As the world wakes up outside our windows, many magical sites and moments bubble up to be seen if you catch them at just the right moment. Lately there have many many of those just right moments.Last week our neighbor phoned to tell me she had spotted a nest of bunnies by "the third tree from the road" on our little strip of property across from the farm looking over the river.My daughter and I headed over to see if we could sneak a peak, but neither of us had ever seen a nest of bunnies so we had no idea what to look for. We went to that third tree from the road and we walked around and around it but saw no hint of sign of a bunny of any kind.We looked all around over there for any other tree among a stand of trees that could logically be described as "the third tree from the road", but no other tree made sense.The other thing that didn't make sense was that if there were a nest of bunnies at that tree, why? There was absolutely no cover of any kind. The bunnies would just be huddled up against the trunk of the tree with no shrubbery or flowers or anything to hide behind should a predator come by. Not that these concerns mattered at any rate, because there were no bunnies.So, we went looking around the bases of other trees that looked more logical as hiding places for bunny nests, abandoning altogether the instructions about looking for the third tree from the road.Still, no luck.Then a thought struck me, and I said to my daughter, "Wait a minute, don't rabbits go down holes in the ground?" So we went back to the third tree from the road and I looked around on the ground for a hole and suddenly I saw a little hole with little bunny faces staring up at me.Oh ... my ... goodness. It almost looked magical, as if there were a little portal there to a bunny world and the bunnies from that world were pressed up against the portal looking back at me.Fortunately I had a long lens on my camera so I was able to maintain a somewhat respectable distance from the bunny hole nest and get some great photos of the little guys.I realize that soon those cute little bunnies will be leaf eating, crop nibbling pests that I might not like to have around very much. Hopefully, the cats and dogs will help keep them at bay, but for now I think they are awfully cute and I worry as to their safety.Speaking of crops, the farmer who rents our land has planted clover this year. Later, the clover will be made into haybales but for now it is lush and green and sprouting little flowers everywhere. My husband tells me that at some point there will be millions of flowers out in the fields and thousands of butterflies will be flitting around. That should be beautiful, and more magic for the journals.We have finally gotten our six varieties of pumpkins going, and their seeds are busy germinating (hopefully) this very minute down on our sun porch; we had so much fun planting them together. While my husband gathered small plastic pots and filled them with soil, I held Sweet Pea in my lap and showed her all of the varieties of pumpkins we would be testing on her behalf. As I showed her the seeds, I also made little signs to stick in the pots with the names of the varieties on each. Then there is the magic of Sweet Pea herself. She grows, she smiles, she makes an ever increasing number of dear little coo'ing sounds. Her favorite thing is to lie beneath her Care Bears Mobile watching the little bears fly around above her to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". We have that mobile on her changing table, so she sees the Care Bears quite frequently.Last Friday afternoon I helped my husband mow our three acres of lawn. It had been nearly a year since I have driven the tractor and helped with the lawn so it felt great to get out there and go round and round while surveying all of this loveliness. I could see the fields of clover stretching out north and east of the sections I mowed. I could see the house wherein my sweet family resides and our memories are being generated. I could see the lush lilac tree in rich contrast to the backside of our 200 year old barn. I could see the grand old willow tree, the piece of land near it where we Sweet Pea's Sincere Pumpkin Patch will be planted and hopefully thrive. I could see the apple trees, the mulberry trees, the birds, the bees, and Blu dashing about the yard.At one point I looked up as I mowed a section of lawn facing south toward the house. There was my husband working on a section of lawn with a push mower. I raised my hand and waved to him from way back behind the barn. He lifted his hand and waved back, smiled, then continued with his work. When we were looking forward to our marriage a little over three years ago, before we had even met, we were both anticipating the joy of the little happy moments of a shared life in this peaceful, rustic place just like that brief wave a few hundred feet away from each other as we worked the lawn together.I knew that moment meant quite a lot to him, just as it did to me. I smiled, and continued with my work as well.
