Saturday, May 21, 2011

Summer Time

It's finally hot. Yesterday was getting there but not like today. Yesterday I worked in the garden for hours and yes, I sweat but not like I would have if I'd worked in it today. Beast sweat. The kind of sweat that you have to stop and deal with every minute or so, wiping it out of your eyes, off the end of your nose. And your rag gets dirty and after about an hour you have to come in to the house and change out your sweat rag and there ain't no bleach on this earth gonna get rid of that black, Lloyd dirt mixed with your sweat.
Uh-uh. No way.

Mr. Moon has worked outside most of the day. He took the loquat tree down and this winter I'll plant a mulberry where it was. It's too hot now and dry, besides, and I'd have to baby it and I'm not a tree-babier. Root, hog, or die! is my motto. If something is planted at a time or in a place in which it will not thrive, then either move it or let it die. I know. I'm cruel.

No I'm not. I'm practical.

Jessie and I went to town today and shopped which is way harder than yard work. For me, at least. We tried on ridiculous shoes at TJ Maxx, shoes we'd never wear with heels up to the sky and straps everywhere. We didn't buy any.

We got things for May's birthday and we went by Mother's. She's so upset about having to move. So upset. She has so many things that she doesn't know what to do with. Despite the fact that I've never actually seen her shop, she has closets full of clothes and most of them she hasn't worn in years and years. Same with drawers. Drawers full of shirts and sweaters and sweatshirts. How do tell someone, "Look, you're never going to need to wear a suit again?" Or even, "You're never going to need your frying pans and your wooden spoons and your mixer again. Never."
That is what is going to kill me when it's my turn.

Even though she isn't really cooking anymore- I think her main source of nutrition comes from cottage cheese and pineapple or tomatoes- she hates the idea that she won't be able to. She can have a microwave and a small refrigerator and that will be enough. She can keep her yogurts and her cereal and milk in her room so if she doesn't want to get up for breakfast she won't have to.
And she really doesn't need that African costume or the Egyptian one or the Mexican one and she sure as hell doesn't need two polyester pants suits.

But it's hard. She wants to show us over and over again how much stuff she has. We trek to the closets and look again and she's overcome again and we reassure her again and we'll do it again tomorrow.

When she's finally moved and cozy, it's going to be so good. But until then, it's just going to be hard.

Well, there you go. That's what I'm thinking about. I need to go get showered. Lon and Lis are coming in and we're going to town to see a band and have supper and that will be so much fun. I haven't seen my Lizzie in awhile and it's always so much fun when Lon (Big Lou) and Mr. Moon (I can't remember his nickname) and Liz (Maxine) and I (Ruby) go out. We're like big kids, playing at being grown-ups and we even get to have grown-up beverages and yet, we giggle like little girls. All of us. And you haven't lived until you've seen two extremely manly men, both over six-foot-four, giggle like little girls. It makes me and Lis giggle too.
We try not to let them see us. But we do it.

I hope you're having a good evening wherever you are.

Love you dearly....Ms. Moon

12 comments:

  1. Have fun going out tonight and giggling. :)

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  2. That sounds fun.
    I worked outside too today and had that dripping, dirty sweat and no rag and kept thinking when will I learn to bring a rag with me when I am out in the garden?
    Got all scratched up from wild blackberry bushes.
    But it felt good. Half the garden is ready.
    You are being very patient with your mama. Good luck. So glad Jessie is home.

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  3. A good breeze came up this afternoon. I am glad to not be in the garden today. Having a good evening here.

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  4. Ahhh! That's lovely! It's making me smile just thinking about you lot giggling!

    You're doing brilliantly with your mum. It's hard.

    Hope you've had a wonderful night.

    Love you back xx

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  5. that whole mom thing pretty muck sucks. it was the same way with my mom.

    thinking of you

    xoxoxo

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  6. Ah. My granny is going on 93 and has cupboards full of perfect, aged clothes, but is convinced she has nothing! as she never buys anything. In truth, she collects and hoards cardigans and more cardigans.

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  7. I think you may want to get your mom out of her place with what she's able to take to the new place, and then deal with the stuff that's left after she's moved out.

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  8. well..sometimes us big men are little girls too^^

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  9. Getting rid of a lifetime of accumulation isn't easy. I had a dear lady who passed away years ago in our hospice home, and up until the day she moved in, she couldn't let go of her porcelain figurines and vases. I sympathize with your mother and empathize with you, Ms. Moon.

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  10. Sigh. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for your mother. And for you all. To divest oneself of stuff is so damn difficult -- to do it for another, to encourage it in your mother, is harder. Sometimes I wish that I could be more like a "practical" person who looks on this sort of thing in a matter-of-fact way, brushes their hands together, relishing the outcome and moves on.

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  11. Every so often I try to clean out stuff. Knowing that I will not need this stuff or that I don't want it and there no need to hold on to it. What I regret is getting rid of old journals...what made me do that?!

    I have a hard time with kitchen tools. I have too much but I do use a lot of what I have.

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  12. Glad you are starting to get Mom's stuff cleared out. What a job!

    Sounds like you all have such fun together when you go out. I am so glad.

    Love you.

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