Mother's Day

We do not have a rooster (loud and generally unpleasant personalities), so the girls will never be mother's. I think they are ok with that. In the 9 months since Fanny laid her first egg through now no one has gotten broody- they go, they lay, they leave.

Last Mother's Day came only a month after my mom died. The day before was the day we went to Sumner Byrd Farms to check out their set up, look at their birds and decided to hustle home and finish the chicken house so we could get chicks the next weekend. And I saw a sight I thought I'd never see- my grandmother with a parrot!

She was rather taken with the little guy. It helped take our minds off mama not being there for a few minutes.

This Mother's Day was spent at Duke hospital. Will's mom had a stroke on Tuesday and the week was spent going back and forth to the hospital, but by Sunday plans were made for her to go to rehab Monday (today!) and we were feeling better about her prognosis- she has a long way to go, but there is some optimism that she will regain some of her mobility.

I did pretty well with going to visit- it hit a little close to last year and the almost week spent in a hospital, but thankfully this had a positive outcome. All her children and grand kids were there to wish her a Happy Mother's Day (and a few daughters-in-law). My Mother's Day sorta wasn't- too many more important things going on.

I think it was the first Mother's Day in my life that I didn't see grandma for at least part of the day. She went out with one of her brother's kids for lunch. Their mother was grandma's best friend and she was my mom's (and my) favorite aunt. Aunt Nora Mae has been dead for about 16 years, but of all the folks grandma has lost over the years I know that outside of mama and granddaddy she misses her the most.

Saturday morning was the first time the girls had seen Will since the previous Monday. We left for the hospital a little later and I let them out for a few minutes. When they heard the back door open they looked towards the house and when they saw Will they started clucking and crowding into the corner of their yard closest to the house, then they jumped on a chair- the better to see him! They were so happy to see him and stood around waiting for him to pet everyone (except Emma- she was busy laying an egg).

I anticipate that this summer will bring changes- Ian getting ready for college, Will and his brother taking up a lot of the slack for his dad in the upkeep of the farm, Judy working on getting as close back to "normal" as she can......it would be nice if change could be orderly and wait for one thing to be settled before having to adjust to another. Just saying!

Judy and Bill Batts at their 50th anniversary party, April 16, 2011