Last night after dinner, as I was waiting for the Presidential debate/town hall to start, I looked out my front window and saw an odd sight. An old woman, in a wide brimmed straw hat and overall walking up my front ramp. Since this is door knocking season for all the campaigns, my first thought was this was someone supporting the bicycle man, a retiree whose a Green party candidate for our state legislature.
I opened the door and got a better sight of my visitor. The brim of her straw hat was festooned with fall leaves and flowers, several leaves hanging down. She was wearing overalls with green, earth-friendly messages taped all over, and she was wearing ripped white tennis shoes. She started talking, using my name, and said she was Mother Earth come to visit. She starting in on an earth woman spiel when suddenlyit clicked. This was an old friend and neighbor of the family's, one of my mom's best friends. I burst out laughing and invited her in. Now, Val is probably well in her 80s. (I didn't ask, but my mom would have been 85). She's still driving, and stopped by after making a visit to the nursing home her niece works at, to entertain "the old folks" as she said.
Duncan, my cat, who loves everyone, really loved her. He jumped up in her lap and began batting at the leaves hanging off her hat, and after amusing himself for a few minutes that way, started eating them. Mother Earth seemed to love cats as she just let him play.
Boy, do I hope, if I even live to be in my mid-80s, that I'm halfway as with it as she is today. This is a woman who was born and raised Catholic, raised 12 kids (our family had just seven), and who lost her husband probably two decades ago. She's totally with it, was talking politics with me, and promised to call her friend and get me an Obama/Biden sign for my yard. I came home from work today and it was already in my yard. She works fast!
So, be friendly to good old Mother Earth, eat your fruits and veggies, and keep your mind active and alert and maybe we'll have the good luck to end up like Mrs. Z.
