Saying Goodbye at the Edge of the World

We collected smooth, flat rocks from the beach at the edge of the world--or, at least, the edge of our country. We collected them because we brought crayons to write messages about Aunt Linda in memory of her. I received the phone call that morning that my sister-in-law had finally been taken home by God and I had no way of packing up camp quickly and driving three hours to comfort my husband and family right at that moment. Since three of my kids were with me, we decided to make a memorial right there at the tip of Canada by throwing the stones in the Lake and praying for comfort and peace for all of us who loved Linda. We knew she was made whole and healthy and full of inexpressible joy the second she entered heaven, but we were sad for those of us who were left behind to go on without her. 

We did pack up and leave a day early to be with our family but, the two days at Point Pelee on Lake Erie were memorable. We camped with my mom and step-dad, roasted marshmallows, desperately searched for any birds who were stragglers from the many flocks who'd recently migrated all over Canada after landing in that very spot only a couple weeks before. We'd postponed the trip twice and so we knew we were a little late. Nature wonders to behold everywhere anyway.

Gratitude:

1809. opportunity to travel

1810. how he still holds my hand as we walk

1811. how she trained my sisters and I to take our cameras wherever we go

1812. spotting this black-headed tern--new for me!

1813. turtles, turtles everywhere at the marsh--love them!

1814. this creepy little bird which I admire and dislike at the same time (barn swallow)

1815. for swamp sparrows

1816. the way that butterfly net amused him for hours

1817. how he'll jump into a selfie without a complaint

1818. how she must walk Mama and Papa's dog every time she sees her

1819. sleeping in the back of the truck with Molly for two nights--painful but adventurous!

1820. narrowly escaping the wrath of the red-wing blackbird (he attacked and slammed his body into my head three times before I knew what had hit me! defending his territory)

1821. loving the s'mores, avoiding the smoke

1822. how they can't wait till this time of the evening

1823. reminiscing about this one at a year and a half with sticky "washmellows" all over her

1824. how she always cooks the perfect toasty brown one for the adults before she makes her own

1825. finding a skink

1826. stretching without complaining on the very long walk

1827. how God has healed her! three years ago she had her accident and, although, still in pain, she walked all day with us on the trails

1828. how that magnifying glass opened his eyes to new things

1829. fascinated by everything

1830. how she pointed out countless things to me, then... dropped

1831. the way coming late to Pelee has its benefits... solitude... no crowds

1832. the song of the Common Yellowthroat (look it up and listen, if you get the chance)

1833. how resting still results in exploring

1834. the marsh boardwalk and how it seemed to go on forever

1835. how happy he was that he could put three new stickers in his bird book

1836. being 42 years old at the 42nd parallel :)

 

1837. knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will see my sister-in-law again

1838. tossing in our rocks and saying our earthly goodbyes at the edge of our little piece of the world

Day Thirty-One: Closing Up Shop... Or Not!

Who would like to join our group for a trip to the lavender fields?, the email read. Although, I warn new homeschoolers about taking on too many subjects and adding too many trips in their year, I tend to jump at every opportunity that educates my children about God's creation. And so this week, we will attend and, I'm sure be surprised by, God's design in nature once again. 

Because the traditional school year ends in the late spring, the world affords much scope for the imagination and it leaves us unable to close up shop on our school work. My goal at this time of the year is to complete math, writing, spelling and phonics before the end of June, but we will continue short unit studies and summer reading. Last year, my kiddos used "Summer Notebooks", in which they copied a Scripture verse, wrote out ten spelling words, worked out some quick math and researched one cool fact. This took less than a page and no more than twenty minutes to half an hour per day. Of course, there were many days it was set aside for important interruptions and vacation, but it was a valuable tool for keeping their brains exercised. 

Perhaps I should have blogged this set of thirty-one days earlier in the year, to share more school-ish things because spring truly inspires us to be outdoors more than in. However, I'm a firm believer that (if possible) being there is a far greater teacher than merely reading about being there :)  

White-crowned Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Towhee's wife

Eastern Kingbird

Can you guess whose tracks these are?

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

waterfall at my in-laws'

Field Sparrow

Field Sparrow singing an adorable song (grab the free Merlin Bird I.D. app to hear many bird's songs!)

Dunlin-first sighting!

 Are you closing up shop on your schooling adventures for the year? 

Day Twenty-Seven: Down By The Riverside

We like to keep it real, so when my sister and I began our unit study on rivers, of course, down by the riverside is where we took our books and pencils. If you don't mind a little crayfish swallowing and clam catching, you can peruse our photos for a wee tour of the Grand River, where we feel right at home. 

Learning about the hydrocycle's reciprocal effect on rivers.

dock balancing

This kid will eat anything ;)

Relaxing by the river.

Searching for turtles and crayfish.

Not sure who the boy is with Oliver, but somehow, wherever we go, extra kids attach themselves to us. Maybe he's homeschooled too?

delicious finds

It's a sweet thing that the "River Of God" worship song has played in my mind each morning for the past two weeks. I simply wake up with it there. Besides its life-giving flow, I think the river is a beautiful and important symbol to the Lord, wouldn't you say? 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. Psalm 46:4