I do not think I did them proud. . .

Yesterday, Grace sewed my swimsuit! I am/was so excited and happy with how it turned out. The only thing was, every time I would glance into the back room and see it laying there on the ironing board, all I want to do was put it on and ploosh into the lake or the river!

After discussing it between ourselves, Enoch and I had the merry thought that after our work was done we should take a walk down to the river and go swimming.

Mama gave me two things to do today and I had to get them both done by 3:00.

Give the kitchen a good ol' cleanin' and make three dozen perogies.

Sound fun? It was! Mama called to see if my friend Olivia could come over and we could do it together, but she was busy today.

So I knew that after those two things were done I could go down to the river- if it was okay with Daddy and Mama. Enoch talked with them about it, and they said after the boy's lessons were done we could go!! Enoch was almost done, and Nathanael still had his to do. We all rushed on our jobs :) Grace repaired a little something on her swimsuit and put a button on mine. By the time both Enoch and Nathanael were done, the dishes were just about finished. I asked them if they would finish them while I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen. They said they would. (THANKS DEAR BROTHERS!!!) We all were making a whirlwind in that kitchen: sweeping, scrubbing, rinsing, laughing, talking, hanging (towels), moving (stuff)! It was fun! Finally we were done. And in record timing too! It only took us about 25 minutes. The kitchen was still a ways from looking really all frilly white and clean-o. But after 25 minutes, it looked really nice :D

Grace was all done with her sewing by then and the boys were more than ready to go-- were we all! It was HOT, we were hot! I quick got a tub (we use big tubs to mix bread and dough in) and started mixing up some perogi dough.

"What are you doin' Hannah?"

"mixin' per(roll that R!)ogi dough. can ya get me some eggs?"

"No, we gotta go."

"Please somebody, it would really help."

Nathanael runs to the basement and brings up a carton. Thanks again brother!

I dump in some water, throw in some salt, crack in the eggs, mix it up, run to the back room dig in the 50# bag of flour, put in "2 cups" (I don't really measure) mix it up, add some more until the dough is soft and elastic. It looked great and like it always does when Mama makes it.

Well pleased, I set it on the table with a lid on the container and hurry once again to the back room (that is the room of all things in case you are wondering) where my "new" (more about that latter :) hot pink, orange and yellow swimsuit awaits me. I quick put it on and put my pink jumper butterfly over it. I let Mama know we are going now.

"Are the dishes done?"

"Yup! And I made the perogi dough too."

"Great! have fun!"

We did! I grab my pink snorkel which I realize matches very nicely with my new swim-gear. Dash out into the heat of the day to my waiting dear and patient siblings :) but not before checking the time: 2:06. Whew! I pretty much got everything done before 3:00! Thanks yet again, dear brothers :) if it had not been for you and the river down the way! We started off: down the path to the cabin, past the cabin to the C. pines, on the path through the pines to the powerline, up hills, down hills, through grass,through sand, get hot take off your jumper, your barefoot still are hot, never mind them, keep going, about 1/2 mile until. . . to you get to the old railway.

Which way should we go to get to woodpecker creek?

{Woodpecker creek is what most locals call this one part of the river because woodpecker creek flows in right there.}

So, what's the best way to get there?

"Down the rail-trail, it's less swampy, and that's less ticks."

"Down the big hill, through the swamp and down river road. There is the same amount of swamp either way"

"I want to go this way!"

"We gotta stick together."

We took the rail-trail. It was less swampy, even the one who wanted to go down the big hill found that out. It was really beautiful too, and shady. About half after we left our house, we got to woodpecker creek.

"Fudgies."

There was campers, but no people by their camp.

"There's people here at woodpecker creek."

It was just a man and his wife in a drift boat, they anchored farther down river and fished.

Then the fun began!

"Who's gunna be first in?"

"You already were, Hannah!"

"No, I only walked in the deeper water, I mean who's gunna be the first on allll the way in!"

Nathanael dives in-- all except his head.

"You did not get your head in yet!"

I dive all the way under and I'm wet through.

"Yeah! I was the first on in!"

"Is it cold"

"Uh, um. . . no."

