For the past week, everyone we talk to has some kind of comment about the weather. Some are doubtful that we’ll ever dry out and others are complaining about so much water. There are parts of the country that would be happy to share our deluge and recover from a drought. It’s best to be philosophical and deal with what we get.

I’ve been reading about the groups that are again collecting school supplies and backpacks to give to schoolchildren who wouldn’t otherwise get them. What a worthwhile project! It is something the recipients will always remember. Backpacks have become almost a necessity for school children of today, and to be without one might be a reason for a poor beginning of a new school year. It is easy to imagine the delight of a child opening his new backpack and finding pencils, crayons, ruler, paper, and other school items. Hats off to the groups sponsoring this fall program.

The Fresh Air Children’s Fund program is another such children’s event. Over the years, thousands of city children have been welcomed into the homes of country families for a summer vacation. To some of these youngsters, it is their first ever chance to see cows, or horses, or yards where grass is growing and they may play.

Fresh Air children will never forget their vacations in the country. The families who provide this summer treat find they get a special benefit from it, also. They find out the true meaning of sharing and their own children are better for it. More “hats off” to these families.

How many men and women in any given community are sharing time and knowledge with children in other ways? Coaching baseball and basketball and soccer and swim teams and other such activities is time consuming. The benefits to a child who has experience with happy times on a team or learning to play chess or hiking nature’s trails with an adult to teach him cannot be measured.

There are also numerous groups of Boy and Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls and nature camps, where learning and skills that last for a lifetime are taught. Camping experiences are especially valuable and provide life saving and safety programs of real value. We hear of some leaders who have proven unacceptable and who were ousted for good reason, but these are in the minority and the majority of the leaders are to be commended for the time they give to the many youth programs. Without the dedicated volunteers, these activities couldn’t survive.

During this recent rainy spell, the “sit down” hummingbird has been a constant visitor to the syrup feeder. She sits on the rim of the hanging dish, and leaves for only a short spell before coming back. Perhaps the dark, rainy days here kept many flowers from blooming and the syrup is a welcome substitute.

Laurie sent me a new kind of thistle feeder a month ago. The whole thing is a fine wire and the seeds don’t fall out. The goldfinches are in and out all day, and have to pull the seeds out of the openings while they cling to the tube. They are very territorial and when a second male appeared last week, there was much flying about the yard, with bright yellow finches deciding who would stay for lunch at the feeder.

The big blue jay still comes every afternoon for its bath in the water dish – even on the days when it is raining. A second family of cardinals showed up the past weekend. Only two offspring were with the parents, but the first day they came, it sounded like a dozen hungry birds squawking.

I imagine most parents recognized the words from “Wynken, Blynken and Nod,” last week.

Who said “Don’t look back – something may be gaining on you”?