JUNE 3, 2011 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

    After Des died in 1984

some birthdays

Betty spent alone on her patio ....

so many of her

old pals had moved out of the "stickin desert"

and

Des wasn't  there to celebrate with his famous "Beer Chicken" and laughter and a cold one.

Except Don .......

Original pastel by Monica Lawson 2004

Often Don, her best friend, would call and say,

"I want to go fishing .... wanna come?"

"Of course" she'd tell him.

Sometimes they'd fish at the Salton Sea.....

other times it was a road trip to do a little

"slots" nearby.

But fill the bird feeder first .... then we'll go fishing.

Betty loved to feed her birds ... a sleek footed road runner
often greeted her, then to her delight
it sped off in chase of whatever road runners chase.
Ravenous humming birds hovered overhead until she
filled their sweet syrupy strawberry shaped feeder.

Joe and Terry always found something
to fix, relocate, dig up, paint, plant or  .......
just visit  their Mom
in her cute little brown house.

                           And when sons visit ........ Mothers cook

Howard hovered and added advise ..... which she never took anyone's advice when it came to cooking.
"Get out'a here Howard, and let me stir this."

...... and then there's Desi..............

He loved the desert

and fishing

..... too many beers on the patio....

and

 oh my..

could he spin a yarn! Full o' the Blarney, that one was ......

this is harder than I realized it would be ...

I don't know if these are tears of joyful memories ...

or heart wrenching sadness

at the loss of another dear one.

 Families go on..

store photographs in shoe boxes stuck away

in the bottom of a closet....

but carry with them the treasure that

these people have been.

                           Howard's gift of music,
                                        when he sang for Betty,
                                                 eased the grief
                                                          she carried
                                 just under the surface .... close to her heart.

                             And then there are
                            the four daughters ....
                  and sons-in-law, daughters-in-law ...
 and grandkids ... great grands ...
                  and great great grands!

               Des and Betty.... what did you do?


NEXT CHAPTER TO BE CONTINUED...
but remember......
this is a birthday tribute to
Elizabeth "Betty" Kaemerer...........our Mom, Nonna and Friend!