A Quarter of a Century... Nyssa Hits the Mark!!!

"In the great green room there was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of--
The cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears, sitting on chairs
And two little kittens and a pair of mittens
And a little toy house and a young mouse
And a comb and a brush and bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady who was whispering "hush".

"Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon
Goodnight light and the red balloon
Goodnight bears goodnight chairs
Goodnight kittens goodnight mittens
Goodnight clocks and goodnight socks"

"Goodnight little house and goodnight mouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody goodnight mush
And goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush"
Goodnight stars, goodnight air
Goodnight noises everywhere."
~ Margaret Wise Brown, Goodnight Moon, 1947

Twenty-five years ago today, a quarter of a century past... a girl child was born. She was loved and cherished and nurtured and taught from the beginning... even before she was born. Goodnight Moon... a simple story with bright primary color illustrations became a nightly ritual... her mom read it before she was born and every night, beginning on her first night home from the hospital. First words... mama... dada.... and "moon". She knew the words to the entire book before she could read and wore out many copies... board book, hardback, paperback... I don't remember how many we finally ended up with. I patched and taped the pages together in this cherished work for many years.

Today, she turns 25... on Easter... her birthday falling on this day for the first and likely the last time in her life. (or at least that is what she tells me). All grown up and too far away to bake a cake for, we simply celebrate over the phone and with cards and as she has also told me... with blog posts. She checked.. it wasn't up... she was disappointed... but I have been behind all my life.. all her life. When I sat down to go through some pictures and think about the past 25 years, my eyes misted.. such a long time it seems and yet it was gone in an instant...those baby smells and sounds of learning to laugh.. those funny things she said as a little toddler...the excitement of going to school and taking her first piano lesson... the joy of watching her help another and realizing that she was learning life lessons.... the harrowing job of teaching her to drive...."watch the mailboxes, watch the mailboxes!!!...the pride at seeing her graduate... from kindergarten, high school, college, master's degree and one more left for the future. All these moments and more contained in 25 years of memories.

I don't like to be in pictures or post pictures that I'm in... but I will make this one exception. Please note and then disregard the amazingly out of date glasses and the frizzed out hair... remember, I had just been through 48 hours of unsuccessful induction of labor and a C-section... so taking that into account, I didn't look half bad. At least both Nyssa and I were asleep... we needed it... we were both exhausted from the process of new life. So, this is what I was doing 25 years ago today at exactly this time of day... 5PM.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!!!!

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ABC Wednesday: "D" is for Dogs and Daughters

Daughter Nyssa with Dottie....1989

"Those are the moments that I think are precious to a dog - when, with his adoring soul coming through his eyes, he feels that you are really thinking of him." ~ John Galsworthy

"D' is for dogs, among others in our life have been a trio of divas named Dottie, Dixie and Daisy. Two came into our lives over twenty years ago, they stayed through ups and downs and provided times of joy as well as extreme angst.. and then within a span of six weeks, both were gone. Daisy came into our life just over two years ago and though she is more elderly than we thought, she quietly shares our space and lives to be with "her" people. All three were rescued...

Dottie was found while we were looking for a lost dog... another beagle, Barney. He dug out through the thick red clay of our Oklahoma yard and with his nose to the ground.. he ran, right into a car and was found four days later in a deep ditch several houses down from ours. I had plastered his picture all over the place, even at the local SPCA as he lost his collar in the escape. We saw Dottie, a small beagle pup who had been dumped at the side of a road, when we went to pick up Barney's picture at at the SPCA. It was the first of July and a long holiday weekend coming. I learned that the puppy's time was up and she couldn't be held over the weekend so the euthanasia was set for that evening... and I couldn't take that. So, Dottie came home with us. She grew and grew and ate and ate and eventually became one of the fattest beagles I have ever seen.

Dottie was a master at escaping as well but not that great at finding her way home. How many times did we search the neighborhood after the move to Mississippi... until she and her partner in crime.. Dixie.. came running out of the woods.. happy as clams. The end was quick... a tumor in her chest, ascites in her abdomen that made it hard for her to breathe... she only showed signs of her illness for a few days. I remember that she looked serene and grateful as she took her last breaths in my arms and licked my hand. Fifteen years together.

