Saturday, May 21, 2011

Recap of Friday's Frivolity

Blazing Trails part 2

The day with Mom went well! I think she must be feeling better, even though she has not actually admitted this. She isn't taking any pain med's during the day and she never once complained (or moaned!!) while we were out and about. She did say a couple of times that every once in awhile she felt sore on the back of her thigh. I take this as signs that the shot is helping. Praise you Jesus!!

We made all the stops: bank, grocery store, Doctor. Today it was the foot doctor. I wish she would let me take her for a pedicure sometime but with all her particular feet problems (partly related to her diabetes) she does need to have her feet checked by a specialist. I just think it would be fun for her to have the full spa treatment once. She just shakes her head when I mention it though. Which could mean 'no way' or it could mean 'why in the world'. maybe some day I'll just surprise her by taking her to the spa....

We also stopped by Joe's Garden to pick up her planter. Joe's is located on the south side of Bellingham, sort of 'down the hill' from mom's. I wish I had thought to take a picture of this planter because it is unusual. Not your typical hanging basket. Several years ago, my dad bought her this funky little plant hanger, full of blooming impatients, for mom as a gift. The hanger was actually just a long section (about 2 feet)  of plastic pipe that had about 12 holes drilled in it. A crude piece of wire had been looped through the top to allow it to hang. Inside the pipe (which has a cap on one end to keep the dirt in) impatients were planted-- or rather in each hole. So when you hang up this plastic sewer pipe you have all these cheerful little flowers blooming out of the holes.

I guess when Dad saw this pipe/plant hanger at a local nursery he knew it was just funky enough to make Mom love it so he bought it for her. (Mom does have a green thumb and growing up we always had some unusual planters around the farm)

So every year, Mom would replant the pipe with new starts. The last few years she has not been as active in her plant care and has taken the easy way to do it; take the planter to someone else and let them do it. Hence the visit to Joe's Garden. For less than $10 they filled the pipe with fresh soil and plants. Impatients again in a bevy of colors. I don't know what the workers at the garden are thinking as they take this piece of sewer pipe and fulfill her request. But I know what I'm thinking: of all the plant hanging choices available we're gonna stick with this piece of tubing? But-- it was a gift from Dad and something Mom treasures. Dad knew how to feed Mom's quirky side and that spoke love to Mom.

A side note: some of the quirky planters we had around the farm included old work boots, milk cans and strainer lids,  and assortment of discarded pots and pans. There was also a planter shaped like a ferris wheel that held rectangular planter boxes and the wheel really rotated! It was quite pretty.


After the running around, I did offer to cut Mom's hair and she said OK. I was thinking as I was trimming it, this is a real sign of trust, that Mom would allow me to cut her hair when I have never done this for her before. It was easy enough to do and she liked the results. It wasn't a new style, just trimming about 1/2 inch of everything. She was pleased.

The Trail Blazers event was a hoot. About 70 people in attendance with Mexican decor (pinata, sombreros) Excellent food; cheese enchiladas, chile verde, pollo a la crema, rice and beans and all the extra trimmings (guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream)

We were entertained by a Mexican family of singers. It was great! Loud but pretty! Our skit went off smoothly and got laughs in just the right places. I was supposed to be praying the Lord's Prayer and suddenly "God" starts talking to me. My character is quite surprised because, praying the Lords Prayer is just something I do every day, like a religious duty and the last thing I expected was God to actually be listening-- and reply! So it was a great illustration that prayer really is a 2-way conversation and it is also much much more than just words we recite. It's conversation with Someone who cares! After the skit Bruce gave a short talk about how his own prayer life has evolved over the years... from the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer of his childhood into learning the Lords Prayer and beyond.

Judging from the comments to us afterward, the people really enjoyed it and liked the message we were conveying. I'm sorry; no one took pictures. :(

We came home last night, well fed both physically and spiritually. A great day all in all... and now I am happy for a quiet Saturday at home!

2 comments:

  1. I laughed when I saw the picture of the workboot planter, because I now have one in my front yard, too. It's from my Mom's former home, one of the items moved here to help make things feel familiar. She planted sedums in lots of odd little containers.

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  2. Sounds like a busy weekend! My grandma loves pedicures and us girls got them on Thursday before graduation--such a relaxing luxury :)

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