4-26-06

I am not much of an outdoorsy person but my children and I have started these little adventures. By our house there is a school, behind the school there are some woods, and in these woods is a creek and some paths (quick note: we are in suburbia not some rustic backwoods). So we found a rough path and decided to “dive in” and take us wherever it lead us. This first time we ventured, I guess we had traveled about 4 minutes in (I told you not much of a Davey Crockett) and we had had enough and were trying to turn around and find our way back. My six year old was frantic thinking we were lost. I assured her we were fine and even when she saw civilization again she believe we had stumbled across a new town (also not raising outdoorsy children either.)Of course it was just where we had entered. But today we were going to be braver. So off we went. on this trip it was Me, my 14 year old niece , my six year old, and my two year old. We headed to the familiar path as before. This time it had a lot more over growth and it was hard to make out the pink ties around the trees (Oh I didn’t mention them… I’m not Magellan either.) So we are deep into the wild when I hear a splashing noise behind me, I jump and turn. I see a fish! A real fish like the kind people fish for, a real live fishing fish! He was convulsing about in the shallow water, confused and disoriented (As you can see I immediately connected with him…. Or her) I knew he (she) needed to be saved. The kids looked on as you would with any wild beast that you come upon in the …wild. Big eyes stared down upon him (her). All the while I was deciding what needed to be done for this heroic rescue that I was about to embark on. What measures are necessary? I ponder. He (She) corrects himself (herself) in the water and heads for deeper area (I breathe a sigh; I mean what was I going to do anyway, this is some uncivilized creature!) I explain to the children that the fish has a natural ability to rectify his (her) dilemma and I, a human, would just have aggravated the situation (full of it, right?) Again as we wind our way back to the populous, my six year old is once again surprised that we made it (I need to get her out more.)