New Beginnings
Family, Friends, Food, Fun (Reading)
We still have four inches of snow on the ground here in SW Idaho but March means the end of winter and I'm an optimist, so this month's topic is "New Beginnings." Or could be "rebirth" because that does seem appropriate as people have chosen the rites of spring as a rebirth for millennia. But before a rebirth, there has to be a death--the garden plants are either dead or pumping nutrients from a bulb deep below the soil surface, building up the energy to poke through to the sun.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
March 3 is a special day for me because that's my mom's birthday. She would've been 91 this year, and it's very hard to picture her as an elderly lady since she passed away at the too young age of 38. She loved lilacs and tomatoes and I grow both now.
Mom was a paraplegic but she and Dad had a lot of fun together. They were always pranking each other (called practical joking at the time). They laughed a lot and seldom argued. Looking back, I now realize that they knew what most people don't, that her days were numbered. Dad did everything in his power to make her life enjoyable. She deeply appreciated him and wasn't afraid to show her gratitude and love.
It's a shame that most of us, including me, don't learn from this lesson and instead go about our crabby ways, picking at details that no one will ever care about or remember in five years. It's important to take advantage of each day because it's a one-time gift not to be wasted. Yes, I need to listen to my own advice.
Anyway, here's a wave and a hug to my mom, Greta Alsup Walker. I really miss her.
First sign of spring (makes me happy)
With every passing life comes a new one. The following photo might not look like it came from Better Homes and Gardens (it didn't) but it captures the spring rebirth. It's not the greatest picture for sure, because:
I made pizza during the best light, then went outside to take the photo...
but then the timer buzzed...
and then we ate (yum)...
and then I headed to the coat rack because it was 36° F outside...
but just as I turned the door knob to get the bud picture, my granddaughter called...
and it was a video call on my phone--that kid is so funny, it's hard to believe she's almost 11 now...
so outside I went yet AGAIN...
but the battery went dead...
so I charged it up and finally took the photo at 11:27 PM. Whew! That's why I'm not at all worried about posting a so-so photo. 😇
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| Lilac buds. I can hardly wait for them to bloom! |
No greenery yet, but it'll happen. Mr R reports that the apricot trees are budding, also, but that's no good at all because early buds will be frozen and there goes our crop. We still have BBQ sauce from last year, and maybe some jam.
All this budding means the time is nigh to plant snow peas, radishes, and spinach. Most folks plant lettuce, too, but I'm not a big fan of lettuce so I'm not about to freeze my begonias off to plant it. Of course, this year we'll be leaving for Texas so raised bed prep will be minimal. Maybe I won't bother at all considering we're leaving in 11 days and there's SO much to do. So much.
About that Texas trip. I'm pretty excited to get out of the valley. They don't call this the Intermountain West for nothing. We have mountains full of snow to cross no matter which direction we go--and that's okay in a car, but towing a travel trailer? Ugh.
Still, we're headed south to the Texas Dogwood Casita and Friends Music Rally, and on the way, we'll be visiting an awesome family, Caroline Clemmons et al, and every one of them is very talented. I've been Caroline's fangirl for years, Daughter #2 is just marvelous, and Mr R is fast friends with Hero. Not sure if we'll be seeing Daughter #1 this trip--she lives elsewhere. Anyhow, we'll be rolling in just in time to celebrate Mr R's birthday, so that'll be fun.
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| Tillie the Tank Photo taken last fall because I didn't feel like wading out there in the snow today. |
We really love road trips with our Casita travel trailer. It's only 17' from tongue to bumper, so 14' of living space, but we have everything we need in that tiny little space including a king bed. Not kidding! We do need to get better cushions (mattress) but I think we'll have to wait for next trip because time is going by super fast(ly). January took about 4 months to pass, but February only lasted a day or two, and March is whizzing by even more quickly than February.
We'll be celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the road so to all of you...
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Stay save, and until next month, Happy Reading. 📚😍
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I enjoyed your pictures. That was rough, losing your mom that young, but it seems as if she & your dad had a lovely story.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz. I wrote their meet-cute story that's in an anthology right now, but I'm planning to publish it as a stand-alone short this Christmas. Their true story isn't all that believable so I had to tone it down for fiction. LOL.
DeleteEnjoyed your post which made me think of my mom of course. It's been 13 years since she passed, and I miss her still. Seems as if she should be just a phone call away. Have a safe trip!
ReplyDeleteYes, even after all these years, I think of Mom at least once every day. And thanks for the comment--we really do love to travel although part-time is plenty enough for Mr R. I think I could be a full-timer or at least mostly full-timer.
DeleteI still miss my mom, too. She's the reason I lasted long enough for Hero to save my life several times and in more ways than one. LOL We'll still be in the same place. I would like to tell you we're all unpacked and neat as a pin, but that would be a (huge) lie. But we like us the way we are, so take your chances.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we ever get over losing our parents, especially moms. And I'm excited to see you just the way you are. ♥
DeleteLove your post. You know my parents never argued in front of us kids and always were so affectionate. It made life harder for me as an adult when I realized married life was not that perfect- but it did make for a wonderful childhood.
ReplyDeleteSame. I can't say that I followed their path. For one thing, I had to figure out how to be a wife/mother while standing up since I had no frame of reference. It seems silly but looking back, I realize that was an issue, and caused a lot of arguments. Also, I did have a lot of unrealistic expectations.
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