I’m reading Mother’s Day titles and articles on my phone about mothers and parenting. I paraphrase, from “hilarious parenting,” to “trying to raise successful kids — but stop it.”
My mom was a hands-on, light-hearted, and instructive mom. She provided boundaries. Because I experienced those first hand it allowed me later, when my husband Lynn and I became foster parents to a sixteen-year-old, to give our daughter structured limits. Even though she fought them for a while, she discovered they were convenient. She could tell her friends what Lynn and I expected of her, like what time she had to come home.
I get to celebrate Mother’s Day with my ninety-one-year-old mother who still lives in the house she and my dad built and moved into the month before I was born. In my coming-of-age travel memoir, At Home in the World: Travel Stories of Growing Up and Growing Away, I dedicated the book to my mom. It still seems appropriate here and now today.
I dedicate this book (and my own parenting)
to my mother, Gaye Wiley,
wise beyond her own experience,
who trusted me, the process of growing up,
and Jesus Christ our Lord;
and as a result, then launched me into the world
to become fearless and independent,
self-assured and resilient,
and at home in the world.
Mother, I thank you from the depths of my heart.
Whatever your bond was with your mom, what good thing(s) did she give you? Some people have a complicated relationship, others have an estranged or have no connection with their mothers for different reasons. Maybe your mom died before you knew her. Hopefully you had someone who played an important parenting role in your life. Who was that? And what did they contribute to your life? I’d like to know.
Do we keep up with old friends? Do we take time to see them? Do we wait sometimes until it’s too late? Often I’m not good at staying in touch; my husband is. Mayo Clinic states “friendships enrich your life and improve your health.” So, NOW, is the best time to visit old friends.
Maryann lost her husband Larry, and my husband’s long-time friend, suddenly last year. She invited us to come see her and provided her community’s guest apartment for our convenience.
So Lynn and I left town to explore more of the Texas Hill Country and visit Maryann for 3 days and nights. We traveled to New Braunfels with Murphy, our Shih Tzu. She lives in an over-55 community with her two Lasa Apsos, Cassidy and Sundance.
LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA
As I walked Murphy when we arrived, I noticed a bird’s nest. In fact, I discovered over the three days a row of seven elm trees, three of which had nesting mourning doves. They must be used to lots of commotion, because they are tending their eggs just feet from the pool and walking path.
Two things I love about this bird: 1) the cooing sound, which is mournful but relaxing to me; and 2) the birds mate for life, devoted to the end. This dove observed me with a black eye hiding behind a leaf. Look for the head and beak at “9:00 to 10:00” in the photo.
THE ANIMAL WORLD AND SNAKE FARM ZOO
After my online research, I knew what I wanted to experience first. The Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo. Admission fee was $16-$20/person. Extra for the petting zoo feed pellets (goats, lama, free-range chickens and peacocks/peafowl) and another charge for lettuce to feed the camels.
THE PETTING ZOO
I dusted the walking path with pellets. Chicken, peacocks, and birds followed. When I entered the petting zoo and toured the animal selection I counted about 20 goats, a single buck-toothed lama, a miniature cow and horse. A single worker was filing the hoofs of a goat. She offered no warning.
When I scattered pellet the goats surrounded and pinned my knees and shins in place. If I’d been claustrophobic, I would have panicked. Instead I laughed at my predicament and looked at Maryann. “What am I to do?” “Wait,” she said laughing at me. She enjoyed the show so much, she didn’t think to capture my dilemma on camera.
When they mobbed me, I spilled the rest of the pellets, landing on their backs. They had their faces and mouths to the ground. I tried moving forward the force of the goats that held me in place. Ironically, I found I could back up and finally moved out of that herd of feeding goats. This article on the affection of goats may explain some of this behavior.
A mother entered the petting zoon with a 2 or 3 year old. I gave her the warning, I wish someone would have given me. “Your little boy will be engulfed. It’s scary.” She retreated with her son.
THE SNAKE FARM
I’m fascinated by snakes as long as they are behind glass. These snakes were from all over the world, as well as right here in Texas. Snakes are known for their camouflage abilities. That is apparent in these photos, except for the Green Tree Python, but in its original habitat, I’m sure its bright green works well.
Unsure
Unsure
Unsure
Banded Rock Rattlesnake. Smallest in Texas.
Green Tree Python
Gaboon Viper of Africa. Find it’s head on a leaf in far lower R.
The lizard below was quite the entertainer, dancing his way into everyone’s heart.
FEEDING THE CAMELS
Young girls purchased lettuce to feed the herbivores. The camels proved friendly when offered the leafy morsels, so the girls had an up close encounter petting the dromedaries.
The single-humped, hoofed mammal hails from Arabia. They eat grass, grains, oats and wheat in their desert environment. They store fat in their humps to serve as reserved energy and water when sources are scarce. They can go for a week without water.
NAP TIME
The sun climbed higher and the heat soared. While some animals were retiring for a nap, monkeys cleaned each other, mountain lions paced, pumas – one white, one spotted stood panting, and a male/female pair of magnificent lions napped on a big stone.
We left hot, thirsty, and tired. It was time for my nap with the wildest of animals–my Murphy.
Is it the fences of the Cotswolds in England? I don’t think so!
