tasting toes, flutters
and alights; dinner prepared
dine, consume, be full
dine by Angie Quantrell
Meet our dinner guests, flora and fauna beauties.
Welcome! Join us for a Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge. Leave your link or Haiku in the comments. One, two, three, go!
you flutter and flit
blossom landings, flower sip,
whispers of beauty
flutter by Angie Quantrell
Even in the mountains of Central Washington, with no evidence of water, dry dusty soil, and an abundance of rocks and weeds, beauty is on display. Towering pines, blooming wildflowers, and clouds of butterflies floating and feasting on the myriad of blossoms wrap viewers in a blanket of peace. The sightings make the steep bumpy road worth enduring.
I found this picture while looking through my baby book, well, what is essentially my baby book from back in the days before instant photos, digital prints, and fancy printed books.
My baby album is one of the huge, sticky-paged tomes filled with blank space for inserting photos. The albums of sticky-is-not-good-for-photos type. Perhaps I should remove the photos and put them in something safer . . .
As the oldest of four, I am thankful that there are photos of me as a child. The more mouths, the less opportunity, time, and energy for mom and dad to click off oodles of pictures of their ever moving and hungry offspring.
If you squint just right, you’ll notice I look a little out of it. Kind of scary! But boy am I rocking that big bow and the golds and browns of the late 60’s.
It’s Christmas, complete with Aunt Helen’s tree trimmed in tinsel and flocking. The photo is cut in half, so I was thinking, “Why is a Christmas picture cut in half? We’re not old enough for bad relationships or family discord.” But after reading half of the back, my brother is listed in the photo, hand-written by Grandma Wheetley. My guess is that she or my mom cut it in half and my brother has his half with his baby photos. Best guess anyway.
Besides my towering appearance (and at barely 5’1″ now, this was nearly the extent of my towering over anyone), my cousin Melissa stands next to me. I wonder if this is when she started loving red clothes? She has some great red pieces I’ve seen her wear as an adult. She doesn’t suck her fingers (that I’ve seen). Instead she is an accomplished pianist, mama, and professional woman. Those jobs probably keep her fingers out of her mouth.
Family and friend, that’s what Melissa is to me. We’ve had each others’ backs for a very long time. Proximity, similar ages, family gatherings, overlapping interests, and time spent together through the thick and thins of life have cemented both our family love and our deep friendship. Blood AND friend.
(Pinterest= One of our favorite relaxing time activities, sitting beside each other in recliners and sending Pinterest ideas back and forth, even though we could easily just tilt our tablets and share. LOL)
So. I love all of my cousins, even if we don’t get together as often. Life is busy, and my calendar is just as crazy as the next person’s. Merry Christmas to my cousins, even if you were cut in half by Grandma and shared elsewhere! Love to you all. Anyone want to Pinterest?
Do you have any special friends or relatives? Of course we know they are ALL special, but what life pieces came together to build that bond? We’d love to hear.
Said brother, Mark, who may have been cut off in the other half of the photo. I’m about 3 1/2 here. Since it’s May, Mark has probably just turned 2.
Curlers and all, love my mom!
It’s been a while.
Life is sometimes overwhelming. After Mama died in May, days became chaotic, stressful, and anxiety-filled. Nights were often sleepless, filled with memories of 56 years with Mama or constantly making to-do lists. Grieving took a back seat to facing and surviving each day.
How was I to know that cooking beets would remind me of canning beets with my mom? I was always the beet peeler. Or that walking on the stepping stones she and dad made years ago with our names on top would take me right back to our Wapato home? Or how my wedding anniversary would bring me to tears because my mama always remembered our big day? She painstakingly made my wedding dress and several bridesmaid dresses. I didn’t realize that, now, every time I drive to the apartment of my grands, I would have to pass the Cottage where she passed away. The memories keep her close to my heart, but that heart is full of aches and pains.
Each day is new to the process. All four of our parents have passed on to Heaven. They are having a great time. But that doesn’t stop me from missing them. We are now the oldest and the NEXT to go (in the natural order of things, not counting for surprises). And we both have the hope and faith that we will see them again when it’s our time to go.
“Any-who.” As my mother-in-law always said. “That’s life.”
But life takes it out of you sometimes.
I’m back. Slowly and steadily, taking one day at a time. Still missing Mama.
Life altering circumstances or situations do, well, alter your life. Have you had any life events that deeply impacted your life? How did you survive and continue on living your life?
a child, needing mom
for guidance, encouragement,
model to follow.
a mother, aging
ill, failing, needing her child,
someone to grasp hands.
from birth, you held me,
fed, tended, loved, taught, mothered.
reversing the care.
mama reversal by Angie Quantrell
For my mama. Missing you! Honored to reverse the care.
