Good Idea!

Picnic! "Can we go on a pit-nic?" the small newcomer to the family queried over and over. It is January, but the weather is unseasonably warm, with temperatures in the 60s. The children had eaten at a picnic table in the back yard recently, and it had become a favorite treat.

"Ask Mimi," my daughter-in-law told her. There was no school today, and she had taken a personal day from work to spend with the children. I had other plans, but I consented to going outside to see how warm it was. Why not? I thought, as the fresh air perked me up.

The impromptu picnic came together as we gathered styrofoam plates, napkins and cups into a bag. I quickly made tea and my husband filled a ziploc bag from the icemaker. There were grapes and chips, but what else? "I'll pick up some chicken," Howard offered. Grabbing a loaf of bread, we said we'd meet them at the park.

The beautiful gazebo was perfect with the new octaganal table seating eight. There were seven of us when our college granddaughter joined us, her morning classes over at the nearby school. Even though I shivered when the wind blew, there was something invigorating about huddling together, eating the delicious chicken, still warm from its cardboard bucket and washed down by homemade tea. The lovely winter views were clean swept and bare, but I could see swelling buds on the trees and imagine the beauty of springtime.

The conversation revealed that the kids had never been to a zoo, and although there is none close by, I mentioned that there is a colony of prairie dogs a few miles down the road. Howard and I went about our errands, but the others piled in their vehicle saying they would see us at home. They came in much later, flushed, windblown, and full of chatter about feeding the prairie dogs, walking out on the pier at the lake, and getting cold drinks and snacks at a quick-stop.

Later, I went up to the kids' room (I rarely climb the stairs), and they showed me their new aquarium. "That's my fish," 5-year-old Beth exclaimed as the pointed to a fat swimmer with lacy, flapping fins, while Joy, 6, chimed in, "Mine's got bigger eyes!" Her paper drawing of a huge, pink fish had been placed behind the tank, the childish artwork lending a whimsical touch to their own little body of water.

God's creation is beautiful, outside or indoors, and spending time learning to appreciate it is so much better than an idle day in front of the television!