This morning I volunteered to help out my neighbour.  He was behind in his planting. 

Dressed  in my old work shoes and lathered up with sun tan lotion  I headed over and gave him an hour of my time.  We planted pumpkins.  Six long rows of them. 

It  was a little back-breaking for me as I have no stamina for bending at the waist, head down for long periods of time, but I think I may have gained something in exchange. 

The field was well prepared. It was already cultivated and long shallow rows had already been hoed using string and stakes.  A rain the night before had settled down the dust.   My job was simple enough.  Every ten inches I dropped a pumpkin seed into the trench and pulled the sides down over it.  Pat  the soil down and move on.  The soil was fluffy and surprisingly cool.   It smelled nice.

While we were working we discussed the numerous animal tracks left behind in the soil.  There were several deer tracks – a mother and a young baby deer.  There were also signs of the giant turtles crossing the fields to lay their eggs.  These were easy to identify because their long stiff tails drag behind in the dirt. 

 Thankfully it was overcast and the clouds brought cooling relief.  It was peaceful and quiet.  The sounds of chirping and singing birds filled the air. 

Suddenly I heard a soft muffled sound.  It was a sound I had never heard before.    It was almost mechanical.  Like bellows.  A womp, womp, womp, womp,  womp,   I looked up and saw four large swans flying overhead.  What an amazing sound.   I want the whole world to hear it.  These large birds with their long heavy wings and thick feathers make quite a distinct sound when the air passes through their wings. 

I looked on-line and was able to find a clip of the sound.  www.vimeo.com/3506772 

It is a true definition of a wonder.