MOM

 I miss my mother.

When I was a child Mom was the person I looked to for almost everything. She fed me. She kept me as clean as she could. ( I was always playing in the dirt.) Most of all she loved me.

My hair grows fast. Mom used to braid my hair each day. That was the style for little girls. When teenagers began to wear pony tails she realized they were easier and faster. I was the first little girl in town to wear a pony tail.

When I was about 8 years old I started to beg for shorter hair. By that time I had to take care of it and it was not easy. Finally Mom gave in and cut my hair and gave me a permanent. Anybody remember Tonette perms for little girls? And they came with a paper doll to keep me busy while all the processing happened.

I was happy with the results. Mom  was pleased. Daddy was furious. 

I am the oldest of 7 children. That meant I was Mom's main assistant. I did not mind. It was that way for most families at that time.

She taught me to cook and do other household chores. I liked cooking. The rest of it not so much.

Mom was a calm person who took everything in stride. On a driving trip we took together we stopped in Salem, Massachusetts, to get a reading from a witch. Salem is full of them. The young man commented that Mom was like a calm, smooth-flowing stream while I had sparks shooting everywhere. It was so true.

Mom loved to write. When I was in early grammar school she had articles published in some of the popular women's magazines of the time. 

My mother was the most intelligent person I ever knew. (My mother-in-law was the wisest by the way.) It seemed as if Mom knew the answer to any question we might have. But she also taught us to find the answers for ourselves.

We actually went to college together. If either one of us was writing a paper and searching for that perfect word we would grab the phone. We would bounce words off each other until that word came to us.

As I matured my mother became one of my best friends. We both loved baseball. Her grandchildren would sit in the backyard in the summer so they could hear us yelling at the TV during a game. They did not know we also heard them laughing at us.

There were so many things we did together. One of the best was the driving trip we took through New England. We took turns driving. We stopped to see whatever one or both of us wanted to see. We bought souvenirs for everybody. It took us a week before we ended the trip in Kentucky at my sister's house.

I miss Mom. Since it is Mothers Day I miss her a bit more.

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers.

I Have Been Replaced

 My sons were talking on the phone today.  I was not paying attention. Really I was not.

Then my ears picked up the word eggs.

They were discussing recipes. 

Both households have hot air ovens. We use ours often. As it turns out so does my other son.

Someone gave my son some eggs. He had heard us talking about hard boiled eggs and he wanted to learn how to make them. He called his brother instead of his mother!

Soon the talk turned to the best way to make vegetables. At first I found it amusing. Can you image two men discussing recipes in the 50's? Both would have been sent for conversion therapy.

Then I realized I have been replaced. No calls to see how long to leave a roast in the oven. No more calls to see how to make refried bean and chili. No more asking me about which spices to use. 

I must point out that when they were young I taught my boys to cook. Similarly I taught my daughter  to change oil in the car and change tire. I wanted Them to marry companions not mommies or daddies. I guess I did too good a job.

By the way for any one wondering how to make hard boiled eggs in the hot air cooker here goes:

Place 6 eggs on the tray and place it in the oven. Set the oven at 250 degrees and cook for about 23 minutes. Then place the eggs in a bowl of cold water. When the eggs are cool keep them in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

What Season Is It Anyway?

 We had some snow overnight a few days ago. Not a lot but enough to cover things. It is supposed to be spring.

I see a few encouraging signs. The trees are putting forth leaves. High winds have even blown a few baby seeds from the maple trees.

Lawns are being mowed early Sunday. I wonder why that is the day so many people choose to mow the lawn.

As I drive by farms with cattle I see so many tiny calves. So far I have not seem any lambs or kids. Maybe their mothers are keeping them more out of sight. 

I have seen a few young deer. I think for the most part the really young ones are kept secluded. I have however seen a couple with their spots still in place.

Our town used to be a haven for feral cats. There are still a few but not as many. I have not seen any kittens this year.

A lot of families have a dog or two. It is seldom that any have babies. This state requires that all rescue dogs be fixed soon after adoption. It is a good idea.

A sure sign of spring is the turkey vultures. They have returned. I see them soaring in the sky scouting for tasty morsels.

The weather is having a hard time making up its mind. It will be extremely warm for a couple of days then temperatures will drop. Nighttime temperatures are often at or below freezing.

So I ask you is it spring yet?

Great And Grand

 In the beginning there was a pretty little girl. She had dark hair and bright blue eyes. It was me. It may sound egotistic but I was a pretty little girl.

