Sunday, May 1, 2022

A Birthday Party At The River


Jessie and her family met up with friends at the Wacissa this morning to kayak and swim about. We had a leisurely morning and made it there about 1:00 or something with a very tarted-up cake that looked like I'd given a four-year old the colored icing to decorate it with. I added a few of our vintage candle holders and cake pretties and some rose buds and there it was. So tacky. 
So homemade.
And pretty darn good. 
August was extremely excited at the prospect of cake. That boy loves sugar. 


There were mamas and daddies and kiddos in the group and it was a sweet day at the river. Children meeting up and making immediate friends and joining in projects together involving sand and buckets and shovels. New couples, holding hands in the water. An older man leaning on a cane and a grandson's arm to enter the cold river. A group of adolescent boys whom I looked at and said to someone, "They should be off hunting the saber-toothed tiger." 
And they should have been but instead, they were jumping off the cypress tree rope swing and walking about with sabor-toothed tiger hunter swagger. There was a man with a kite and his beautiful girlfriend who had the biggest Afro I've seen since the seventies. 
It was lovely. Our first trip to the Wacissa this year. I did not get in the water. It was so perfect, sitting in the shade with a good breeze blowing that I felt no compulsion whatsoever to jump in. Next trip, I will. 
When it was just about time to pack up, the sky grew dark and thunder began to rumble. It astounds me how often this happens when we go to the river. We can almost count on it. 
We left before it rained and went through a few cloud bursts on the way home but it wasn't enough rain to truly matter. Certainly not enough to wash the FDG lot away. 

Mr. Moon and I checked on the hatching situation this morning and there were two peeps in the process of freeing themselves from their shells. Darla was extremely agitated and we let them be but when we got home this afternoon we went out and checked again.


Coming right along. One of those chicks is Violet's baby and this definitely answers the question of whether or not Liberace successfully courts the little bantam. They are all a yellow-orange, taking after their father, I assume. 
I've put some water and feed in the nest box and Darla, at least, has availed herself of both. I talked to a friend of mine about raising baby chicks. She has many, many chickens and she says she just lets the mama take care of them. So I am leaning that way again. 
Violet is still sitting. I do not expect any action from her eggs until at least later on in the week. 

All this baby-birthing and I am thinking today about the day Jessie was born. I told the story in an abbreviated form to the other mothers at the river who were there with their babies and young children. About how it rained all day the day I was in labor but how Glen and I would take little walks between showers and how, right before she was born, the rain stopped and a rainbow appeared. 
True story! 
The mothers all told me that I had done a great job to create such a beautiful woman and I smiled and said, "Yes. I did." 

On one of our labor walks that day thirty-three years ago, my husband picked me a magnolia blossom, huge and creamy white, and its scent filled the room Jessie was born in. Maybe that's why she's always been so sweetly-tempered, so beautiful and light-filled. 

For whatever reason, she is a glory and a dancing woman. And her father and I love her far more than human words can express. 

Happy birthday, my Jessie love. Thank you for being born to me. 

Love...Ms. Moon



35 comments:

  1. oh, this made me tear up. Yes, you did good that day.....and Jessie is a lovely birthday woman.....and you, a beautiful Mother. Your day sounds wonderful and the cake looks absolutely to die for. Bless you all and so glad everyone enjoyed (when do you NOT enjoy?) I can't wait to see how many more chicks hatch out and yes, from my own experience......Momma hens are the best caretakers always.
    Susan M

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  2. What a full day, from birth memories to chickens hatching. I wouldn't have minded sitting in the shade with you.

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  3. When we had chickens we always let the mothers raise them

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    1. Were they free-rangers? Or were they enclosed?

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  4. Happy birthday to your rainbow girl Jessie, who reminds me so much of my rainbow girl. How could we both have daughters born on a day when it rained continuously, only to stop as she took her first breaths under a rainbow sky. It's true. That's my daughter's birth story too. Life can be so magical and mysterious. Such a beautiful family day by the river, with a cake that was simply perfect because her mama made it. Lovelovelove.

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    1. Good Lord, Woman! Did I know this about your girl? We are the same soul, you and me. How did this happen?

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  5. Yes, a happy birthday to Jessie. What a beautiful woman, a beautiful mother, a beautiful wife.

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    1. She is, Joanne. She does not fear speaking the truth, though! I mean- we do call her Mean Aunt Jessie. She is the only person in the world who can tell her daddy what's what.

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  6. Wishing Jessie many, many happy returns of the day.

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  7. Ah. This made me tear up too. My baby is almost 17 in 12 days and asked a girl out on a date for the first time this afternoon. And! I let my mean chicken raise her baby last year in the coop with the other less mean hens. She and the baby stayed in the nesting box for a bit, and then I would scoop the little one up and put her back in the box, and mama would follow. Mama did a great job and no one messed with the baby.

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  8. Every daughter should here such words from her mother.

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    1. Ah, Ramona- it all happens so fast. You know. You KNOW! Bless your boy, growing up so good.
      And Debby- the world would be a better place.

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  9. Awww those sweet 'lil chicks! Jessie's birth story is such a thing of beauty and so is she. I love the way you often capture Virgil looking at her so adoringly. I'm sure behind the camera you have the same look on your face. I understand August's excitement...that cake looks scrumptious!! Such a lovely day!
    Angie D

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    1. Vergil looks at Jessie like that all the time. He is a fine man in all ways. We are lucky to have him as part of our family.

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  10. You did a great job with that cake Mary! Almost as good as the job you did raising Jessie.

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    1. Ah- she was too easy to raise to claim much credit. This is the absolute truth.

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  11. I love that cake! Home made is always best when it comes to cake. Happy Birthday to Jessie.

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    1. Despite the tackiness of the cake, I was proud of it.

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  12. Such cute little chicks and yes Jessie is a gorgeous young lady! Happy Birthday Jessie. August looks as if he is about to dive into that cake!

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    1. August would have dived into the cake if he'd had half a chance.

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  13. What a nice day for Jessie! My baby girl is 33 this year too and I had a nice day of hiking and chitchat with her yesterday. Beautiful women our sweet girls!
    Will you keep all of the baby chicks or will you give some away? How many chickens are in your group now?

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    1. That sounds like a lovely way to spend a day with your daughter. Isn't it wonderful to have grown children to hang out with?
      I will see how many baby chicks survive before I make any decisions. We have ten hens now and one rooster. Not counting chicks.

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  14. That cake looks huge. And three little peeps. Happy birthday to Jessie and good job mom.

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    1. That was just the perspective of the shot. It was a normal sized cake.

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  15. Happy birthday Jessie - and lucky you to have that beautiful river (and the weather to go with it) to celebrate at!

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    1. It IS a beautiful river. To me, that river is Florida.

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  16. Much love and happiness to Jessie and all you Moons! Happy Day!

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    1. It's me, N2. Love to you and the family, Mary!

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  17. Happy belated birthday to Jessie! I love a big afro. They seem to be coming back in style. I see them in London every now and then.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.