A Musing Mother 6

My dad called to ask me if I'd be going to the family reunion. I could think of so many other things I wanted to do on this Saturday afternoon. But Dad can't drive since he had rotator cuff surgery three weeks ago. Mom can't see and gets a shot in her eye every 6 weeks. I called my sister, Jene, and hoped I could guilt her into going. It's not that I don't want to strengthen my family ties. It's simply that, to be perfectly honest, the people who go to these types of family reunions are typically old people. I have nothing against old people or sensible, orthotic shoes. I believe in hearing aides and bifocals. I can listen to the old stories over and over again and even recognize how the stories have gotten just a little bit more impossible (starting with walking three miles each way to ten miles, uphill in a snowstorm in July). Jacob has a football game, I have spaghetti sauce to bottle, need to get to Costco, and I really should be around to watch my husband n...

Because the one in high school called me at work to inform me that she needed  supplies.  And clean underwear. It will be remembered and held against me someday that I took 20 minutes to run to the high school for my daughter. But I did. But I didn't take clean pants. She needed clean pants? Fine. I'll be back after I'm finished with work. She was not happy but she coped. Finished work and found clean pants for her. Stopped at Subway and got her some lunch. Met her in the office and handed her the pants and the Subway. She was very put out. How did I expect her to eat a Subway when she got her wires tightened on her braces yesterday? How dare I? By the way, she was starving. Why didn't I bring her something soft? How very thoughtless of me. When they all came home from school, Jacob pushed Samantha's buttons. Samantha pushed Jacob's buttons. Neither were innocent. Jacob was sneakier but I still heard him egging her on. She starts using her scary, screamy voice a...

Once upon a time I went to a small junior college in southern Utah. Admittedly, there were times when my friends and I skipped class and went hiking on the red cliffs surrounding the town and occasionally went rappelling off those cliffs because we were young and immortal. Yes, I was terrified of heights but I did it, anyway to prove to myself that I could. Close to graduation, I met a guy who was in southern Utah, doing research for his Master's Thesis in Recreational Management. He was great guy although 4 or 5 years older than me. One night, after goofing off with other friends, hiking around and being young, he announced that he was so in love with me. He later told me that he wanted to marry me. He didn't go so far as to ask me, he was merely testing the waters. These waters were too young to want to do anything like limit myself and my dating pool to one man. Marriage was what I was trying to avoid. He married a lovely girl a year or two later and we all moved on with our...

He said, "Your chickens keep rolling around behind the air conditioner. Look at the hole they have dug under the pipe." She said, "It's a dirt bath. It's what they do." He said, "It's making a mess of the backyard." She said, "Because of the dirt bath hidden behind the air conditioner?" She surveyed the backyard. She said, "Did you know your dog has worn paths in the grass?" He said, "They're not that bad." She said: Thoughts, anyone?

Last week was early voting for primary elections in a non-presidential year. My candidate later revealed that out of 105,000 residents, only 150 showed up in the early polls. I was one of those early voters because I resent being harnessed to one Tuesday, especially if it happens to be a beautiful day that I'd rather be outside. I parked at the city building and walked in, uncertain of where I would go from there. The sign pointed left but straight ahead I was greeted by four exuberant ladies who called me into the courtroom with smiles and promises of candy. As I stepped across the threshold, they were so pleased at my presence, one of them cheered. It made so happy I turned around and walked back in again. I was met with a standing ovation.  I had such a wonderful time voting this year that I want to do it every day. I felt appreciated, loved, and a little bit adored. One woman asked if I was an actress. It wasn't because of my stunning beauty but my reaction to such positive...

My phone did everything I wanted it to do. It 1) made calls to whoever I deemed needing to call 2) received calls 3) texted with a handy sliding keyboard 4) withstood more abuse than a phone should have to withstand. It even took pictures and received them so I could see my new nephew while driving to Southern Utah, minutes after he was born. It was enough. I was happy. My best friend took one look at it and tossed it back on the table with a sound of disgust. She called it a dinosaur. I argued that my plan was so inexpensive that I it barely made a ripple. She owns an I Phone. She declared that she has no idea how much her plan costs but she gladly pays it because she uses it for finding places with a simple voice command. I'm saving myself from growing dependent on technology for the Apocalypse, I told her. She openly mocked me then. It has a QWERTY keyboard! It's cool! So cool that my 15 year old wanted it. She kept encouraging me to get a smart phone. For her, I tried. I b...

Scott said that the photos did not do justice to my works of art. I thought I should do a little better job at showcasing. I BUILT that crate. It's one of my favorite pieces.  That stupid dog took my son's shoe which he had discarded to in favor of jumping on the trampoline. It took me 20 minutes and a slab or roast beef to get it back. It was covered in slobber. I don't like that dog.