Summer

Summer is here, officially here.

Fireflies, fireworks, and fires for marshmallows. Rain storms bringing a blessed breath of cool air.

Warm muggy days filled with slow trains going by, and we run to watch them, standing, sticky but happy, by the tracks, waving at the engineer. They almost always wave back, smiling. When the cars (Sante Fe, Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific), have all passed by us, the ding ding ding has stopped, the waiting cars, if there are any, have gone, we walk slowly back over the grass and clover of the field and find our water glasses.

Some days, like today, we go to the playground, and sit on the swings. It is really too hot to swing, though, so we halfheartedly kick our feet and stay hanging over the same patch of white hot gravel. The pool beckons from the other side of the fence, calling to us. “Come, swim! Be cooled off!”

The pool is treacherous, we know by now. Entire days spent in it give sunburn, headaches, ears full of water, red eyes, and wrinkled toes. It is best to save the pool for the sweltering heat of the afternoon, and it is still morning now. We wait, and sit in the shade, and drink ice water.

The mother cardinal has been sitting on a nest. The eggs hatched out a few days ago. Quiet peeks have so far not resulted in being dive bombed by angry birdie parents.

Yesterday we caught two turtles. Their stubby back legs reminded me of pictures of dinosaurs. The turtle we caught first escaped while we were swimming, and the search for it found the second turtle, smaller, but still interesting and still able to bite my brother, which it did.

Summer is here, definitely here.

"Eighty-eight cubic metres of card-index," said Mr. Foster with relish, as they entered. "Containing all the relevant information," added the director. "Brought up to date every morning." "And co-ordinated every afternoon." "On the basis of which they make their calculations."

~ Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

I was flipping through the copy of Brave New World that I got at the local Goodwill (5 books for 95 cents!), when I saw this. 'Card index?' I thought. Took me a minute to figure out what they meant. ;-)

Toad's list has blown away...

...and Frog sensibly suggests that they chase after it.

"No!" shouted Toad. "I cannot do that."

"Why not?" asked Frog.

"Because," wailed Toad, "running after my list is not one of the things that I wrote on my list of things to do!"

My seven year old brother was reading this to me this morning.
I smiled sheepishly when he read this part, because sometimes I, like Toad, write a list and try to hold to it despite changing circumstances when I ought to be more flexible! ;-)

The Son of God Goes Forth to War

The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood red banner streams afar:
Who follows in His train?
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
Triumphant over pain,
Who patient bears his cross below,
He follows in His train.

That martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave;
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on His tongue,
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong:
Who follows in His train?

A glorious band, the chosen few
On whom the Spirit came;
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
And mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
The lion’s gory mane;
They bowed their heads the death to feel:
Who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,
The matron and the maid,
Around the Savior’s throne rejoice,
In robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of Heav’n,
Through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be given,
To follow in their train.

This is one of my mother's very favorite hymns, and one of mine as well. We sang it this morning in church, and one of the little boys requested it during the practice time after church, so we were able to sing it twice! :-)
The tune at Cyberhymnal isn't the one it is set to in the Cantus Christi, but I recognized it from a different Psalm. ;-)

You know you're in trouble...

When you try to mapquest an address and it pulls up directions, at the bottom of which it reads:

"There are .50 miles between your ending location and the end of your driving directions. Use maps to get from your ending location to the end of your route. "

Blueberry Pancakes...

...are really, really good. :-) Especially when you picked the blueberries.

"Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness"

Soul, adorn thyself with gladness,
Leave behind all gloom and sadness;
Come into the daylight's splendor,
There with joy thy praises render
Unto Him whose grace unbounded
Hath this woundrous supper founded.
High o'er all the heavens He reigneth,
Yet to dwell with thee He deigneth.

Hasten as a bride to meet Him
And with loving reverence greet Him;
For with words of life immortal
Now He knocketh at thy portal.
Haste to ope the gates before Him,
Saying, while thou dost adore Him,
Suffer, Lord, that I receive Thee,
And I nevermore will leave Thee.

He who craves a precious treasure
Neither cost nor pain will measure;
But the priceless gifts of heaven
God to us hath freely given.
Though the wealth of earth were proffered,
Naught would buy the fits here offered:
Christ's true body, for thee riven,
And His blood, for thee once given.

Ah, how hungers all my spirit
For the love I do not merit!
Oft have I, with sighs fast thronging,
Thought upon this food with longing,
In the battle well-nigh worsted,
For this cup of life have thirsted,
For the Friend who here invites us
And to God Himself unites us.

In my heart I find ascending
Holy awe, with rapture blending,
As this mystery I ponder,
Filling all my soul with wonder,
Bearing witness at this hour
Of the greatness of God’s power;
Far beyond all human telling
Is the power within Him dwelling.

Jesus, Sun of Life, my Splendor,
Jesus, Thou my Friend most tender,
Jesus, Joy of my desiring,
Fount of life, my soul inspiring, --
At Thy feet I cry, my Maker,
Let me be a fit partaker
Of this blessed food from heaven,
For our good, Thy glory, given.

Lord, by love and mercy driven
Thou hast left Thy throne in heaven
On the cross for me to languish
And to die in bitter anguish,
To forego all joy and gladness
And to shed Thy blood in sadness.
By this blood, redeemed and living,
Lord, I praise Thee with thanksgiving.

Jesus, Bread of Life, I pray Thee,
Let me gladly here obey Thee.
By Thy love I am invited,
Be Thy love with love requited;
From this Supper let me measure,
Lord, how vast and deep love's treasure.
Though the gifts Thou here dost give me
As Thy guest in heaven receive me.

Author: Johann Franck, 1649
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1649
Tune: "Schmucke Dich"Number 214 in the Cantus Christi.

This is another one that has been ‘haunting’ me since we sang it Sunday.
It has a very beautiful tune, one that stays with you.
Both my mom and I have found ourselves humming it during the day.

Unfortunately it wasn’t available at CyberHymnal, although I did find similar words (and an extra verse) from a Lutheran Hymnal site.

I warned each of my brothers that I was not in any mood to be flipped as I cautiously dipped my toes in the water while holding the floating ring in the water to keep it from floating away.
I put on my red straw hat, lowered myself into the ring, and began to adjust myself in it.
I began to lose my balance, and lean backwards.
With a stifled screech...
I flipped over backwards, losing my hat, completely submerging myself, and entertaining all of my brothers, who had kindly refrained from tipping me over -- not, mind you, that they had much opportunity, since I couldn't have been on there for a whole minute.

Later, my next brother, who is eleven, decided that I and my floatie were a merchant ship from England with a cargo of hair clips, and that he and our youngest brother, who is six, were my defenders, on the other floatie.
They, noble warriors on a black round battleship, did their best to protect me against the other two boys (for those keeping count, four boys were playing, and one was 'lizarding' in the sun on a chair).
The other two were pirates, doing their level best to flip me over and out of my ship, or, if that were not possible, to bombard me with cannonball-caused splashes. Our battleship was armed with a noodle, however, and they were blowing into one end and shooting water out the other. Not that it really was a match for the other two, with their cannonballs, splashing, and trying to upset both ships.
I think we would have eventually fought them off, but Mom called a truce, and we resumed our more peaceful pooltime activities, such as converting both floaties from ships into train cars, and then seeing how fast we could go.
Pools are so much more fun when you have lots of siblings to play with... even if you do get splashed more.