Classic Summer

People make fun of me a lot--and rightly RIGHTLY so--for the fact that I was born at the wrong time and in the wrong place....I am definitely very old fashioned and like things that usually only 87 year old British men like. So, when it comes to summer, I like to think differently.

Is it bad that I have no desire to go to a Funtown/Splashdown place? Amusement parks dont really spike my tone. I like summer for the quiet beauty. Yeah, I know, lame. But really

My ATV is so unbelievably uncharacteristic of me for that reason: I love speeding around fields and through mud and woods and trails--even the other day, I had to winch myself out of a huge mud pit, and, although it was so aggravating and frustrating, I nevertheless enjoyed it. A little bit.

But for the most part, I like the simple things and I want to teach my kids the classic 'simple things' of summer....like I always hear parents and grandparents talk about. Like, we want to spend as much time as possible out on the canoe...and not merely paddling for distance, but, rather, exploring little coves, counting turtles, talking about the complexities of beaver dams, seeking out tadpoles, and picking water lilies (if you pick it at the right time, put it in a wine glass filled with water! At night, it closes up to go to 'sleep' and then, in the daylight, it opens and fills the whole wine glass.....a treat!).

Right now, for example, I am working on a project with the kids and our rose bushes: We are collecting rose petals that fall off the rugosa bushes, keeping them in a bag, drying them out, and getting ready to combine them with some other secret ingredients to make potpourri for the grandmothers (and moms too).....then, at the end of the summer, when the rosebushes yield the rosehips, we can collect them to make 'tea.'

I fully realize all of this sounds lame or hipster to people. Fair enough. haha

Both kids love composting, for example, because they think it is cool how the old food turns into new food for our garden. I like that they learn this....

When I was a boy, I used to LOVE collecting rocks...I thought I wanted to be a geologist....and now, teaching the kids about rocks, I see the same interest they have in rocks. And why not? Multi colored, textured, etc. Stuff kids love. We have so many damn rock collections....

I have a few books that are awesome for people with kids (or people without kids who nevertheless love summer). The best one I have been into lately is called THE BUMBER BOOK OF NATURE by Stephen Moss. A very cool 'guide' on how to enjoy nature and do all those cool things that I want to do like make elderberry cordials, antfarms, and wormfarms. Also, there is cool info on identifying all the 'secret' parts of streams and forests and mosses. Oh yeah...mosses.....the Goldsmiths are big into mosses this summer

Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE summer and, each year, count they days until winter returns. But, if I must live with summer, I would rather be outside in the great outdoors learning cool stuff and learning the tricks and beauties and opportunities and gifts, for free, that nature can offer. Especially in Maine. We are blessed to live in Maine during the summer.

Now, her are some pictures.....

A favorite book of the summer thus far is GREEN EGGS AND HAM. Callum had read it at school this spring, and we got it at the library the other day. He and (and sort of his sister) has A HUGE part of it memorized. So, the other night, for supper, the kids requested green eggs and ham to eat....I was happy to oblige....

They ate every last bite.....

Maira got her first haircut on Saturday last!! A very very excited little girl. She loves to get her hair cut, go shopping, have her nails painted, put 'makeup' on her dolls (washable crayons), and carry around a pocketbook. Quite a little diva. And, the other day when she saw Nannie, she was VERRRRY interested in Nannie's 'shiny rings and bracelets.'

.....that smile......

Quite a difference from CS, huh, who was scared....I mean MORTIFIED....at every new experience in his life??