Berry pickin'

Today we took a trip to a farm about a half hour from Millersville. We picked strawberries and blueberries. It was a good old time. I have to remind myself that as much as I feel like I am in a concrete jungle there is nature here too. It might take a bit longer to get to, but it is here. We also went swimming. There is a pool at the apartment complex. We had a scare when Mason fell in and was under for about 7 seconds. He came up coughing and very scared but all is well.

I am experiencing one major challenge thus far. I know that to have parenting strategies it would make sense that you would need to be a parent already, however my strategies that I may one day use are very different from my sister's. She puts great demands on the people around her. She has high expectations of her children. There is a certain manner in which she runs her house that I see as being stress causing, rather than stress relieving. However, I feel it is not my place to say anything, so I mostly stay out of the way and just try to be as helpful as possible. After all, that is why I am here, not to be a burden, but to lend a hand.

Having time to settle in and come to the realization that I live, wherever I may be, I am beginning to miss all that I knew. Life is going to be interesting with this new found detachment from the familiar. I know that I will get down, but mostly I look forward to all the great things that are on the wings.

merry in maryland

Week One
I arrived here about a week ago. Since then I have been hangin out with my sister and her gang. We spent a day in D.C yesterday. We toured some of the Smithsonian and the gardens. We also toured the job site where my sister works. It is a 13 story building that will be used for offices. We wore hard hats and went to the top level to view the skyline. It is neat to see construction of such a large scale up that close. But I did feel saddened by the enormity of the space it took up and the fact that most of it was being built for an unknown purpose. I am torn because I feel proud of my sister for all of her accomplishments and her involvement in the production, and at the same time I have trouble being excited for the out coming result.
I have finished the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It was incredible. I highly recommend this philosophic journey of teacher and student. It took a little getting used to, but I felt connected with the characters need for answers in this crazy world of questions.