The summer is mostly over. Part of me is sad, because our family campout came and went so quickly. For weeks I planned and prepped, while hubby secured our annual, free camper rental (from a generous friend). The hubsters also cut more trails through the fields, so he could entertain the grandkids with regular four-wheeler rides. I made my usual, bubble solution with glycerin (which is always a "big" hit! brought crafts and games for the kids filled up the kiddie pool and then hauled bucket after bucket of water from the well to splash on them. (My biceps are looking tighter!).
It ended up that we chose one of the hottest weeks of the summer. Luckily, our generous friend also provides us with two types of generators, so we could at least have fans blowing on us at night. Oldest daughter's newborn was often uncomfortable from the heat (or, so we were guessing, because you can never be sure about the reasons for baby's complaints). Daughter started nursing baby in the car, with AC cranking, and that seemed to hep him fall asleep easier. I'm pretty sure that's what the settlers did, so many years ago, (ie, cranked the hand fan over the baby until their arms went limp). We also used water from the well to make cold compress for baby's forehead. I know for sure that the settlers employed the cold water method on their babies. Maybe even sometimes just sitting in a cold stream while nursing the baby. Those pioneer moms were way tougher than I am. But, we had our share of water adventures that week, too.
We had some rainfall prior to our campout, so that raised the water level in our creek. I love to walk in the creek, often go down there by myself, looking for fossils and crayfish and salamanders. I really love it when we have little waterfalls.
The kids approached Papa about going down to the creek, and he said, "I'm not the creek guy, Mimi is the creek guy, which made me come up with the Mantra, I AM THE CREEK GUY, FOLLOW THE CREEK GUY! (Said in a rasping, scary sounding voice). The kids loved it!
That first day in the creek, the water was up to their knees in the waterfall/ponding areas. The next day, the water was down. By the third day, we decided the nearby Whitewater River would be more fun. I called our neighbor to ask if we could access the river from her river property, and she said, "sure!" We stopped by her house for swim vests and tubes, and headed to the river. Mimi graduated from creek guy to "River Lifeguard guy!
Finally, we made a date to drive home one day to swim in our friends' salt water pool while baby lounged near me in the shade. I think it's safe to say that was an awesome day!
Anyway, here we are in September already, and I'm just finding time to write a blog post. I have my "new" client twice a week, and am getting calls from my previous caregiver group to cover several long shifts, as they lost a caregiver to a back injury. The Creek guy turned River Guy is once again the "bringing in the bacon girl, which is coming in handy during this season of high inflation.
But the most important thing is how VERY blessed I am. I have no idea what I did to deserve all that God has done for me. There was a time in my life where I was very confused about who I was, and what I should be doing in my life, but God has clearly lead me to a place of mercy, compassion, and service to those who cross my path. And just to make sure I don't get lazy, the next grandchild is scheduled to arrive near the end of this month, so I'll be spending lots of time with our youngest daughter (and youngest grandchild) when that big event takes place. I've heard people say, "You can't out-give God, and I am certainly the poster child of that reliable truth especially where God's love, mercy, and lots of grandchildren are concerned. I am blessed by a wonderful life and a lovely family!
No comments:
Post a Comment