Yesterday, when I wrote about the rain and how it inspired me to bake chocolate chip cookies, a pie crust, and stir up some fudge, I was reminded of one of my favorite children’s books, Thunder Cake. Have any of you parents or grandparents or retired teachers ever read it to your children? When Sara was small, that book was one of her favorites. Mine too. The little girl in the story was afraid of thunder but her grandmother told her it was nothing to be afraid of. Each time lightning flashed, Grandma would count until they heard the thunder. That told them how far away the storm was. Meanwhile, the little girl gathered the ingredients for a cake and she and Grandma stirred it up. By the time the storm arrived, the cake was baked and the little girl was no longer afraid of the storm.
Not that I’m afraid of storms, unless they are particularly vicious, as in a tornado. I have a healthy respect for tornadoes and do my best to get out of their way; however, the book, Thunder Cake, is delightful.
Many books take up space in my house and children’s books take up their fair share. I loved reading to Matt and introduced him to books long before he was old enough to be interested in them. When he was only a few months old, I would hold him and read. Later, I read not only bedtime stories but “any time during the day” stories. At bedtime, we delved into not one book but several. I read a lot to my kindergarteners throughout the school day; on the story rug, after recess, after lunch, before beginning the school day; and, I have read a lot to Sara and Nathan. Some of my favorites include The Little Golden Books. Several dozen of them are in my bookshelf.
With signs of fall all around, I am reminded of the Golden Book, The Four Little Puppies. Those little puppies grew with the seasons and as each season rolled into the next, the puppies were bewildered. They tried to stop winter’s melting snow drifts but the snow turned to water under their paws. The squirrel in the hickory tree watched their antics and assured them that, with the warm weather, they would have more fun than ever. Soon, the puppies realized that spring was pretty neat and, as puppies do, they rejoiced in the new leaves. Summer came and the puppies could do nothing to keep spring around any longer. Once more, the wise squirrel in the hickory tree told them to stop worrying because they could do lots of fun things in the summer and would have more fun than ever. When autumn came, the puppies were puzzled and tried to put the leaves back on the trees until they discovered the fun of raking the leaves into piles and jumping into them. The squirrel had assured them they would have fun in the autumn and sure enough, the squirrel was right.
So, that’s where I am this morning. I might as well admit it–summer is on the way out. The thermometer sits on 55 degrees and the top of my maple tree has turned orange. I have to remember those four funny little puppies and realize that autumn has many good things going for it too. I admit, though, that I get a little sad to see those beautiful flowers fade. Throughout the summer, I’ve shown you pictures of the impatiens under the oak tree. They are still beautiful and since Saturday’s rain, they will grow some more. Anyway, I took this picture after the rain and I’d like to share it with you today. The flowers have grown through two seasons and as autumn knocks on the doors, they are still beautiful, in fact, they are lovelier than ever.
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