Mother's Day and Memories

The second Sunday in May ... Mother's day. 

It was a "memory" filled Mother's Day this year. 

Had the traditional breakfast and the bouquet. 

I never really know what to get my mom for Mother's Day. This year though ... she's been trying to get me involved in a big photo project, organizing and labeling pictures from all throughout the years. I'd just never really gotten on board. A couple of times when there were difficulties figuring out how to keep certain written memories with pictures, my mind would think "this would work well in a blog".  So that's what I did. I made a blog. 

It's a little like scrapbooking. Coming up with a cute title, making themed pages (like "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" showcasing snowmen built over decades, or featuring the autobiography of Grandma with a collage of photos or showcasing the California Vacation of 1980.  I got several topics up, and all the annual Christmas Letters (from 1997 - present).  I knew Mom, Chris and Wendy had been discussing ways to keep track of current correspondence too. The weekly/monthly letters we siblings send out. That didn't quite fit my thought for The Westra Way blog, which I wanted to be more classic stuff. So ... I made a second blog (Write On) for that and grabbed the last month or two of emails to include there.  That was my gift, and a gift that will keep on giving as I keep it up (I know, I'm behind on my own blog, but ...) So I sent my mom the link that morning.

After breakfast, we went out to the cemetery. 

First Mother's Day without mom for Gray. 

It was just three little boys, as the bigs were off doing their own thing.

I was trying to recreate some grass pictures taken in 2011.

We'd had a family Zoom meeting the week before for Pammy's birthday.

We then stopped by to see my folks ... with the whole Covid-19 thing still going on, we just visited out on the porch for a bit. I forgot to grab a photo. We also drove by Pam's old house (where Gray grew up, where we lived in the basement apartment when we were first married, that the kids knew as Maga's first house) and then by my old house on Hermitage. A memory-filled morning.

My brother Chris had asked us all to write up memories of Mom.

I turned it into a blog post too ...

Memories of Margie (May2020)

Landon and Sol came over for games and dinner.

Gray made a yummy dinner with tri-tip, mashed potatoes and asparagus ...

When I was growing up, there was a large orchard by the house. We kids would go wander, and asparagus grew wild there. It was tricky to find, amidst the trees and weeds, but I was a really good asparagus finder. I didn't want to eat it though, and my mom couldn't make me ... because then I just "wouldn't find" anymore. It wasn't until this last year that I tried Grayson's sauteed style. One of the very few foods I've learned to like in my old age. 

April 2020

Back in March there was some talk of "everyone just stay at home for these two weeks" ... I knew there was no way it would be just two weeks. No way it would be contained that quickly. Things stayed shut down for all of April. The schools made it official, kids would not be returning this academic year but would finish up online. Masks are now recommended. While cloth masks aren't nearly as effective, they are about the only thing available. I pulled out my sewing machine and made some. Stores have limited hours, and limit the number of people allowed to enter, and even initiated "one-way" lanes down the aisles. Toilet paper is slowly starting to appear on some shelves again. Limits are in place for many products. There is some fear of meat shortages in the future. 

On the home front ... things continue somewhat the same. There has been some inconsistency in school assignments. Some parents have complained that their kids have SO much work. Not so for Colton. He's usually done by 10:00 each morning. Cooper's classes continue on as normal. We had some chemistry experiments this month. Keaton is finishing up his SLCC classes. All the boys are still able to work. Gray goes into the office (most everyone else is still working from home). Landon is at LKL and stops by most days for lunch. Keaton is still working with Cal at Camson Electric. 

• EASTER: The holiday was pretty low key, I really didn't have many treats and the Easter bunny was quarantined so ... the boys don't complain and even put on ears for a photo. 
• HAIRCUTS: Keaton decided to cut his own hair ... he ended up just buzzing it. Then he did the same to Colton. Lots of game play still going on. 
• GAMES: Keaton got interested in chess again... even watching a couple movies on the subject (Searching For Bobby Fischer, Queen of Katwe). The boys ended up breaking our little basketball hoop ... it's taken a beating. It's been replaced, a new one is up and ready to play.  
• ZUMBA: After little to no dancing for a month, I asked a couple of my ladies if they would want to try a little backyard Zumba, and we did!
• FLOWERS & GARDEN: We've got some spring flowers coming up. The lilacs are blooming! I braved a trip to Lowes and picked up some plants and got a few things in the garden. 
• FLYOVER: A formation of four jets flew over the state as a salute to healthcare workers. It got quite a bit of buzz on Facebook. I made Colton and Cooper come out to the front yard for a "field-trip" to watch it. 

Here's the One Second Every Day ...