It’s Mother’s Day which always evokes wonderful memories of my mother – I thought of her so much during church this morning and wish she had lived to meet Burl as I know they would have gotten along famously. She was a true lady who on occasion could tell a slightly off-color joke – she loved to laugh, was the disciplinarian in the family, taught me to write my thank you notes promptly, attend church regularly and kiss and make up after a disagreement. I’d like to think I inherited some of her qualities and I am thankful I learned to fully appreciate her while she was alive and shared those thoughts with her.
Tammy and Steve insured my Mother’s Day was quite special – we met them at Valentine’s for brunch after church and at Tammy’s suggestion I ordered the Valentine’s omelette – 3 eggs combined with fresh spinach, chopped tomatoes and feta cheese – YUM, YUM! We sent the guys off in one car to hit the hardware stores and Tammy and I headed off to TJ Maxx and Marshall’s where I found a pair of shoes on sale.
Then we drove to her house and took off on a tour of 6 homes in the Rountree area where Tammy lives now – the same neighborhood where we lived when the girls were in Greenwood and where I lived for 4 years in my final pre-Burl days. It was fun to roam through some of the old homes and see what their owners had done – Tammy’s favorite was a 1950′s ranch with modern decor while I favored a brick bungalow. Yesterday’s rain and gloom gave way to sunny skies (and a brisk wind) so we had a great time walking through my favorite ‘hood in Springfield and best of all, I got to spend time with Tammy. I appreciate the wonderful gifts they gave me, brunch, spending time together and especially her nice comments about me on her blog. And no matter what, she’ll always know I’m not as mean as Becky’s mom!
Ralph called from Chicago where she and Blair are enjoying a long weekend without the girls – they were waiting on the delayed Cubs game to begin and when we talked later she reported her team pulled out a win over the Diamondbacks – go Cubbies! Burl’s kids also made sure I was recognized today and I appreciate the way they have each accepted me into their lives and the love they give. Cindy is in San Diego this weekend so didn’t get to see her – we’ll see Mike and Stacey next month when we head west.
I ended my day of leisure with a couple of hours behind the power washer finishing up our deck so Burl can stain it. I calculated that over the last 3 weekends I’ve put in about 20 hours of powerwashing – but unlike the day job, the results are instantaneous and quite rewarding. I still want to wash the concrete around the pool but that can wait until we uncover the pool. Now I need to wash the blinds on the deck, wash the windows, put up the valances, clean the deck furniture and get ready to relax and enjoy summer. Bring on the warm weather – I’m ready!
