the lake house
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The Great Summer Letter Writing Challenge
Last summer, when my son volunteered at a camp for a month in upstate New York, the camp leaders emailed all the parents their addresses so that we could send them news from home. Phones would be confiscated, so our letters were the only connection to the outside world… So, I sent one letter — maybe two, and that was it, over the four weeks. Might I add — phones were returned at the end of every camp session, once each week, while the crew transitioned to the next group of campers. So, I talked to him every week, and if he REALLY needed something, he called me on the camp…
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All of My Plates are Broken
I was pulling out the dinner plates to set the table, and I realized, that out of the ten white plates I bought as a set, about four years ago, I have only three left. Three. I checked the dishwasher, the sink, the refrigerator to be sure. Yet, just three. Lakelife is rough, tumble and active. And so are boys… Thankfully, I still have the full set of the melamine dishes that Aunt Joyce gave us the day we bought the lake house, in 2006. Every single one of them looks just as pristine as the day she gave them to us. What’s more remarkable, is that we when got…
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Everything In Its Place
A child development specialist once explained to me that one of the early differences between boys and girls is that boys create play centered around fighting villains and conquering evil, while girls create play around conquering chaos in the home. In the girl’s mind, a disorganized mess in the house was the equivalent of a bad guy invasion to the boys. Not to belittle the fantasies for boys or little girls, but honestly, is there anything more nightmarish than complete and utter chaos at home? Or worse, that you can’t wield it under control? Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a perfect example: Look how upset mama bear gets when she discovers…
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Weeding and Watering Your Garden With Minimal Effort
Several years ago, I was entranced by the whole Key Hole Garden concept, used in Africa, and its importance in helping people living in areas with little water to create a sustainable garden. However, I have had the supplies/time/manpower to create my own. But the idea of putting vegetable and fruit scraps directly into a tower, where the moisture and nutrients are readily available to plants immediately has always been intriguing and satisfying to my curious mind. Last winter, I tried a technique that I learned from a friend — burying my compost directly in my garden. All winter long, I saved my compost and buried it in holes I had…
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What The Years Have Done
Cars are parked in the grass, the overflow under the trees, because the short gravel driveway is already tightly stacked with cars. The noses of the cars all point to the back door, where there is only stillness left from the hauling in of suitcases, coolers, bags of chips and grocery bags overflowing with home-grown produce. As the breeze tickles the leaves on the trees, I imagine who has arrived in those cars, the faces of the children and cousins, now older, with children of their own. I’m overwhelmed with an impulse to stop by and see those faces – not just to see how they are doing, but selfishly,…
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And Then, Rest And Laughter
And then, out of the blue, we ended up having the best time in such unexpected ways. The oldest met the youngest at the lake. Just the two of them — which made us a balanced, rounded out family of four. Which was different… the meals needed to be adjusted, there is less of them — and yet there is more. The two of them were able to stand out. We arrived on Thursday with the youngest one, and there was a lag of a day and a half before the older one would arrive. But instead of figuring out a way to keep him entertained, he jumped out of…
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He Said The Morning Wasn’t a Good One
They rose before dawn, and started to pull out the canoe to catch the sun rising over the water. Ten minutes later they were back in their beds, claiming the morning wasn’t pretty enough. They simply needed to wait just a few more minutes, for the sun to have a chance to get out its paint brushes to start moving the colors around.
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Camp Lake
I worked and played as hard as I could. The scene was the lake, where a canoe strengthened my arms on windy days, and fortified my determination. Without an ACL, even fireworks offer a challenge to move out of the cinder and ash trajectory , ust in the nick of time, and navigating the landscape at night, always resilts in unsteady footing. Each day brought new and improved aches and pains. This, I found remarkable. Back, jolts of lightning ping-ponging around my left knee. But nature seemed to consistently remind me to be still and relax.
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So, This Year, The Dog Wore A Life Jacket
In last summer’s 4th of July Parade, Rosie jumped shipped, and caused us all to panic. So, this year, we kept her on the shore… While this dog sailed by. Safe, in his life jacket.
