Teaching

On Fridays, I'm responsible for supper. Jilda is a great cook and we eat well every day. I, on the other hand have a limited menu. I can cook breakfast  (eggs, bacon, waffles, etc.), I can make a mean pot of chili, my cornbread is quite good, and I can grill steaks, but other than that, my cooking is just sad.

Today, Jilda wanted a BBQ salad from Green Top BBQ. I hustled down there around 5 p.m. and we drove into the driveway as if we had synchronized our schedules.

After dinner, as I sat down to write, I realized that I hadn't fed the deer, so I took a scoop of corn out to the field. 

It rained a few minutes before sunset, but when I went out tonight, the stars were out like diamonds on black velvet.  As I walked under the apple tree, a drop of rain that had been clinging to a leaf dropped and hit me squarely in my right eye.

I smiled because it reminded me of something we taught our great nephew Jordan last week when it rained.

We had gone for a walk after the rain, and he walked with us. When we came to a small dogwood tree, I reached over and shook the tree, and the drops clinging to the leaves drenched him.

He squealed with delight, but then there was a barrage of questions about where the water came from, why it was still on the trees, and on and on. 

He stays with us a couple days a week and I we cram a lot of stuff in those two days. When he ask questions, I do my best to give him an answer he can grasp. It's amazing to me how much he seems to understand.

A few week ago we came upon a leaf that appeared to be suspended in mid air in front of us.

I spent a great deal of time explaining spiders, spider webs, and how the leaf came to be trapped in the web.

Yesterday, we came upon another leaf dangling in the invisible web. I acted like I was mystified. When I asked him why the leaf was hanging like that, he said "pider web", then whacked it with the walking stick I carved for him.  I had to smile.

I found further evidence that he was picking up information when his mom came over and casually asked, "who taught him how to shake a bush after it rains? I had to blow dry my hair after he played that trick on me." I laughed out loud, but she failed to see the humor in it.