I was inspired to write a poem based on three postcards I bought last year. The artist is Sarah Angst (should I comment on her last name? I want to. Okay, I won’t.)
The hedgehog slowly ambled Through grass, amid the flowers Where mushrooms, red and white Seemed as tall as towers.
He strolled and as he pondered, He looked from side to side. “My kingdom is amazing – So big and vast and wide!”
The moose was prone to wander In woods or through a swamp, ’cross ponds and cheerful rivers He’d loudly stomp and clomp.
He gazed out o’er a valley Across the mountain side “My kingdom is a wonder – So big and vast and wide!”
The crow, his wings a-flutter Would fly from tree to tree, His clucking and his cawing Rang out most joyfully
When soaring through the sky He saw no room for pride. “God’s Kingdom never ends – So big and vast and wide!”
I love the bold and colorful artwork!
This blog post must come to an end, so small and puny and narrow.
That’s not supposed to be a deep philosophical title. I literally don’t have much time for a blog post today, but I’d like to leave you with a little something, no matter how small and random. So I’m going to choose one of my smallified photos that is languishing in the file and pair it with a smallified poem.
A photo of my signature apple pie cinnamon rolls
And the poem:
When it rains No one complains Except Cinderella Who has no umbrella.
If you check the small print, you’ll see that I NEVER SAID that the photo and the poem would actually have anything to do with each other. I merely said I would pair them together. I believe I’ve lived up to my part of the bargain. Your part is to tolerate my quirkiness and stay on as a faithful reader.
Voila! And in the morning, this post will disappear with a “poof!”
I brought my “big” camera, the Nikon with the zoom lens, and walked around with my camera eyes on. Here are a few things I saw.
You should know by now that a good reflection is always going to catch my eye.
Who knew that gas cans could present such a lovely, colorful image?
If you look at this with a bit of whimsy, it looks like the skull is all agog with its mouth hanging open, saying “Wow!” Can you see it?
This doe came around while I was sitting outside the camper reading. She came again the next morning while I was still inside the camper, two fawns in tow. Sadly, I couldn’t get a photo from inside. I know they’re mangy, I know they eat up my flowers, I know all that… but they’re still beautiful, aren’t they? It was a hushed and holy moment, she and I just looking at each other. Then she crashed through the greenery and disappeared.
Summer vibes, right there, with a camper relaxing on an inner tube and all the life jackets in the foreground. It’s a happy photo all around.
Break time for one of the cooks.
Break time for one of the birds.
Lakeside vessels, waiting to be boarded.
A rather distressingly bad photo of the regal bald eagle. That eagle deserved better, but my camera’s not THAT great. I would’ve needed a much longer zoom lens. And the eagle steadfastly refused to come and perch closer to me.
This butterfly posed for me quite nicely. The eagle could take some lessons from it.
Black squirrels! I saw one that was inky black, but that little buffer didn’t stick around long enough for a photo. How can I enjoy the plain old gray squirrels that inhabit our yard anymore when I know that this exotic breed exists? I suppose they make just as much mischief as ours do.
The sign we pass on our way out of camp. “Be strong and show thyself a man.” That’s the kind of camp you want to send your boys to.
I’ll probably feed this to a black squirrel in the morning.
It’s our last day at camp today. My husband will be busy with projects until the last moment, but the week turned out quite differently for me than the one I anticipated. Instead of slaving away in the kitchen, I’ve had a lot of free time, most of which I’ve spent sitting down. Yes, the word you’re thinking of is “sedentary.” The most active I get is often when I walk from our camper to the dining hall for a meal. Or sometimes I walk over to the lake and sit, enjoying the breeze.
I actually went for a real walk today, though, down the dirt road leaving camp and out on the paved road leading to the highway. It was very “yoo-meed,” which is French for “humid.” It was the most mileage I’ve put on the new knee in one go since I got it: 1.75 miles. Seems paltry, but it’s not.
Our camper has AC, for which we are very thankful. Even so, most of the time I sit outside, acclimating myself to the temperature while I read through books, pencil in hand. I like to underline as I go, making occasional remarks or inserting a heart or smiley face.
I’ve also continued to do some painting, trying to get the most out of my limited palette. Two more tiny art paintings have emerged (copied from Pinterest) with my signature droll commentary on them. I even wrote a tiny poem to go with one of the tiny paintings!
My sister gave me some postcards made of blank watercolor paper; I threw those in with my little bag of wc supplies and now unveil for you three of them that I did this week. Perhaps one of these will make its way to your mailbox – you never know!
That last one of the bike is what happens when I decide to go wild and paint something that is right in front of me, rather than copying something on Pinterest. Think of it as a primitive Grandma Moses painting to make it seem better than it is.
I made a discovery last night that completely derailed me: you can now make collages on Pinterest! Suddenly nothing else mattered. I kept making more and saying to myself, “This is my last one.” Here’s my last one (for now):
Isn’t it charming? I am stupidly excited about these, even though they serve absolutely no purpose. An intervention might be needed.
