Falling down the Rabbit Hole

Having recently moved back to the town where my parents, and grandparents and generations of my family have lived, on the very farm where my dad and his dad grew up, I have been feeling very nostalgic and even a bit like Laura Ingalls. So, the other morning while I was walking out along the edges of corn fields, entranced by the sounds and beauty of nature all around me, I stepped in a gopher hole and fell right on my face. What a rude awakening. Luckily, (the first thing I thought, as I instinctively looked around) the only one there to see it was my dog.

Poor old girl, 86 in dog years, and she had done the exact same thing the day before. On that day, my daughter, the dog and I, had headed out to visit the men; my husband and dad, (Almonzo and Pa in my "Little House" analogy) splitting logs on the edge of our woods.

It was the most gorgeous day, breezy and bright. Paige led me around the trails in the little woods, I snapped a few pictures, and we even jumped two fawns that were so curious about us that they stayed around to watch us a little while, and listen to what we were saying (whispers about keeping the dog from chasing, and how I hoped that I could delete a few pictures on my camera and free up enough memory in time to get a shot of them.)

It was a really exciting and delightful walk, the only thing differentiating us from "Ma and Laura" was the absence of prairie skirts, and a basket packed with homemade cookies and sandwiches. And then on the way back, all of the sudden the dog falls on her face. That is an odd and frightening sight, but since she has no hands to break her fall, straight down she goes. Not hurt, thank God, just snapped us all back to reality, with our digi-cam, and sunglasses instead of sunbonnets.

There's no point to the story, or moral to my falling into the very same hole the next day. It's just a funny thing that happened when no one was looking. The hole was hardly visible, with long grass growing over it. Even though I knew it was there, having just thrust my foot down into it, I still had to go back and search it out. Once found, I dropped an ear of corn in it thinking to mark it for myself, or the next unsuspecting victim, but it was deep too, and the corn disappeared right down, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

Thoughts of Alice, the past and present, time and reality swirling in my head. Although my shin was badly bruised and throbbing, I tried not to let the pain distract me from being thankful for this place that is so familiar. It is established and beautiful, and how lucky we are to live here, enjoy the land, it's plants and animals and memories, and call it our home.

Just the same, I'll have "Manly" fill in the hole tomorrow.