It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Be like Big. Look like a pirate too.

 

September 18

Today is the first anniversary of 

mom's passing.

Well, not actually *today*

because I am writing this a week ahead in hopes

that I stand a better chance

of getting my thoughts down clearly.

We are a motley crew.

Just about every one of us has had

issues, challenges, made some bad choices.

I probably had the most complicated relationship

with mom. But one thing I can tell you for sure,

she was always my biggest cheerleader and 

the same for every member of her family.

She was certain that any one of us could make our way

out of whatever situation we may have made for ourselves

as well as circumstances that overtook us. 

She would rejoice at our accomplishments

and be there to encourage us to fight 

the same fight over again.

She never judged.

I hope we made her proud.

 

Code Words

I've been using this forum

to record fun family history.

It may or may not be amusing to the 

world at large.

This post is one that may only get a grin

from people with Peterson DNA

flowing through their veins.

Opportunity.

Interesting.

And not used in conjunction with each other.

Opportunity was generally reserved for Dirk.

Interesting was for me.

Mom and Big loved to

present Dirk with "opportunities"

They usually involved helping a niece or nephew

with some cash.

Interesting was mom's special

description for something I would have

made or done that she maybe didn't

find great joy in but

didn't want to out and out

hurt my feelings.

Mom would have found Snap Chat

Interesting.....

The Quilted Sweater

Mom loved that sweater.

Well, I guess I don't know if she 

*loved* it.

But she did find it very handy.

I've mentioned before about the things we saved and

more disappointing, the things we did not.

Nuff said.

 

The One That Got Away

There was one other thing on mom's

Bucket List.

These are for her.

I think I'll always think of mom when 

I make my annual trip to The Walnut Room.

Bucket List

 Mom had a bucket list. 

Road trip!

I don't remember a ton of stuff from when I was very little but I do

remember family dinners at Hackney's on Lake.

We would have a long table and I would go around and 

beg for everyone's coleslaw.

The things we remember. 

But the onion loaf!!

Cue angels singing!

That's just a half loaf, leftovers of anything so wonderful

would generally be a good thing,

however, onion loaf does NOT 

reheat well.

Eat it ALL!

While all my siblings were here we decided to 

take a road trip in mom's honor.

She would have loved this. 

I Spy....

 This is one of the pictures in my "Mom" file.

The first story that comes to mind is that while Gaye and I 

decided mom needed a recliner,

we knew it would be a "limited" engagement.

So, being the sensible minded,

albeit a bit irreverent,

daughters that we are/were (?),

we asked local family members who would 

*eventually* want a *slightly*

used recliner. 

We figured we would try to take

said family members color scheme into account

when choosing the recliner.

Michael thought he and his family would enjoy it.

So, there is mom loving the recliner

and one of her first statements regarding it?

Don't tell Michael if I die in it. 

LOL

But beyond the obvious (to me) story, 

there is a wealth of other stories in here.

There's the figurine Tom and Teresa had admired and 

we gifted to them.

There's the bamboo shoot Taryn had given to 

mom and Big YEARS ago that

mom so very proudly kept alive.

There's the needlepoint church that Patty made for mom

that mom absolutely cherished.

There's that clown that mom adored but none of us could

quite embrace.

There's the picture of Breese on the deck of the 

USS John F. Kennedy when she was helping with 

relief efforts for one of our country's 

natural disasters.

There's the picture way back there that Shanna

made to commemorate a donation made

to Heffer Project in Mom's name.

There's a Mimmsy mouse, we only found

about 150 Mimmsy pieces in that place!

That stupid Cricket phone that mom

never really got the swing of.

And way up there you can just spot the edges

of two of the pictures from mom's

Victory Tour.

She loved those pictures.

Once she couldn't get out of bed any longer, I hung them

on the wall across from her head, totally too low

but perfect for her to be able to 

turn her head and see us all. 

I spy.....