Thank you for coming along with me this week, and my apologies for not having more interesting fare to dish up for you. Don’t give up on me!
I’ll probably collage this whole thing in the morning.
I reported for duty in the kitchen at noon yesterday, not sure what to expect of the day. What will it be like to work with these young men? How will they feel about having a stranger enter into the comfortable rituals of the kitchen that they’ve already established? An older woman, no less! Will my presence be a restraining one? I hoped not.
Caleb greeted me, letting me know that with a cap on my head, shoes on my feet, and a shirt with short sleeves, I was fully outfitted for the day. He fetched me an apron, told me where to wash my hands and instructed me to put on a pair of plastic gloves. He set me to work on filling bowls with CCP, kitchen lingo for Celery, Carrots and Pickles, items that are put out for both lunch and supper. I also filled peanut butter bowls. The presence of fresh bread, peanut butter, and jelly on the table has been a real treat for me. I love PBJ sandwiches! But I hardly ever eat them. I’ve indulged myself this week by making a half PBJ to eat with lunch and supper. Even having three meals a day is a bit of an indulgence, since we’ve gotten into the habit at home of eating just two.
In the absence of young head cook Daniel (17), Josh (18) was in charge of the kitchen. We worked on putting mayo, turkey and cheese into buns that had been soaked briefly in melted butter. The sandwiches were to be baked in the oven. A controversy arose when a couple of the younger table waiters discovered that the plan was to put mustard and onions in the sandwiches as well. Objections were voiced, along with the suggestion that we put those things out on the tables for people to add if they so desired. “Not everyone likes mustard and onions,” said one fellow sensibly. The decision rested with Josh, who assumed the mantle of leadership by deciding to put the questionable items out separately. Well done!
It was a relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen. We chatted easily and joked with each other. Caleb was playing some classic rock as a playlist for our work, while Grisha, when he wasn’t helping, watched something on his phone. Lunch (1:15 p.m.) came and went: the sandwiches, in all their buttery glory, were tremendous! Josh told me to come back at 4:00 to help prep for supper: pizza and caesar salad.
By the time I came back at 4:00, I was feeling less like a complete newbie; plus I was really enjoying the company of these young guys. They are all friendly and easy going – not a sour note in the whole song. Supper was at 6:30, so we had plenty of time to work on getting the pizzas ready to bake and cutting up lettuce for the salad. Josh sauced the pizza crusts, Grisha sprinkled them with shredded mozzarella, and Caleb and I added the pepperoni. Caleb took some artistic liberties in making one pizza look like it had eyes and a nose. This is just the kind of quirkiness that I appreciate.
During a lull in the prep time, Caleb and Grisha folded and sorted the kitchen laundry (towels, washcloths, aprons and such), while Josh and I talked about all sorts of things. Both his father and grandfather were involved at this camp back in the day. His grandfather even helped build some of the original cabins. Quite a legacy! I asked Josh what kind of spiritual impact the camp had had on him. He’d started as a camper at age 10. He was open about not really grasping the gospel of Jesus Christ for himself until he got more involved in leadership at the camp. Telling those Christian stories to others really put it on his own heart and made all the difference.
Just before serving supper, while I was getting the caesar salads ready, Daniel appeared at my elbow, having returned from his meeting. “Thanks so much for helping out,” he said, adding, “You’re doing a great job!” That’s the gift of encouragement, right there.
I’m glad I had the opportunity to be of service in the kitchen for a day. We pray regularly for this camp and have a list of the staff, but until this week they’ve just been names. I’m grateful to be able to pray now with faces attached to those names, and with a deeper appreciation for what this camp means to the boys and young men who come here. One of the camp t-shirts reads “Camp ____________, where God hangs out with the guys.” Yes, indeed!
L to R: Daniel (standing), Caleb, Josh and Grisha
I’ll probably CCP this in the morning. Gotta use the lingo!
Up here at camp, my husband has been busy working on various projects that have been set before him. He’s quite a handy guy and has been up for the challenges of making a wooden ramp, cutting and bending a sheet of steel to fit a certain area in the kitchen, and today replacing some lights in the wash house.
My work has been of a different nature. I brought a lot of books: five non-fiction books and five fiction books and have been making my way through a few of those every day.
I also brought a small assortment of painting supplies. I almost didn’t pack them because so often I bring something and never use it. I have a flat paint packet for traveling and have given it a good workout this week.
I do a little walking around here every day and made time yesterday to put together another creation of sticks and stones. I haven’t checked to see if it’s been destroyed yet.
I’ve had time to do some writing, thinking, and praying. I found out this morning that they’ll be needing my help in the kitchen for the supper meal. I feel less confident about this, but I am assuming that the guys in the kitchen will give me plenty of instruction.
We meandered over to the campfire by the beach last night. There was singing of silly camp songs, a funny skit, some spiritual songs, and then one of the young men told a story that ultimately symbolized the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. He prayed and they all sang “I have decided to follow Jesus.” The sun was setting and the reflections on the lake were beautiful. It was a good day, and a good end to the day.
I’ll probably throw this in the lake in the morning.