The little girl had a loud boisterous family. She loved her parents and they loved her back. She had a good life. It was perhaps a better life than most.

She grew up and married. She and her husband had 4 wonderful children. They were healthy and loved. It goes without saying they are also pretty.

The children grew up. As is the way of things each child moved on.

The oldest son decided early that he did not want a wife and children. It was too much work.

The second child was busy with his own life. He eventually became the father of two biological children and 4 step-children. The step-children are all grown and most have families of their own. The biological children are nearing the time they will be ready to strike out on their own.

I will skip to the youngest of the four. The only girl of the four also declared she wanted no children. She is the proud mother of 2. They are both in college.

The youngest son was in a huge hurry to be an adult. He married young and had two children right away. Both are now grown and married.

That leads me to great-grandchildren. Both of my son's children have children. My grandson has 2. My granddaughter has 4. That is right. I am a great-grandma to 6 pretty children.

The newest addition is a little boy. He is named after his great-grandfather.10 pounds, 6 ounces. Great-grandpa would be so proud.

I love it when the family grows. And it all started with a pretty little girl.

Momentous

Today has been a day of moments. Some not so important and others more meaningful.

I received my second COVID vaccination. Again it took me only minutes before I was on my way home. Again I barely knew it was happening. And now I have a nice orange button announcing to the world that "I got my COVID-19 vaccine".  And again I am feeling no (NOT ONE) ill effects.

My sister called this morning. She was all excited because she saw on the news that they might be allowing visitors to nursing homes. I had seen the same news. She has not seen her husband or son in more than a year.

My son discovered that my county is now vaccinating people below the age of 65 who have health issues. He has diabetes. He connected with the web site and set up an appointment. He will receive his first Moderna shot a week from today. He was hoping for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. He will take what is available.

After I was done getting my shot we stopped to get fast food for supper. I do not have to cook.

When I got home I discovered that President Biden has already signed the newest stimulus bill. People who desperately need help will get a bit of a reprieve. It certainly does not solve all the problems but it will help.

My sister called again. As of Tuesday of next week she will be able to have visitors on a limited basis. She is thrilled. All visits will have to be scheduled. There will be a barrier of some sort between her and her visitors. It is not perfect but it is a start. She will be able to see them and feel closeness again.

It was a day of moments. I add them together and I had a really good day!

Purple Cow?

 I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.

                                           Gelett Burgess

That is one of the first poems that was not a nursery rhyme taught to me by my mother. It is cute and easy to learn.

The absurdity of a cow being purple makes the poem memorable.

There have been many parodies of the poem. They all add to the humor of it and some take it to a new level.

In fact Gelett Burgess grew to hate his poem. He even wrote a new one.

Ah, yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow"—
I'm Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I'll Kill you if you Quote it!

I thought of the poem today. I saw a commercial with John Cena and a purple cow. Imagine that. So Of course I had to write a poem.

Today I saw a purple cow.

It was a shock to see one.

Still I can tell you anyhow

I never thought there'd be one.

Oh My Tummy

 I made some spaghetti. I love spaghetti. I cannot have it too often because my son is diabetic and pasta is full of carbs that turn into sugar.

I ate a little too much and felt bloated. My son said it was the best spaghetti I had made in a long time. It did taste good. I think maybe I poisoned us.

In the middle of the night I woke up distressed. After regurgitating the spaghetti I went back to bed.

It was not long before I was up for another round. I decided to sit up for a while because I did not want to have an accident in my bed.

After several hours my son got up. He was sick too.

I could feel that I was dehydrated. I was afraid to even get a drink because I could not face having it come back up.

I finally went to bed to try to sleep it off.

When I awoke the upset had moved south.

I was able to sleep between trips to the bathroom.

The following day I got brave and began sips of water. Things were not pleasant but I began to feel more hydrated.

The next day I tried hot tea. It was so soothing. I had a fudge bar just to put something in my stomach. I was still visiting the bathroom too often.

A couple of days later I thought perhaps a malt would be good. Ice cream has nutrients and malt powder calms an upset stomach. It helped a lot.

Then came the day when I felt a little hungry and I was craving potatoes. I had some canned beef stew in the cupboard. I decided to try it.

The beef stew was just right. I ate more than I thought I could. I felt quite a bit better.

I was also sleeping through the night. What pleasure! I was actually healing.

The next day I wanted to nibble all day. A piece of muffin here, a bit of a sandwich there. I was going to live.

I am happy to report that I am back to normal. So is my poor son.