A Second Look

This is the first week in several that it has not been raining during my Second Look .  I found this a nice change of pace. Blooms are continuing with something new blooming every day. Also, we found a not-so-pretty cicada still in its shell while we were planting some new bushes. The cicada invasion has begun in some places, but we don't expect them until later in the month. I can wait.

Here is what I found this week during a Second Look.

Rhododendron

Star of Bethlehem

Azalea

Baby peaches

Azalea

Siberian Iris

Lily of the valley

Bleeding heart and azalea

Cicada cocoon

Boys vs. Girls--Future Plans

Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things, they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as to not bias you, I'm going to let you guess, who are the boys in the stories and who are the girls.Today's StoryTheo was playing Nintendo with his best friend from kindergarten, Julia. Here is the conversation Julia's mother and I overheard."You know that some day we are going to get married and we'll play this game with our little  boy or girl.""We can't play this game with our kids.""Why not?""It only has two controllers."

You decide: Which was Theo and which was Julia?_____________________________________________________________________________In case you're wondering--Julia had future plans for marriage, and Theo had future plans for the video game. (Is anyone else having problems with Blogger's formatting? It's driving me crazy. This post was going to look a lot different, but I can't seem to make it happen.)     

Brighton Dam Azalea Gardens--week two

Last week, Ward and I visited the Brighton Dam Azalea Garden. I hoped that we could go back in a week because I thought the azaleas would be at their peak then. Well, mission accomplished. Yesterday, Ward, Wally, Theo, and I went back for a picnic and another walk among the azaleas. I was wrong about the flowers being at their peak. Many of the bushes had faded, but there was still plenty to marvel at.

We grilled hot dogs, watched geese, checked out the dam, and walked in the azalea garden. It was a beautiful day and Mother's Day on top of that, so there were plenty of people who joined us at the park. It was fun to watch multi-generations enjoying kids, dogs, and the scenery. However, did I mention it was a windy day? Theo said that it was so windy, that the hot dogs were being moved on the grill. I do know that it was so windy that I had four layers on including Ward's sweatshirt and jacket that he brought along.

Here are a few scenes from our visit.

 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day

Below is a post from Mother's Day two years ago that highlights the everyday difficulties that my mother endured in the early years of caring for her children. Thanks to my mother for her dedication and to mothers everywhere for not throwing the towel in when times were tough.

Happy Mother's Day!

I come from hearty stock. Thank goodness, because raising babies in my family is not for the faint of heart. Just ask my mother.

She gave birth to my oldest sister, Daughter Number One, as young woman one year after she married my father. She said at that point she knew as much about taking care of a baby as she did about being a plumber (not much). My sister did all of the fun things babies do like cry a lot for no apparent reason and never sleep. But soon my sister learned to talk. And talk. My mothered yearned for quiet.

Two and a half years later, Daughter Number Two was born. She followed in the footsteps of Number One and cried a lot for no apparent reason and never slept. Then she learned to walk. And run. And climb. And to never be afraid. She climbed the banisters, moved the furniture, scared the neighbors, and had the fire department rescue her from a drain. She didn't talk much, but that didn't matter, because Number One talked enough for both of them.

Three years after Number Two, I was born. I just didn't cry for no apparent reason, I cried ALL of the time. I cried so much that I burst my tear ducts. I cried so much that the neighbors took me with them when they delivered groceries. They hoped to provide some relief for all involved. I consumed every minute of my mother's time. Meanwhile, Number One talked and Number Two was “busy.”

My mother was tired, but the kids were happy.

Then the miracle happened. Daughter Number Four was born four years after me. She only cried when she needed something. She slept regularly. My mother was afraid that something was wrong with her. She didn't understand this kind of baby. Meanwhile, Number One talked, Number Two was busy, and I cried easily, but we were manageable now—at least compared to before. For a little while, my mother could breathe and just be very busy raising four young girls. That was until my ailing grandmother moved in. But that's another story.

My husband has a theory that the number of kids in a family is equal to the number of easy babies plus one difficult one. Thank goodness my parents didn't subscribe to that formula or I wouldn't be here. I want to thank my mother, on this Mother's Day, for not giving up when I'm sure she wanted to and giving me a great start to life.

Today...

Today I am going to appreciate the unexpected.

I am a person who likes order and predictability. Today I am going to appreciate the unexpected and just go with the flow.