Insects, Flu and Fleas

Buck Moon - From the Field Guide to Insects

Eighty-eight thousand six-hundred
different species in North America. In the trees, the grasses
around us. Maybe more, maybe
several million on each acre of earth. This one
as well as any other. Where you are standing
at dusk. Where the moon
appears to be climbing the eastern sky. Where the wind
seems to be traveling through the trees, and the frogs
are content in their black ponds or else
why do they sing? Where you feel
a power that is not you but flows
into you like a river. Where you lie down and breathe
the sweet honey of the grass and count
the stars; where you fall asleep listening
to the simple chords repeated, repeated.
Where, resting, you feel the perfection, the rising, the happiness
of their dark wings. ~ Mary Oliver

Falling asleep, listening to the constant chorus, the last sounds of summer as the first signs of fall start appearing. It's Dan's turn to be sick right now, spending his day reading Uncle Tom's Cabin while we visited the Linscott farm and watched M. chase goats again. Lots of play, struggle and figuring things out among the four girls. Learning what it is to be a friend...wow, can that be difficult! My friend M. is gifted for what she brings out in young children, the way she honors their feelings and their needs without belittling or dismissing - it is always a relief to hear her talk to one of them about whatever "trouble" is happening at the time. I'll spend more time over there tonight, pickling peppers with her and her husband, after all our kids are asleep and Dan is safely tucked in with his book (!). I'm looking forward to it...Tomorrow our house is being, um...well, a very nice man is coming over to "see to" our flea problem. Sigh. It is not the way I prefer to deal with things, but they are still present after all our efforts, so the cats and we will need to spend the day away from the house - hopefully everyone will be feeling well and we can do some exploring of Points East...West Virginia, anyone?

(Hmmm. I can't seem to figure out the format for the poem here...hopefully I'm not offending anyone's poetic sensibilities too badly...)