As the world wakes up outside our windows, many magical sites and moments bubble up to be seen if you catch them at just the right moment. Lately there have many many of those just right moments.
Last week our neighbor phoned to tell me she had spotted a nest of bunnies by "the third tree from the road" on our little strip of property across from the farm looking over the river.
My daughter and I headed over to see if we could sneak a peak, but neither of us had ever seen a nest of bunnies so we had no idea what to look for. We went to that third tree from the road and we walked around and around it but saw no hint of sign of a bunny of any kind.
We looked all around over there for any other tree among a stand of trees that could logically be described as "the third tree from the road", but no other tree made sense.
The other thing that didn't make sense was that if there were a nest of bunnies at that tree, why? There was absolutely no cover of any kind. The bunnies would just be huddled up against the trunk of the tree with no shrubbery or flowers or anything to hide behind should a predator come by.
Not that these concerns mattered at any rate, because there were no bunnies.
So, we went looking around the bases of other trees that looked more logical as hiding places for bunny nests, abandoning altogether the instructions about looking for the third tree from the road.
Still, no luck.
Then a thought struck me, and I said to my daughter, "Wait a minute, don't rabbits go down holes in the ground?" So we went back to the third tree from the road and I looked around on the ground for a hole and suddenly I saw a little hole with little bunny faces staring up at me.
Oh ... my ... goodness. It almost looked magical, as if there were a little portal there to a bunny world and the bunnies from that world were pressed up against the portal looking back at me.
Fortunately I had a long lens on my camera so I was able to maintain a somewhat respectable distance from the bunny hole nest and get some great photos of the little guys.
I realize that soon those cute little bunnies will be leaf eating, crop nibbling pests that I might not like to have around very much. Hopefully, the cats and dogs will help keep them at bay, but for now I think they are awfully cute and I worry as to their safety.
Speaking of crops, the farmer who rents our land has planted clover this year. Later, the clover will be made into haybales but for now it is lush and green and sprouting little flowers everywhere. My husband tells me that at some point there will be millions of flowers out in the fields and thousands of butterflies will be flitting around. That should be beautiful, and more magic for the journals.
We have finally gotten our six varieties of pumpkins going, and their seeds are busy germinating (hopefully) this very minute down on our sun porch; we had so much fun planting them together. While my husband gathered small plastic pots and filled them with soil, I held Sweet Pea in my lap and showed her all of the varieties of pumpkins we would be testing on her behalf. As I showed her the seeds, I also made little signs to stick in the pots with the names of the varieties on each.
Then there is the magic of Sweet Pea herself. She grows, she smiles, she makes an ever increasing number of dear little coo'ing sounds. Her favorite thing is to lie beneath her Care Bears Mobile watching the little bears fly around above her to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". We have that mobile on her changing table, so she sees the Care Bears quite frequently.
Last Friday afternoon I helped my husband mow our three acres of lawn. It had been nearly a year since I have driven the tractor and helped with the lawn so it felt great to get out there and go round and round while surveying all of this loveliness.
I could see the fields of clover stretching out north and east of the sections I mowed. I could see the house wherein my sweet family resides and our memories are being generated. I could see the lush lilac tree in rich contrast to the backside of our 200 year old barn. I could see the grand old willow tree, the piece of land near it where we Sweet Pea's Sincere Pumpkin Patch will be planted and hopefully thrive. I could see the apple trees, the mulberry trees, the birds, the bees, and Blu dashing about the yard.
At one point I looked up as I mowed a section of lawn facing south toward the house. There was my husband working on a section of lawn with a push mower. I raised my hand and waved to him from way back behind the barn. He lifted his hand and waved back, smiled, then continued with his work.
When we were looking forward to our marriage a little over three years ago, before we had even met, we were both anticipating the joy of the little happy moments of a shared life in this peaceful, rustic place just like that brief wave a few hundred feet away from each other as we worked the lawn together.
I knew that moment meant quite a lot to him, just as it did to me.
I smiled, and continued with my work as well.
