I started writing a post last night and it was all full of woe-is-me and can-you-believe-this!? and it was about my mother and one of my brothers and it started like this:
Jesus and I haven't been writing about anything that cuts to the bone, reveals my flesh recently. Why is that? Why do I feel as if anything I write here might lead to disaster? Is it that with Lily about to give birth I am completely afraid of tempting the gods? Who knows? But honestly. My life is not entirely all rainbows and buttercups, Daffodils and Miss Reds and Miss Penny with her brain injury healing up. No. There are...situations.
And then it went on in that vein and darlings, you really would read it and weep...with laughter. It was so filled with self-righteousness and indignation and you know what? I'm not going to post it because....
Well, because my life IS almost entirely rainbows and buttercps, Daffodils and Miss Reds and Miss Penny with her brain injury healing up. It's all of that and so many butterflies out right now you can't believe it and cooler temperatures and lower humidity and, and, AND, Lily about to give birth and my four wonderful children and my husband, my hard-working husband.
Here's what he did this weekend:
Not by hand. Oh no. He rented a backhoe (and he used to own one and was the envy of every man who met him) and he and our neighbor dug a new sewer line over at Lily and Jason's house.
"Shit runs downhill," he told me. "And that's all I need to remember."
Oh, Mr. Moon. My hero.
While he was backhoeing, Jessie and May and Lily and I were gathered at Lily's house to make a plaster cast of her belly. As May said when we were leaving, "I haven't had that much fun since we cleaned your apartment, Lily."
And she was not being facetious, either. Anytime I gather with my kids it's a damn good time. We laugh. Oh, how we laugh.
In this picture, Lily thinks she's hearing a cat throw up but actually, it was just some equipment outside. A backhoe maybe? We vasolined her belly and then started covering it with strips of plaster gauze. I am sure there's a real name for this product but I don't know it. None of us knew what we were doing, but May had just spoken to some other friends who had done the same thing a few days before and they had given her lots of advice which came in handy, indeed.
We plastered her up and then removed the cast and then more hilarity ensued.
We ate watermelon and we discussed our plans for the birth while the men worked outside on the sewer line and at one point, Lily leaned her head onto my bosom and I said, "Honey, are you okay? Do you need a nap?"
And then I realized she just loved her mama.
So look- how can a woman with this life complain? How can she even mention...situations?
Lord, we all have situations. But mine are nothing, nothing, NOTHING compared to the joys and blessings all around me.
And I know it.
And then, as if to underscore all of that, after I got back from yoga and taking the dogs to the groomer this morning I went into the chicken house to find this:
A tiny green egg. My heart did leap. I'm not kidding you.
I think it must have been laid by Miss Betty (aka One Fine Chicken) because she is tiny and has green legs. Here she is:
And this is how tiny she is compared to Suzie the Rooster:
Of course, short of DNA testing, there is no way to know for sure who laid that perfect tiny egg but I think in my heart it was Betty. She's such a good chicken. She lets me pet her, even when she's awake. I'm so proud of her.
And look- this is my life- and how can this be? This life of giant, towering oaks in my very own front yard and tiny, sweet chickens, in my very own back yard, and a daughter about to have a baby and all my children who make me laugh so hard and who laugh at me and tell me things I would never, ever tell my mother in a million years.
Somehow when I held that little egg in the palm of my hand it seemed to sum it all up for me. The miracle of it all, the magic of it all, the richness of it all, all wrapped up in the most perfect shape of the most perfect food (except, of course, for breast milk which also comes in a pretty perfect shape) in the entire world. I felt like I had the entire world in the palm of my hand.
And I do. I have the curve of an egg, the curve and dip of my daughter's belly, the curve and shape of my husband's face, and hands to reach out and hold all of that.
"How you doin'?"
"Can't complain. How about you?"
"Doin' all right."
And the light is shining through the trees on a Monday at noon and I rejoice and no, I cannot, I will not complain.
Sigh, this makes me feel like I am just one ungrateful selfish bitch. I love the pictures of your girls; they are so happy!
