What Are You Looking At? (if you are squeamish you may find one picture a little yech)

Sometimes during daycare I'm struck by the fact that I just said something I have never even thought, much less spoken, ever before like 

"Now Atlas, share your worms!" (because they all helped him collect them:)

 

The girls tried to show their worms by holding them between their fingers but 'Squirmy' wiggled much too much!!! 

I wish I could show you a play-by-play of one of them trying to keep hold of her worm!

 

Hunting for more 'treasure'

Janet: What are you looking at?

Them; A slug!!

What are you looking at, dear little child

Tell me what do you see?

A slug, a bug, a wiggly worm,

A cricket, a bumble bee

What are you chasing, sweet curious child?

With a leap and a dash and a crawl

A tiny tree toad, a butterfly

A beetle, an ant s-o-o small

What have you found, my pretty child

What are you looking at?

*A caterpillar, *a spider, a fly,

Now what do you think of that?

© Janet Martin

 *They learned that it does not work to fight over/tug-of-war with a caterpillar lol!!!

*Last week we watched a spider roll a fly in her web

And below, a little cuteness overload:)

Blooms to Tend

Blooms to tend

They wend their way from bud and seed

To gardens, Hearts

Where innocence and wonder leads

Us back to where

Each journey starts

And we are gladder than we were

Before the days

That drew our thought

From innocence and wonder to

A place of

Simple joys forgot

But now with

Reverence and love

We thank the Lord

For days that send

Sweet innocence and wonder of

A little home

With blooms to tend

© Janet Martin

The Stars Can Wait

Look Janet, gasped little Luke, it's a whole field of wishing-flowers!

...and soon they fly upon their wishes ...and instead of little colorful boots, it's bigger than mom or dad's shoes

 

  ....instead of toy trucks and cars it's big-boy trucks and cars

They heap the heart with happiness

And tender, simple joys

They keep us steady in life’s mess

Life’s little girls and boys

They teach us how to slow our feet

To listen, not just hear

To reach for more than bread and meat

While they are sweet and near

For, far too soon their wings will spread

And they will fly away

The stars can wait, dear mom and dad

Be with your child today

© Janet Martin

Those Summer Years of Youth

 Today’s Poetic Bloomings prompt? Write a “That Summer in ________” poem about a place that brings a fond (or otherwise) memory from summers past.

 I like prompts that crack open rusty, dusty vaults!
(for those who wonder...left to right: Carolyn, Marlene, Lewis, Gerald, Calvin, Lucy and Lisa(neighbor-'sister')

Leaf Mountain from Autumn years of youth

Our family was sort of divided into sections... 'the four oldest'(born in under four years:) 

then 'the three little girls and 'the three little boys'. This photo is 'the three little girls and the three little boys' plus a neighbour who was sort of an 'adopted sister' during those summer years of youth, because she was the youngest in a large family...

We thought Time was bondage

Those summer years of youth

It wasn’t until they were gone

We realized the truth

…those miles of corn we hoed

Those whiles we whiled away

Beneath the sprawling canopy

Of maple-willow sway

That swing in the hay-loft

Strung from the highest truss

Daring timid riders to brave

Its burlap Pegasus

…those childish tears we shed

Those chores that seemed so dull

Those chatter-jolly supper-times

When every plate was full

The monotone of clocks

The drone of heat-waved haze

Where boredom conceived building-blocks

And Mom, another babe

Those years before the years

That drew us from home’s doors

And we left without looking back

Oblivious to shores

Those brother-sister days

Of farm-life laugh-love-learn

They slipped through us, one-way freeways

To ports of no-return

We thought it was bondage

Those years before we flew

Away from the safe haven of

The only life we knew

© Janet Martin

I use the word 'bondage' lightly...the bonds of a loving childhood and a child full of dreams:)

Those were the years when we always had a baby in the family or had one on the way. 

Even after ten of us I remember we begged mom to 'please have some twins to round our numbers off to a nice dozen!' 

(as if mom was in charge of these thing:)

Plus, our wild imaginations envisioned a cheaper-by-the-dozen bookish romance of family.

Little did we realize the sacrifices our parents made on our behalf!

Sometimes, as I shake my head over how little youth realizes what it has…then I'm reminded of what once I didn't know!

Tomorrow we have a family reunion. 

Dad, Mom all ten of us 'children', 

our children and a few children's children...

I was going to post a 'guess which is me' pic.
The girls and I laughed as I posted it because, well...
That lunch pail lasted until well through elementary school!(I think I got new one in Gr. 7)  Mom drew then cut mac-tac letters for my name.
I don't have many 'me' pics...those must be home in mom's albums.
This is the 5 oldest Martin kids ready for school...
Cheryl Gr. 6, David Gr. 5, Janet Gr. 4, Stuart Gr. 3, Lucille Gr. 1.

The Entertainment World of a Country Girl

The great outdoors

Was the only orchestra she ever heard

Half-shut eyes ‘neath cloud-fluffed skies

Held picture shows thought-blurred

Singers were boys and girls best-dressed

Four-part harmony cool

In Christmas carols to moms and dads

At a concert in a two-room school

And entertainment was a shallow brook

Where minnows and tad-poles played

She traveled the world in story books

On a barge of willow-shade

Sometimes she would sit past the barn on a hill

Watching a highway holding campers and cars

And she wondered where all 'those people’ go

Then she would lie back and count stars

Freedom was free as the wind that blew

Through the only world she knew

Of field and firth, heaven on earth

On a stage grass-green, sky-blue

© Janet Martin