Mourning the wildflowers

In the middle of my neighborhood is a little bit of wild--a small ravine filled with cottonwood trees, mulberry bushes, thistles and other wonderful things most often found in more rural areas or the unmown sections of woodsy park settings.

This little bit of wild is only a street's width away from my house. I like to admire it as I walk with the dogs or the kids (or the dogs and the kids) on the way to the playground. The ground between the sidewalk and the ravine floor slopes at a steep angle for about a block before widening out to a more open space nearer to the playground.

That bit of sloping ground is my favorite part, and here is why:

This small field filled with clover and goldenrod is a haven for bees and birds and butterflies. It is too steep to walk along, so it is safe from tramping feet. And I thought it was also safe from the lawn mower.

I was wrong.

When I got back from Minnesota I witnessed a horrendous sight. Someone had hacked it all down! Nothing left of the lovely little field of wildflowers except for a few stubborn clovers rising defiantly above their mangled neighbors.

I'm sure it will grow back. But why did they mow it in the first place? And when will they do it again? Is it too much to hope for never?

Back. Sort of.

I've been back from my trip to Minnesota for nearly a week. But since my hubby still has a few more days off, I'm technically still on "vacation."

Part of me loves to be home. Another part of me wishes I were still chillin' out up north.

Here's why:

The view from the trail leading up to the high falls of
the Pigeon River in Ontario.

The falls. Pigeon River Provincial Park, Ontario

The beach across from our hotel. 

Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Isn't it the cutest bookstore you've ever seen? And yes,
we bought a book!

Cascade River

Morning over Lake Superior

This is the beach where we went agate hunting. Look how
clear and calm the water is!

Me, Checking In

Do you hate it when a blogger has a long, unexplained absence only to return to blogging in order to tell you nothing more than why they had a long, unexplained absence? Would you prefer they get right back to their usual topic, or are you interested in the occasionally mundane details of their actual life?

Personally, I'm always interested in knowing why the authors of my favorite blogs have been absent. Even if their reasoning is nothing more than a spell of blogger's block.

You might have noticed that I have been one of those absent bloggers for the past few weeks. Maybe you're hoping that I have some fantastic story of adventure to relay that will explain my negligence.

I'm sorry to disappoint you.

I have not spent time in the hospital, or been bed-ridden with an illness or broken bone. Nor have I been in a faraway land seeking adventure or welcomed a new addition into the family. I have simply been busy.

The end of May leaves little time for thinking of much besides the end of the school year. And then the end of the school year comes around and leaves little time for much besides hanging out with my kids. Add to that a big family service project* and that leaves me with zero time and a negative balance on my inspiration meter!

Now the service project is over and my family is preparing to spend a few days on the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. I hope to come home with a few treasures from the pebble beach and the time (and inspiration) to get back to blogging and writing. Oh, and some pictures too!

I hope you are all having a wonderful June so far!


* The big family service project was a yard sale to raise money for the House of Dreams Orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It was a long, sweaty weekend, but we were able to raise over $400 to help them in their goal of building a permanent home for their "dreamers." Glory to God!