Nyssa and dachshund Dixie...1989

Dixie was Dottie's partner in crime most of the time... if she wasn't trying to start a fight with her. Two females together, even if no hormones were involved.. just caused friction at times. It wasn't always so. But I get ahead of myself. Dixie was wandering the streets of our Oklahoma neighborhood looking for her person, the one who took all her tags off a too small muddy leather collar and left her on her own. She was afraid of men and boys.. always. She would run up to my truck and then see that it wasn't who she was looking for and run away. Finally, the hunger overcame the fear and she came home with us. She became Barney's best bud and the night he was killed, she must have seen it happen. She came back into the yard and I found her sitting at the back door, wailing when I got home from a meeting. After we found his body, she sat on his grave and cried. Then Dottie came and she had a friend again.

Dixie followed Dottie everywhere, even after the day of the "big fight". As with all fights, it was over something small.. getting paw prints in the new concrete dog patio. After that it was a bit touch and go with them... sometimes they would feud for days and make us think they would never be able to live with each other again and while we thought it best to feed them in separate areas from then on, in their air conditioned/heated doghouse... they peacefully got along.

I always thought Dixie would leave us first. She started showing her age and lost her hearing and then her sight started to go. Dottie became her guide. But Dottie died first and Dixie was suddenly lost, frail and blind and unconsolable. She gave up eating and walking and six weeks later, it was hard, but time. Sixteen years together.

Nyssa and Daisy... 2008

Daisy is my current darling doodlebug. After losing another rescue cocker, Max to cancer in 2007, I was never going to have another dog. But partly because I missed having a dog and partly because my mom was thinking about getting a tiny miniature type of dog that I could see being stepped on or tripping her or my dad... well, I started looking. Daisy is my internet dog... rescued from a gassing shelter in South Carolina with only a half hour to spare.. sent north to the B.A.R.K rescue group in Richmond and to a foster home and then posted on the internet. I put in the application and then drove to Richmond to visit with Daisy and another cocker, Simon. Simon was lively and loving and Daisy was quiet. Simon was interested in the other dogs... Daisy only had eyes for the humans. I sat down to visit and she climbed in my lap and put her head on my shoulder.. and as they say "that was that". She chose me. Oh, Simon also got a home that day.

I have discovered that the nestling of the head on the shoulder is her thing with most people she meets. She loves elderly people, sits quietly beside them at the nursing home, patiently waits for pats and offers her paw. She doesn't bark. She can bark, I've heard her on occasion when she chases squirrels, but it has been a year now since her last vocal bark and it would probably scare me to death if she did. She is older than they first thought and her energy is low.. good for a home with two 80+ residents... and she has some heart failure but is perfect for we couch potatoes. She doesn't mind baths, loves the cats (that love is not reciprocated) and isn't bothered by my snoring. I hope several more years together.

As for the daughter, well.. she has grown up. In the pictures above, Nyssa was three and a half (that "half" always seemed so important when we were little didn't it?). She grew up with Dixie and Dottie. Now, she is almost 25 and off on her own. Daisy arrived after Nyssa left for graduate school... she calls the dog "her replacement". And now Nyssa has her own rescued pup... but her name doesn't start with a "D".

So, "D" is for daughters and dogs and for the daily doses of delirious delight and the occasional dastardly distress that come with them. I couldn't live without either.

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ABC Wednesday Round 8 ~ "D"

Saturday Photo Hunt: Standing

Standing art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. NYC. 2006

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what kind of a person you are” ~ C.S. Lewis (British Scholar and Novelist. 1898-1963)

I posted this picture from our trip to New York City way back in 2006, but it remains one of my favorites. It was originally posted in color, however I like it just as much in black and white. It was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on one of the hottest days of the year. We escaped there to enjoy both the art and the air conditioning. I had been concentrating on the bronze statue in the forefront that reminded me so much of those in Florence, Italy; when I looked up and saw Nyssa standing there gazing at the picture of a young girl dressed in a regal flowing gown and velvet cloak, but with loosely done hair that could pass for a modern young lady. So I couldn't help but sandwich Nyssa in between two gorgeous works of art... since she is, of course what I consider my greatest work of art, or at least I'd like to think I had a little to do with her inner beauty. Anyway, when I saw that the photo hunter theme was "standing", I couldn't help but gravitate to this picture of three children of three different ages and all standing.

