Good start to my day Michael, thanks.

I suspect I'm the only human tempted to swim in our pond.  Its kind of
yuckie when you get up close and personal.  Left to its own devices it
would quickly return to the swamp from which it came.

Last evening a Briteney Spaniel escaped and created a stir by chasing
ducks around.  But they swim a lot faster than him and were in no
danger.  My lab-God-knows-what mix found the whole affair somehow
insulting.  She likes to ride in the canoe, but seems to have forgotten
that she enjoys swimming.

My kids learned to swim at the Y.  As well as they did, as much as
their teachers seemed to make the experience enjoyable, each of them
seems to have a clearer memory of swimming laps with me, while waiting
for the others to finish their lessons.  I remember too.  Moments of
pleasure in the middle of studying for the exam.  (Is there any
other?).  Doing the back stroke with a little one hanging onto my big
toe, estimating the depth of the beams above and the span and doing
little calculations that seemed important at the time.

I continued to swim the backstroke with kids hanging onto my toe, but I
stopped doing calculations.

-jc



On Tuesday, July 8, 2003, at 11:20  PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> John good smelts always break up the crowd.....thanks  Pyrate
> 3 penny opera
>
> The late afternoon clouds here are as dramatic in color
> as I have seen in a long time;... the  purple thunder heads alone rise
> tens
> of thousands of feet while large  puffy golden whites  sail by beyond
> them
>
> At days end ;Im tired but ready,
> I stand on the fresh pine needle strewn beach  by the ponds edge
> and survey the reflections and ripples the breeze is making.over the
> cool
> water
>
> Little Mary  who is just 3 has her suit on already; and she and the
> dog make
> for the water .calling for  guess who ? ...Da-da .
>
>  This is our swim hour ; as Im teaching her the rudiments to swim
> (doggie
> paddle and breast stroke);
> Mary has got her floaties on and is gliding by holding the dogs tail.
> Round
> they round they go through the water lilly and cat tails barking .
> squealing
> and calling for .guess who?....da-da.
> With such a fan club; I cannot resist.
> I quickly join them taking  the plunge;and  letting the cool immersion
> take
> weight  of the day from tired shoulders
>
> There is something about reflecting pools and transformation by and
> through
> the water that affects me  .as I often seek it as a threapy. .
>
> Now Im not one to know Gods plan ;nor do I have specific guidance about
> worldly affairs ; and heck ,I can barely make all my bills  every month
>
> but sometimes the little things are  the most sacred and meaningful to
>  our very  existence; and they cost nothing...... but our presence.
>
> Just as little Mary glided by  I hitched a ride . and  there we were
> on our
> backs arm and arm , singing  silly duets  gliding  under the clouds
> and the
> softly scented pines  of our pond  letting Thelma the big
> Airedale..... tow us by
> her tail.
>
> Water mirrors time into strange  sequence; what happend next I can't
> explain
> we  were neither young or old;
> Father  or daughter or family and  dog
> Somewhere between  the  songs and the smiles and the tow  on this  hot
> afternoon  in natures pond  I saw the 3 of us in a moment of  eternity.
> .Gliding merrily in song .......In these times of  uncertainty ......I
> could
> want for  nothing more. Michael
>
> --
> To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
> uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
> <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
>