Today is the day

At first, the days pass slowly. Each one is harder to get through than the day before. Then those days become weeks and months. The sixth month is marked and I say, " I can't believe it's been this long." Finally, this day arrives. Today is the day. Today is one year since my mom died. I miss her everyday. I miss her 365 days worth of telephone conversations and outlandish things she would have said. I miss her 12 months worth of birthday cards signed in her fancy handwriting for myself and my children. I miss minute by minute the countless things neither I or my sister was aware she made happen and now those things go undone and unsaid.

My mother was an individual to say the least. She dressed to the nines whenever she could. She wore big hair until the day it fell out from the chemotherapy. She wore the reddest red lipstick she could find. She thought lipstick was as good as Prozac. "Put some lipstick on honey. You'll feel better." She spoke her mind no matter what the cost. She never backed down from a challenge and was more often than not labeled a "bitch" for it. She loved all her grandchildren as best she could. She even danced a couple of times a year when the opportunity presented itself. She made the best potato salad.

Yep. That was Ransy. She even had a unique name to top it all off. Today...this day...I honor her for who she was.

Ransy Marie Robicheaux Waguespack

Wordless Wednesday with Wine

Kung Fu Girl Riesling...yum

Mom's birthday

Today is my Mom's birthday. She would have been 63 today, but she died last year in late September. It's almost been a year without her now. On her birthday she loved to eat birthday cake. She'd take a little piece and eat it and then say, "I just had a little piece, so I'll just get another." I think the cake was the thing she wanted the most and she wouldn't mind eating out or having something grilled, but you better not forget the cake.

Last year she didn't eat much cake and my Dad got her some food from one of her favorite restaurants because by then she was too sick to go out and eat. The last couple of months of her life she had been eating as much red velvet cake as she could hold down. She always loved sweet things. The chemo and radiation made it hard at times, but it was one of the last things she could still enjoy. One of her last good meals was probably her birthday meal. She ate a bit for their anniversary, which is September 18, and after that she didn't eat much at all.

I remember on her 40th birthday she accidentally locked herself out of the house. She had to wait until I got home for me to let her in. This of course was before everyone had cell phones. She said it was one of her worst birthdays. She carried a key with her at all times after that. She pinned it to her bra and she made sure she was never locked out again.

I would have definitely called her today. We spent hours and hours on the phone because for about decade now I've lived at least 10 hours or more from Louisiana. Too bad there are no telephones in Heaven.

Happy Birthday Mama.

The Plout

        I love fruit and the other day at Sam's I came across a plout. Sounds yummy right? In fact, it is quite delicious. The package also called them dinosaur eggs because they are speckled like and egg, but larger than a chicken egg. The plout is a plum and an apricot mixed together. It's the size of a large plum, juicy, and doesn't have that fur skin the apricot has. Get you some!

Wednesday without Words

Morning sky