It's the first day of summer, today. I love remembering all the outside games we played in Iowa and Florida and Michigan. Twister wasn't your typical outside game, unless you put the plastic, dotted sheet on the grass... like my little bro and his friend. Hosing it down made the game extra challenging! Favorite Yard Games: SPUD, Red Light-Green Light, Red Rover, Mother May I, Sardines, Hide-n-Seek and all the Tag games...
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Since it's Father's Day, I'll just say this is a Daddy Manatee and baby. I loved seeing these sweet beasts, so slow and gentle, in Florida last January. Animal Parent Memories: In 1970, I watched our cat, Simon nurse her kittens right along with my baby bunny, Astro Bunny! I still get a little giddy when I drive by a farm and see horses & cows, along with young colts and calves! At 11, I was in awe of the pigeon nest on a window sill in the attic... once the eggs hatched, I spied on mommy, tending to her little ones!
I love seeing pictures of my kids with their dad anytime, but these pics are especially sweet right now. It's Father's Day Weekend and both kids live out of town, but we've had special visits from both! Heidi came to town early, to cheer me on and support her dad during my surgery. Today Scott is making a special detour home, on his way from Brazil to New Orleans. I love seeing them both. But nothing makes me happier than seeing them laughing and enjoying their dad... when he could use it most! 2 Good Dad Memories: Don dressed in jewels, playing Pretty Pretty Princess with Heidi, Scott and Don freaking me out as they chopped palm fronds with machetes.
It's hard not to love rainbows. This photo was taken in our backyard in 2005, after we finished boarding up windows in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. There were 7 of us in the yard when we each spotted the rainbow, with a gasp and smile! This was a crazy time in Houston. The area shelters were already filled with Katrina victims from New Orleans. We hoped this rainbow was a good sign that all would be okay. It was for us. Rainbow things I like: Rainbows from prisms, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", a rainbow that appeared after a stormy outdoor performance of the Tulsa Symphony, The rainbow images that are currently being shared in support of the Orlando tragedy...
Whether you call them donkeys or burros, I love them. Today I'm using this picture of Don and me, heading into Boquillas, Mexico after crossing the Rio Grand in Big Bend National Park. It's a fun memory that makes me smile.... but I also just love donkeys. What I love about the beast: They might be know as stubborn, but they're hard workers. They move forward at a slow & steady pace so you can absorb the world. They can endure a lot. And, if donkeys really are feisty and they kick, then good for them! Mostly they're kind of cute. And I'm channeling the donkey spirit as I move ahead today!
We've always had a lot of odd instruments around our house and that can be noisy if you have kids. But the noise is pretty much happy noise. And I often don't care how loud it is, because I've always loved watching my kids make their own music! Favorite Instrument Noise in the House! Heidi singing at the piano, Scott creating steel drums out of large food cans, playing ukes with Don... and using primitive percussion instruments with my sibs and families, at my mom's 80th b-day! We took turns conducting our crazy symphony!
I'm not a gardener myself, but I love wandering around a garden of any kind. I love this serene setting for the "Jewel Box" in St. Louis. The Art Deco greenhouse has been sitting here since 1936. I love the pond with lily pads and the fragrant grounds surrounding. I would like to have a picnic there. Gardens I Like: Japanese gardens with sand and bridges and any formal garden with a trimmed hedge maze... thriving vegetable gardens, jungly and overgrown gardens that might hold a secret!
I am easily entertained watching almost any animal or child at play. But, put kiddos together with animals and I'm sure to find something that will make me laugh. These old photos of little Heidi make me chuckle...and cringe a bit. What kind of mother was I? Best Kid and Critter Memories: My own childhood memories of our Boxer, Mac... young, Scott creating a turtle island in the bathtub, and my kids riding the sweet elephant, Flora... not long after she starred in the movie, Pee Wee's Big Top!
AND! My sister reminded me of the time our 4 kids got to hold a sweet baby (blind) lion cub and feed black bear cubs! How could I have forgotten! I remember spotting this little girl biking to school through Pecan Park years, ago. I loved the quiet fog, glowing lamps and pecan trees. What makes a morning peaceful: No lawn mowers, gentle breeze, sprinkling rain, morning sun with long shadows... a cup of coffee...
This pic is a reminder that I've been this way a long time. I can be pretty goofy all by myself, but I do better with prompting. This photo makes me laugh because I can remember my sister and her new camera. She was quite the photographer as she tilted the camera... and I was playing quite the ham. Goofy times with Jenni: Dressing up in comical garb to film a mockumentary, talking our way into free admission at an oddball amusement park, attempting endlessly to sing the song, "COFFEE" in a round and laughing at failures...
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