Cait was on her fourth hour of homework when she looked over at me wearily and said, Tell me something profound, Mom. She shoved her geometry book aside in protest, propped herself up on her elbows and said, “All these math problems I’m doing are so meaningless. Who cares?
Slogging through my own pile of homework, her question jolted me upright. But I quickly regrouped, I knew exactly what she was asking:
Amuse themselves by putting on skating shows for the only friends to be found for miles — their animals.
(That’s Finn sitting on the fence post.)… Read More
Maybe you’ve noticed that life seems to be speeding up lately. It sure has sped up around here.
Cait has been going through a period where’s she’s been given the opportunity to practice not over-reacting. This is not an easy lesson for a teenager. What’s been interesting to watch is that what initially seems like disappointing or bad news has actually turned out to be a good thing in the end.
The most recent example of this was when she … Read More
Spring cleaning is well under way around here. There are several projects already in varying stages of completeness. Living in an old farm house means there’s a never-ending supply. Fortunately, Cait usually likes to help. It’s a chance for us to have some uninterrupted talk time, while I apprentice her on the finer points of home repair.
As Cait and I were painting , the subject of one of her school projects came up. Her assignment was to create a … Read More
Cait loves to act. LOVES to act. And she’s actually pretty good at it. But all her middle school plays are musicals. Which means that to get a decent part, she must also sing well. But, um… she, ah… doesn’t sing well. And that would be putting it kindly.
At least, she didn’t sing well — before I signed her up for singing lessons last year.
I’m not one to get Cait lessons for every little interest or activity. I’m … Read More
We’ve got a messy storm blowing in, so Cait and a friend wanted to get in what may be the last of the skating for a bit.
Cait takes a moment to tighten up her laces.
Even though the ice is 5 inches thick (thick enough to safely drive a car on) and we have a long-line rope on the fence post, I still wind up checking on them from time to time. My old EMT safety habits die hard.… Read More
As I mentioned last week, Cait makes sure Finn is in every night. On a recent night, the time got away from her before she realized that it was dark and Finn was not yet securely locked in the house.
So she started the nightly ritual of calling out while banging on Finn’s food can. Within minutes, he always appears.
But this night, still no Finn after several minutes of banging and calling.
Worried, Cait ran back in the house … Read More
I grew up in the country where there were many more animals per square mile than people. There were no cell phones, no internet, and certainly no malls or McDonalds dotting every corner. Essentially, there was no instant gratification.
During summers, especially, we kids had to learn to be resourceful if we wanted to get together and have fun. Otherwise the specter of boredom loomed large.
I’ve always lived near and loved the water. So, of course, one of the … Read More
