Mother's Day 2008

My mother was born April 6, 1911, so if she were still with us she'd be 97 years old. If we'd remained true to form, today would have been an occasion for the family to get together, probably at my sister's house--although it's fun to imagine they'd be here in Delaware with us. Every one of them loves boats, the water, and the edible things that come out of it, and even with the iffy weather we're having today we'd have found a way to have a good time. Since Mother's Day and our mother's birthday are so close together and we'd all have gotten together on both occasions, my sister and I would probably have made a deal: you host one, I'll do the other.

All these arrangements are purely imaginary, of course, because both of our parents are gone, (our dad would have been 100 years old this coming October) and, as so often happens, with them went the adhesive that kept all the rest us together. My sister's and my lives were spinning increasingly into their own orbits even before Mother and Dad died, and now the separation is more complete than ever. There is certainly no animus there, far from it: we enjoy each others' company when we talk on the phone or get thgether, but her life is incredibly busy and complicated and she is next to impossible to pin down for a visit. She and her partner Mike keep promising to make a space to come here for a weekend, but in all the time since 2004, when we bought this place, that visit still hasn't happened. I continue to hope. If I sound a bit wistful about it, I am. (Sometimes wistfulness slips into actual irritation, but I do my best to control that.)

We had our Sunday pig-out breakfast at Bev's this morning and then came home and checked the crabs. The water was glassy smooth and the sun was shining for a change, so it was a nice boat ride. Forty-eight hours worth of a crab catch was a bit bigger this time than it was two weeks ago, so there may be hope yet for a decent season. There were still not enough to keep, though, so once again I let them go, to return, I hope, another time when they are even bigger. The water temperature clearly has an effect on where the crabs hang out. As we warm up here, they will probably come in greater numbers. Our next visit here will be the Memorial Day weekend. Traps and their owners will be out in huge numbers, and we will have company with us. I plan to come early in the week to get a head start.

The rest of today stretches out with no plan--nice. Maybe a movie, maybe check out a new antique place that's opened up in the little town where our post office is. And maybe not.

To all you mothers out there, have a good one! And to everyone else: you, too!