September Diary | 8th

   

On September evenings I like to sit on my deck and watch the bats wing wildly against the sky as I listen to the music of insects: crickets, greater angel wings, and katydids. They are LOUD--it is more of a rock concert than a symphony. In September it is hard to believe that in two short months nature will go to sleep and all will be silent. It is easier to believe in snow. It was cold last night. I had to put on a sweater. And socks. How quickly cold comes to New England. 

We went to the flea market up in Rowley this morning. First, we had a proper New England breakfast (donuts and coffee). Then, we walked among the hundreds of tables and blankets laden with old treasures. I've been looking for an old fashioned rotary telephone for my kitchen. They had a few, but not one that I really wanted. However, there was a teeny tiny ceramic house I liked that would have fit nicely on my window ledge. The seller was asking six dollars for it. I thought that was too much. I didn't buy anything this time, but I had fun looking.That's what my father calls an excellent shopping trip. : )

Trixie and Lucy-two of our little red hens

This afternoon we walked the dogs in the woods and admired the banks of goldenrod. It's an easy walk down a dirt road. I finished reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed last week. She hiked 1,800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. She was not an athlete or an experienced hiker and she had only limited camping experience. She was twenty-six years old--a woman alone in the wilderness. Now, I'm reading aloud Bill Bryson's, A Walk In the Woods to my family. He walked the 2,169 mile Appalachian Trail as an unfit forty-four year old. Both authors said they have never been so ill-prepared to do a thing as they were to hike those long mountain trails. But, they did it--they did it.

Tomorrow is the first day of the fall semester in our little home school--back to our daily lesson work. Only my girls and Luke are left under my tutelage this year; Seth and Zach have moved on to their own plans and higher education. Our learning days will have an entirely different atmosphere with only the four of us at the table. We're eager to get started and are looking forward to bright days ahead. ♥