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Saturday Photo Hunt ~ "Standing"

Killer Bee Cutie Pies

The Killer Bees.... Oooooo! I'm afraid!
(Steven N. and Nyssa, Halloween... 1987)

"The music of the busy bee
Is drowsy, and it comforts me;
But, ah! 'tis quite another thing,
When that same bee concludes to sting!"
~ Andrew Downing, The Bee (1838 - 1917)

This is an excursion into the past... 23 years ago, to be precise. Steven N. is two weeks older than my daughter, Nyssa. He is the son of my friend and the woman I consider the MOST talented and loving childcare giver I know, Rhonda. Rhonda had Stevie and his older brother Charlie... two years older than Steven and Nyssa. She was unafraid of taking them out and they learned so much about sharing and became like brothers and sister. People would often think that Steven and Nyssa were twins.

This Halloween, the church had a children's party and gave out awards for the costumes in different age groups. These two were 18 months old, so I decided to sew them costumes. I simply took a paper bag and fashioned a pattern then started cutting and they evolved from there. In the back there were white wings and a stuffed white pointed cone stinger sewn in. They wore black tights and yellow turtleneck knit tops and black shoes. These easily slipped on and closed in the back at the neck. The antennae were made with your basic head band, yellow pipe cleaners and round styrofoam balls spray painted black. They looked so cute, running around the house, batting each other with the antennae. At the party, Rhonda and I decided they should enter the contest as a single entry.... The Killer Bees!

Of course, they won first place in their age group. The prize? An extra bit of candy and a ribbon, as I remember. And yes, the costume is carefully put away waiting for the day another little one might use it. Well, maybe not... but it is available to borrow!

These "bees" show off their "yellow" stripes for Carmi's theme this week and lend a Halloween touch to the place. They also bring back a lot of "Mommy" memories that are still fresh after all these years. How fast they grow... how cherished these memories are.

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Carmi's theme ~ yellow

Masters Of Their Universe? Wait And See.

"Masters" of their craft... Nyssa (left) and Sandy (right)
(Click to enlarge)

"For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously." ~ George Gissing, "Winter," The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft, 1903

The weather tried not to cooperate this last graduation weekend in Mississippi... but for these two, that only added an additional air of excitement as they scanned the weather channel and the local channels, pointing out those who graduated from the program in previous years... now some on air locally. There was wind and rain and lightening, but nothing as bad as in surrounding counties. It seems that the area around Mississippi State University has this legendary "buffer zone" that magically dissipates tornadoes and severe storms as they approach.... only to have them reform north and east of campus.

For me, it was déja vu, the heavy oppressive humidity was easy to remember from our years living there but hard to experience again. When I left home at 3AM Eastern time on the 29th it was 42 degrees, cold and a bit windy. It was cold all the way south and through Atlanta... then I hit the front that stalled or at best moved at a crawling pace east.... and there was the heat. At first, not so much heat, but the humidity. Humidity so dense that stepping out of a cool car, your arms immediately become wet with condensation... not sweat. You could almost cut the air with a knife.

Sandy, Nyssa's roommate, was on the Mississippi State University forecasting team. Each year there is a national contest among the best meteorology schools in forecasting. Mississippi State has been either number one or two for the last eight years. This year they won first place for the second year in a row... beating out MIT... yes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They also won over Penn State, University of Oklahoma... even over the team from NOAA. This group was pretty proud.. and deservedly so.

So, now the Master's is done... a new and expanding direction ahead. Sandy is hoping to be forecasting on a local news station in the near future and Nyssa will be off to the University of Nevada, Reno for her doctorate studies. Combining geology, meteorology and geography into a combination of climate and earth science, she hopes to have a wide area of expertise and would like to do research and teach on the university level.

My love and congratulations to both!!!!!!

"The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things -- the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit, and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit. " ~ Samuel Johnson

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Two Sweet Girls, One Birthday...

Miss Daisy and Miss Nyssa...Who's the birthday girl?

One of the signs of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them. ~ Virginia Woolf

I have two sweet girls... Miss Daisy Doodlebug and Miss Nyssa Sweet Pea. Today is a special birthday for one of these lovely creatures, can you guess who? If I tell you her age you can surely guess but at what age does it become inappropriate to divulge a woman's age? OK, probably not before 30 so that lets Miss Daisy out since in dog years she has to be older than 30. Today Nyssa turns 24. The night before her birth I stayed in the hospital and had Red Lobster and strawberry pie brought in. Two days of induction will make you hungry. Still she would not cooperate, even then she knew her own mind and showed she had inherited that stubborn streak that is so strong in her family.