ReplyDelete:) What a great post, and weekend for you. Is that the first egg you've gotten from one of your chickens?
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS DIVINE!!! With the bellies and boobs and egg and those gorgeous girls of yours and your husband outside digging in the dirt... LOVE LOVE LOVE. Bless you Ms. Moon. Bless you.
ReplyDeleteKori- You are NOT! Selfish or ungrateful or a bitch. You are a strong woman-mama with more on her plate than can be imagined. Don't forget that.
ReplyDeleteNicol- Yes! The first egg! Unless one is hidden somewhere and I do not discount that possibility.
Steph- And less you, sweetheart.
Seriously: little tiny custard.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful, indeed! I think you should make up a little bit of ham and have some green eggs and ham =) Heh heh, I'm pretty clever today. Or maybe still half-asleep.
ReplyDeleteI had the strangest dream last night, in which I was for some reason with your whole family. It wasn't your house but May was there, and Mr Moon and - of all things - you and I sat at the table and smoked a cigarette together and talked about nothing. Hahaha, it was a very uneventful dream although I feel like at some point you got up and cooked some eggs. Who knows =) Funny though.
We had to do the same to replace our sewer about 3 years ago, and I agree with you, Mr. Moon is worth keeping around. Any guy that can dig a sewer without vomiting when they take off the old lines has my respect.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks like so much fun! I wish I had a mom and sisters to do things like that with!
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully, more eggs will follow. What are you planning to do with that lone egg? Not worth firing up the pan for one egg, is it?
Gorgeous egg, gorgeous belly cast, gorgeous girls, gorgeous life!
ReplyDeleteHave you eaten the egg yet?
Beautiful ladies, all four of you. Have you ever heard the song, "My Moon, My Man" by Feist? "Mr. Moon, my hero" reminded me of it. You should give it a listen.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific family -- and the fact that you do some complaining every now and then just makes it BETTER, actually. That you share both makes it divine. Really.
ReplyDeleteYour daughters are adorable. And they sure are lucky to have you as their mother.
Ms. Moon, I'm sending you some love for your own issues anyway.
ReplyDeleteI ache a little with the beauty of you and your daughters all together. It makes me pine for what could have been. But then I remember that I am starting all that love afresh with my sister and trying with my other siblings and my parents, and definitely with my own children and I thank all the divinities out there for being able to see examples out there like you.
Bless you all. And may you love like that forever.
(Sorry for being mushy, but it's what I'm feeling and I'm trying to not always hold it in. Big kiss.)
DTG- May I borrow a thimbleful of milk?
ReplyDeleteSJ- Mmmmm. Ham. Well, if you visit I will cook eggs, for sure. Maybe by then I'll have more than one.
Marsha- Mr. Moon can do ANYTHING.
Rachel- Aren't I lucky? Damn I am.
I am going to keep that egg until I have more to join it in a pan. I just don't know yet, what will happen in that pan. There will be pictures.
Lora- I am surrounded by goriousity. No. I have not eaten that egg. See above.
Ginger- No. I have not heard that song. I need to, though.
Elizabeth- Sometimes you just have to bitch. Or at least I do.
Mwa- Yep. We can create the family we always wanted. I swear we can.
And thank-you for the love and the kisses, too. Really.
Where is the picture of YOU modeling the belly cast Miss Moon?? Those are some great pix.
ReplyDeleteAnd good for you! Good for you, for listening to your internal dialog and turning it around! That can be the hardest thing to do, but I hear it gets easier with practice... Personally, I wouldn't know. ha! Srsly, that's great. Because in the great balancing act of life, you are doing well, if the blessings exceed the situations. And in your world, I'm pretty sure the blessings are winning by a landslide.
WE love you. Oh, PS I put you on Harley's emergency phone call if we aren't available and as an additional person who can pick him up if we are somehow incapacitated. Tried to call to confirm, but couldn't get through. I feel sure it's ok though, right?
