Last Man Standing
Mother's Day 2025 damn near killed us.
What a day
The day started as one would expect: An excited child with a Mother’s Day card made at school and Dad following right behind up the stairs with a cup of coffee for Mom.
Gifts were given, hugs were shared and then the morning fell back to the usual routine for an hour of all of us staring at devices.
Until. I decided that was enough screen time and today was the day for yard work and so off I went to mow the lawn. The problem with mowing the lawn is twofold:
I have a small electric mower
I have a large lawn.
It’s rare that I get a full mow before I run out of battery power. This isn’t such a big deal because then I have an excuse for a nap while the batteries are recharging. There’s no race, and I can always mow more the next day.
While I mowed, the child played tag with the dog and then just entertained herself in her own little world until it was time to go for out walk on the ocean - It’s not an ocean, it’s the Niagara River, but when she was smaller she called it the ocean so it stuck.
We pack sandwiches. We did better than the peanut butter I thought we would pack when I wrote about this yesterday. We went all fancy and had ham and cheese croissants instead.
Ooh. La. La.
Nothing says camping like a croissant.
We hiked, we looked for wildlife (there wasn’t much - a few birds) and we sat on a wooden bench made of logs and had our lunch. It was quiet and we maybe say 6 others in the hour we were there.
On the way back she threw rocks in the water because at this point it’s a tradition and then on the way back we raced down the path toward the car
Want to know what I haven’t been doing a lot of? Racing. I forgot how to move you guys. I was better once I warmed up but at the current state my running days are behind me. I don’t remember running hurting so bad.
That said, I don’t remember running recently.
The child beat me handily.
The plan was to then pick up a few things at the hardware store and head home. We went to the hardware store and got our things and then decided because it’s mothers day and all we might as well go to buy some plants at the garden center.
I tell the child not to touch the plants about 200 times.
We come home with a car full of pretty plants.
I have another stab at the lawn now that the batteries have recharged while I am out.
Lawn is mowed.
Surely I am done now? I can sit down?
OH NO. Now I have to shovel wheelbarrows of dirt from the front yard to the back to fill up our garden planters because we’re now farmers, or something and we’re growing vegetables in the back yard now? Hey - I just live here.
I shovel, and shovel and shovel because BW said so.
BW plants tiny little flowers on her knees in the front yard for far too long and loves every minute of it.
The child? She’s overtired and annoying.
Finally the dirt has been placed where it needs to be, the flowers have been planted and the child is beyond tired. We are hoping she makes it to bed without a meltdown because the adults in the room are tired and cannot deal with a meltdown.
Then it’s cleanup time and BW makes dinner, which was very delicious and fancy.
OKAY THEN. BEDTIME!
Hang on Dad, there has to be a bath.
OKAY. NOW IT’S BEDTIME?
Not yet. She needs her hair dried and teeth brushed
NOW It’s BEDTIME
BW leads her to her room and closes the door and we both thank the good Lord for another great day and that she will just put herself to bed.
Minutes later I hear the pitter-patter of little steps as I am trying to write this. I stop writing and went and got her in the bed and settled down..It took a bit but we got there.
Finally, she’s in that twilight spot where she’s almost asleep and then she opens her eyes one last time and pleads: huggie…….zzzz
She’s out.
BW is out.
We are both so sore it’s not funny.
It was a great mother’s day full of sunshine and fresh air and rarely used muscles that are going to remind us of our choices tomorrow.
Our flowers look nice though - so there’s that.
Until Next Time,
TH and Co.
I love “TH and Co”🍒✨