Fun at the Community Garden

Every Saturday morning through the summer a friend and I would walk to the farmers market to shop, visit and photograph.  This past Saturday without the farmers market to attend we spent the morning discovering local places to photograph.  Tony was with us and he had a photography assignment, 'harvest', so the question, "where do we go to photograph 'harvest' that is close?". We thought why not visit the local 'community garden'.  This turned out to be a fun discovery with hints of creative inspiration for all of us.

   
One of my favorite things is things that are small.  My little discovery was a tiny little wheelbarrow with a tiny rake and shovel.

Then there was those things that were past harvest, left to fade until it is their time again.

   
And no garden would be complete without the color and beauty of flowers.

Where did the time go - 35 years ago he was so tiny.

This month our oldest son turned 35. THIRTY FIVE!

It wasn't just yesterday, it was Thirty Five years ago that I held this tiny little bundle of - 7lbs 10oz, 19 1/2" long - joy.  And he was a joy.  He had lightly blond hair stubble. Cute little button nose. And loved to cuddle. If my photo albums weren't buried I would post baby pictures - maybe that will be a weekend project?

As a young mom with the first child you look forward to all of life's momentous occasions.  Them learning to crawl, then walk and talk.  Then you dream of when they start school  - learn to spell, read and write. You also look forward to when they can finally fix their own breakfast, get their own drink of water, read night time stories to you - sorry regressing.

Short school story: I was so looking forward to Shawn's first day of Kindergarten. In Utah, (that is where we lived when he started school) if they were 5 by October 31st they could start school. So eager mom that I was, I signed Shawn up right away. I went with him on first day to meet his teacher and help him get settled in. I left that day feeling a little sad - my baby boy was growing up. Well apparently, "my baby", wasn't grown up enough. After one week in school his teacher called me into the classroom and told me I should hold Shawn back for another year. She said that some children, boys especially, aren't quite ready at that age to go to school, that they do better when they are little older and a little more mature. She said that all Shawn wanted to do was 'socialize'.  He still does. So I held him back and he did do a little better. He still liked to 'socialize', and that  continued all through school. 

Back to life's momentous occasions.  During their school years you look so forward to High School Graduation. Some days you really looked to graduation.  Then they leave home - go to college, get jobs, so on.  Then you look forward to the day they get married. You hope that they find that 'special' someone and they live happily ever after. But what you really look forward to is GRANDBABIES.  Someone to start all over with, to spoil (and give back to the parents) and hold and cuddle.

During all of these life moments, never do you think about when your child turns 35, 40, 50 etc. To you they will always be that cute, cuddly, adorable bundle of joy that you brought home all those years ago.  So to my cute, cuddly, adorable bundle of joy - HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY!. 

Shawn and his friend Han.

Even at 35  - Boys with their toys!

  

Expressing myself
with memories, nostalgia and pride for my little boy as Grown UP.