April 2nd update with pictures. :-)

April 2nd, 2010

I intended to post this last week but as it turns out, a farmer driving through Preeceville caught a power pole on his seeder and snapped it off. So there was a power outage for several hours, in which, people at the library were tsking and murmuring about farmers who don't watch where they're going. Lol. I guess you can tell that Spring has arrived early in SK.

But I'm not holding my breath! We could still get dumped with snow. However, I am so thankful and happy for the warm weather. It's wonderful...

Sara is walking. This evening she walked the whole length of the living room. Everyone is applauding, cheering and making a general uproar over the new accomplishment. She's really cute. :-) It's fun watching her pitter-patter across the floor, enjoying the new found freedom and... (shall we say it?!) speed.

It's hard to believe that she's over a year old already. I remember last year at this time... we were just getting used to having a new baby around. She was so tiny and perfect (she's still perfect ;-)). I remember that her fingers were so fine that they were almost transparent.

Now she's laughing, walking, growing up so fast. She's not much of a baby anymore. I'm sounding ancient... and a little sad. How quickly time flies. How little I truly appreciate each day spent with her.

Btw, if my spelling starts looking like I'm under water, I am not. I just have the hiccups. They came on very suddenly and at full ::hic:: force.

Today I was reading in The Works of Robert Browning and found a poem about him reading a book he found not to be his liking. This particular piece of literature had been a “book in its time” but nevertheless, out of disgust, he tossed it into a hole in the trunk of plum-tree that had rain water in it. Then, he went to the house, brought out sustenance (bread, cheese, beverage) and his favorite book and forgot all about the poor book in the tree, slowly sinking into it's puddle. The next morning, however, he spotted a web of a spider across the opening of the tree and felt a prick of conscience. Out came the rake and he fished our unfortunate friend from it's watery grave where the “mother-beetles and father-efts” were wreaking havoc on it's besmeared pages and blistered binding.

I found this poem so endearing because I found it so... human. It makes Robert Browning seem more normal than a genius who's poems are and have been loved for over a century.

Robert Browning writes in such a fashion that even just a few words out of a poem are enough to convey what he expresses:

“Was it love or praise?

Speech half-asleep or song half-awake?”

(Garden Fancies – The Flower's Name)

“All I know

Of a certain star

Is, it can throw

(Like the angled spar)

Now a dart of red,

Now a dart of blue;

Till my friends have said

They would fain see, too,

My star that dartles the red and the blue!

Then it stops like a bird; like a flower, hangs unfurled:

They must solace themselves with the Saturn above it.

What matter to me if their star is a world?

Mine has opened its soul to me; therefore I love it.”

(My Star)

“That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture!”

(Home Thoughts, From Abroad)

The other day, I went out to look at our creek, which I suspected might be running but wasn't sure. It was and it was very full, indeed. :-) I love the sound of running water! Of course, I had Lydia's camera along so I took quite a few pictures of the creek, melting snow, leaves, moss, etc. It is difficult at times to catch on film what you see with your eyes. For some reason, it just doesn't look the same on film. But I did manage to get some pictures that I liked, so I was happy. :-)

I read Clive Cussler's “Sahara” yesterday... I really enjoyed it. The story in the book is different than the movie but I didn't mind that they changed the movie. What is fine in a book is sometimes impossible to produce on screen without wrecking the essence of the story. Both were excellent, though the movie is for a younger audience.

Martha on up to Hannah are taking the hunting safety course in Preeceville. Our pastor is the assistant teacher and catches (or gives them) a ride to and from town, so they come home with lots of great stories to regal us with.

For instance, Brad gets into the van saying earnestly to Dad, “So last night I got chased by three cougars.”

Dad threw him an appalled look, “Whoa!”

Brad said, “Well, in my dream.”

::snort::

It's fun watching the kids studying their books and writing things down and quizzing each other about gun parts, different types of firearms, accident scenarios, how to load and hold guns, etc, etc. I don't think you can ever be too careful with guns or hunting. A few months ago at church, someone asked prayer for a family they knew... a guy had shot and killed his best friend while hunting. I can't imagine having to live with that grief for the rest of your life. I can't imagine how it would be for the family of the deceased, either.

Which brings to mind an (much happier) incident that happened at church last Sunday. Our pastor always has the kids come to the front of the church for a quick lesson before he starts the sermon and this morning he was talking about people dying and how when we have Jesus... About that time, a four year old boy spoke up, saying, “My Grandpa died. But he believed in Jesus and he's in Heaven and he's alive again!” It gave me such a glimpse into the faith of a little child that the Bible speaks of... I almost got tears in my eyes.