dragonfly
Photo by Greg.
I have been jogging with the dogs in the mornings. It hasn’t been going so bad. They pull a bit but mostly they just do the husky thing and trot in front of me with their tongues hanging out the sides of their mouths. My dilemma is do I start getting up an hour earlier so it isn’t quite so hot for them or leave them back at the house? I forgot how dogs associate certain objects with certain activities until I was cleaning up yesterday and decided to listen to music through my Ipod while I went about it and for a second I couldn’t understand why Cinnamon was getting overly excited, following me about, jumping up on me. And then I clued in that it was the Ipod – she thought we were going on a jog. And I was thinking how this would make a good commercial for Apple – (The new and improved Pavlov’s bell).
Erin also had us all traverse this skinny, half submerged log in order to show us this plant. She says it is carnivorous. My daughter knows her nature.
camping
We stumbled upon this lad on our morning walk on Saturday. I don't know what kind he is- although Erin believes he is a snapping turtle.
He has a very cool tail.
the ball game
Yesterday we took the afternoon off to watch Monica’s team play their semi- final game. If they had won they would have went straight into the final game. (Back-to-Back games) However, it was not to be. It was a very good game though. The final score was 10-8. I was so very proud of her out there in her baseball cap and school jersey. Her long braids and freckles. She struck out the first time but the second time up she cracked it out into centre field. Got a run in. The third time she was up she popped one up high and it was caught. It is striking out that bothers her. It feels so much better just to hit the ball regardless if it is caught or not. I remember feeling the same way as a kid.
We are taking the girls out of school on Friday to go up north to camp for the weekend. We keep saying we will never camp again but something keeps drawing us up there. Well it was mainly Erin this time. She was the one that suggested we go up north this weekend. Greg and I are still trying to figure out some strategy of getting the two dogs and camping equipment all into the car. Going to be tight.
I have a story up on Gryphonwood’s new blog. A fantasy. It is the only story I sent out this year and am very happy to have found a home for it. And I received a copy of my book from Lulu. It looks pretty good. The cover turned out nice. I need to clean it up in some places but all and all not so bad for a first try. Makes me think I should do the same thing for the children’s book I wrote a long time ago and discarded. Monica said she would make me the illustration for the cover. And the story I am writing now. I don’t know but something a kindred to hope surfaces when I go back and read bits of it. I think it might be a decent one. Thinking I might even send off the first three chapters to a few places. Why not, I say?
So behind. Must get back to work.
Determined we build
small things up and around us
placing them gently on one another
these Barriers
these today things
A sparrow’s common song
A ray of light on pine
Oregano and mint in terracotta brown
Cat’s eyes
The newness of dawn
but as it is
and as it was
loss prevails
loss continues
in spite of kindness
from petals
lindens
I went out in the backyard the other morning. It was around six and the first thing to hit me was the scent of the linden trees from the neighbourhood. Their intoxicating smell was so thick I think I could have poured it from a pitcher. There were two huge lindens in the front yard of my childhood home. I remember constantly climbing one of them with my brother. What is it about summer and childhood? Give me a warm day and I’m suddenly overwhelmed with nostalgia, throw in a linden tree and I’m lost for the day.
Baked cookies last evening for Monica’s bake sale at her school. As I was letting them cool on the table the dogs got in and started wrestling on the kitchen floor, sending up small clouds of dog hair. I shooed them out and inspected the cookies and not thinking I wondered out loud, “I hope none of that dog hair landed on the cookies.”
“I’m not bringing those if there is dog hair on them.” Monica said.
“No, they're fine.” I said after my inspection.
“MOM, what if someone finds a dog hair on one?”
“Relax Monica, you simply have to say to them – that’s just a little cinnamon.”
And the other night Greg sat down in one of the holes the dogs dug in the back yard. I swear all you could see was his head and shoulders and I started laughing.
And so straight faced he said, “Now let me just get this straight – so this is perfectly fine with you.”
more books
Forgot to mention – bought a few new books
The Girls by Lori Lansens ( I read Rush Home Road a few years back and thought at the time I might be reading the debut novel of the next big Canadian writer – I was right.
The Birth House by Ami Mckay
And Monica got Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicimillo (she just finished The Hobbit and loved it.)
And I noticed The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue which I think might have to be my next book purchase.
weekend
It was a fun weekend. I enjoyed seeing Greg’s friend again and his girlfriend was very nice. She had traveled so much and had such great stories. Monica was very much taking by her. She gave me a gift – Anne Carson’s Plainwater (essays and poetry). It’s brilliant.
I also just celebrated another birthday and I received a beautiful bouquet of cut flowers with a note that simply read, “from the gang back home” I thought that was wonderful. Friday night we sat under the grapes vines that are just getting started. Greg put some steaks on the barbecue and we had picked up some portabella mushrooms that Greg coated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, grilled and served with goat cheese. They were very tasty. Saturday evening we all went out to a Japanese restaurant. Sunday after our guests left, Greg and I took the dogs for a walk to the quarry. The grass there is up to our knees and it was so entertaining watching the dogs race through it. They had this bounce to their stride so that they could see above the grass.
Now I am off to get groceries and dog food. Looks lovely out there
