suzanne c walker

we live next to acres of corn, beans, and what has become known in our neighborhood as “the dirt piles”.  these dirt piles are home to many little creatures; we’ve seen mice, voles, snakes, birds, frogs (oh, remember the tadpoles?!), turtles, praying mantises and all kinds of bugs, bunnies, and even more than once, a coyote.  yikes.

this is all fun (and educational) from a distance, but creatures seem to find their way into our basement window well on a regular schedule.  more than weekly, a combination of one, or several kids will pound upstairs from the basement in full-on crisis mode with another rescue mission.  so, i put on my super-mom cape, grab my rescue-net and trudge down to the waiting audience to scoop out another animal.  not even sure what the tally is at this point; we’ve rescued a lot of animals.

so.  on a day like many others, several children tumble up from the basement to announce that there’s a bunny in the window well.  i glance outside.  it’s raining.  a lot.  so i inform the rescue crew that the bunny will have to wait until the thunderstorm passes.  the rescue crew spends considerable time and effort tossing pieces of lettuce down to peter cottontail (in the rain), and attempting to convince peter that the cardboard box which just crash-landed next to him is really a swank mobile home, and not a firey-death-bringing-meteor with PETER COTTONTAIL stenciled on it.

a few hours later, i’m reminded that the rescue mission must commence before peter dies of starvation.  so, i grab the net.  well, peter clearly felt that he could effect his own escape and did not need any sort of help from a woman in a cape waving a net around and screeching at the children to back up away from the window.  he put up a fight.  a huge fight. in fact, i had to go get my backup net.  i’ve never seen a bunny so intent on doing things his way.  we wanted to help him, for heaven’s sake. he actually stood up on his hind legs and whalloped the net with his front legs!

oh. back-story. i’ve been doing soul-searching. trying to figure out in the big picture who i am and where i’m supposed to be heading. who am i to be when i grow up? what’s god’s will, and how do i make it happen? trying to listen for that still, small voice who’ll give me the answers i want to hear (ha.). and preferably immediately (ha. ha.). oh, and with no effort on my part. picture a two year old, scrunching up his face, clinching his fists and holding his breath. i’ve been working HARD at this.

after the backup net broke, i stood there wondering what in the world to do.  i had a vision a cartoon cat who gets startled and flies up twenty feet, yowling, then attaches to the ceiling with it’s claws.  only bunny on the face (my face!) instead of cat on the ceiling.  i started delivering this bunny a lecture.

“hey, you, you dumb bunny.  i’m trying to HELP you.  relax!  i’m going to get you out of there, but you have to quit fighting me!”

and then it hit me.

I AM THE BUNNY.

i’ve said many times that god probably gets really frustrated with me.  i can picture big guy, long beard, white robe and sandles, standing on his cloud, smacking his forehead, and saying, “OH GOOD GRIEF, SUZI.”

well, after an epiphany like that, getting a bunny out of a window well is anticlimactic.  i dropped a big plastic storage tote down on top of him from outside, then rather nonchalantly walked downstairs, slid the lid under him, and the extraction was complete.  he still struggled.  and he was a strong guy; he kicked and scratched, and i was pretty sure he was going to be hopping around pooping all over my house.  but i carried the tote with him inside upstairs, and out the back door.  he’s free.  the kids chalked up another rescue on their tally board, and now enjoy teasing me about screaming at the bunny in the window well.

so, i surrender. i don’t have the answers. i am here, trying to hold still and not panic, waiting for god and his net. or perhaps just waiting to hear his voice, on god’s time, and on god’s terms. it will be okay. god has this. he’s got that bunny, and he’s got me. i hope i can carry that with me for a long, long time, because it’s a powerful image. and i wish that i could give that message to my kids so that they GET it, and don’t have to fight it.

i think peter’s been back a few times to visit. i wonder how he’s doing. i wonder if he’s still fighting.

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a two-hour car trip from the West Lafayette area.  Located along 15 miles of the shore of Lake Michigan in the furthest northwest corner of Indiana, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is truly an Indiana treasure.  The park is open daily throughout the year (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.  There are amazing environmental, historical, educational and leisure experiences during each of the 4 seasons; it doesn’t really matter when you plan your Indiana Dunes staycation – there is always something fantastic happening.

