A Mother's Heart

As a Mom of four, I was always running to keep up with my children. 

This is a rare photo of me with all four. 

The next moment, they were back in motion. 

Like puppies, they never sat still unless they were sleeping. 

Notice the firm grip I have on my son's shoulder. 

And the other hand gripping my younger son's hand.
Holding them in place. 

I must have said, 'Slow Down' a million times!

It was a challenge to keep their unbounded energy in check and pointed in the right direction. 

For my oldest son Gabe, it was Taekwondo. 

Yes, he is breaking a board after jumping over a couple of students,
 and with bare feet, no less. 

A mother had to turn a blind eye to any doubts. 

My younger son, Dustin expended his boundless energy playing baseball. As a pitcher. 

Yes, I sat in those hard bleachers with the cold spring wind blowing against my face and hiding my eyes when that ball came hurtling past my little boy's face. 

Luckily, he was a good pitcher and it didn't happen that often. 

But he did get a black eye once. 

My boy's also had another hobby. 

Four wheel All Terrain Vehicles. 

That they took across the creek and into that vast wilderness I look out upon. 

I tried not to think about it. 

I did insist on full body armor and sturdy helmets.

Dustin getting airborne

Oh, and did I mention the snowboarding habit?

And the skydiving?

They didn't tell me about that until later.

Gabe and Erica

And the para-gliding and the white water rafting and the bungee jumping and ......

The skiing and snowboarding in the back country

And the mountain climbing.

Don't let the innocence of these two little faces fool you!

They also gave a Mother's heart a run for the money.

(And let's not even mention the driving and dating years!)

Here's the oldest, Heather, posing sweetly in her cheerleading uniform.

What you don't see is me covering my face as she is doing multiple back flips after jumping off the top of a pyramid.

And isn't this a sweet little portrait of my youngest daughter, Jennie?

I prayed many a day as I watched her riding off into the sunset on Dusty, the very naughty pony, with her sweet cousin Erin on the other equally naughty pony, Freckles.

Oh, the tales they would tell of getting thrown off, or chased by dogs, or whacked in the face by tree limbs as they galloped along.

Heather, Gabe, Dustin, Jennie

But despite my worries, they all grew up in one piece.

Eric and Heather, Josh and Jennie, Dustin and Jen, Gabe and Erica

But with just as much energy!

Now times two!

Now they've added marathons and charity events to their repertoire.

Here, 2nd from left is my daughter, Jennie and second from right, my niece, Erin getting ready to participate in the Hot Chocolate charity run in Seattle for the Ronald McDonald house.

A little hot chocolate and fruit to jump start the day!

And here are all four getting ready for the Tough Mudder charity event for The Wounded Warriors.

(the girls are there for moral support)

Here's the contestants, Eric, Dustin and Gabe.

This was a grueling endurance event that raised money for our disabled veterans.

Eric is a proud former Marine and current National Guard soldier who works for the Veteran's Administration.

Not for sissies!

The cheering section

Dustin, Jen, Heather, Eric, Gabe, and two of Dustin's co-workers

Here they are posing in an earlier charity run for homeless shelters.

And here's my oldest daughter, Heather participating in a charity event to raise money for a cross fit team member who suffered a tragedy.

Heather suffers from adult onset Cystic Fibrosis.

But this does not slow my little dynamo down one bit.

In fact, exercise is the best remedy.

Jen, Dustin, and Heather at cross fit charity event

She's determined to live life to the fullest.

So even though my children are adults and I don't have to chase after them any longer,
A mother's heart is always following along.
With love, and yes, I do still worry.

But there is comfort in knowing that your children's hearts are in the right place.
Caring for the world in which they live,
and proving that with loving action.

I guess I can stop worrying.

*A little bit*
xoxo

First Day of Spring!

{Rurality Blog Hop}

It is a typical First Day of Spring here in the foothills. 

Torrential rain. 

Wind. 

But mild temperatures. 

It is now 44 degrees. 

Just two days ago we had a little glimpse of Mt. Rainier, just as the sun was setting. 

But that is a rare sight this time of year, as clouds and mist shroud The Mountain most of the time. 

Today is a day of glimmering raindrops, puddles, and seasonal rivulets of water running down hill. 

I can hear the river roaring down below in the steep little valley. 

Named 'South Prairie Creek', it flows directly down from one of Mt. Rainier's many glaciers and into the wider valley through the town of South Prairie, hence it's name. 

But this is no trickling little creek. 

More like a raging force of nature at this time of year when the snow starts to melt and the spring rains trickle down from the many higher hills. 

It is morning and Whitey waits by the door, cookie in mouth, to accompany me on our morning walk. 

But once I open the door and he sees the rain, he runs back to his bed in the kitchen and refuses to budge. 

I laugh and try to coax, but he is the smart one and stays inside where it is warm and dry. 

So I grab my raincoat, bear spray hanging out of the pocket, and head out without him. 

But I am not alone, as my faithful friend, Champ is always up for a good game of catch 

no matter what the weather! 

He waits patiently as I fill one bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. 

A favorite treat of the many species of birds we have here. 

Recently, the wild pigeons and doves have returned and have filled the air with their mournful cooing. 

Oh, I do love that sound. 

We pass The Mr.'s chopping block, glistening with rain. 

Every evening Ol' Blue Eyes carries in armfuls of firewood to keep the woodstove going. 

He stopped in mid-stride last night to tell me he has split, stacked and carried approximately 240 cord of wood in the last 30 years. 

My Dear Sweet Man. 

Tiny wildflower seedlings are springing up in every bare spot. 

A sure sign of Spring! 

