The Gift of Time

My sister gave me the best Christmas gift ever.  And it came early, too.   I had a big problem and she helped me take care of it. 

On the weekend before Christmas, she gave me the gift of time. 

Let me tell you what happened.

I barely noticed when it first started a few weeks ago.  The little winged moth seemed nothing more than an innocent traveler  passing through.  Now I think he was the scout, looking for a comfy place to take up residence, to invite his family and friends and populate.

My problem was pantry moths.  Have you ever heard of them?  Let me tell you, they are no fable.  They do exist. 

We declared war.  On the Saturday before Christmas, there was no peace in my kitchen.  Out went everthing in my pantry that was not in a can or hard plastic container.  We scrubbed the walls and shelves, wiped down everything we put back. 

Now look! 

Claudia is the best sister in the world!  Let the baking begin....

My Mother's Point of View

My sister and I went to upstate NY to check on my mother and aunt last week.  They are 80 and 88.

Aunt Aileen and  Mom, May 2009

Vascular dementia has its grip on my mother, and my aunt's heart is getting a little tired.  For now, they still live together, but those days are numbered. 

When I was last there in May for my mother's 80th birthday, I was able to take some sweet portraits of her.  This trip I decided to concentrate on "a day in the life" set, which I'll be processing soon.

One of my favorite images is of the view out Mom's bedroom window.  Every night, when she goes to bed, she opens the blinds in her room.   In the morning, the neighboring building and trees are the first things she sees.  In the summer, the trees are leafy green, blazing orange and yellow in fall, and majestically bare in the winter.  Mom loves that view.  She lies in bed, taking it all in before getting up to start her day. 

This image was taken from her bedroom window the morning of the day I returned home.  On this day at least, Mom and I were seeing eye to eye.