Back to School : Ah, for Wisdom!

Children across North Carolina and Moore

County are back in school now.  Their teachers

are charged with a monumental task-- to bestow

knowledge to arm them for life's tasks.  And even

more, to foster wisdom that will guide them 

through the unforeseeable future.

I've always been interested in wise sayings and

considered wisdom a valuable commodity. It has

a close relationship with "common sense" and

both are in short supply.  King Solomon prayed

for wisdom and it was granted by God.  The very

 first chapter of Proverbs in the Bible proclaims

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

I agree wholeheartedly.  

Yet what fool doesn't consider himself wise?

Ah, if only wisdom were there for the taking.

I'd like to share some "international" tidbits

of wisdom I've come across in a book recently.

Disclaimer:  These are neither biblical nor

necessarily true, but I thought they were clever.

The ruin of a nation begins in the homes

of its people. ~ African

It's better to bind your children to you by

gentleness than fear. ~ American

Those who advise you never pay the cost

of your taking it. ~ Belgian

Learning is a treasure which accompanies

its owner everywhere. ~ Chinese

Big thieves hang the little ones. ~ Czechoslovakian

All wish to live long, but never to be called old.

~ Danish

The man is the head, but the woman is the neck,

and the neck turns the head. ~ English

Young men think old men foolish, and old men

know young men to be so. ~ English

In an argument, he who loses his temper

is in the wrong. ~ French

*****

And here are three to wrap it up.

(A little twist on a familiar one) 

Look before you leap, for snakes

among sweet flowers creep. ~ French

Some men are wise.

Some are otherwise. ~ American

See no evil.  Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

As a teacher I had a class "Declaration of

Independence." One of its components was
"I can make wise decisions."

If a child achieves that single goal, it will

carry him far.  Let us all help.

Zoom Zoom, Slide Slide, etc.

On a recent evening it was NASCAR Night

at Bri and Hunter's house.

Bri's really bearing down-- she has to duck

to make it under Grandpa's bridge (legs).

And I took this picture looking upside down.

And then she has to show how far

backward she can lean while taking a curve.

Hunter says, "I may not be as fast as Bri,

but I'm a road warrior.  Look out!"

A blanket converts the slide into a hideout

and draws the racers away.  Bri likes the

challenge of the face-first slide.  Not me.

I got some stitches in my nose sledding once.

What balance Hunter demonstrates!  Both 

kids did this over and over.

Sometimes Bri tried to facilitate Hunter's

ascent to speed things along.

Hunter says, "I can see you but 

you can't see me."

Highlights of this video:

The joy of repetition

Bri's inimitable laugh

The joy of sliding on your belly button

Both kids saying "Cool"

Blowing kisses at your Grandpa

(only to be spoiled by a nudge from sister)

While filming, I tried not to converse with

Hunter, but it wasn't easy!

By the time Mommy gets home, Hunter

has already gone peacefully to dreamland.

And Bri is glad to have Mommy to herself.

These gals have something really

special, don't they?

And Judy and I are thankful to be part of it.

Visit My New Blog

I'm delighted to announce that I've begun a new blog, "Mystery at the Loyd Homeplace."  It will be totally devoted to information pertaining to the book I wrote in 2007.  Click HERE or on the preview in the column at the left to visit my very first post-- and SEE the Loyd Homeplace.  If you are interested in my book, I will be doing a reprinting very soon and you can contact me by Facebook or e-mail (kloyd1953@embarqmail.com).

The Loyd Homeplace around 1910 with my
great grandparents, grandfather and two great-aunts.

Buddy (Ellis), Caryn, and Ken (me), around 1960.
We are all featured in the book.

The Loyd Homeplace as it now appears.
Visit the blog to learn more.

Cool Pool Time X 2

On consecutive days sunny mild weather

allowed us to get the grandkids in the pool(s).

These are a poor man's excuse for pools.  One

is a three ring blow-up pool for which only 

one ring holds air.  So it has been converted

into a "Sliding Pool."  The other pool also 

leaks, but not so much if you put it on a 

downhill slope.  You can judge whether these

kids care or not.

Prior to getting swimsuits on, Hunter launches

about 20 items into the pool with his left hand.

Then about 2 with his right hand, just for fun.

There is no end to the creative play.

But what are these pliers doing in the pool?

Which boat shall I said today, the cabin

cruiser or the yacht?

Always eager (and grateful) to help, Bri

refreshes the water in the sliding pool.

Yikes, Grandpa!  This hose is like

rasslin' a wild horsie!

Both kids slid on the slide quite a bit.  Then,

as the video shows, Hunter invented his own game.

And it went on MUCH longer than this!

Time to get dried off and re-hydrate with 

a yogurt snack.  Mommy will be here soon.

But I don't wanna go home yet!

(When a child hides under the rug, you

know she's committed to her cause).

Today, Claire and Evan got their turn at the

pool(s) a few hours before the tornado warning.

They made the most of it.

Claire can really leap.  Do you see why I 

always keep the camera on "sport" setting

with a fast shutter speed?

It's all about a graceful landing and a

big smile for the judges, Grandpa.

Hummph.  Who cares about big smiles?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

He's got the whole world in his hands
(hmm . . . haven't I seen that before on this blog?).

Occasionally, Claire has to recline to get

her hair in just the right style again.

Highlights of this video are Claire making

a humongous splash-- in both pools-- and

Evan doing his water dance.  Classic.

Once again, getting dried and dressed so 

Mommy can take us home is a requirement.

And if you don't want to leave yet-- you hide!

Uh, did somebody say "lunch"?

