In today’s rush-rush world, it’s so important to remember to take some time for your family. This couldn’t have been made clearer to me than this past week. The children had been tempting me to walk around the lake for weeks now.
“The sky’s so blue,” my son said. “The humidity’s down.”
“The trees are full of bright colors, Mom.” One of the twins reminded me.
Like I didn’t already know this. I’ve got to move away from the windows when trying to make my writing deadlines.
“There’s a carpet of gold leaves on the ground,” my oldest told me.
The other twin brought a bag into my writing space at the dining room table. “Your decorations are all crumply. You need new leaves!”
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| Leaves dry fast in the house! |
She knows how I like to collect the colorful leaves to decorate the porch and dining room tables. Leaves dry up fast! There’s always a need for fresh, natural fall decorations at my house.
Then my second daughter came into the dining room and sat down with a whump, scattering the dry leaves onto the floor. “The leaves outside are ready for crunching, Mom,” she said like a sergeant to the commanding officer.
They won. We finally took that walk around Laurel Lake. And the trees were indeed full of color. And my feet did drag through piles of leaves, crunching every last one of them.
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| A Beautiful Lake! |
Even with all our chattering and crunching, I heard it. A peculiar sound. I told the children to wait.
“Listen!” Then it came again. It sounded throaty.
“Is it a bird or a bear?” One of the twins asked.
“A bear?” I asked her. “In South Jersey?”
Her answer was to bend down and pick up more red and yellow maple leaves. I walked over to a sweet gum and picked up a bunch of the plum-colored star leaves. Then I saw them. Four wild turkeys came out of the woods, all gobbling away.
My oldest laughed and took out her phone to take photos. “I want to show my friends. They’ll never believe this.” The turkeys came right up to her. “I wish we had some food for them.”
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| Unusual friends to meet on a walk! |
“Darling,” I told her, “they’re going to be food if they don’t hide.” Don’t these birds know Thanksgiving is coming? I tried to shoo them back into the woods. “Save yourselves, guys!”
We did not touch the wild birds. It’s never safe to chase or attempt to touch any wild creature, as I’ve mentioned before on this blog. Even the safest looking animal can hurt you if you’re not careful. My guess was that someone from the homes around the lake must be feeding them, like we feed the wild ducks at the shore.
When we showed the photos to my husband, he was surprised. “It’s a good thing I wasn’t with you,” he finally said. “We’d have fresh turkey for Thanksgiving.”
The children thought it was funny. I was glad that, even if he were with us, he couldn’t “hunt” the turkeys for our dinner in a neighborhood. I knew I’d be the one plucking the thing. I like my turkeys “fresh” from the supermarket. Thank you very much!
Our short adventure walking around the lake led to a fun “meeting” with some unusual friends. And it couldn’t have happened unless I took some time to enjoy my family. The real gift of Thanksgiving is time. Make some time for family and friends this holiday season. Remember: The dishes can wait. Gift shopping can wait. Your profession can wait—at least for one day.
Feel free to share your favorite Thanksgiving memory with us. Just leave a note in the comments section here at Camping with Five Kids. It would be truly appreciated. Enjoy your family. Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
I think Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! I love the turkey, the stuffing, and everything else that is involved. We cook at my house. It's always a nice time to enjoy family and great food. Great blog post!
Hi Victoria – I hear you and I hear the kids … you won't win against them – walking is free, healthy and as you say giving you time for special times with the family and to meet the world outside. Seeing the wild turkeys must be amazing …
… back in 2011 I wrote about a biologist, who imprinted with some chicks to keep them alive, and there was a film made about it – all in my post … I found it fascinating …
My mother used to pluck the chickens at home … but like you – I'll go to a local shop for my birds … cheers and enjoy your walks – Hilary
So fascinating, Hilary! I'll have to check out your 2011 post about the biologist. I always learn so much visiting your blog.
I love walking around town, a lake, the woods, or the beach, the mountains, or a forest with my children. Walking is indeed free and healthy. But if my husband hunted, I'd be the one doing the preparation, and I don't want to pluck our next meal–or gut it!
It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Camping with Five Kids. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your weekend!
Good for you, Michelle! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The only gift it requires is the gift of time. I feel the gift of undivided time–time for family and homemade food–is the best gift of all.
It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Camping with Five Kids. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!