We’ve had a busy week here in midsummer. We enjoyed a long Fourth of July weekend at the family cabin in northwestern Wisconsin, where the weather was much warmer than on our last visit in June. This time we could finally enjoy the beach. 

The highlight of the weekend for me was teaching our two-year-old daughter how to enjoy the lake - going into it, that is. She was very tentative about the water, and about the beach as well, with all of its rocks that make it difficult for a toddler to walk, even wearing sandals. But we held her and gradually introduced her to the water. She eventually stood in it and enjoyed splashing, and she had a great time as I held her arms and pulled her up and down in the water, helping her to hop along the lake bottom in shallow water. It was even more fun for her to watch Dad go out into deeper water, disappear under it, then come up with a yell.

It occurred to me at some point during our weekend that we don’t have the frogs that we used to have at the lake, the big leopard frogs. As a child I remember my sister catching lots of frogs and keeping them in buckets. Where did they go? I seem to remember news reports of declining frog populations around the world. If that’s the case, it’s a loss for our daughter, among others.

I made sure to check the wild blueberries at the lake - small, low bushes that like the sunny spots near the lakeshore. They weren’t yet ripe yet.

Having been back home now a couple of days, I’m enjoying the mild, dry weather, but I’m also concerned about drought. The grass is turning a dormant white, though now it’s made more beautiful by the yellow flowers of a low plant whose name I don’t know - most likely detested as a weed by many a lawn owner. Its flowers spill over curbs quite beautifully. I must find out what it is. I’ll try to get a picture.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 7th, 2006 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Environment and Ecology, Family, Minnesota, Weather.