Back to the same daily chores

Hello, I am back writing for the Austin Daily Herald. I hope everyone had a good summer and has recovered from the devastating flood that hit Austin and the surrounding areas.

I spent my summer gathering wild plants and flowers and have been making healing lotions, oils and salves with the many different plants. Each body product I am making has different healing properties. Nature is our true medicine cabinet I reconfirm every day I that I have been out gathering. We are so fortunate to have so much bountifulness surrounding us.

Not a whole lot has changed as far as my house getting remodeled. My kitchen still has the feeling that I am working in a cave, my barn has sunken into the ground more and two other buildings need to be re-shingled. My husband, Tom has been tearing parts of the old kitchen off and I hope that it can be repaired before it becomes too cold. I don't want frozen pipes like last winter. We all have good health and that is the most important thing to have.

Last week my three sisters and I got together and stayed at a cabin near Lucen, Minn., which is 20 miles south of Grand Marais. We took my 83 year old mother along. She had fallen at the assisted living facility where she lives the day before we left, but we told the staff at the hospital that we would take good care of her. Mom was confused the first two days of our stay. She would tire easily but we kept making her get up to walk around the cabin with her walker. She didn't like it and complained loudly at what mean daughters she had and we didn't understand her. Every evening around 6 p.m. she became owly and pouty and humphed loudly that she was never, ever coming anywhere with us girls again. We would all answer in unison, "That's great, don't come with us again."

My sister Kate and Mary took turns sleeping with mom. She woke up in a good mood each morning and the second morning she said for the first time in our lives, "I am so lucky to have such nice daughters."

She has never told us girls that we were nice before. She also watched us practice yoga every morning. The first morning when we were doing yoga she said, "You aren't going to get me to do that."

"You should Mom, it would be good for you," said Kate.

Mom grunted and looked at us in disgust.

The second day while we were doing yoga mom said, "All you girls are so nice and slim. You have such nice shapes."

Twice she said something nice to us! We were shocked. But every evening she was back to being her old crabby self. Watching mom age reminds me that life is too short and I want to be happy with my life. Everyday I am working at achieving this goal. Mom has been unhappy her entire life. I remember watching her drink her endless cups of coffee out of her hard orange plastic coffee cup when I was growing up on my parents farm. There was always a lot of activity going on as she had six sons and five daughters. She would sip at her coffee, sigh and shake her head sadly. I often asked her what was wrong. Mom would scowl at me, shake her head and turn away and never answer me. I don't think she has ever known that it is OK to be happy. Hey, I am happy to be back.