We continue on towards the second bird feeder up by the Holly tree. A tiny Indian Plum blossom cheers the way. 

I keep the bird feeders well away from the house. 

But I have two sets of binoculars. 

Here on the edge of the wilderness, you never know who might stop in for a little treat. 

The reason I carry bear spray. 

And have two very watchful dogs. 

The last few nights, the coyotes have been singing, not too far away. 

Champ does not like this and barks with his deep growly voice, Whitey chiming in alongside. 

But we have also been treated to the delightful sound of peeping frogs. 

Thousands of them, filling the night air. 

Oh, Champ! Why do you always drop your ball right in the drainage ditch? 

The Mr. keeps this ditch clear of debris, especially during spring run-off. 

Now it is a trickle, but later it will be a good sized creek, filled with run-off from the heavy rain.  

The bird feeder is in a tree alongside. 

So I climb down into the ditch and resume our game of catch. 

We pass some blooming Narcissus, battered by the rain. 

I make a mental note to come out later if the rain dies down, to pluck the battered blooms for a springtime bouquet. 

But now we must head for home and the warmth of the fire, and Whitey waiting inside. 

And two unhappy cats gazing longingly through the glass, wishing for the rain to stop. 

Still, Ling Ling is not to be dissuaded. But once outside, she quickly changes her mind! 

So we all gaze out forlornly and settle in for a long and quiet day inside. 

Cozy and warm. 

And dreaming of sunshine. 

Wishing you a Happy First Day of Spring! 

And sunny skies! 

xoxo

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A Day in March

Springtime - almost!  

It was one of those unsettled March days with a good brisk wind and clouds scuttling across the sky, allowing the sunshine to peek out now and again. 

My view from the kitchen window encouraged me to hurry with my chores so I could get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. 

I never managed to cook the corned beef and cabbage dinner I planned for St. Patrick's Day, so today I prepared that for the crock pot. 

Won't 'The Mr.' be surprised when he comes home tonight! 

I had such a headache yesterday, I didn't feel like doing much. 

He will be happy to see that I feel better today and he won't miss out on our St. Paddy's Day tradition. 

We are both half Irish. 

My Great Grandfather came from County Cork, Ireland. 

And his Great Grandfather did too! 

Maybe they knew each other! 

So there it is, simmering away, filling the house with wonderful, homey smells. 

We had so many Irish traditions growing up. 

I can remember reading 'Angela's Ashes' and feeling such a familiarity with the little 'sayings'. 

All things I heard growing up from my Grandparents. 

They emigrated to South Boston in the 1920's. 

A big Irish community. 

Eventually moving to the country, 30 miles south. 

We had so many Irish names in our classrooms. 

McCarthy, McClellan, McCoy, every name under the Irish sun. 

Families were large and very close. 

We went to Irish Dance Recitals, Sunday School, St. Patrick Day parades, and cheered on the Celtics.

We had freckles and blue eyes, and every family had at least one redhead. 

I think of these things as I go about my day. 

The wind is blowing the chimes outside. 

Such a lovely sound. 

I hurry to finish up my chores to go outside and listen. 

The birds are happy today, too, and I can hear them twittering and calling to one another. 

There are no sweeter sounds than wind, and chimes, and singing birds on a sunny day. 

I have some Iris bulbs to pot up and that keeps me busy. 

This one little bag gives me enough bulbs to pot up 6 large pots. 

They will be so pretty in early summer when they bloom. 

A lovely reward for very little effort. 

I also re-pot these lovely double primroses - a gift from a Dear Friend, along with the pretty purple gardening gloves. 

She came to visit last week. 

We spent the day stitching after sharing lunch together. 

I worked on some embroidery, she crocheted some tiny booties for a baby shower. 

But I do think we did more gabbing than stitching! 

I think of our lovely day together as I pot up her sweet gift. 

Maggie supervises, taking a break to drink out of the saucer of water I keep filled for the birds. 

I enjoy my time in the sunshine, as the forecast is for a big storm to hit by Wednesday with heavy rain and strong winds. 

The first day of Spring! 

Can you see me in the gazing ball? 

A gift from my Dear Mother years ago. 

My early daffodils are still blooming down in the back corner, but it is a little too cool to sit and enjoy them. 

So I am content to view them from the deck. 

As I zoom my camera in, the source of the cold wind becomes apparent. 

We've had freshly fallen snow in the foothills over the weekend. 

As I finish up my potting, I hear the buzz of this little sweetheart, a female Anna's Hummingbird. I now have two varieties of Hummingbirds coming to the feeders. The Anna Hummingbirds that have wintered over, and now the smaller and more colorful Rufous Hummingbirds have arrived, which are the smallest birds in the state. 

Rufous Hummingbirds

They arrive just as the Indian Plum trees start to bloom. A favorite nectar flower. 

These are native under-story trees that are the first to bloom. They don't get very tall, but are filled with long pendulous white blossoms which will turn into tiny plums that are a favorite of birds and wildlife.

This one is growing right in the back yard.

Here you can see the blooms, back lit by the late afternoon sun. 

We encourage native plants and I have kept this one watered during our long summer drought last year.

I've added my little Anna's Hummingbird visitor to my nature journal. 

Now that Spring is nearly here, I will be adding the Rufous, too. 

But that will have to wait for another day. 

The sun is low in the sky now and the cool wind drives me back inside for a warm cup of coffee. 

I leave Maggie to keep watch as I warm by the fire, still burning in the woodstove. 

I've enjoyed my day. 

Thank you for sharing it with me. 

And thank you for all of your sweet comments. 

They mean so much to me. 

I love when you come to visit! 

xoxo