"No, it really isn't!" (that was Nathanael)

I pushed Grace in and she want under too.

"Yahhh! Ooo!"

"No, it's not cold Enoch." Grace said when she came out.

"I heard what Grace said when she fist went in." Enoch said as his walked into the water.

But it was only a matter of seconds before all four of us were splashing wildly!

We moved to a different part of the river where the current is less swift.

It was fun, and we practiced swimming. None of us children as very good at it but we are getting better. Grace was swimming around and around. I tried not to get too close to her though because her feet are very unpredictable and occasionally send a huge splash of water up. I'm not saying that mine don't sometimes also :)! After a while, we slowed down on our swimming practice. Grace was out on the island, I think she was nalbinding. Enoch and Nathanael were catching crawdaddys. I was sneaking up to suckers. I got up to one foot of one. I was trying to guide it into the shallows to see if I could catch it but it swam away when it was about in 7" of water. Then I went over by Enoch and Nathanael to help them catch crawdaddys. We don't get the little ones, just the nice big ones. I would flip up rocks and when I found a big one I would call Enoch and he would grab it. I'm not really scared of their pinchers, but when they are under the water, and you have to make a dive for them. . . I sometimes don't really like doing it :)

After a while I got on my goggles so I could look underwater and get a better view. When you look just through the surface of the water, it can get kind of blurred because of the ripples and sand but when you use goggles, it is totally different!

Here's a funny story,

Okay, when you look through the goggles, everything seems so much bigger.

I'm going through flipping over all these rocks, and paying no mind to the teeny crawdads.

I would see some that were kind of big but not overly huge. I tried to grab for them myself but it's kind of hard when you are on your hands, bent over, half in the water and plus just a teeny bit frightened if they will pinch you or not :P. I finally mustered up my courage and made a grab for a pretty big/medium looking crawdaddy. I got him! I stood up and held my hand out to Enoch. "I got one!" I opened my hand slowly. . . just to see a very tiny baby one. "What? It looked big under the water! The water makes them look bigger." Or, maybe I grabbed the wrong one I thought as I dropped teeny weeny back. I go back to flippin' rocks. Then I sputter in the water "whoa!" I stick my head out of the water "Enoch there's a lobster in there!" (No, I'm not that dumb, I was just meaning a really big one- okay?) "Enoch he's HUGE! I'm not pickin' that thing up!" So, brother goes down there and picks him up. "Enoch! He's just regular grandaddy one!" Yes, the water makes them look very huge. I found another lobster, and did not pick it up either. Next time.

After a few minutes, Grace calls from the island, "is that thunder I hear?"

"no, I think it's just a jet"

A few minutes latter:

Thunder rumbles in the distance and we look to the east seeing a big dark thunder head coming toward us.

"Come on, we're goin now." Grace picks up the things we left on the island and comes to the bank.

"Enoch and Nathanael brought dry clothes so they ran into the forest and changed.

Grace and my swim dresses are made out of swim material. They don't really feel wet when they are wet, so we did not change. We were just leaving when our neighbors grandpa drove past. His two dogs Indigo and Tanner were in there too they are our old dog's boys.

We took the same trail home. The storm never reached us but we heard him grumbling our whole walk home. When we got back, David told us that Mama and Daddy had just left to come pick us up at the river in the truck since they saw the storm coming.

I started on getting the potatoes ready for the perogies. Enoch and Nathanael cooked up the crayfish. We ate them and they were so good :) Mama and Daddy came back about 20 minutes after we got home.

The perogi dough as little on the sticky side. I think if I floured my surface better, they would not have stuck so bad. But they did. They tasted fine, and looked terrible. I wanted to do my Mama, Grandma, Babchi, Great Babchi, Great-great babchi all proud of me in my first time of perogi making (on my own). But I didn't. I did my Mama proud, she said I did. I'm sure Grandma would say they were good too. But I don't think I did them proud. I still can though :) and I'm never going to give up making polish perogies--ever! I will always make them like Mama does, like Grandma does, like Babchi did and like her mother, and her mother and. . . if I am ever blessed with children, I too will teach them the art of perogi making! Between now and then though, I will practice until I can make them proud of their daughter!