for the small ones..

i went for a walk on our trail today

and instead of taking you all with me,

i took my camera instead.

if i had been walking with you

these are the things i know we would have stopped

and noticed...

a very, very blue sky

and the pussy willow tree has buds that are so soft to touch.

i touched them for you.

and i thought of how miss m and miss v

would have wanted to put them in their pockets to save for later.

the tree stump was empty without all of you climbing all over it

and wiggling for space.

you will be happy to know that i saw 2 dogs and one little girl

just passing the stump.

perhaps she climbed on it for you.

"oh look!"

i would have said when we walked by this laural bush.

Look at how the sun shines through the leaves...isn't it beautiful!?

and Tejan, you would have stopped and noticed for a long while because

you are a noticer on our walks.

i passed our hill and remembered how proud

miss V and mr  C were when they could make it to the top.

 Guess what?

the grass is growing again, so the slope is not all brown and slick like it was at the end of summer.

today,

if you had been walking with me,

we would have climbed to the top and felt sooo tall!

you all would have noticed these

i would have reminded you, gently,

that no, we can't pick them.

this is their home and we will see them tomorrow

because we would be going for a walk again.

and again.

i stood on our standing stump,

and looked carefully for tiny mushrooms,

but they aren't there yet.

i will keep looking for all of you.

remember how in the winter the river is wide and deep

and we can't go in it?

well, today the river is so wide that our beach isn't even there!

the water is clear and runs fast

and there are ducks living here.

i quacked at them for you.

i felt a bit silly being i am a grown up and was quacking at the ducks

but i knew if you had been with me,

i would have been quacking quite happily and probably singing lots too.

i can not walk by this tree and not give thanks for each of you.

this tree, more than any other spot on our walk reminds me of each of you

and how big and strong you will grow.

look!

new logs for balancing on

to replace the one that the workers took away one day.

if you come and visit me,

and we go for a walk,

we will balance on these logs together okay?

at the very end of the walk,

just before the big hill back up to the road,

i found mud!

i couldn't jump in it or squish through it though because

i wore the wrong boots.

but there were footprints

so someone was lucky enough to have remembered their mud squishing boots.

just before i got home,

i remembered the flower patch on the side of the road

and sure enough,

there were snowdrops having a party in the sun.

we learned alot on our walks

you small ones and i

but mostly, now i reilize

 i learned how to see.

thank you for teaching me.