Friday, July 10, 2009

Home. By Jessie.


When Jessie was out yesterday, she had her new camera with her and snapped many pictures.
She took pictures of the post office box and the porches and spiders and dirt dauber structures and our house and the dogs and me and her daddy.
She's on her way to Miami now to catch the plane for Jamaica and I'm thinking about her. I'm also thinking about how really, I need to pour a little water over the flames of my ego and realize that trying to protect and shelter my children even when they are adults is mostly evidence of a vast over-fed sense of my abilities. And it also implies that I don't trust their abilities which I very much do so what's the deal here?
I'm here if they need me. They know it and that's that.
Or that's what I'm trying to learn now and it's about damn time.
On to the pictures. Click on them to see them in their full-sized glory.



Here's me and Mr. Moon. He's eating the last of the blackberry cobbler I made last weekend. With ice cream on it. Mr. Moon loves ice cream. I love Mr. Moon.


This is where I get my mail every day. The boxes are just like the ones in the Roseland post office when I was a child. I think our number there was 174 but I'm not sure. Our post mistress in Roseland was a woman named Nelly. Our post mistresses here is a woman named Joanne. I have grown up to come home.


Our house. It's a very, very, very fine house. And there indeed two cats in the yard. Check out the live oak on the left. It's huge. I read a thing the other day that said live oaks live 600 years. Two hundred to grow, two hundred to live, two hundred to die. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I think that tree is at least two hundred years old.



And here's me, standing in the little yard of my office, surveying my pinecone lillies, my phlox, my ferns. Buster is surveying with me.

And finally, because they are so pretty and photogenic, two pictures of the chickens.


Yes. Suzie is really that big and Miss Betty is really that small.


And the little ones. See Elmira way in the back with her little head poking up? She must be related to Miss Betty. But she's a plucky, healthy chick. Aren't the teenager chickens funny looking with their feathers all coming in and sticking out everywhere as if they hadn't figured out quite where to go yet? I think they are.

And looking at these pictures, I realize that I have plenty to worry about and take care of right here where I live. And that the children, my grown-up, very capable, very smart and amazing children, know where they can find me if they need me.

Right here, maybe in my garden. They can just fly right over here on their own strong wings.


Amen.
Happy Friday.

Love...Ms. Moon

18 comments:

  1. the tennage chickens are much like our teenagers, aren't they?

    akward and pokey and sticking out in all directions.

    surrounding jessie's journey in clear, blue, heaven-colored light.

    happy friday, ms moon

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  2. Lovely photos! Your house is totally my dream home. And you and Mr Moon are adorable! Happy Friday to you, too!

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  3. Ditto to all Lady Lemon said!

    How long will Jessie be in Jamaica? Ah, how I love that alliteration. It's a meant to be for sure.

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  4. "I have grown up to come home."

    Very very true. Also, those are some mighty fine lookin' chickens these days.

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  5. Beautiful family. Beautiful home. Beautiful life.

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  6. Jessie is so good at taking pictures! I'm so glad she got that camera.
    Frankly, I can't believe you guys let a blackberry cobbler stick around for an entire week. Why were you eating chex mix the other night when that was in the fridge? I love that picture though. You both look so beautiful.

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  7. Haha! I haven't left yet! We are actually leaving at one o'clock today.
    Thanks for putting my pictures up. I love to be shown off, and that makes me an attention who-ore.
    May- I'm glad I got that camera too. Although I might have to exchange it because you may have notice but on the right side of the photos, a line travels down and I don't like it! Oh well.

    I will miss you all when I am gone. Thanks for the wings Mama. I love you all!

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  8. Ms. Moon,
    What a fine home and husband and family. Wow. Wow. Wow.

    I thought of you and Jessie all morning. I'm sure her trip will be wonderful, and I hope you don't get too down about her being gone. Seems to me your attitude in this post is exactly the right one to have.

    Sending you love,

    SB

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  9. GAWD - you and Mr. Moon are SO DAMN CUTE :0)

    You make me smile again today.

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  10. Safe travels Ms. Honeyluna. Soar with the big birds! We'll all be waiting for stories and pictures of you adventure... and hugs too.
    OOOOOO

    MM--I think the whole worrying thing is from so many years of having to do it... it's what mom's do because of all the hazards in the world, and becomes habit! I am always a stage or two behind Harley if that makes sense. There's always something I'm doing that is residual from two stages ago that he totally doesn't need me to do anymore. I hope I'm not cutting his tofu when he's 30! haha!

    Really, I do get it, and you're doing great. Stay distracted and use the cell phone.
    xoxo pf

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  11. Anonymous- Yes. The young chicks are exactly like teenagers. And boy, do they want the keys to the car. Thank you for the good Jessie wishes.

    Lady Lemon- We're a funny-lookin' couple but it works.
    I have my dream home, too. Amazing!

    Nola- She's leaving the country tomorrow and will be home the Sunday next. 9 nights?

    DTG- The only thing closer would be to move back to Roseland itself and you know what? I would do that.

    Steph- Thank-you. I think so.

    May- Because my cobbler was way too healthy for me to eat at one a.m., I suppose. Plus, I couldn't sit there and pick through it with my fingers. Ack! No more Chex Mix. Ever.

    Ms. HoneyLuna- We're all attention who-ores. Happy travels, safe returns. I love you.

    Ms. Bastard- You're so sweet. You are not a bastard at all. (I won't tell anyone.)

    Justme- Thank-you!

    Ms. Fleur- You're right. How does one break THAT habit?

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  12. LMAO at Jessie "attention who-ores." Great pictures, and I wish her safe and happy travels.

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  13. A good black and white picture is like a painting. Pity that Kodak is getting out of the film making business, I hope that some other company picks up the slack. It would be a shame to lose this medium.

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  14. I love the garden! And the house. And all of you, of course.

    But my favorite was "I have grown up to come home." That got me.

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  15. You can't help but want to protect your babies forever... it's just the way it is.
    Beautiful chickens, beautiful house.
    Did you plant stuff in a heart shape? Is that what I see next to the wheel barrow?
    We have a heart shaped patch in our garden. Grows cosmos and morning glories. It was Mia's idea. She can see it from her bedroom window.

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  16. Ginger- Jessie is a very funny girl.

    Lucy- That's a nice one, isn't it?

    SJ- I'm glad you like that one.

    Michelle- No. That's just the shape the butternut squash has taken along with the watermelon and pumpkin. Sort of pretty, isn't it?

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  17. Lovely photos and even lovelier prose! Your life, home, marriage, and garden all seem cozy, loving, and loved.

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  18. Joy- I am so lucky and so blessed.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.