One Year

Today marks one year since my mother passed away. Mama, you were a doodle and I miss you. It's been a year of soul searching, reconnecting, disappointments, growth, and learning. There are things I would do differently if I had the chance, so it's also been a year of accepting and letting go. Or trying to.

Betty, Portsmouth, NH, 1959

We thought of you with love today,

but that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday,

and days before that too.

We think of you in silence,

we often speak your name;

All we have now are memories,

and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake,

with which we will never part;

God has you in his keeping,

we have you in our heart.

It broke our heart to lose you.

But you didn't go alone,

For a part of us went with you

the day God took you home.

-Author Unknown-

***comments closed***

Bird alert!

The sun came out on my mother's birthday after being absent for two weeks. What a glorious day it was! I first drove out to LSU Lakes and saw the usual pelicans, cormorants, warblers and ducks. Feeling a little disappointed I decided to go visit my mother's grave and wish her a happy birthday. As I stood over her grave I asked her for a sign to let me know she was there. I said, "I know it's your birthday and I can't give you anymore gifts, but it would be a wonderful gift to me if I had a new bird to photograph. Then I would know that you are here." After all, I had the 100-400mm lens that she bought for my 50th birthday, and I always think of her when I use it.

Something pulled me toward a grove of nearby trees and I just stood there meditating for quite some time, being very still, not really thinking about anything, but hoping I'd see something. And I did! I have a new bird that I can add to my bird list. Thanks, Mama!

Meet the Acadian Flycatcher Ruby-crowned Kinglet! (corrected 2/2/13) He appeared for maybe five seconds and I got two shots before he was gone, spooked by the camera clicks I'm sure. Since I am still shooting on manual I was happy that the exposure and shutter speed were correct. I was also pleased that even though they weren't the best poses, at least they were in focus.

UPDATE 2/2/13: On a bird expedition today with a group of birders, I learned that I may have misidentified this bird originally. Once I was able to check my bird book I realized this was not the Acadian Flycatcher but was indeed a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This sighting is significant because my mother loved the color red, specifically ruby red. Although this bird does not have the red patch on its head, it's because this is likely a female. I sincerely believe my mother was trying to tell me she now has a ruby crown in heaven. I'm literally in tears as I type this because I had wondered since I saw this bird what the connection was to my mother. Now I know! Thank you, God!

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P.S. Sallie at A Full-time Life shared a live web cam for a pair of eagles and their recently hatched eaglets. Go have a look!

Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo doo

I have been singing that George Harrison ditty all morning long. Up since 5AM, I cleaned and filled all the bird feeders, drank two cups of coffee, did my morning devotionals, and now headed off to let Brittany do something with this mop of hair. After that, I am going to soak up every bit of sun possible! Today would've been my mom's 74th birthday. It seems fitting that the sun should emerge today after two long weeks of gray skies and dreary rain. Happy birthday, mama. You are greatly missed.

6/20/12

My Amazing Day (MAD)

Just thought I'd share a little about my day:

• Woke up at 4 a.m. and could not go back to sleep; finally got up at 6:30.
• Let the dogs out for their morning business. Sparky found something stinky in the yard and proceeded to rub it into his fur. He then came inside and headed straight for the sofa blanket, freshly washed from the night before, funkifying it forever.
• Chance threw up on the good rug as I took my first sip of coffee. Twice. No warning.
• The monument company called one HOUR before bringing my mom's headstone to the graveyard. So much for the one day notice. Hopped in the shower and got ready in record time; flew out to the cemetery.
• Car started throwing error messages again. I pressed on.
• Attorney called while errors flashed, asking a question about my deceased sister that I had no answer for. The whole time I'm thinking, 'how much is this call costing me?!'
• Made it to the cemetery, showed the guys the grave, but first had a disagreement with my cousin (who is the church secretary) on placement of the headstone. Turns out I misunderstood, so I fussed at her for nothing. Bad Gail!
• Retrieved camera gear out of the car because a dragonfly was eating an insect on a rusted fleur de lis cross, posing perfectly.
• By the time I got the right lens on, tripod out, and camera mounted, the dragonfly was still there but he was done with his lunch.
• I lost my car/house keys somewhere between the car, the dragonfly and mama's grave. Could not find them to save my life. Searching over an hour, I was drenched with humidity.
• Double D to the rescue--a 30 minute drive for him. In the meantime, another distant cousin, Billy, had arrived and helped me look for the keys. Billy found them within 15 minutes, right by the fleur de lis cross, the same area I had scoured several times.
• I now have a headache the size of Texas.
• Got home to look at the photos I took of a colorful skink and the aforementioned dragonfly only to learn that my camera was set on ISO 800 the whole time.
• Izzy is on my lap as I type this post, emitting the worst gas ever. If I could bottle this stuff, I think I could blow up Iran with one small container.

Taken with iPhone

I texted my friend and asked her if she could write me a country/western hit out of all this mess so we could make a million bucks. She said not to worry, that the cemetery/vomit/dog poop song just made the top 10 on Country Music Billboard. 

I treated my cousin to lunch because I felt guilty for fussing at her. My lunch of bbq shrimp and grits was delicious! And guess what? Yep, I have heartburn. The one good thing from today? The headstone came out nice. So how was your day?