There's No Place Like Home, Home Sweet Home

Larry and I have been pretty busy since we got home. I emptied out the camper, put everything away, did the laundry, etc. while Larry mowed the lawn, mowed the field, picked up the footlong clippings and power-washed all the green crud off the house. I cut back the tree in the middle of the circle garden and filled the bird feeders hanging on the side of the house; Larry trimmed the bushes and put out the tray feeders. We both went through bushels of mail! There's still plenty to do but we are glad to be home and back into our routine of daily Mass, Thursday morning 2:00 a.m. Eucharistic adoration, etc.

I was so happy to see the folks at the nursing home again and bring Communion to the Catholics. And they were glad to see us too. Several people at church said they missed us. Isn't it nice to be missed? Truly, I was touched.

This evening I took my first dam walk since we returned and hit the jackpot -- three blue herons along the river. One flew under the bridge as I was throwing a buttercup in the water to watch it float away. He started to land right below the bridge, but saw me and flew off down the river. The second, smaller, was near the other end of the bridge and also flew off down the river. Then I crossed over to the other side and saw a third heron fly over the lake above the dam and land on the shore just around a bend. If I'd been playing a slot machine I would have hit the three-heron jackpot! I walked home in a drizzle with a big smile on my face and praising God for His wonderful world that has such creatures in it!

And then M and B came over to play. What a great way to end the day. We ate (M called it a "great dinner" and let us know she liked the macaroni and catfish), read lots of stories, watched a video of Alice in Wonderland, played Candyland, and cuddled. B slept through most of it after I wrapped her up tightly in a towel for want of a receiving blanket.

Yes indeed, "East, West, home's best!" is my motto. I loved travelling but home is definitely where the heart is.

Bob and Betty

One of the things I love about living in the country is the parade of wildlife. This afternoon we startled a deer in amongst our apple trees. Every afternoon when we're swimming, Marianna asks about "the skink." We saw the little blue-tailed fella one day and ever since we keep a watchful eye out for him. Then there is the bird life. The Phoebes have a nest in the rafters of the pool house and are having their second brood. They come and go and come and go. A baby catbird out front fell into the window well and Larry had to rescue the bitty birdy. Neither baby nor mama was happy, but there was no way that baby was going to fly out of the well on its own.

And then there are the baby bluebirds. They are growing and Marianna and I go out every day to peer into the birdhouse and say hello. Marianna even started singing a song to the tune of Frere Jacques. I had made up a song about her, but she changed it on her own, substituting "baby bluebirds" for Marianna. Here's how it goes.

Baby bluebirds, baby bluebirds, I love you, I love you

I love baby bluebirds, I love baby bluebirds, yes I do, yes I do.

But the most exciting wildlife story, at least from Marianna's point of view, was Bob...and later Betty.

A few weeks ago, Larry saw someone stop in the road and move something to the side and presumed it was a turtle. We all went over and rescued it and gave it a temporary home in a box where we fed it salad, a little turkey, veggies and fruit. Marianna named him Bob. She was a little afraid of him when I took him out of the box, but gradually warmed up. A few days later I was weeding the garden and took a wheelbarrow full of refuse to the woods. When I pushed it into the undergrowth there was another turtle. We named her Betty.

By this time Marianna was the fearless reptile hunter and had no problem handling the critters like a pro. I, on the other hand, was experiencing critter fatigue and we decided to send the two turtles off to find their families. Now every day we have to answer the compelling question, "Where Bob and Betty go?"

Home to their mommies!