For Mom, a trip through the orchid farm

Today is Mother’s day, in Brasil as well as the USA.  I will call Mom later today and wish her another good year.  This year in July we, my 7 brothers and sisters and some of their families, will meet in Adrian for Mom’s 90th birthday.  How wonderful is that?  We were all together the last time for her 75th – 15 years.  The changes will be a shock won’t they? 

I didn’t send flowers, which she would have liked, nor chocolates which she would have loved.  When I visit Adrian I like to take a box of Brazilian Goratos – she puts a few in her bowl by the chair, easy reach away, then rather craftily takes the rest of the box back to her room – and they disappear!  Yes this is hard on her digestion but the look of contentment on her face is irresistible.  Having failed two weeks ago to remember Mother’s day was coming and make early arrangements for her flowers or chocolates to be delivered I thought this morning that she might enjoy a walk through the Teresopolis Orchid farm by photo.

The Orchid Farm is not really a farm, but three large greenhouses and a sales/display office.  The grounds have a few interesting tropical plants and a path lined with trees with orchids up among the branches.  The greenhouses were closed to the public but the sales office had a nice selection of starter orchids and well developed ones.  By walking the trail around the grounds, through the displays and buying the orchid in the header and to the left, we spent a very pleasant hour on a Saturday morning.

Mom, I hope you enjoy the flowers I’ve sent.
    
Happy Mother’s Day!  

Mother.

My mother, mother of seven, grandmother of.... Nineteen, Great-grandmother of..... around 30 and I do believe there is now a Great/great grandchild or two.
Mom will be 89 July 7.  She has days where she understands international politics, and days she forgets to shower and to clean her teeth..... She still takes them out of the cup every morning.....  that is a good thing.
Such a large family and I don’t know all the names of my great nephew and nieces, I have a partial list someplace.   On her good days, Mom remembers most of them.   She is better at remembering when each of us, the original 7, had their chickenpox and their immunizations. 
She always made our cloths.  She made quilts and afghans.  She read constantly, books and daily newspapers.  She worked the daily New York crossword, usually doing it in her head to give my father a chance to enter a few words.  Three years ago she could work half way through, now she doesn’t do them.
She has a friend from when she was 3 – they used to correspond when young adults, and later to talk every few months on the phone but now can remember the childhood days but don’t remember to call.   Norma is in a nursing home in Adrian and on a good day my sister takes Mom to visit – after about five minutes the conversation begins to repeat, and they no longer laugh at each other. 
My Mother.
  and me....
  with Marissa...... great grand children
Aunt Carol (younger sister) and Mom
  Momma and Me. (she hates to have her picture taken.......says she looks “OLD” )
In our minds we are always young.

Friday Shoot-out / things I like to touch.

I have been thinking about this topic all week.  What to do?  What do I like to touch?  I used to like to make bread – touching bread dough as you knead out the loaves of bread is right up there at the top of my list…. working in the flower beds touching the soil is a close second, but what would these have to do with Nova Friburgo.   Nothing.

Here, up here on the top of a hill; up here on top of the hill without a neighbor that speaks English; up here on top of the hill without a neighbor that speaks English what I like to touch is other peoples lives.  Almost daily I go to the gym.  I do the hug and the kiss cheeks twice in both greeting and when leaving.  I speak as much Portuguese as possible to touch their lives, if only briefly, superficially.  I try to touch the lives of those in this small group of people, this group that has become my only social outlet in Nova Friburgo. 

  One of these people is the young mother who keeps the gym clean.  When I first met her she was pregnant and now her daughter is 4 years old.  Every Christmas, every birthday and a few times in between, I have taken a small gift to her to take home to the little girl.  Last week I was invited and found myself free to go to little Mirella’s fourth birthday party.  Touching her life in a real way. 

It is so unusual to be invited to a Brazilian's home.  This home was simple and very clean.  The party was as fancy as any I have ever been to  – this single mother and probably most of the extended family, I am sure, contributed to give

this little girl her very best party ever.  And they allowed me in – to touch their life, if only for a few hours, in a very meaningful way, the sharing of a childhood memory. 

Mirella with her Mother

Happy mother’s day to you all and your Families