Dreaming of My Mother

Dreaming of My Mother

Laughing with Mom – Photo by John Kelly

“Have you dreamt about her?”

This was a question a number of people asked after my mother died.  But I wasn’t.  I hadn’t.  In fact I couldn’t remember dreaming about anything or anyone, until this past week.  Maybe it was because it was the first Thanksgiving since she died.  Maybe it’s because her birthday fell on Thanksgiving every 7 years and so Thanksgiving always reminds me of her or because this was her first birthday that went uncelebrated.  This past Saturday she would have been 93 years old.

When we were in Jordan, just a few weeks ago, (it seems like months already) our guide told us that the life expectancy there was mid seventies.  He then asked if I was considered old in the US. “It depends upon who you ask,” I joked.  “How about you?” I asked.

“I don’t feel old, until I look in the mirror,” he replied.  Which was just the sort of thing my mother would have said.  We laughed about that.

“Aging isn’t for the faint of heart,” my mother used to say.  She also was known to say, “Aging sucks.”

But in my dreams she isn’t old.  She can still speak.  She has shoulder length hair and in my dream last night she was wearing an emerald green bikini, of all things, with a cream colored, open lacey top that I’d crocheted for her.  Did I mention that I’m teaching myself to crochet?  I’m no where near good enough to make such a thing for anyone, let alone as a gift for someone I love, but in my dream, she looked amazing and youthful and the crocheted top looked pretty fabulous as well!

I remember thinking, “I want to look like her when I’m her age,” but in the dream I said nothing and instead just told her how much I loved her.  She gave me one of her magnificent smiles and then began talking to someone else in the room. I almost said something about how happy I was that she was wearing the top I’d crocheted her, but didn’t want to interrupt her conversation with this other person.  Secretly, I was thrilled.  After all I only just began trying to crochet in the last few weeks.  Wearing that crocheted top that I’d made for her was so typical of my mother.  She was a huge supporter of all my various passions, particularly when it came to making things.

It was my mother who taught me to knit and as she was right handed, (I’m left handed) I learned to knit right handed as well.  I’ve often wondered if I should try to reteach myself to knit left handed, but then I think, “Why?”  Besides I’m closer to the end than I am to the beginning of life, why jostle the waters? And I knit pretty quickly right handed, so there doesn’t seem to be much point.  And, added plus, any instructions and videos are always written for right handers.

My mother would have approved of my dream, though I don’t think she cared for the color emerald green, but even so, it would have made her laugh.  She loved to laugh.  So today, I will remember her laughing and am grateful to have my dreams of her when she was still able to speak, when she was still able to move about easily and painlessly, when she was happy.

Sh*t My Mother Sends Me & So Much More!

Sh*t My Mother Sends Me & So Much More!

I haven’t shared anything from my mother in awhile, so I thought today was as good a day as any for a little humor. Courtesy of my mother, who received this from my brother, I think. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the source… but regardless, the importance of punctuation.

And now that many of us are getting or have already been vaccinated, there’s this:

A throwback to the early days of the pandemic…

And a few of my own that I found while looking for other things on the internet, which makes one wonder how we manage to get anything done at all!

Not for the faint of heart…

Remember this family? Spoiler alert: It didn’t end well.

Perhaps this will be the new normal moving forward…

And finally, I’ll end with this…

How are all of you doing?

❤️

Laughter and Humor During Troubling Times

Most of us, here in the United States, are hoping the next day and a half will go by quietly and without violence. In addition, since most of us are not yet vaccinated, and the variant has hit the US, with death tolls from COVID at an all time high, I thought the perfect remedy for free floating anxiety is a little silliness and laughter. This first clip is from a morning news show that airs in Calgary and whose anchors seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs.

And then, because I had clicked on this video, Youtube helpfully suggested the following video as another they thought I might like, which of course I had to click on, because that’s what one does…

Things devolved from there as youtube recommendations (you know the list of videos they think you might like that pop up on the right of your computer screen) began to include increasingly raunchy titles such as, “Pussy Get Out of my Pants” and other such salacious click bait. So I did what anyone would do, I went down the youtube sinkhole of clicking on recommended titles, and then had to pull myself together and redirect, as one does when heading down time wasting sinkholes. Oh but I did laugh at some of these… seriously laughed until I was crying. Even so, I’m happy to report I was successful in extricating myself and am now heading into what I hope will be an extremely productive day.

But before I go, here is one more, which made me laugh… I know, I know.

Now I’m going to get some work done, I swear.

Sh*t My Mother Sends Me & So Much More!

New York City & A Few Things to Make You Smile

Here in New York City we are in a self imposed lock down, of sorts. Yesterday I had to get my driver’s license renewed. This is 7th Avenue & 29th Street at 10:45am yesterday morning.

7th Avenue & 30th Street Thursday at 10:45 am

When I’m not preparing, taping and editing new videos, I am searching for things to make me smile. The following are a few things that made me do just that, and one that is downright hilarious. A couple of these are bittersweet, as they are a direct result of the pandemic we are facing, but are interesting and uplifting never-the-less.

First is The Ellen Show – laugh out loud hilarious, so if you haven’t seen this yet, take a look. I was laughing so hard I cried. And Ellen’s commentary on the whole thing is equally funny.

Next is this image from the canals in Venice, Italy where dolphins are now being spotted swimming in the canals.

And then there’s this satellite view of China comparing pollution levels a year ago versus this year.

And finally who doesn’t love babies and their dogs?

Grateful to be inside with lots of projects and videos to make. If you haven’t yet, please go over to my channel, Ariane Zurcher ~ On the Other Hand. I have videos for beginners, left handers, right handers, with tips that I’ve picked up and learned along the way. My latest YouTube video covers 3 knots – The Colonial Knot, The Chinese Knot & The French Knot. I even threw in a bonus demonstration of a Beaded French Knot!

We are all in this together…