{Virtual Coffee}

If we were meeting for coffee today it would be somewhat of a miracle because I have been AWOL or perhaps AWL because I have been truly absent with leave, my own personal leave. And I could not tell you why other than it was just a gentle segue on my own part that I barely recognized my own absence.

If we were meeting for coffee today I would tell you I have been to my cottage two weekends in a row. The first weekend my sister brought this mini-kayak for Riley

as last summer he was driving her own full-sized kayak on his own, without help and only ride-by supervision. He took to it like stink which made me go out and get this 8-foot puppy to paddle along side him.

Unless you have already paddled, it would be hard to describe other than it brings a special feeling of control and power that is rare to experience at any age.

And lest you think I am a bad mother endangering my son out on a lake by himself, I would tell you that there was always someone riding close by.

He discovered that his open style kayak is great for resting on in the early morning sun too.

If we were meeting for coffee today I would introduce you to this guy who has been beating up my country house something fierce.

I have had to call in unfriendly reinforcements as if I were to leave him (and his rather large family) on their own, I would have no house left. I would add that there has been lots of bird medicine appearing in my life and that in the last week alone these three unusual feathers have crossed my path.

And what would a blog post about nature be without a shot of dock scat?

It was easily six inches in diameter and, if you are like me, you are imagining the size of the thing it came out of.

If we were meeting for coffee today I would tell you I have caught myself doing absent-minded-professor-like things like putting empty pickle jars in the fridge.

And that this is just an example of the harmless things I have done.

If we were meeting for coffee today I might broach the subject of my most recent change that has come upon me. I'm not even sure how to put it all into words, only that it is natural and likely long-time coming. I would tell you I have been feeling a certain lack in my life and instead of filling it with time wasters I have chosen to go inward and listen, or try to listen to my directives.

I would tell you I filled myself up with nature these last two weeks with lots of these

and this momma merganser with her nine (!) babies

On Saturday Riley and I went to the local beach and found exactly this many people there by 11:00 a.m.

We had the place to ourselves for awhile so we made some sand art

before the crowds hit. Later that day I discovered that now, when my knees get sunburned, they could double for elephant skin.

Which is a might sight better than what I discovered behind my knees.

I can't believe I never noticed them before but then again, I rarely look in a full length mirror and when I do, my legs are usually covered.

If we were meeting for coffee today I would tell you that also in the last week I went to upgrade my ancient cell phone and came home with this

after being sweet-talked into it by the salesman. I knew almost immediately it wasn't for me so after a few days I went back and exchanged it for this

which is what I really wanted in the first place and it's kind of scary how much fun it is. I would ask you what apps you might suggest as the apps store is kind of overwhelming.

If we were meeting for coffee this week I would tell you that last week Riley had his first swim meet and at the pep rally just before it started, I thought he looked both so tiny and so grown up at the same time.

I would tell you how easy it is for him to make art out of nothing, like dirt on the road

or with an old pop bottle and gathered twigs.

How deeply he inspires me when I have these feelings of being in backward motion.

And then I would say I am sorry for not letting you get a word in edgewise and I would listen to your story because it is so important that we do that for each other.

And then we would head over to Amy's Lucky Number 13 and see what her pot is brewing.