Between school starting, realizing that my class is made up of who it's made up of and how much that takes out of me, grad school classes starting as well, and the rainy, cold dreary weather I've been finding it pretty unattractive to get out of bed lately.
Today was our annual all school field trip to the Open Air Museum outside Riga. I have to admit that for the past two years I have dreaded this trip. I didn't know why before...I just knew that I felt it was a miserable long day without much focused academic purpose. I figured out why I felt that way today. The last two years the day of this trip was cold and mostly rainy. I remember the first year it wasn't actually raining...it was misting. But that meant that basically it was like walking in wet air...it was thick, and you couldn't protect yourself from the rain...it was everywhere. Last year it was slightly better...it rained in the morning and was really cold, and then the sun only came out for a little while just before we left.
Today, Mother Nature threw me a bone. THANK YOU!!!!
Here are some pics of what we saw today....
A beautiful, beautiful blue sky spotted with fluffy white clouds. This provided enough sunshine to actually cause the sensation of warmth! :)
Some ducks who swam to shore possibly because they thought we would feed them. No, but I did snap a photo! :)
Golden reeds blowing in the wind.
This picture doesn't really show it, but the pictures that do have kids in them, so I can't post them here...but there was this area by the lake where we walked that was SO green today. It was almost glowing. Between the ridiculous amount of heavy rain we've been getting lately (which comes down so hard it must really be like a massage for the trees and grass...if there is such a thing as a massage for nature...) and the sun being out today, I think that everything alive was shining out its inner light. :)
I have to add, that some people in Latvia like the saying, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only being inappropriately dressed." I realized today that I just DO NOT agree. I DO think there is such a thing as bad weather. If it's cold AND rainy...that is BAD weather. I don't care what I'm wearing...it's still bad weather. My cousin has invited me out to her country house this fall, and I have to say, I have NO desire. Hanging out in the country where there is nothing really good to do but BE OUTSIDE, and having it be bad weather outside... just doesn't sound good to me! Not to mention that I have tried to get warm out at country houses before when it's not exactly warm outside...and after wearing two shirt and a sweater, jeans, thick socks and I'm still chilly...then I'm sorry...but I just don't see the point, when I have the option to be in my properly heated warm city apartment. Clearly, I am not a country girl. Give it to me in the summer...I'll take it...not in the BAD weather. :)
So, thanks Mother Nature for this gift of beautiful weather on this day where it made such a difference. Even though when it was times to line up today Miss E's class lined up in a quiet paired straight line, but mine were still running around screaming like banshees and wrestling each other....even though when all the kindergarteners were supposed to be building little houses out of the materials they had collected on their nature walk, two of my boys ran away into the woods, so that I actually had to go look for them because other children were telling me they were "lost"...even though... even though all of this... it was still a wonderful day, it flew by, and it felt so much like NOT a school day, that I just about feel like I've already had one day of weekend. And God knows THAT is a good feeling. :)
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