Letters to Mom

We've been working around the house and some in the yard, Ma.  I think you'd like how the yard is turning out.  The black mulch looks good against the light yellow house and oranges of the marigolds and greens of the myrtle and squash.  Inside Jackie started repainting the cabinets like we talked about before losing you and I recaulked the bathroom today.  It's supposed to rain for the next 5 days - joy.  We'll never get the back lawn mowed! Missing you, Mom, as always.  We're going to miss Nick terribly, I think. He's working at getting in prime shape, focusing on his running and swimming especially.  I'm hoping we can figure out how to manage to get the retaining wall built in front of the retaining wall that isn't retaining so well before he leaves. Mom, you'd be surprised at how BIG Fuzz-bot has gotten! 15 lbs of short-hair, Siamese attitude!  My blue-eyed demon.  There are times when I get very tired, Mom, especially with the arms and ha

Missing you, Mama; I was in the dollar store Friday and they had the most adorable and tacky turtle bracelets. Tiny little turtles.  First thought is still "Mom doesn't have a turtle like that!"  Guess that'll always be the case.  We still look at some material and smile and say "Grandma" and we've added "Mom" to that, especially check material like Chuck liked you to make his shirts out of. The house is coming along nicely.  There's SO MUCH left to do just this season.  I need to scrub the porch down and repaint the railings, put more mulch in the garden.  Weed whack around pavers and place more down, replant my plate row border, trim back down the driveway, tend to the back.... Paint the bathroom, touch up paint in my room, lay tile in my room, scrub and paint kitchen cabinets - so much ....but, it's home. We own it.  If we hadn't moved here before we lost you, Mom, Jackie and I would have both been sleeping in my car or in

Hey Mama, Was just hoping last night that you and Marie are pleased we got Marie's quilt finished and the tumbler quilt you were working.  Not quite what either of you had pictured but we worked with what we had and had to work around some problems. Really missing you.  I think you'd like what we've got planned for the yard.  Nick began making the fire pit and we've planted the trees we got from the Arbor Foundation last year.  A couple didn't make it through the winter even though we pulled them in onto the back porch.  I was disappointed the black walnut didn't thrive but we've got maples, red buds, crape myrtles and dogwoods in addition to being surrounded by maples, pines, dogwoods and mimosas. We are seriously going to miss having Nick here.  With him working so hard we didn't find time or energy to really take him all over the state and beyond but he knows this is home and knows something of a future awaits here if anything happens to us.  He