Good Little Bunnies

I took Flopsy and Mopsy with me to gather blackberries while Peter and his gang scoured the dumpsters for spent pyrotechnics.

There weren't many berries, just enough for the girls to snack on on the way home.  The boys, however, had some great finds (if you're in to that sort of thing - they explained, "Fireworks have some really cool pictures on their packaging.").

At bedtime Katherine chose Peter Rabbit for me to read.  Part way through the story she said, "I want to be a rabbit so I can be naughty!"

Out of the Nest

I had eight birds hatched in one nest,
Four cocks there were, and hens the rest.
I nursed them up with pain and care,
Nor cost, nor labour did I spare,
Till at the last they felt their wing,
Mounted the trees, and learned to sing....

If birds could weep, then would my tears
Let others know what are my fears
Lest this my brood some harm should catch,
And be surprised for want of watch,
Whilst pecking corn and void of care,
They fall un'wares in fowler's snare,
Or whilst on trees they sit and sing,
Some untoward boy at them do fling,
Or whilst allured with bell and glass,
The net be spread, and caught, alas.

Or lest by lime-twigs they be foiled,
Or by some greedy hawks be spoiled.
O would my young, ye saw my breast,
And knew what thoughts there sadly rest,
Great was my pain when I you fed,
Long did I keep you soft and warm,
And with my wings kept off all harm,
My cares are more and fears than ever,
My throbs such now as 'fore were never.

Alas, my birds, you wisdom want,
Of perils you are ignorant;
Oft times in grass, on trees, in flight,
Sore accidents on you may light.
O to your safety have an eye,
So happy may you live and die.

In Reference to Her Children Anne Bradstreet

Overnight Transformation

This little guy apparently thought he was big enough to graduate from the pickle jar to kitchen counter.  I'm not really thrilled with frogs by my muffins.

Return of the Salamander

Last year while watering some flowers I noticed some movement in the mulch.   What a surprise to find a red salamander! 

 

We like to think he's set up permanent residence in our yard.

Down by the Riverside

"Gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside and I ain't gonna study war no more."

In this case it was tomahawks that they put aside in order to chase crawdads.

Forgetting a bucket, Matthew made do with one of his boots.

 

Rivers and rocks, crawdads and mussels never get old.

Critters

For the past several weeks, this has been the view from the kitchen sink.

 

 

Matthew spends the majority of his waking hours either in the "creek"

or playing with the creatures he finds.

 

First there were the frogs that are quite likely the tadpoles of last year. 

The boys thought it would be great fun to have a frog race so the appropriate circles were drawn on the driveway and everyone waited with baited breath.

 

Only the frogs didn't move. 

 

They must have been in complete shock to not being touched after having been manhandled for so long.  Stephen soon got a bucket of water to splash on them.  It wasn't immediate but eventually they remembered to run for freedom.

 

 

They apparently aren't particularly bright as Matthew has captured and recaptured them day after day.

 

 

But boy, do they sing at night!  One of the many advantages to opening one's home to fresh air is being able to partake of nature's symphony which lately has been a call and response of mating frogs.  They are loud!  And tonight we got the pleasure of hearing barking tree frogs (or at least that's what I think it was - a most unusual sound indeed).

 

Then there are the newts.  Or salamanders.  (I looked up the difference between the two and these amphibians are probably salamanders but it's much more fun to be reminded of the P.G. Wodehouse's Newt Fancier Gussie Finknottle).

 

 

The red one I found earlier was recaptured, and Matthew has found two other varieties as well.

 

 

Next on his list is to find a turtle that he can coax to live in the ditch, too.

Mr. Jeremy

Once upon a time there was a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher:

 

 

he lived in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond.

 

The water was all slippy-sloppy in the larder and in the back passage.

 

 

But Mr. Jeremy liked getting his feet wet; nobody ever scolded him and he never caught a cold!

 

"The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher" by Beatrix Potter

A Hodgepodge of Pics

Nothing clever or cute; just life with little ones.

An abandoned duck egg we brought home...

and then broke to see what was inside. You've got to be on eye-level with the vehicles...

Matthew hanging out in his newest toy (he loves being upright)...

A picnic in the front yard (no crumbs to clean!!!)...

Maff-a-yooou being his sweet self...Seeing as it was 90+ every day this week, we headed to a local park with fountains. Andrew ventured in a few times, but Stephen was glued to my side eating all morning.


A dear friend came over to babysit the kiddos while we went out to celebrate our ninth anniversary. "Here's to us. You used to say, 'Here's to us!'"
The family photographer was occupied with activities at church today while Doug and the big boys headed to the tow truck museum. Apparently in addition to numerous real tow trucks, there is a large room full of toy tow trucks. I think the boys imagined having them all to play with. I'm sure visions of tow trucks danced in their heads tonight as they went to bed.