Lessons, Littles, and Puppy

Today’s tarot card was the Cup — a symbol of wealth. Not just the monetary kind, but the quiet, unexpected blessings that fill a day in ways we don’t always foresee. I wasn’t sure what type of wealth the card was pointing toward, but as the hours unfolded, it slowly revealed itself.

tablet time

The morning moved quickly. Franklin and I got the dog walk done together so we could start Astrid’s medicine right away. The boys had slipped inside to watch TV with the girls while we handled her care and got breakfast going. Astrid is now on honey water twice a day and breathing treatments twice a day as well, and she handled her morning routine like a champ.

Soon the kids were eating breakfast and watching their nature journal videos. I cracked open a pig nut hickory nut for them to try — a little seasonal treat and a small bit of hands-on nature study. Then it was time to start our zoo box. We worked on a whale shark poster, read our fall poems, and moved into the literature section of our bicycle pack. By lunchtime, Charlie and Dameion had made good progress outside, working nonstop on finishing up the firewood.

During lunch, we rotated dog walks, let the puppies out to play, and checked on Astrid again. She looked good — brighter, more alert, and starting to act like a puppy again. After the kids settled into nap time, I shifted into my weekly deep cleaning. Unfortunately, the boys did not nap as peacefully as I hoped. They snuck out of the camper to play with the kittens and were promptly caught by Rick, who escorted them straight back to their beds.

Astrid

After nap, it was school time again — though it became clear early that it was going to be a tougher afternoon. The kids weren’t allowed to play with toys between assignments after their earlier antics, and morale was low. We managed one assignment before dinner and bedtime routines took over. There would be no wind-down TV time tonight. Consequences are consequences.

wood shed

Once all the kids were settled — boys heading back to the camper with Rick, girls tucked into their room — I squeezed in a bit more cleaning and gave Astrid her evening medicine. She was doing much better tonight than the night before. A small relief. A small blessing. A small wealth.

And with that, the day came to a close.