Can't wait for Owen!!! He makes a great belly shape!
xo pf
PPS DTG. Little tiny custard???
ReplyDeleteOk, I just nearly wet myself laughing at my own idiocy.
ReplyDeleteI thought that first belly cast picture was her getting fitted for a wedding dress.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!
ReplyDeleteXDaddy (I think I like that better than Daddy X)- You're not an idiot. We all agreed it looked like the top of a wedding dress. We really did.
ReplyDeleteWindy- You would love my girls. You already love my boy.
Ms. Fleur- Of course you can put me on Harley's phone list. Absolutely! And you are right about that landslide.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link for you...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X28j4baLy-A
Oh no, not xdaddy, to like Ex-Daddy and that's just all shades of sad.
ReplyDeleteGinger- Very nice. And I do love those moving sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteDaddyX- And so it shall be.
Thanks MM
ReplyDeleteAND...
xdaddy nappy, I had the same thought when I very first saw it! Besides, we don't have idiots down here... we have idjits! ha! Maybe we're both idjits?!
I know what you mean. Sometimes I look at my green zinnias and feel the same way. A green zinnia!
ReplyDeleteI thought that too at first about the cast, then I realized. That's a neat thing to do, by the way. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a number of those "drafts" sitting like old sullen frogs in my blogger stash. Poo on them, I say! Life IS good. Just the way it is. I meant to ask if you were doing a belly cast. I'll email you one we did of a friend of mine. She painted and decorated it and it's so pretty! Happy eggbabyboobbackhoe day!
ReplyDeleteCongragulations on the egg! I am a little surprised that the hen who laid it wasn't more protective of it. Better start dusting off your egg recipes!
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of fun too! I like that picture of Lily looking for the "puking cat" she thought she heard. Good times...good times.
ReplyDeleteOh and what a beautiful egg Ms. Betty made!
Wait. What? He is an Owen? Well I'll be damned, I do love that name!
ReplyDeleteLove the belly and the egg juxtaposition. Your girls are so cute!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you and your chickens. I knew it would happen soon. I had such a good time having you all over and making my cast. I love that we do things like that together. It is about time for me to go to birth class so I better go get dressed. I love you so much!
ReplyDeleteMs. Calann- I, too, have a few green zinnias. And I like your blog!
ReplyDeleteNicol- It's yet another new things pregnant women have to consider. And yet it's fun and non-invasive. Plus, that whole Vasoline part must have felt good to the baby, dont you think?
Ms. Trouble- I would love to see it! Send it on.
Ms. Lucy- some hens are "broody" meaning that they are very protective of their eggs and some are more casual about it and do not grieve when you take their unborn to cook and eat. The less broody ones are more desirable for egg production.
Miss Honey- Wasn't it fun? And I don't care what Lily says, Omar Shariff was HOT!
Kori- Yep. Owen.
Ms. Jo- So it's not just me who thinks so?
Lily- Pay attention in birth class! You are going to be the best mama in the world. I love you so.
What a lovely lovely post. I feel calmer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea! None of us thought about making a pregnant belly cast.
ReplyDeleteDid any of your children get the tallness genes from Mr. Moon?
nice backhoe!
ReplyDeleteIt was the most fun day. Maybe we should plaster cast Jessie. But let's not tell her what were doing first!
ReplyDeleteMaggie- I'm so glad.
ReplyDeleteMagnum- It defies common logic that they rent such pieces of equipment out to the general public.
May- Okay! Let's do it!
Goddamn it, my ass wanted to be at the belly plaster cast party. Damn the distance! Frickin' May can do ANYTHING, can't she? She and DTG are the most well-rounded knowledgeable people.
ReplyDeleteAn egg! I was waiting along with you for that to happen. Sweet miracle on a holy Monday!
Love,
SB
SB- Yes. May can do anything. And actually, so can DTG. Truthfully, all of my kids are extremely able in many, many ways. I just look at them and think, WHERE did you learn this stuff? They're amazing.
ReplyDelete