It's that day again

Me and my mama long, long ago

The family member who is not in this picture, my dad, was behind the camera. I sometimes wonder if the desire to take pictures is inherited, since I love it, and I remember him enjoying it enough to have a darkroom to develop pictures. This cheeky little girl and her beautiful mother are preserved for us to enjoy almost seventy years later, thanks to Daddy. Mama must have loved to dress me up, since I think I look pretty cool in that beret and outfit, which she might have made herself. And that old Packard in the background! You know when I was in that car, there were no seat belts or restraints of any kind, and I probably jumped up and down in the back seat or sat in Mama's lap in the front. Things we would never even consider allowing any more, not to mention it's against the law.

Yesterday was an unexpectedly beautiful day, with high clouds and abundant sunshine. I drove down to Snohomish and made another four skydives with my friends. We didn't know if it would be possible to make any at all because the weather forecast was iffy, but it turned out to be another perfect day. Last Saturday I made four and went home, but Linny and Christy came back the next day and made seven each, for a total of eleven for the weekend. I was that gung-ho once myself, but that has all changed, and I was satisfied with my measly four jumps. They told me that last Monday morning they were so sore everywhere from the activity that they could barely move! By the end of the summer they will be accustomed to it. I will keep to my less frequent activity and enjoy it for at least one more season.

It's been a very good week, with the unusual constant sunshine and people in skimpy dress out enjoying the beautiful May weather. Everything is in bloom everywhere I look; all the colorful rhododendrons are out, catching my eye as I pass by. I would take pictures of them, but I've done that every spring now and there's nothing much new to capture. Now I simply enjoy the riotous colors and take note of their beauty. Maybe today, Mother's Day, I'll wander around and take pictures of them with raindrops on them, since the rain has finally returned. The next week's weather will be wet and unsettled, and we will return to our normal temperatures again.

As much as I enjoyed the weather, I find that I don't mind the sound of the rain outside the window. It seems much more normal, and I won't have to water my garden today, as it will get a good soaking from Mother Nature.  My ears have finally recovered from the sunburn they received last Tuesday, when Al and I went up to the Mt. Baker area for a snowshoe excursion. It was completely sunny, and the reflection of the sun on the snow at altitude made sunscreen imperative. I wore a visor so that I wouldn't be too hot as we labored upwards, but I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my ears! They burned for a couple of days afterwards but seem to finally be okay.

I've been thinking of my parents and missing them both lately, especially Mama. And today's the day I think of all the Mother's Days I have had since she left, twenty of them. You only have one mother, after all, and she holds a very special place in the hearts of most of us. To reflect on the life of that one person who carried us under her heart and labored to give us the chance to draw our first breath, to grow up under her tutelage and then become independent of her. I see it everywhere in nature, with the first clutch of eggs hatched in birds' nests and the gaping mouths of the chicks waiting for their parents to feed them. I have belonged to the Whatcom Birders' listserv for years now and save pictures that I especially enjoy. Here's one that captures the day for me.

Taken by Douglas Brown, hummingbirds being fed by Mama

It's been a good week, one that found me enjoying being alive and healthy, giving thanks for having finally gotten over that awful illness that kept me down for way too long. Today I'll probably spend some time thinking about how to plant the remainder of my garden plot and maybe find some random act of kindness to pass along to some unsuspecting soul. I hope you have a wonderful week and we'll visit again next Sunday morning.