This rock wall intrigued me on our drive through the Texas Hill Country. We enjoyed wind on our faces in my husband Lynn’s Mazda Miata convertible. Lynn has walked part of the Great Wall of China that was built over centuries. Stone or soil mixed with gravel and pressed between two boards to dry created the wall. It separated countries, enemies, and trade routes.
I’ve visited the Cotswolds of England and found their honey-colored stone fences stacked without any sort of cement fascinating. Both countries built walls and fences out of rocks that surfaced from the soil. Both countries used naturally available materials. Their walls, fences, structures separated countries, property and livestock.
This rock fence on our ride was about 2 feet wide, 3-4 feet tall, and a mile or more long. I suspect it merely divided the property from the road as any typical fence would. It was one of a kind to my eye.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FENCE
We smelled the wafting scent of cedar trees being burned from landscapes overrun by cedar trees because of a recent 3-6 inch rain that broke a drought somewhat and lifted burn bans. Historically cedar trees were crafted into roof shingles in this area. No longer used in shingles, the tree can still be stripped and set as fence posts side-by-side here or with barbed wire. An invasive species, cedar trees slurp up too much water from our soil and aquifer, leaving the area drier than ever and so must be cut from ranch land and burned. A burden, cost, and nuisance to land owners.
BIRDS AND ANIMALS
The thrill of the day however was spotting a roadrunner fly to a low-hung tree branch and roost there AND then spying two zebras close to the fence line next to the road on an exotic animal hunting ranch. Neither of which I could capture in a photo.
ROCK
Our destination was Enchanted Rock, located 21 miles north of Fredericksburg, a German community and shopping haven, and 26 miles south of Llano, Texas, the deer capital of the state. A granite rock erupts in the ground with little to no vegetation. The State park allows for picnicking, climbing, geocaching, nature studies, birding, and stargazing. Be sure to bring your protein snacks and plenty of water. Wear athletic shoes or hiking boots for climbing. A climb can be achieved in half a day. Beware of rattlesnakes!
When you drive TX-16 S and Ranch Rd 965 you understand why it is called the Texas Hill Country. Broad panoramas, rock walls, and lush green hills welcome you to the Texas Hill Country.
Would you like to enrich your experience of the total Solar Eclipse coming April 8? Can you envision the setting where you will wait for the eclipse? With whom will you share this once-in-a-lifetime (for most of us) phenomenon? How do we prepare to have a deeper, richer experience of the total eclipse? Have you set an intention for those four-plus minutes of total darkness, so you can allow the wonder and enchantment to wash over you?
That’s what we will explore this Saturday, March 16, from 2:00 to 4:00 at the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library here in Kerrville. Bring pen and paper or your journal to write with.
Awe occurs in a realm separate from the mundane world of material money, acquisition, and status symbols — a realm beyond the profane that many call the sacred. (Dacher Keltner in his 2023 book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform your Life)
I will be your facilitator. I propose a variety of writing prompts for you to discover the answer to some of these questions above. In addition, I offer hands-on guidance in what I call “stream-of-consciousness” journal writing. This will allow you to access those answers quickly and successfully. We will share our answers, gather ideas from each other, and leave with an intentional and mindful plan of action.
…there exists a magic crackle, a sacred thrum, found at the threshold between two states. Liminal space has its own tantalizing quality to it. … I believe there is more–untapped, unseen. I believe relentless reality breaks us, and magical wonder can make us whole. (Monica C. Parker in her 2023 book, The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and Lead)
You can let the eclipse be a “been-there-done-that” experience or you can enhance this grand encounter with nature by thoughtfully considering how to prepare yourself to experience it. Let’s do it together. There will be handouts. Bring pen and paper to write with you.
Want to take your writing to new dimensions? Want to learn from other writers to shorten your own learning curve? Want to rub shoulders with writers from the Washington Post or the New York Times? Want to generate a network of fellow writers interested in helping you grow as a writer?
Where or what is “Okoboji?” It is a lake and a town, a location in northwest Iowa. Though not a typical conference site like Chicago or LA, natural beauty invades the retreat site. Speakers often take their sessions outside on the lawns of the recreation site.
Check it out for its unique format, bevy of faculty members (50+), and variety of learning options.
I’ll serve on the cadre of speakers, as a travel writer, memoirist, and fiction writer. I’ll be a participant and faculty member for the first time. I’ve gotten acquainted with the organizer, Julie Gammack. because of pre-retreat zoom calls with speakers to be sure we understand the culture of this retreat. In one of those calls she told us (I’m paraphrasing) that she believes we (all people around the globe) need writers to make the changes needed in our world. I’m on board with that. The list of speakers illustrates the diversity in writing experiences they bring.
Other faculty members who have participated before indicate that it is three full days of fun exchanges between writers of all levels. Speakers attend as participants, as well. They are available for one-on-one networking, discussing direction for a participant’s next book, or coaching. “The meetings between meetings” can be valuable networking. Relationships have continued past the retreat as long term friendships and/or writing groups emerged during their time at Okoboji.
I can’t wait! Will you join me at Okoboji Writers’ Retreat September 22-25? Let me know if you too are registered, so $100 in your registration will be deducted from your fee.
An invasive species, cedar trees slurp up too much water from our soil and aquifer, leaving the area drier than ever and so must be cut from ranch land and burned. A burden, cost, and nuisance to land owners.
