For the bunny rabbit gentleman and his friends

One of the books we've been reading for school this year is Uncle Wiggily's Story Book by Howard R. Garis.  It's full of wonderful stories of how Uncle Wiggily Longears, the bunny rabbit gentleman, and many of his animal friends help "real boys and girls" with various problems they encounter.

Since we've been having wonderful weather, one morning I took the kids for a walk in the woods to collect things that we could make into tools, toys, or even a picnic for Uncle Wiggily and his friends.  (The six-year-old worked with great concentration, but said, as we set things up outside, "They're not real.  They won't come."  The four-year-old replied, "I think they'll like it so much, they'll tell other animal friends to come, too!")

Here are our creations for our animal friends:

 "for chopping stuff"

 The picnic table with stone benches

 Setting the table and preparing the "feast"

See-saw

 Swing

 "A cradle, with soft moss for the baby to lay on and a birch bark blanket"

 Sail boat with berries for a snack

Broken, Cut Down

There was a tree in our backyard when we moved into our house. You could tell that it wasn't completely healthy, be we left it alone for a few years. Sparse patches of green would pop out in spring, but in winter we would wonder if it might fall with a "snap" and take part of our home with it.

A few weeks ago the tree was cut down, sawed and carried away, piece by piece. Some sections of the trunk were hollow and rotten inside, dark and ugly, eating away from the core outward.

Now the wood from the tree is stacked at the side of my yard. It sits as a silent reminder; my own temporary alter that calls me to worship God, who alone shines light into darkness.

He is exposing years of inner sickness that has been growing beneath the surface. I recognized the threat, that as it grew within, dark and ugly, it would only be a matter of time before it came crashing down. It was threatening my home. So now, I'm getting rid of it, cutting it off at the source, and taking it away--piece by piece.