I have to celebrate this birthday long distance and know that this will be the case for many years to come. So even though I couldn't bake a cake or make cookies or see her friends giving her hearty wishes all around, I looked back and thought about a few of the birthdays we were together. And I wish her a very, very happy 24th birthday!! (I am you mother, I can tell people your age and you can't do anything about it! ♥) And if I were there I would bake you a cake.... or cookies... any favorites!?

Birthday cakes and cookies... a selection.

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Cow. 'Nother Cow. Actually, I Think That Was The Same Cow!

May 13, 2009.. Ponca City, Oklahoma Tornado
Picture by Nyssa.
(Click to enlarge)

"Predictability: Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?" ~ Edward N. Lorenz

My daughter has become a free spirit, majoring in both English and Geology at William and Mary; now getting a masters degree in meteorology and going on for a doctorate.. well, in something related to both. In May, she took a two week course in storm chasing. Nyssa and seven other grad students along with two professors took off in the Mississippi State University van and headed to the state of her birth... Oklahoma. Other students, parents and the universe in general could follow their escapades on the MSU Storm Chase site. First there was a little grumbling about the much hyped Weather Channel Vortex2 project... there were going to be too many chasers... they have so much equipment and we don't.... the roads are going to be crammed with vans and trucks from this. But as it turned out... this was a very slow May for tornadoes in "tornado alley".

Nyssa called about a few near miss sightings and unusual cloud formations... but no tornadoes. They drove through Oklahoma to Texas and back again.. eventually traversing Kansas, Nebraska and up into Colorado. The web site had a handy GPS tracking map that showed where they were in real time.

They evaluated their maps and computer print outs and forecast predictions and decided to set up shop in Ponca City, Oklahoma for a couple of days. Meanwhile, the Vortex2 groups and Mike Bettis from the Weather Channel headed west, far west to Clinton, Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas in search of the elusive tornado. Then, finally, on Wednesday, May 13th, I received a text message.... "MOM!!! I just chased my FIRST tornado... COOL!!!" Pictures and a video appeared on the website later that evening.

Now, I must tell all grad student storm chasers out there... it is not a good idea to video a tornado chase with the sound on.... you could cause your parents great harm; especially when they hear..."Wow, look it's headed right for us!" Don't blog that, please!!! Another thing... it probably isn't the greatest idea to pose for a picture with the tornado still in the background... that doesn't help a mother's heart either.

May 13, 2009.. Ponca City, Oklahoma Tornado
Picture by Nyssa.

Nyssa survived.. they all survived, they even had a mention on the Weather Channel one evening. I noticed the group was in Alliance, Nebraska and so was Mike Bettis when he came on with his update, and said.."You never know who you'll run into out here. Today, I met up with a group of grad students from Mississippi State in MacDonald's and they showed me their pictures and video of the Ponca City tornado. All I could do was stand there and cry..." You see.. the Vortex2 group with all its huge equipment and sophisticated trucks had miscalculated that day... they went west when they should have gone north, and they missed this tornado that day.

So, with Nyssa's help... she took the pictures and I cleaned them up... this is my Skywatch Friday submission for this week and I leave you with this alternate scale for evaluating the strength of tornadoes... do you think it will replace the Fujita Scale anytime soon?

Moojita Scale

M0 Tornado - Cows in an open field are spun around parallel to the wind flow and become mildly annoyed.
M1 Tornado - Cows are tipped over and can't get up.
M2 Tornado - Cows begin rolling with the wind.
M3 Tornado - Cows tumble and bounce.
M4 Tornado - Cows are AIRBORN.
M5 Tornado - S T E A K ! ! !

Addendum: Shutterday photo this week was weather and this was definitely WEATHER!

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It's The Birthday Girl!!!!

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future." ~ Author Unknown

Sweet Nyssa memories from years gone by...
(Click pictures to enlarge)

Twenty three years ago today, my baby was born... a beautiful, round headed little girl with ten fingers and ten toes and big round eyes. She grew and grew... into an outgoing little southern belle who seemed to be known and loved by everyone she met. I became known as "Nyssa's Mom" and this was fine by me. She excelled in her music and her studies and tried everything.. cheerleading, basketball and softball. Braces saved a couple of teeth during softball and basketball opponents were thrown off by her tactic of "defensive screaming". (Many in the bleachers were also startled.) Then came those pesky boys and formals and make-up... oh, yes.. and learning to drive. I lived through the learning to drive!