There are moms, and there are MOMS.
And I’m not just talking about women who give birth to babies and become mothers. Well, yes, those sorts of moms.
But also, moms who have adopted, claimed, or otherwise taken in extra babies, children, and adults and made them a part of the family. Moms who have mothered others through tough times or through career choices. Moms who have taught more than just their own offspring, baked cookies for the neighborhood kids, shared/traded hand-me-downs and kid-paraphernalia, or tucked in all the littles who happened to be around at nap or bedtime. Moms who embrace the friendless, welcome in the newcomers, stand up for the picked-on. No nonsense moms who tell it like it is, teach how it should be, and show by example how to do it.
Moms not limited to birth or adoption or choice, but also by caring. Moms of fur babies, next-door-neighbors, or troops, clubs, or teams. And those dads. Dads who mother their children in so many ways, again by choice or circumstances.
Moms. All of them.
Thank you, moms (mothers, mamas, mommys), for all you have done, are doing, and will do to mother us! We love you!
This Mother’s Day, heaven has two new mothers. My mommy, Bonnie, passed away on May 7, and is up there rejoicing in Heaven with Jesus, daddy, and all of her loved ones. My other mommy, Carole (Kevin’s mama), passed away last June 7. I’m sure she was ready to welcome mom with a cup of coffee and lots of catching up. This was our first Mother’s Day without our moms. We be sad. But up there? The celebrating just jumped up a notch!
While our Mother’s Day took a turn towards the side of mourning, and we have mom-sized holes in our hearts, we KNOW we will see them again when it’s our turn to go. No more tears, pain, broken and failing bodies. Just love, joy, and reunion.
Peace to all who miss their mothers.
cotton candy clouds
effervescence, bees’ delight
pink blossom carpet
cotton candy by Angie Quantrell
I love spring blossoms and the buzz of happy bees. Welcome, pink!
Chocolate cake and her Minnie balloon.
Miss Autumn has been birthday princess for the last week. Minnie Mouse visited her birthday through cake, wrappings, and gifts. Cool balloon Minnie greetings floated in helium bliss and adorned Autumn’s wrist and bedroom.
Birthday girl has been hauling around a beloved Minnie balloon. Inside and outside. Can you see where this is going?
Yesterday, held free-hand instead of tied, the favorite balloon escaped and slipped from Autumn’s clasped fist. Helium filled Minnie quickly ascended to travel blue skies. The lesson of what happens to all free floating helium-filled balloons became reality.
Sobbing tears, this heart-broken nearly 3-year-old announced to the nearby world how upset she was with this loss.
Despite mama loves, the sobbing continued. And was quickly added to when big brother Donavyn began sobbing and came to mommy. With puppy Ginger tangled around her feet and two sobbing children, mommy Jamie staggered in the house to try and restore order and figure out why Big Brother was crying.
A Minnie cake by Gramma Schlenker, a sweater hand-me-down from Auntie Chelsie (who is 28!)
And what a caring boy to cry and sob.
Big Brother Donavyn was crushed for his sister and her balloon loss. We thought something had happened to him (bee, fall, scrape) but he was sympathizing with sissy. Such a sweetheart to take on and share the feelings of his little sister!
Are you a sympathetic cryer? I have my moments when I just can’t help myself and cry right along in sympathy (or empathy, if the occasion for tears is truly a shared experience). Shared tears offers comfort.
Good job, Donavyn, for helping Sister feel better.
Autumn is happy, just not sure how to smile at the camera AND show her card.
lollipop curl road
dancing, growing, reaching high;
what flavor opens?
forest lollipop by Angie Quantrell
Don’t these fern swirls look exactly like fuzzy lollipops? Of course, I don’t want to lick treats containing fuzz, but my imagination considers what interesting tastes live in forest lollipops.
Happy Haiku Day!
Senior Prom, 1981; Dress made by my mama, hair by Aunt Helen, hunk complements of his parents!
My honey keeps track of the ‘little’ big important days.
I know birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, that sort of thing. But for remembering the dates for first date, first kiss, first trip, and so on, he wins the prize.
First, he tells me that Tuesday (today) is a special day.
“What is Tuesday?” I ask, wracking my brain.
“I’m not telling you, you have to figure it out.”
Great. I am not good at this game. We’ve known each other a very long time. More than 40 years.
After several comically wrong guesses, I vaguely recall this time of year being when we finally got together as a couple.
“40 years ago, you agreed to be my girlfriend!”
Aww. He is absolutely right. I think. 40 years ago today, we started dating. As his mother used to say, “No, you keep him, you’ve had him longer.”
I agree. I’ll keep him. I have had him longer. I still want him. 🙂
Love, Laughter, and Life 