Starry Skies....

                                                     Today was a good day to die.

                        Isn't that how the Native American  Indian Chief always clarified the quality of one day from another in the old spaghetti westerns of yore?? Well, as days go, it would have been a beautiful day to qualify as the Last Day. The weather was gorgeous, a little hint of a potential rainstorm late morning caused me to bristle with excitement, but that fizzled into a fragrant but dry afternoon full of promise. Clear skies ,more a pale crisp blue than a bright blue, filled with huge puffy "cotton ball" clouds-the ones you can lay on your back and watch for hours guessing the shapes they take before they stretch into wisps and re-form elsewhere? Yea those skies,flat-on-your-back-in-a-wheatfiled-somewhere-movie skies.

                       Up before dawn to take Edd to the public bustop at the Buzzmart (yes, it's a 90 minute ride and he gets there an hour too early) but it's $.50 and gas is expensive,soooo he rides. When I got home Kieren and Dawson were still snoring peacefully in the tent outside and Layla & owyn were doing the same inside so I set about my chores for the morning. I fed and watered and released all the animals from their night housing and filled the wateres and ponds and turned on the sprinklers. I made expresso, and sipped a triple with 1 sugar and 1 cream,2 ice cubes while I watched the sprinklers transfixed. Something about the repetitive  nature of the  sprinklers is very  relaxing to me, it slips me out of focus ever so briefly and lets my mind drift, with no particular thoughts clinging to it.
                         After a brief pause to enjoy the mind numbing effects of the sprinklers(redneck narcotics??LOL) i raked about an acre of leaves to fill the 3 sided composter near the largest garden(this was built from scavenged wood pallets we found dumpster diving) and turned off sprinklers and woke the kids. I made them all cinnamon taost and cold milk for breakfast and we spent the next 4 hrs (9-1pm) homeschooling. Dawson stays with us about 5 outta 7 days and now homeschools with us as well. He is doing very well and we are proud of him-he fits in well here and seems very happy.
                          Layla & Kieren had dental appointments for cleanings in town and Layla has her dog walking job to do each day, so into town we went after classwork was done. NO CAVATIES and good brusher awards!! yay! Couldn't be happier, so when they asked to move the tents away from the house and sleep in the way way back of the property I said yes, w/o hesitation. They are ready. yes, it is scary but thats 1/2 the fun. We bought hot dogs and Edd and I wittled sticks for skewering and off we set to dig a pit and set a fire. Th  kids and i worked togetehr to start the fire w/o fules or briquettes and it worked out great. in less than 15 minutes we were working our wienies onto our spears and laughing at the obscenity of it all the while. Smores followed and then Edd and I were politely ejected from the sacred circle of  their fire and sent home. Apparently we are too old for what happens next.. LOL..
                         It was refreshing to watch them work together with little or no help from us, to clear the area and set up the tents and prepare the fire pit. They are a fine little team. I can hear them now whispering,punctuating the still night with peals of laughter & girlish giggles. Before I left their lil campsiteI stood beside their tents and looked up at the most perfect starry sky I have seen in ages.clear as far as you could see and dotted with stars bright and twinkling. In a flash I was 10 yrs old and lying under the giant magnolia tree in my Grandmas front yard with just my quilt and my dumbo pillow looking up into that inky vastness and I too wanted to camp out! I glanced at Edd and he nodded,"yes, we can camp out next time"-that's what his smile said. I asked to be sure," can we sleep out here next time? and in the fall with just our sleeping bags?"  he nodded and smiled even bigger. God I love my husband! I know when I close my eyes tonite I am going to think of that starry sky, of the soothing sounds of the darkness wrapping around me like cozy blanket and lifting me upwards until I am weightless among them. So beautiful. Yes, today was about as perfect as any imperfect day could be in an imperfect universe. I feel loved, I feel I have loved, I feel complete. Last breath, no regrets, thank you LORD -complete.

                                                                      Goodnight,walk outside, turnoff the lights and look up. close your eyes, stretch out your arms and float with the stars. Neighbors be damned. It's a starry night somewhere. Breathe it in. be blessed.