Three graduations... and counting...

So far, we have made it through three graduations... kindergarten... that was a breeze and very sweet... she was so proud! Then high school graduation in 2004 and that wonderful tradition... just last year... from The College of William and Mary! Now, Nyssa is fifteen hours away, back in Mississippi... on her own, in graduate school and chasing hurricanes and tornadoes. Her future awaits!

A funny face fanatic....

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart." ~ Author Unknown

I couldn't forget some of the strange faces that come out when Nyssa is making a point, or eating or giving herself a facial... at least I left out the really embarrassing ones!

So, on this day... Nyssa's 23rd birthday... I am thinking of you Sweet Pea and wishing you the happiest of days! It would be perfect.. at least for me.. if I could be with you... but know you are always in my heart! I LOVE YOU!

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Starting A New Chapter

Be strong. Be intelligent. Smile.
Know that beauty has everything to do with how you feel about yourself and nothing to do with looks or other people's opinions.
Never do anything just because everyone else is if you believe it's wrong.
Always be true to yourself.
Expect the best from life and that's what you'll get.
Learn from your mistakes and failures.
Believe in magic and wish on stars.
Love and trust and be compassionate.
Make faces. Play in mud puddles. Take bubble baths.
Turn off all the lights and watch lightening storms.
Dance, laugh, cry, and sing when you want to.
Read everything you can get your hands on.
Stand up for what is right especially if you stand alone.
Don't allow yourself or people around you to tolerate prejudices of any kind.
Don't be afraid to try something new.
Do something daring at least once a week.
Run through snow drifts. (I know. Not likely in Mississippi!)
Spin in circles and roll down hills.
Pet puppies, hold kittens, and talk to babies.
Take afternoon naps. Stay up to watch the sunrise.
Never apologize for being a woman or for being yourself.
Never forget that I love you more than any other person in the world, no matter how far apart we are you will always be my daughter."
~ Author Unknown

My baby is on her own... 884 miles away, living a distance greater than she has ever done before. We made the trip from Virginia to Mississippi in about 18 hours (with two or so hours for dining and refeeding the U-haul. I will have more observations about the trip later... for now, here she is in her first apartment... no more dorm rooms... just leaky faucets and fights with baby roaches. She loves it! (the apartment, not necessarily the roaches)
This was a very tough move for mom.

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On The Road Again

No quote.....brain is dead.
No witty sayings.... too tired.
Just moving... always moving... this time moving Nyssa back to Mississippi for grad school.
I am off to bed... a 1AM alarm set and I will likely be out of pocket until August 8th... unless there is a miracle and great service with internet in Starkville...I won't hold my breath though.
So, it's "On the road again.........."

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William & Mary - Class of 2008

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known." ~ Author Unknown

No other words necessary.... I love you, Nyssa.... Graduate... Class of 2008!

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Joyful Exuberance

The unbridled joy of childnood.

"We need the enthusiasm of the young. We need their 'joie de vivre'. In it is reflected something of the original joy God had in creating man." ~ Pope John Paul II

The prompt for Moody Monday this week is "ebullient", meaning "full of joyful, unrestrained high spirits and zestfully enthusiastic". Anyone with a small child experiences this on a daily basis; everything is new, each experience is a "first time" and joy is plentiful. Life is easy and simple pleasures of a Happy Meal and the chance to romp in the plastic balls brings smiles and contagious laughter. Of course this was taken when the world was friendlier, before twisted people began to drop open needles and syringes in the play area. Today I would think twice before letting Nyssa near one... but then, though only eighteen years ago, the world was a safer place. I wonder if she remembers this day?

Submission for Moody Monday topic "ebullient". (end of post)

Large Hat, Little Girl

This hat is too large for such a little girl.
(Click picture for larger view)

"Sometimes you can tell a large story with a tiny subject." ~ Eliot Porter (1901-1990), U.S. photographer

Her cowboy hat was way too large; a man's size, purchased at the local garage sale for a dollar. But for Nyssa it was fantastic, even if it fell sideways over her big blue-green eyes more often than not. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a mainstay at this point in time... although the jelly never stayed on the sandwich but migrated to her face at some point. Nyssa wouldn't touch steak until she was in high school, so the PB&J went with us to the steakhouse where she would order her side salad to go with it. In our small town, the restaurant didn't mind.I love the memories we made in those peanut butter and jelly days and that old ten gallon hat! You know... I think that hat may be stored away somewhere. Do you suppose it will survive until another little girl wants to play cowboy?

