Thursday, May 12, 2005

Little House on the Prairie

I'm so happy to be home from Oklahoma. I had a long, but pleasant flight back through Dallas yesterday, and was happy to see the sub shops of Boston as I came in from the airport. It is a blessing to be cool again. The weather in Oklahoma was 90+ and windy. Mother and I had a great time together and we did some swell shopping. We went to Lowes for plants and she walked all around the garden center. We had lunch at her favorite fish place -- Long John Silvers, and had A&W root beer in frosty mugs. We went to Wal-Mart and Walgreens, where she filled up two shopping carts and had a stack of coupons and a detailed list. We bought large bags of Miracle Grow soil and cedar mulch and I got my exercise bringing it all in from the car. We also had lunch at a local Mexican place called Serrapios, and we enjoyed our tacos and guacamole salads and huge refillable ice teas. It was great to be out with her and we had a very good time. She has to rely on others to take her around and she doesn't get to shop as much as she likes to. My mom is an avid shopper and my best teacher at that subject.

As I left yesterday for the airport, she was outside carrying a new white azalea plant to the front of the house and digging holes for all the new plants we bought. It was fun to see her having such a good time. She loves to putter around her yard in the mornings, and I can't think of a better place to be when you are 95-years old. When she is tired she sits on the swing and admires her handywork. Some mornings at 11:00 she has a beer. Then she takes a nap.

She has a lovely little garden of sweet potatoes, white potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce. She wears kneepads and sits down in her garden and works the soil and when it is time to get up, she showed me how she crawls to the swingset and hangs on while she pulls herself up. She enjoys the heck out of her independence. Her yard is filled with little pots and planting projects and jugs of rain water. She says her plants like rain water better than "hose" water. She walks around using a shovel as a cane and she teeters around and thoroughly enjoys herself. God Bless my Mom!

I have pictures but I have to rush off to work this morning. I'm glad to be back.

Have a great day.