This past Sunday fun day, we enjoyed the weekend with some friends and their kiddos down at Mt. Horeb’s little gem, Stewart Lake. The kids played in the sand, hunted for painted turtles, and waded out into the cooling, soothing water. After a little while, the clouds began to build and thunder rumbles got louder. Light sprinkles gave us the warning we needed to get up to the park shelter. Together we sat on the picnic tables and listened and watched as a gentle summer storm passed through. I felt so much joy sharing this with friends and the girls, as this was something I loved to do with my mother when I was younger. And if that gentle storm wasn’t gift enough, after came a rainbow. It was a special rainbow, because is was very very low to the ground. The adults sent the kids out chasing after the rainbow. They bolted, screaming “Let’s get the pot of gold!” One end of the rainbow was in the grass. The other end arching over the play structure and ending dangerously near the porta potty. Before they could get frustrated at the inability to see the rainbow (due to their changing angle relative to the sunshine) or the inevitable realization that there really was no pot of gold, I yelled out: “Kiddos, the end of the rainbow is in the porta potty!” The kids giggled and accepted this answer, and continued to run around wildly under where they thought the rainbow still was. A beautiful sight. Every time I’ve thought of this today, it’s made me chuckle. How funny to have the rainbow end at the porta john. It brings a whole new meaning to the lovely alternative term, Honey Pot. Or Honey Bucket. Little did we know, the gentle storm rolling through Mt. Horeb, was a severe hailstorm at our own farm. Just 5 miles down the hill, ping pong size hail was busy shredding and dinging crop after crop after crop. Outdoor lights on our buildings were shattered, our hoop house plastic seriously damaged. There was no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow, but it was a gift for us nonetheless. The end of the rainbow for Mike and I was watching our girls frolic in the summer rain. Our rainbow was the blissful ignorance of the storm raging over the farm, and a night’s sleep without knowing all the damage that occurred. Thanks for your support of our family farm and happy cooking!
the Noltnerwyss family |