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "large". (end of post)

Snipets and Snapshots

"Keeping in touch with childhood memories keeps us believing in life's simplest pleasures like a rainy afternoon, a swing set, and a giant puddle to play in." ~ Chrissy Ogden

We capture the joys of childhood on film, preserving those precious moments for years to come. It always happens, childhood memories fade and details dim; but the bits and pieces of our lives and our children's lives are there in the pictures to be reclaimed and revisited as the years pass. Pictures lead to stories and the stories, to our whole family history, from generation to generation. So, for today's Photo Hunt I offer these small glimpses into my daughter's childhood.

The birthday princess and her subjects. (1990)

At preschool, the birthday girl gets to wear a crown and everyone has cupcakes. Patrick is sticking his head into the picture, bless his heart, this child was the poster boy for hyperactivity. What girl would not like this preschool? That year the 3 year old class contained ten boys and two little girls. Never again would those odds be in play.

Playing Happy, Happy Hippo with her favorite Uncle. (1990)

On a break from The Phantom of the Opera, Nyssa's Uncle Stephen would visit us in Mississippi. He always was willing to play those games: Hungry Hungry Hippo, Scrabble, Manacala, Scattagories, Uno.... you name it, they played it through the years. When the coffee pot appeared, she knew Uncle Stephen would be arriving soon. He is still her favorite fellow.

Feeding the ducks on a visit to Grandma's house. (1990)

Grandma and Grandpa have lived in Virginia Beach since before her birth. For years our summer vacation included a two week trip to their house. Sometimes they would plan a few side trips to historical places like Appomattox, Gettysburg, Hershey PA, and to Lancaster, PA to see the drama Noah. There were also local visits to the Living Museum, Marine Science Museum and Williamsburg. We've picked blueberries in Pungo and peaches in North Carolina. And no visit to Grandma's house would be complete without feeding the ducks and geese at Mt. Trashmore. Even now, it is a tradition.

Life on a merry-go-round (1989)

Merry-go-rounds speak of childhood when time seems to stand still for the child and yet flies faster than the wind for a parent. Round and round, up and down with bright colorful horses and circus animals, sparkling lights and pipe organ music; the joy and mystery of the carousel never ends. It doesn't matter if it is in a mall, or part of a traveling amusement show, or in a park or at Disney World... it is a permanent fixture of childhood. Nyssa turned 21 a week ago and she still rides every merry-go-round she runs across.

"Childhood is a magic castle of sand on a shore.
One moment, it's here the next, no more."
~ Imelda U. Antonio

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "childhood". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.

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To Sit In The Shade On A Fine Day...

....and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. (Jane Austin)
(Click picture for larger view)

"If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it." ~ Herodotus (484 BC - 430 BC)

To rest suspended between earth and sky, on a warm sun-filled spring day, with shade provided by ancient oaks and an cool ocean breeze on your face; that is relaxation. Add a good book; no, not a technical journal or textbook or a two thousand page epic novel, but a bit of fluff... perhaps a mystery or fantasy or even a cookbook (for those unique people to whom cookbooks read like novels); and you have a day that approaches perfection. Should there be colorful flowers blooming nearby, the fragrance of lilac and the music of a mockingbird... well, what would you call something beyond perfection?

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "relaxation". (end of post)

How Fast Time Flies!!

Happy 21st Birthday, Nyssa!!

(Clockwise from top left: 1986 ~ One day old, 1986 ~ 7 months,
1988 ~ 2 years old, 1992 ~ 6 years old)

For My Beautiful Daughter

by Susan Polis Schultz

I looked at you today and saw the same beautiful eyes that looked at me with love when you were a baby.
I looked at you today and saw the same beautiful mouth that made me cry when you first smiled at me when you were a baby.
It was not long ago that I held you in my arms long after you fell asleep and I just kept rocking you all night long.