The Dunes Learning Center, an educational component of the National Lakeshore Park, hosts thousands of children and teachers each year for more than 18 different types of educational experiences.  Overnight school field trips, teacher workshops, day trips, camps, and family outings take place throughout the year.  The Frog in the Bog school overnight trip is outstanding.  Explore the Dunes Learning Center website for information on the huge variety of different activities and events that fit with your family’s staytation goals.  You’ll also find the Dunes Learning Center on Facebook.

There are so many remarkable features found in the National Lakeshore park.  For instance, within the park, there are at least 8 different ecosystems.  With dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests, the Dunes rival tropical rainforests for the broadest range of different ecological characteristics.

The history of the area is also fascinating.  It appears that among other Native peoples, Potawatomi  inhabited the area until the westward expansion of early American fur traders invaded.  Later, after the industrial revolution, large steel manufacturing plants threatened the ecosystems around the Great Lakes.  The Prairie Club, founded in 1908, and led by botanist Henry Cowles among others, fought to save the Indiana Dunes from being destroyed by large manufacturing plants and industry.  After a decades-long struggle through World War One and the Great Depression, The Indiana Dunes Lakeshore was eventually recognized as a State Park, and then a National Park in 1966.  In the National Lakeshore Park, you can tour turn-of-the-century, farmsteads and replica fur traders’ settlements.  You can also learn more about the American Indian tribes native to the area.

Families can find lodging on site in the area National Park camping facilities, or reserve a hotel room in nearby Michigan City, Portage, or Chesterton.  The Dunes are also just over 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, making it a wonderful local vacation.  Truly, if you have just one weekend to vacation this year, make plans to visit the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  If you’re a teacher, school administrator, or parent, contact the Dunes Learning Center for information about the programs available for schools.  This is one best-kept-Indiana treasure that really should be experienced.

Looking for a great way to vacation with your family close to home in Indiana?  Meander back to 1920′s and farm-living in Indiana at the Historic Prophetstown State Park in central Indiana.  Open daily from April through November, and weekdays through the winter, Historic Prophetstown offers a great educational experience for all at an extremely affordable cost (just $6 per car!).

Amid the noise and speed of life in the 21st century, Historic Prophetstown State Park poses a gentler, simpler pace.  The Prophetstown Farmstead is settled on 250 acres leased from the Prophetstown State Park.  Sixty acres of the land is farmed just as it was in 1920, and visitors are encouraged to participate in daily chores at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, such as milking the cows, grooming the horses, collecting eggs, and much more.

The  visitor center is a 1920′s Sears & Roebucks Catalog Farmhouse, and a replica 1920′s farmhouse is also open for tours daily.  A favorite field trip the local schools take is to the farmstead at Christmas time, when they learn about the toys, celebrations, and daily life of children who grew up in the early 20th century. Because of it’s unique location at the transition between woodlands and the prairie, and and the history of Native American tribes who inhabited the area, Historic Prophetstown offers many and diverse historical, geographic, and agricultural educational experiences throughout the year.

Prophetstown in the fall is a must-experience for families who enjoy being outdoors.  Trolley rides around the farm, a huge 5-corn-maze, pumpkins, and many other wonderful activities will entertain, educate, and create memories that will last a lifetime.  You can find information on the Farmstead, special event information, and much more on the Historic Prophetstown web page.  This is truly a special place, and one of the best-kept Central Indiana secrets.  Go explore soon!

this is one of the sweetest little guys i’ve ever met! had SUCH fun photographing him… i got to play with the cocoons i’ve made with the knifty knitter looms. we also did some birth announcements, and the one that mommy-meg selected was just SO precious! I was SO excited to get one in my mai! here are some faves from the session.

woot!  today the walker5 get to join the lundy5 for a fab day at prophetstown!  thought i’d share a fave glimpse from the past of josh and maggie.  they were fast-friends the first time they met, way back when in 2004.  can’t wait to get to see the whole clan as they come through on the scrap-the-map tour!