Mom in the Maple Tree
I know that many of my parents’ generation walked to school through waist-deep snow, uphill both ways, blah, blah, blah, but we didn’t. We got to ride on a school bus. But before we got on the warm bus, we had to walk out our long lane and stand waiting while the north wind whistled across open fields and turned us into people popsicles.
One fall, my Granddad took pity on us and built a shelter. It looked like the one in the picture above, but with no front door. We were really happy to have it, even though it looked a lot like a grey-painted outhouse — or a “Lady Jones” — as our family used to call them. It was just big enough for the four of us to stand in, and no one appreciated this funny-looking shelter more than me. Not only does this story take place in the Ice Age, it was also the age of no jeans allowed at school and skirts as short as your mother would let you wear them. Pre-shelter, my legs were often numb with cold by the time we boarded the warm bus.
In the nicer weather, we didn’t need to use the shelter unless it was raining, but we did find another use for it. Our long lane was lined with huge old maples whose lofty green crowns towered above us. I was a tree climber back in the day, but the lowest branches of these beauties were too tall to reach, so climbing them was out of the question — until the day our bus shelter was built under the tree closest to the road.
One beautiful afternoon in the early spring, we girls were outdoors, and Mom was outside with us too. We ended up walking to the end of the lane, and when we got there, we talked her into climbing the tree with us. We showed her how to climb from the ground to the supports that Granddad had used to fasten the shelter to the tree. From the supports, we went to the roof of the shelter and then into the lowest branches of the tree. Before long, Mom had joined the four of us, and we were as close to the top of the tree as possible.
Because the leaves weren’t fully formed, we were on view to anyone passing by, which was hardly anyone on our country road, this being the only reason Mom had agreed to climb the tree in the first place. We were having a great time until the friendly toot of a horn interrupted us. It was one of our neighbours, one of the only neighbours who actually commuted to work instead of working on the family farm, and he was returning home at the end of the day.
Well! You would have thought someone lit a rocket under my mother, except that it worked in reverse. She shot down that tree, and the whole time she wondered aloud, “Do you think he saw me? He didn’t know it was me up there, right?”
We hurried back to the house together, and Mom kept reassuring herself that there was no way Bill could have counted how many people were in the tree as he drove by. Surely he thought it was just us kids. I don’t know the answer to that, but Bill’s daughter and her husband are good friends of ours. The next time I see them, I’ll get them to ask.
UPDATE: Bill has no recollection of that day, let alone the fact that my mother was in the tree. But he’s a tease, so I’ll bet she would have never heard the end of it, had he known.
4 Free Ways to Pamper Mom on Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day shouldn’t be a holiday that threatens to impose a financial burden on anyone with a mother in their life. While tangible gifts and services can make her feel amazing, there are other ways to show her you care. Whether you save the pampering for a special occasion like Mother’s Day or pledge to do these things on a regular basis, the gesture won’t go unappreciated.
Here are four ways to pamper Mom for Mother’s Day without breaking (or even opening) the bank:
Make her breakfast
Sure, you could argue that groceries cost money, but it doesn’t cost any extra to do something nice with the resources you already have. Making her breakfast, especially when she isn’t expecting it, will put a smile on her face all day. Go the extra mile to make it special. Maybe that means creating a flower out of orange slices, using chocolate chips to turn her pancakes into happy faces, or cutting toast into heart shapes. Display it all on a nice tray and bring it to that special lady in bed.
Give her a massage
You may not be a massage therapist, but you can still give Mom a neck and shoulder massage. If you already have a roller or massage tools at home, that’s a bonus. Wet a hand towel with hot water, squeeze out any excess water, and drape it on her neck to help her muscles relax. Then carefully massage her neck with your fingers, using your thumbs to apply more pressure when you get to the shoulders. Make sure you listen if she tells you to lighten up, though–you don’t want to hurt her, and it’s more risky when you aren’t a professional!
Play dress-up
It might sound childish at first, but dressing up can go a long way, especially if weekends typically mean sweatpants and unbrushed hair. Since Mother’s Day falls on a Sunday, hopefully the whole family can be together. Take the time to dress up for Mom, and offer to help her if she wants to join in. You could even offer to do her hair and makeup if she’d normally do it herself. And while everyone’s dressed up, why not step outside and take some nice family photos?
Clean around the house
If Mom’s usually the one keeping the house clean (and even if she isn’t), give her one less thing to think about by tidying up at home. Run the dishwasher, vacuum or mop the floors, water the plants, feed the pets, do the laundry, and put things in their rightful place. You can even go one step beyond daily chores and start decluttering. Move out-of-season items into storage (or pull summer items out of storage) and get rid of things you never use (but only things that don’t belong to Mom for now). Your wardrobe is a good place to start.
Whatever you do, Mother’s Day is the perfect excuse to make Mom feel like a queen. Whether you make her breakfast or clean up around the house, it’s time to sweep her off her feet…she deserves the best every day of the year!
