends' (in whose house I was staying), but by the birds'. Not just a couple of them either. Lots of them. Layered voices from outside the window beckoned my brain before it was light enough outside to see them all( a task I am not adept at I might add..). Considering I'm on vacation, listening from bed seemed a reasonable endeavor. Immediately I had a flashback to my son being about three and waking me at 4 ish in the morning, still dark, no bird sounds whatsoever...."Psst. mommy.... I'm up before the birds today." "Honey, that's lovely. Their mommies are all still sleeping... go back to bed." And he did. The next day...at least it was light out..."Psst...mommy...I waited for all the birds to be up today." Breakfast was very early that morning... and for many mornings because my son had experienced over and over the simple delight of the birds announcing the beginning of a new day.
Beyond the flashback, was the moment itself: simple, inviting, chaotic yet completely harmonious. An incredible gift of sound and wondering, a new day... Life is good.

Oh Good Grief

My apologies to those of you who think I blog regularly. It is time to get over it...
I do wish I would have recorded some of my random thoughts over the last couple of months and maybe someday I'll actually just string them all together to see if anyone can make sense of them.
For now, I'm just touching base with the literary form of myself and making the effort to get reacquainted. There is much to tell, actually. I am the parent of two teenagers as of July 1, with one of them going to high school. This, I have decided, is impossible due to a variety of factors. Those of you for whom posting a response is a "given" may explore the factors. =)
Being the mother of two teenage personalities (not in the same body, though some could argue that is the case some days) , I decided to put them in the back seat of the car and make them see America. Well, part of Canada too, but that's a given of our summers. May I just say: I love adventures and I'm very grateful for the opportunity for this one. More to come on this I'm sure. We have seen some wonderful things and had some "interesting" moments. But, God is faithful and good and I still like my children. Jury is still out on the reciprocal.
Tis a good thing to think through my fingers. I should do this more often.
But, it's still time to get over it...