Motherıs Day, Mother Nature go hand in hand
Posted 5/15/03

³Happy Motherıs Day, Daddy!²

That was what my three-year-old shouted into the phone as he left a message on his grandmotherıs answering machine.

So, he doesnıt quite have the concept of Motherıs Day down yet, thatıs okay. It makes for great memories.

I enjoy hearing how other mothers are taken care of on their annual day of celebration.

Breakfast in bed is quite common. Oh, how brave and selfless all those mothers are who have choked down soupy pancakes, burnt toast with jelly and chocolate chips and cold coffee complete with grounds.

Itıs all about the thought and love that went into it, of course.

And I imagine with the fishing opener being the same weekend as momıs day, thereıs probably plenty of mothers out there who have their share of smelly fish tales.

Having been a mother for seven years, I only have a few occasions to reminisce about.

My first momıs holiday was actually in 1996 when I was big as a balloon (our first child was born less than a month after Motherıs Day that year).

My hubby took me to Stillwater where I waddled through the antique stores praying I wouldnıt accidentally knock over something outrageously expensive (or gaudy).

One Motherıs Day, for some strange reason, I agreed to help release a half dozen pheasants for my husband and his black lab in our field. I was pregnant again.

With a three-year-old kid in tow, a gunny sack full of pheasants in a Red Flyer wagon and my camera hanging from my neck, I headed out for the back forty - ten minutes behind the great pheasant hunter and his trusty dog, J.R.

Iım still not completely sure what happened, but somehow before I could get ³set up² for the gradual release of those pheasants, the birds got loose and the dog took off like a shot.

J.R. worked the field and my husband managed to snag a couple birds (most ended up in the woods, not our freezer).

But all was not lost as I snapped one of the best photos ever of him and his canine.

This year proved to be another memorable mommaıs day. My husband cooked a mean lasagna (if you know my husband, you know this is a huge deal) and is now officially the lasagna maker in our home, something heıs not real delighted about.

The best part was during our Sunday drive down the dirt roads. My six-year-old asked us to pull over the car near this field so he could call in turkeys.

Sure, why not?

So there we are, giggling and wishing we had the video camera, as my little boy stood out in someoneıs field making turkey calls. (Heıs pretty good by the way).

Now he didnıt exactly call in turkeys, but he did call in three turkey vultures!

What a proud momma I was.

And amazingly, the boys were pretty well-behaved all day.

There was very little, ³Thatıs mine. I had it first,² ³Nuh uh,² ³Uh huh,² ³Nuh uh,² ³Uh huh,²³Did so,² ³Did not,² ³Did so,² ³Mooooommmmmm!²

What more could a mother ask?