The kids at the lavender Farm

The Lavender Farm poem

I had a picture in my head that this related to. It's beauty so hard to describe in words...

A place I met God this last week.

A field of forget-me-nots in my picture, but this lavender was close enough to remember.

I sat, crouched down as she does, only my arms are wrapped around my legs.

It is peaceful all around me, yet out of my peripheral view a war is raging, one we cannot see.

I am little in this huge, huge field.

I wanted to met you in a tree God, but you met me here...

What if I stay sitting? What if I stand?

I sit. I sit in peace. I sit in the quiet. I sit with tiny blue flowers all around me.

Forget-me-not.

The lavender dries hanging in my closet to be enjoyed for days to come...

Book Club

The Peters book club has met a few times now...

The fact that I am now a reader has been recorded in this blog before. I not saying that 'cause I'm ashamed, more shocked if anything. I really appreciate that family here can have something like reading that brings us together on a different level. The more interesting part of the club, even more interesting than the discussion (at least for me) is the variety of books that are recommended each time.

This time around I have read a few books off the list before I have even got the book of choice. This time it is "Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels.

I just broke the 5,500 pages mark of my reading this year which is hard to believe for me. I love it. I love the stories, I love the quiet time, I love zoning out from life for a time to dream and imagine. Actually, there have been a few books this year that I didn't want to dream as real. I wanted the historical fiction book; "The book of Negroes" to be "not historical" at all. The idea that people might have/could have been that awful made me even feel sick. Also, "The Glass Castle", made me wonder if people really don't have common sense sometimes. Could you actually drive in the back of a U-Haul van without seat belts? Then there was, "tuesdays with Morrie", that I absolutely loved. I love the thought provoking questions, the things that make you think about life and who has impacted you...or who you yourself have impacted...and there was this crazy series I read that I won't mention. I can't believe I read it and yet loved the writing and totally got hooked into what was coming next...crazy books with far fetching ideas...yet the story line can make you not want to put it down...

Amazing how stories come alive.

So to all you readers out there, enjoy your books

Our lists: (Some are repeated as people brought them back to the next meeting again)

List One:

1. The Book of Negroes, by Lawerence Hill

2. What is the What, by Dave Eggers

3. The book of the Dun Cow, by Walter Wangerin Jr.

4. Becoming Human, by Jean Vanier

5. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

6. Peace Shall Distroy Many, by Rudy Wiebe

7. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

8. A Thousand Splendid Sun, by Khaled Housseni

List Two:

1. The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway

2. Exile, by Richard North Patterson

3. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides

4. Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels

5. Becoming Human, by Jean Vanier

6. tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Album

7. Little, Big, by John Crowley's

8. What is the What, by Dave Eggers

9. Sword at Sunset, by Rosemary Stutcliff

10. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

11. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

12. The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls

13. Son of Laughter, by Fredrick Buechner

father's day

This year for father's day we went camping again. It was meant to be a family camping trip but only us and Ray's parents camped but his brother joined us for the last night. In the morning we took our immediate family (and Dad) to a different hiking trail than we have done the last 3 father day weekends. It was 395 stairs each way but the view was beautiful. There was many different look out points along the way. The stairs this time seemed to go up a bit then over then up again. For the last few years the hike we have done is 184 total stairs which seem more straight upward. The kids did great.

We went for a bit of a trip off the beaten path to see the some of the old remains of a water system. (as seen below). The pinoneer who built this and lived here was pretty smart for his time.

This is the pinoneers home... after the hike we wandered around

and walked through the garden and the labrinth...sort of felt silly since it's flat, but if you follow the path you will walk a mile.

As extended Peters family members joined us we played at the beach for most of the afternoon. It was a great get together and send off for Uncle Levi and Auntie Shelley, and Avery as they leave this month. We cherish the weekend with everyone together. (I guess we were missing 6 from the total of Kelowna Peters). In total I counted 37 people at the picnic.Aunt Louise got the kids playing a great game of "Duck, Duck, Goose". The fun part of watching was that there were a few that haven't quite learned how to play yet.