ANNIVERSARIES

Thirty-four years ago last Sunday (May 18) Mt. St. Helen's errupted, the resulting boom (and eventually ash) reached us here on Vancouver Island.

How do I know that it was 34 years ago?  Because it coincided with the day that we moved into our "new" home in the Cowichan Valley.   The boom happened while I was suffering a migraine headache, in bed, with my head covered against the light.  There was a second boom, which actually shook the house (as did the first one) and my initial thought was that the moving truck had been backed
into the roof of the house!  It was only later in the afternoon that we heard about the volcanic eruption.
It's a date I will never forget.

Twenty-one years ago today, my mother died.  She'd been ill for about six weeks, with various diagnoses as to the problem.  It was only one week before she died that the real reason for her pain was discovered.  She spent that week in hospital, not wanting to risk the surgical procedures which may (or not) have fixed the problem.  She was 87 years old and accepted that it was her time.  I still miss her.

Nine years ago on May 25, my first great-grandchild was born.  Since then there have been three more, but the date of the first one marked another stage in my life, from parent, to grandparent to great grandparent.  

HOW TIME FLIES.

Two years ago I told myself I would keep this up to date.  At that time my family left on an extended adventure in Europe and it was to be my way of keeping in touch.  Clearly, that didn't happen.

Now I sit down to write and wonder - where have those two years gone,  along with the rest of the years that I've accumulated in my past and the stories that have been created, lost, remembered, added to the ongoing collection of daily events.

Today it was a walk down the lush greenness of my driveway as I headed out to the road for a 30 minute walk in the sunshine.  The birds were twittering their warning, "someone's coming, someone's coming", to their mates or offspring, or warning against the predatory eagles which pass overhead on a
regular basis.

The pond is empty at the moment, although shaded by overhanging alder trees, thereby protecting any wildlife residing therein, no creature has deigned to take up residence.  I have had an offer of some goldfish, which would be an interesting experiment - seeing if they could survive on their own without me having to feed them.  I also have a friend with an overabundance of ducklings. We've discussed the possibility of putting some of them in the pond to see how they do on their own.  I think they are a few weeks old so may have to wait a little while.