A Beautiful Mess

Today was one of those days we just had to get out of the house. It was beautiful and sunny and my vases had been empty for far too long. And also because I was staring out of the kitchen window while doing dishes after lunch, and noticed how our lawn was dotted with bright yellow dandelions. I could smell them in my memory, and thinking how ridiculous it was that I was inside on such a day. Our neighbor's lawn really is greener because it lacks these cheerful blooms. It gets sprayed and flattened and sprayed some more until it resembles a golf course in its pristineness. What a shame chemicals are chosen over useful, edible plants. Our lawn may be a mess, but it's a beautiful mess. And one that could produce some delicious wine or jelly.

The boys and I grabbed some smoothies and went on a drive out of town--just out of town, not too far. My goal was to find a blossoming tree for bouquets and to get Ian to fall asleep. A little gravel-travel to clear the mind; the kind of drive my Dad used to call a "see-cruise".

We drove past our old acreage. Made a couple pit stops, because, well, boys and smoothies. We spied a couple geese on the banks of a pond. Found some flowering trees off in the distance, too far to collect for bouquets, but looked like it would be a gorgeous location for a homestead.

And then I found what I was searching for: a massive apple tree, loaded with blossoms, on the edge of a wood. It was so large I couldn't reach the trunk without crawling under boughs across the ground. The ground was carpeted with silky white petals.

The fragrance of the blossoms was enchanting, and took me back to my childhood when I would sit for hours under my parents' apple trees reading. I used to dream of having a house surrounded by an orchard.

I had a few sprigs cut when one of the boys called to me from the Suburban: "Mom! We have an emergency here! Ian threw his smoothie!" Thank goodness for floor mats because that was just one more beautiful mess.

As I set the apple blossoms on the seat they also made a beautiful mess there and on the floor, dropping petals whenever they were moved or jostled. And that was ok.

Despite knowing our house was a mess just waiting for our return, we did not hurry home to fix it. Instead, we stopped at the library and checked out a large stack of books. We took our time, and enjoyed looking at pictures and through pages.

I still get frustrated at times by the things I don't get done, by the never-ending chores that come with motherhood, but it's slowly becoming easier for me to accept that life is speeding by us with terrifying swiftness. Focusing mainly on the mundane tasks of everyday life with little reprieve is madness. These creatures that God has given me charge of need to be shown how to appreciate true beauty and goodness.

The light of day revealed another beautiful mess today: I'm growing glitter. Like the dandelions, I chose to not eliminate my silver strands with chemicals. They are but another reminder of the quickly passing years.

I'm going to make it a point to stop and smell the apple blossoms throughout the day. I don't know how long they'll last, but they will be enjoyed despite whatever mess they make. After all, it's part of the beauty of life.

The Bees and Me Field Trip

Our local nature center hosted an educational event on bees this afternoon. My mother-in-law dropped off a flyer during the garage sale about it, and we decided it was a good way to get out of the house on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. All of us, that is, but Eli...considering bees are his nemeses and a single sting will land him in the ER (sans insurance), he stayed home with Ian to watch some football. (On a side note, it's my team versus his team today, so our outing could also be considered a peace-keeping mission.)

We wandered around for a while looking at the wildlife specimens on display: some were alive, others...not so much.

Ornate box turtle (alive).

Wolf, coyote, fox, raccoon, etc. pelts (obviously not alive) and Gavin.

Milk snake.

I think his expression says it all.

We're currently studying early American history, so it was a great visual aid for the boys to see this arrowhead display.

Whitetail fawn.

Long-eared owl

The most amazing display they had set up, in my opinion, was a working beehive in a glass-fronted case. A naturalist pointed out the queen bee to us as she moved her way to an empty honeycomb cell to lay an egg.

Behind the hive case, a tube served as a backdoor for the bees to travel outside.

They had several craft stations set up for kids. The boys were able to make beeswax candles (with sheets of beeswax rolled around a wick), paint a honeycomb picture with bubble wrap, and made "pool noodle" and pipe cleaner bees that they put on a cord and raced, zip-line style.

Gavin had a blast dressing up as a beekeeper, and I'm pretty sure had his picture taken for a newspaper as a lady (pictured in background with a camera) came over later and wrote his name in a notebook. He was a bit disappointed they didn't take him out to the hive to smoke some bees. Aidan made himself useful by helping hand out samples of honey. It took Liam a while to come out of his shell, but I think he had fun anyway. We got to take "honey straw" samples home with us.

Gavin getting suited up...by my old neighbor!

I caught Liam licking this honeycomb...ew

Aidan serving honey samples...lemon, cinnamon, and regular.

I got to see some people I haven't seen in many many years as well. I ran into my third grade (public school) teacher, who came over and talked for a while. She was always one of my favorites. I also ran into some old neighbors, who were also the first employers I ever had, picking rock out of their fields the summer after 4th grade.

We listened to a presentation given by a local beekeeper before ending the afternoon with a walk around the "nature trails". The beauty and intricacy of God's creation is truly breathtaking.

Bees enjoying the nectar of some New England Asters.

"Wait for me, guys!"