Trudge.....

The very end of January 2023 and Milwaukee finally had a "real" snowfall. It started about noon on Saturday. We bundled up to walk to a nearby movie theater for a matinee with friends....a winter "adventure". It kept snowing most of the night and we woke to six plus inches of light fluffy snow.

There is beauty to be seen....bushes and trees boasting new decorations or hiding beneath the white.

               

Our little barbecue and upside-down summer chairs on our small deck are also "hiding". The barbecue reminds me of a cold mushroom.

                        

At 9:30 I decided to walk the four blocks to our local grocery store so I bundled up with my parka, scarf, hat and gloves. I put on my low boot/shoes and grabbed a tote bag. The sun was shining and the wind was calm so I figured it couldn't be too bad even though it was only 19 degrees. 

I was right, the conditions weren't too bad and I had all the right winter gear....but I forgot that many of the sidewalks would not be shoveled so I walked carefully and slowly. Instead of a winter walk it was more of a winter trudge.....but still, nice to be outside!

Another Year.....Another Memory....

How odd that this happens every winter.....the plant in the corner of our living room sends out a "hello". This is a peace lily and it was one of several on display at my mom's visitation in 2010. At the end of the time spent with family and friends, celebrating mom's life, I told my sister I'd like to take one of the plants home. I'm not good at keeping "real" plants alive, but just thought this was so lovely and it would, as long as it lasted, provide me with a little "hello" from my mother.

So I took it to our house in Bay View, then to our condo in Port Washington and in October 2021 it moved again....down to our apartment at Eastcastle in Milwaukee. I've managed to keep "her" alive and in pretty good shape for over 12 years! She doesn't require much attention....only a little water maybe every week or ten days, the removal of any yellow/dead leaves and once we treated her to some nice fresh soil.

When we travel I water her before we leave and ask a neighbor to do the same if we are gone for more than two weeks. When we come home....she is just fine. And every winter I begin to notice a little something more than a few new leaves opening up.....a bloom.

Here it is, the end of January, and I noticed something "peeking" at me today.

When I moved the watering can to get to the side I saw a second bloom....this one a bit larger.

Anyone who has followed my little blog over the years knows I am not someone who believes in heaven or hell and I no longer practice any organized religion but I do believe that those we love and lose can be "found" in a sort of energy that sometimes gives you a poke. A heartstring stretching across time and space to reach my heart.

My mom seems to send these reminders so that blooms will be full for her early February birthday. Again in 2023 I get a little "hello, remember me" from my mom and I treasure it.

My Back Yard.....

We raised two children....our son was born in 1969 and our daughter in 1974. I was a stay-at-home mom while they were young and then worked at several part time jobs as we moved to follow Dave's career growth. I did not work full time until our son was in high school and college was staring us in the face. I sold real estate for over seven years while living in New Jersey and really enjoyed every moment. And my efforts funded college for both kids.

One of the "results" of being a stay-at-home mom while the kids were growing up was having a home that was often the gathering place/play yard for their friends. Kids playing inside with Legos or Matchbox cars or stuffed animals or art supplies. Kids running to the kitchen for snacks or the bathroom for another necessity! Kids in the backyard tree fort, running with a soccer ball or tossing a frisbee. Kids going up and down our stairs. Kids watching movies or coming for sleep-overs Kids talking, laughing and sometimes arguing.  

I don't remember getting involved very often unless complete silence caused my Mom Radar to go on high alert.....or the "discussion" seemed to be escalating and an adult intervention was needed. Mostly I just served as in-the-background adult doing my housework or reading or whatever I did to pass the time while supervising children. (That's why moms are so good at multi-tasking.)

I do recall some times where I walked into the playroom, bedroom or back yard and said "Time for everyone to go home!" This was the answer if the kids had gotten too upset with each other or I sensed that everyone needed a break because no one was getting along. My Mom Rule was law.....and everyone did go home and our two went up to their rooms for a little quiet time.

That's what I would do right now if I was in charge of our House of Representatives. I would grab the gavel, bang it on the lectern and send every single Republican member home. The fact that these "adults", the ones the people elected to do the peoples' business, can't even work together to elect a speaker so that they can GET TO WORK is just so frustrating and embarrassing. The grandstanding, the arguing, the back-room "negotiating" that goes nowhere.

Send them home....if not now then during the next election cycle. The Party of Lincoln is broken. My parents' Republican Party is broken.....the party we once voted for is broken and includes too many damn "crazies". 

Send them home.