far away fridays

Every summer of my kid’s lives has been charmed by this beautiful place called Pinecrest…well, up until two years ago anyway, that’s when their lives began filling with obligations of work schedules and family campouts had to take the backseat….one of the lesser attractions of growing up. My family loves this lake for its family atmosphere and its breathtaking design. Every summer allowed each of us the opportunity to explore different levels of nature. Here we could unwind by the campfire, kayak, fish, hike, or even explore more adventurous trails a bit higher where even more beauty could be discovered. This is the lake where I could let my kids go (greater distances each summer) with walkie-talkies in their pockets and not have to worry too much about them. Each year we would meet dear friends and catch-up with each other’s lives around the campfire. At Pinecrest there is a long-lived tale about a boy who went missing, so every night after dark when families are sitting around the campfire, they each take turns yelling at the top of their lungs, “Elmer!” I never could figure out why the little ones got such a great kick out of this, but it has been going on for years and years. I love family camping…the marshmallows…the smell of campfire…the sleeping bags…the pine trees…waking up to the brisk reality of another way to live and breathe…and of course, coffee never tasted so good! My very first experience at Pinecrest was with Annette and her family when we were little girls and then after Dave and I got married we went every year with family and friends…some of the people have moved away, and some have passed away, but I know my kids have very fond memories of stories and friends they have made for themselves, just as I do. I really hope it is a place we can revisit soon…it never seems to change…and that’s part of its charm.

Berries, Berries, Berries

It's Friday! Fridays use to mean more to me when I was working. Now everyday has its own appeal. That will probably change once the school semester starts and I realize what a heavy load I took. Oh well, I know it will be exhilerating and I will be that much closer to reaching my goal. Today is Ryan's funeral. The kids are taking off early from work and coming home to get ready. I have to get a few articles ironed this morning. Erik has a funeral and a wedding to go to all in the same day. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. I always dread funerals. I get this inner turmoil going on. Part of me tries really hard not to cry because I want to appear strong and yet empathy always seems to have the upper hand, especially when someone young passes. As a parent I think that is the absolute worse thing that could ever happen in life. A couple of years ago Kristin had a good friend get killed in a car accident and that was really tough also. It is just so important to slow down and experience your relationships. We truly do not know the amount of time we have here.

On a happier note ~ yesterday I bought more blueberries. We have been on a major blueberry kick around here. I think we have been eating about a pound everyday. I would kind of like to make some blueberry jam but I haven't quite achieved that level of ambition. Making jam is kind of tedious. Not to mention I have memories of kittens every time I think about making jam. A few years back, Kristin and I were picking wild blackberries to make jam and out of nowhere came a mother cat who would not leave us alone. I am not a kitty person and I kept telling Kristin "don't touch her". We tried to ignore her for awhile but our berry picking led us right into her little "nest" where she had 4 little kittens who were in really bad shape. Their eyes were matted closed, they had ticks and they were obviously starving to death. One of them was laying on its side and it looked like it was already becoming part of the soil. A layer of dust had settled on it and he really looked too far gone. During this time I kept hearing two voices in my head. One kept asking "what have I gotten myself into?" and the other one reminded me of what a wonderful opportunity this was for my daughter to experience a life lesson in compassion and doing something that might make a difference. As God would have it, I just so happened to have a box in my car. As soon as we put it on the ground, the mother cat jumped right in. She knew we were there to rescue her. We scooped up her kittens and drove them to our veterinarian, but as luck would have it, they were closed. we took them home and gave the mother food and water. In a couple of hours her milk came in and she began nursing the kittens. The next day I called the vet and they had me bring in the worse kitten. They gave me ointment for the eyes and liquid antibiotics to administer. They were very generous as they only charged me $35.00 for all of the medicine and office visit. We were able to remove all of the ticks and keep a watchful eye on all of them. The mother cat was very affectionate and seemed so appreciative. Once they were all healthy, I ran an advertisement and gave them all away. My garage smelled really bad and my entire family learned a valuable lesson, but that is the last time I went berry picking! We all seem to be rather soft hearted when it comes to animals. This past year Kristin brought home a little Pomeranian that was running confused down a busy street. In the beginning these types of things are always an inconvenience but in the end they always work out so I encourage the will to help. It took us 2 days but the little Pomeranian was returned to his rightful owner. A little kindness can go along way and I can see how it has shaped the character of my kids - something that is worth all the inconvenience in the world.