Day at the River

[Spiritwind]

Ah, yes! I'm sitting here under a most wonderful willow tree, listening to the rush of the water as it flows swiftly by, feeling the gentle breeze, and watching the sparkles of light flit across the water as the sun shines brighter and hotter than I ever remember. Watching from my comfortable chair near the waters edge I realize how much I love tall grass. Maybe that's why I cringe every time I drive by this place on the way here where the grass is always cut short, like a golf course, and nary a weed in sight.

But then I like weeds. To me, most of them are actually medicine in disguise. Funny, as I look at the willow branch that hangs out over the water and notice that when the breeze blows the swift moving waters actually touch, as if trying to carry it away and say "come with me". And a memory surfaces. Wow, a long not thought of memory. When I was a kid I remember my adoptive father making me go cut my own willow branch as a switch when I got in trouble. Kind of a strange concept, to make you go and choose your own tool of torment. And it better not be some wimpy thing either.

And I look out at my grandson, thankful that while things aren't perfect in his life, at least he will never likely experience that! In fact, just having this place of natural beauty, where the water is still clean enough to harbor craw dads, turtles, fresh water clams and fish is something I am immensely grateful for. There is even a tiny little island with a huge rock on it in the middle where the water rushes around both sides. Little blue dragon flies and water skeeters skipping across the water. Slippery rocks that test your balance. And a nice shallow wading area for the little ones. No chlorine, and people actually pick up their trash for the most part. It doesn't cost a dime to come here either.

So nice to see him out there, having fun like I had when I was a kid. Even though I did have some unpleasantness from that time, for the most part I ran amok on the farm from early morning until evening when I had to come in. I did have to help with the irrigation pipes, but otherwise I played in dirt, swam in the irrigation pond, occasionally tried chasing the cows around, for which I got in trouble, and even got to be a budding scientist with my polliwog experiments. One of my fondest memories was eating the fresh wheat that was in a huge bin in the barn after harvest just before the big truck came and hauled it away. Hmmm, a frog just hopped by. Cool. Cleansing indeed.



In fact, it looks so inviting I think I will just jump in myself. Which I did. I'm now back to my comfortable chair by the water. It's fun to watch even the adults become enchanted, and behave like kids again. I love water, it has always been so soothing to me. I mean, we're all born from a watery womb, probably in more ways than one. Water really is life. I suppose that's why I have such strong feelings about so many things being done to the planet right now. I can't, or don't want to, imagine a day when there is no place to go like this.

And I definitely gotta get the kid a snorkel and goggles. Now my grandson, another kid, and probably his dad are all grabbing the willow branches and hanging on while being pulled by the water. Reminds me of Tarzan for some reason, giggle. And a funny looking sky is rolling in. Looks like that oh so wonderful artificial cloud cover that's created when chemtrails spread out, mixed with some more normal looking clouds. Yup, a strange juxtaposition these days. Chemtrails, Fukushima, oil pipelines crisscrossing the planet, leaking and ruining the environment, and so much more, and yet still a little piece of heaven to enjoy with my grandson. I can't think of time better spent.

[LostNFound]

Thank you
Aw, yes to just be a kid again. I to grew up on a farm. My dad had 17 acres smack dab in the middle of a section of fruit trees and we were surrounded with other farms of cows, sheep, horses and all sorts of ducks, geese and chickens. I hear you so loud when you say you were out running all over all day from sunup to sundown. We lived about 2 miles from the Colorado river as it made its great swinging bend coming out of the Glen canyon and sweeping around the fair great fruit farms and Grand Junction. Us kids were always trucking over to the swampy areas where the river flooded into the low places. we found old logs and what not and built our own rafts to push around in those waters. What a time and such growing and learning that was.

Mama always knew where we were it seemed and in fact she was the one that kicked our buts out in the morning if that is what it took. We would come in for lunch and sometimes not. We would play all day and when the sun went down we heard mama calling to come in for diner.

You speak of a big willow tree and perhaps a creek or some such that is rushing by. Water is such a calming thing and can carry your inner soul into soaring flights through the heavens. Willow trees were always my favorite type of trees, My most favorite was the cherry tree and one could find me hanging out in the higher branches with cherry juice all over my face and hands. I too experienced having to get my own willow switch and you are so right, "it better not be some wimpy stick" or we would have to go back and find a bigger one and get whacked extra. Ha so much fun we had.

We used to go crawdad hunting in the drainage ditches and canals and mama would send us out to cut the young asparagus stalks for diner every so often. That right there was good food. To just go out and pick fresh fruit from the trees and eat all day was way to much fun for us. We always had places where we could swim and even built our own tire swings over the ponds or wider canals. Geez its a wonder we weren't killed. I could talk forever it seems about those times. Your post just opened so many memories up. I really enjoy reading about your farm life and the goats. What a wonderful blessing that has to be. I remember living in the great NW and raising my two daughters there. They loved it so much and I wanted them to experience somewhat of how I was raised.

I got such a great picture in my mind of your day at the river. Thank you so much for that candid feeling of grace. As Christine coined the phrase, The Thunder beings, As I sit here and type this, those thunder beings are dancing in the distance and moving closer in these mountains.

Thank you Spiritwind
Steven

[Spiritwind]

It's been rather hard to motivate myself to write anything lately, but I have wanted to tell you for some time LostNFound how much I enjoy your presence here on the forum. It is very refreshing. And I knew someone could relate to the willow switch, LOL. Seems it was rather a fad back in the day. I do feel bad for many of today's children who often don't have the same opportunities we did to explore nature mostly unfettered. It is amazing we all lived through it as well as we did, for I remember I must have knocked myself unconscious when I fell off the little bridge that went over a deep drainage ditch when I was a kid. And I know my youngest son knocked himself out falling out of a tree. But it's that ability to get up, brush yourself off, and keep going that helps us deal with the necessary risks that come with the adult world, I feel anyway.

My friend of many years who also lives in a rural area worked for a time at a day care when her son was little so she could work and still spend time with him. I remember her telling me the insurance company was trying to make them put something up around the trees so no one could hurt themselves. Fortunately that one didn't go through. And then I think about children in war torn countries, or other countries where there is severe poverty who live in fear for their lives everyday. Children are so vulnerable, and yet they are the most precious thing there is almost. There is a magic there that we would all do well do remember and keep alive in our lives.

It's a strange dance, allowing oneself to still be vulnerable, yet learning not to be gullible. My grandson has been diagnosed as ADHD and takes Ritalin while in school. When he visits us he doesn't take any medication, and if you keep him busy enough doesn't need it at all. Now they, the so called authority figures, have told his mother he is suffering from an anxiety disorder. I'm sorry, but WTF is wrong with these people! Life on planet earth these days can be quite anxiety producing for anyone. It seems they would like to get us all on that medication bandwagon. Makes it easier to control the herd that way.

Anyway, thank you for sharing some of your own memories. I enjoyed it very much. (Oh yeah, and moms do have eyes in the back of their head, you know!)