No such thing as a poor man's pool around

here.  We know how rich we are!

Simple Gifts

I've always loved the old Shaker hymn,

"Simple Gifts."  God has lovingly surrounded us

 with simple wonders for our comfort and delight.

This is surely an angel wing.  Or a heavenly logo.

No artist's pallet can match God's display.

And the rainbow trumps the most beautiful

sunset because of the promise of hope it holds.

Here in our own quiet little woods I find our

humble waterfall (4 inches after a good rain)

inspirational and calming.  On the near side

of this tiny island are a couple of potential

swimming holes.  A bridge of cedar logs is

in the works.

This short video pans the serene spot.

The path to the stream cuts through a vast

expanse of alder bushes in full bloom.  The

sweet smells fill the air.

In this video you can't see what Judy and I

saw: an abundance of bees, butterflies and

various other insects.

Smack dab in the center is one of our dragonflies.

Downstream from the waterfall is this simple

bridge.  You can see how much higher the

water has been with recent rains, but a few

dry days lowers it quickly.

Every time Judy and I venture down there

we see numerous damselflies (smaller than

dragonflies) of green and iridescent turquoise.

In this final video, one cooperative Tiger

Swallowtail Butterfly allows me to intrude

on his feeding time.  You may not see him

at first, but every time he moves to a new

plant you can follow him.

A day after I took these pictures, young

Brianna asked me if we could go "see the

water."  We tramped down there in spite of

the heat.  She never slowed up.  And to see 

the wonder on her face as we went back and 

forth from the bridge to the waterfall time

after time was a simple but precious gift to me.

I think it will be a special spot to all the 

grandchildren in the years ahead. 

 Thank you, God.

We had ample opportunity for photos and

videos with Claire and Evan this past weekend.

Here are three videos that highlight their growing

fondness for music.  If you're willing to be silly

you can keep the kids occupied while Grandma

gets some food ready.

In this one, the kids are with me on the piano

bench.  Claire wants me to take a video and is

surprised when I tell her that's what I've done.

(A mere 12 seconds)

Prior to this video, the kids and I have been

carting two Spidermen (mans?) and two

cuddly Teddy bears around while I sang songs.

Spiderman and the Teddies each have to have

a song, and Claire insists on a video.

(About a minute)

This is my favorite, though Judy and I agree

it may not mean much except to our immediate

family.  And it's more than just a one minute

video of a baby monitor.  But that monitor is

what allowed me to capture the inner workings

of Claire during quiet time (once known as nap time).

You may catch fragments of "Holy, Holy, Holy"

(listen for "early in the morning", etc.)

Somehow it morphs into an original song along

the way: "Superheroes Fly By."  Repeat, then

continue to repeat as often as desired.

There were plenty of times I wished I

had the camera, but then I might have

missed some fun.

Evan and Claire, Superheroes

When Judy and I arrived at Claire and Evan's

house Friday we were greeted by a couple

of superheroes.  At least that's what they

are to us.  Here's one Spiderman, alias Evan.

Joined by Spiderman #2, alias Claire, and 

cousin Riley, the heroes pursue  Ron-Ron.

I think his alias is Doc Ock.  Ask the kids.

Things settle down a little before lunch.

But not much.

Evan: "Do you think I need the gallon or

half-gallon jug for both legs?"

Claire tries to coordinate a piano trio with

herself, baby, and Spiderman.

It becomes a quartet when "Maestro Evan" 

joins in.  At least he's mastered the serious

countenance of a virtuoso.

When the weather cooperates, we hit the

circuit of neighborhood parks.  Here in 

Aberdeen Evan shows us how to drive.

The Seven Seconds of Terror!

The kids love the fountain in the middle

of Aberdeen Lake.  But we try to keep them

on this side of the fence!

It's on to Pinehurst's Camelot Park, in my 

opinion the best free park in the western world.

Evan loves the bouncy bridge.

But he and Claire should know that no one

can stand when Big Billy Goat Gruff bounces

across the bridge.

The wooden swinging bridge is just as

enticing.  Nice lead-up to the one at

Grandfather Mountain-- which I wouldn't

even LOOK at when I was his age.

Methinks Robin Hood and Little John

are about to have a confrontation.

Both of the children are into big kid swings.

Naturally, they're going opposite directions.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Evan shows 

us how you can see through a straw cowboy

hat.  He goes bumping around the house with

no injuries.

Removable cushions open up a whole 

world of construction possibilities.  Daddy

will be so proud.

What do you mean, which one is stronger?

Sorry, Spidey, but a challenge is a challenge.

Cushion bridges are for going over, under,

around, or through.

Those who play hard also crash hard.

But he was ready to go again in no time.

Judy and I were astonished at how ably

Claire assisted with this 100 piece Spiderman

puzzle.  I had gotten it last week in Atlanta

for 60 cents and was eager to show it to her

(not wanting to wait until she turns 5).

I filled in the border during her nap and then

Judy and I took turns facilitating.  She was 

really good at putting faces and bodies together,

and didn't get frustrated either.  We'll do it again!

Oh, there's so much we did that pictures

can't show.  Sometimes I put the camera

away.  But when I spotted this rainbow,

I just had to interrupt bedtime stories and 

take Claire outside.  She said it was the first

real rainbow she had seen, and Jennifer later

confirmed this.  In fact (so cute) the next night

she asked Matt to take her outside at bedtime

to see if the rainbow was still there.  Glad

I've got pictures!

If you have any doubt where the proverbial

Pot o' Gold lies for me and Judy, you haven't

been paying attention!