(Clockwise from top left: 1999 ~ 13 years old, 2001 ~ 15 years old,
2002 ~ 16 years old, 2004 ~ 18 years old)

I looked at you today and saw my beautiful daughter, no longer a baby but a beautiful person with a full range of emotions and feelings and ideas and goals.
Every day is exciting as I continue to watch you grow.

(Clockwise from top left: 2005 ~ 19 years old, 2006 ~ 20 years old,
2006 ~ still 20 years old, 2007 ~ 21 years old)

And I want you to always know that in good and bad times I will Love you and that no matter what you do or how you think or what you say, you can depend on my support, guidance, friendship and love every minute of every day.
I love being your mother.

Twenty one years ago today at 5:00 PM, you came into this world screaming with outrage at being disturbed, even before you were completely delivered. You had your first "day at the beach" under those bili lights; sleeping for eight hours, naked and warm and content. Thus began your love affair with the beach and your ever present battle with the alarm clock.

It was hard for me to imagine this day, your 21st birthday, way back when you were first placed in my arms. It is still hard for me to comprehend how fast time has flown by. What is easy to remember is how much I loved you then, how much I loved watching you grow and how proud I am of the person you've become!

The path your life will take is now in your hands; I must take off the training wheels and let you go. Now, the decisions of your life are yours, make them wisely and always with the help of God.

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." ~ Robert Munsch

(end of post)

Small Hands, Large Hopes

Hands across the generations. (Nyssa, Christmas 1988)
(Click picture for larger view)

"When I was a child... With those five words, almost holy in their simplicity, we touch hands across the generations, each to the next. With that word 'when', we reach back, as if to take something special from a pocket. With the words 'I was', we stand with locked knees upon our place in history. And with 'a child', we remind the generations to follow that we were once young, too, and that they, too, will grow old and full of memories." ~ Ted Kooser, Poet Laureate of the United States

A small child with life unfolding before her, walks with her grandma on a windy winter beach. Little hands pat the sand and strain to find the foamy water... OH! It's cold! Grandma quickly dries those hands and encases them in her gloves...tiny hands hidden within those large gloves, safe and warm.

That's what we try to do as parents.... hide our children's hands, hearts and minds in a safe cocoon where the cold and rain and horrors of life cannot reach them; where they may grow strong in spirit, as well as in body. It hurts to know that we can only do so much to keep them in our hands of safety and all too soon those barbs of life will work their way through.

This little child grew up all too soon. Now her hands sport her own gloves and wrap arms around her friends during times of loss and my hands can no longer fix all her hurts. Perhaps someday, there will be another little girl walking along the beach with her grandma; tiny hands wrapped in large warm gloves and her future wrapped safely in her own mother's heart. Someday.

Submission for Tuesday Challenge topic "hands". (end of post)

The Kiss A Mother Could Love

Nyssa and The Frog Prince? No such luck.
(Click picture for larger view)

"How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said." ~ Victor Hugo

"It's not easy being green!" ~ Kermit T. Frog

This might qualify as the strangest "creature" Nyssa has ever kissed. No, I take that back. There was that poor snowman last year... you remember, the one they built in the middle of the night when it snowed in Williamsburg; with the leaves in his face and the crooked eyes and smile. Of course then you have to think about the real guys too... John and the Chris's... how many boys named Chris did you date? Let me tell you, a couple of them were almost as different as this frog. Too bad the frog didn't turn into a handsome prince but then, neither did the snowman, nor the boys for that matter. You could say she had to file these kisses in the "Cold Kiss Files"! Better luck next time.

Submission for Shutterday topic "kiss". (end of post)

My Blessing From God

My little blessing at age two. (1988) (Click to enlarge)

Count Your Blessings...
Count their fingers, count their toes,
count the freckles on their nose.
Count the laughter, count the tears,
count the memories through the years.
And when you add up all of your assets,
may your best investments be
the sum of all the blessings,
hanging from your family tree.

~ Keri Lyn

It's hard to believe that this little two year old will be twenty-one in less than three weeks.... where did the time go? She was, is and will forever be my blessing from God. God blessed me with this child and together we have laughed and cried, felt immense joy and deep sorrow, reached high goals and experienced the pits of failure. We have come through the valley of the shadows of both adolescence and menopause..... at the same time.... and we lived through it. She has been fiercely independent from the beginning and that will not change, nor do I wish it to; for I feel confident that whatever she endeavors to do with her life, she will succeed. I love you Nyssa.

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "blessing". (end of post)