Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Mother's Day Antics



I'm breaking into my regularly scheduled posting (which was supposed to be about moving the gazebo) to report on Mother's Day happenings.  

When Joel was a little boy, he brought home a rock from the woods across the road for me as a gift for Mother's Day.  He was so sweet in his little red boots and baseball cap, towing the rusty old red wagon behind him.  It took every bit of strength he had to haul the wagon as the rock was quite large for a boy of four.  I really do not know how he managed to load the stone by himself.  I so wish I had a photo of him with the stone back then, but looking back, the moment is somehow dimmed when a camera is involved if you know what I mean.  I keep the memory safe in my heart.

Thus began a lifelong tradition of rocks for Mother Day. Every year I look forward to seeing his newest acquisition.  And with no further ado, here is the 2017 Mother's Day Rock of the Year:


Carl, directing traffic with his hot pink tennis racket.  (No, we haven't taken up a new pastime, the racket is a handheld bug zapper.)
 We had a home all picked out for the new rock, just move the pine needles over and..........
Unload the rock from the truck......
And there it is, safe and sound in the garden; one more memory to cherish.  

 (And I still don't know how he loaded that rock by himself.)
 Joel's Mother Day festivities? Activities? Weren't over yet; at my request, he donned chainsaw attire and we sallied forth to take down three ailing Colorado Blue Spruce trees.


 It was a very melancholy job for all three of us; Joel helped plant these trees as tiny seedlings over thirty years ago.  Sadly, blue spruce has not done well here; they were gorgeous up until they were about twenty-five years old and then began to decline.  
The problem could be they were planted too close, it could be fungus-related, but in any event, it is once again time for a change.

As renowned plantsman Adrian Bloom said in his book, 'Gardening with Conifers', once a plant has outlived its usefulness, take the opportunity to introduce something new.  By the end of the weekend, we ended up cutting down six trees and now we have a vast, open space.  I have some ideas on what to do next, but Carl's not playing along.  (More coming up on what we do next!)

After we destroyed the trees, we were back to working on the Pachyberm remodeling which was begun last fall before the septic tank replacement antics.  Yes, I know, we should to stick to one job and see it through.   

Dave stopped home for Mother's Day on Sunday and was recruited to drive tractor for stone moving. 


  Carl's sister Mary and her husband, Tom, also stopped in on Sunday and were helping us carry branches and move stones and on Saturday, Ann was weeding and hauling branches, too. 


 I think my sons are happy Mother's Day only comes once a year, visiting us is risky business.  

My love to David, Joel and Abby and Audrey for a wonderful Mother's Day!  I am truly blessed.

Next up: What happened to the gazebo?


12 comments:

Ellie's friend from canada said...

Oh, I enjoyed reading about the rocks so much! One of my male friends used to bring me rocks. I'm not sure even now if it was meant romantically or just as a token of friendship but he was the only person who ever gave me beautiful fossilized worms! Or a lovely quartz that he undoubtedly carried in a backpack off of some mountain somewhere. So I read with pleasure about your Mother's Day rocks! I love how they all just pitched in on special tasks and chores for you. What love!

Thanks for posting this!

Alison said...

Happy Mother's Day Karen! What a wonderful tradition for a Mother's Day gift. I've been moving some smaller rocks than this around in my garden lately, planning to post about it soon. I swear we must both have rocks in our heads. I think you should plant grass in the newly cleared area. I bet Carl likes that idea.

Beth @ PlantPostings said...

Oh, the story about the first rock, and your Mother's Day tradition is so touching. I love it! I'm guessing you had pretty good weather on Mother's Day, too? It was near perfect here in S. Wisconsin. Happy gardening, Karen!

Roslyn said...

I love that you get a rock for Mother's Day. He knows you well.

Peonies & Magnolias said...

Awesome Mother's Day present. Love that he still brings you rocks. We know the value of them and treasure them all!!

Pamela Gordon said...

I love the tradition of the rock gift every Mother's Day. I don't like to cut trees either but we have in the past and will in the future. One of our pretty sugar maples is in bad shape and may need to come down this year. I love it's colour in the fall - that brilliant orange that just glows - but there is rot in the trunk and limbs. Take care! Pam

outlawgardener said...


This post rocks! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) What a cute image you've shared of four-year-old Joel with a rock in his wagon. Looks like the boy, wagon, and rock size have all grown but the sweet tradition remains. Looks like you had a productive, if bittersweet, mother's day! We wait with bated breath to hear about the possibilities for your new space and to find out what happened to the gazebo!

Garden Fancy said...

What a nice Mother's Day story! You have such a lovely family -- thanks for sharing your day with us. Best Regards, -Beth

africanaussie said...

what a lovely tradition - do you keep all the rocks he has given you in one place?

Indie said...

Aw, what a great Mother's Day tradition! Such a cute story! Which reminds me that my kids promised me a plant for Mother's Day. I should go remind them of that...

Carol said...

Your new rock looks perfect in it's new home. Mother's Day here is always a planting day . For as long as I can remember the kids always brought me flowers to plant for Mother's Day. This year neither kid could make it into town so the both sent seeds this year. It was different but I enjoyed it still. Easier on my aching back too. :)

Ellie's friend from canada said...

Just wondering how you are doing? I was thinking of you on Mother's Day. How are you doing coping?

I am laughing because, having said how much I love rocks, my gardener (I only use her rarely) had some leftover tufa rocks from a different project so she gave them to me. Now I just have to figure out what to do with them.

You've been in my thoughts recently, and prayers.