Muddy Bum
Spring has pierced through the chill of our Pennsylvania winter. And with it comes, muddy bums…and knees and elbows and bottoms of shoes. The mud arrives every year, as faithful as the daffodils that pop in the front beds. With two boys in our house, mud arrives inside at an alarming rate.
“Look mom! It looks like I had an accident,” JP laughs as he cranes to see the mud deposit on his rear.
“Yeah, well don’t accidentally sit anywhere. Get those off and into the soak bucket.”
I really shouldn’t like Spring mud because of it’s exponential affect on laundry. But a boy covered with moist earth is so natural; it brings a warm fuzzy to my heart.
Winter always drags into March and this year has been no exception. The kids under dress, hopeful that the morning’s chill will give way to a warmer afternoon. But no such luck. “Mom, I got cold on the playground,” Graham tells me after I send him to school with just a hoodie. Bad mom or eternal optimist?
My friend Debbie moved to West Palm Beach, Florida a few years ago. She doesn’t get the extreme seasons. When you do without the harshness of winter, is spring as sweet? I think not. Of course that is the way optimists view bleak circumstances and snowstorms in March. Something better is coming. It is why spring is the season of eternal hope.
Muddy times come into everyone’s lives. We’ve been dealing with Merritt and her disease for five and a half years. But now, instead of being a nuisance, her mud has dried and is easily swept away. Time and sunshine have that affect on mud.
So I’ll take the mud if it means that we’ll soon be blessed with those gorgeous days in April — when we step outside, and suck in the warmth. Everything is sweeter in the Spring. Well, except when the three cats, walk their twelve muddy paws across the kitchen floor.
6 Responses to “Muddy Bum”
Leave a Reply
March 27th, 2007 at 8:02 am
It’s funny, the kids were playing every sport they could find equipment for yesterday including baseball, football, tennis, golf, frisbee, and more. Then they washed the car! It’s as though they were squeezing in a week’s worth of activities into one afternoon. We’re all so ready for this break in the weather. I’m with you, Kathy. Bring on the mud!
Great post!
March 27th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Kathy, nice post. I love that you have the photo to go along with it. So you have a soak bucket? Well, that explains why I have so much trouble with my laundry. A soak, bucket. It’s all very clear now. I searched your blog to see if I could tell what is the matter with Merrit, but I can’t find the details. Sounds like she’s doing well–easy off the with mud.
March 27th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Hey Kathie,
Thanks for visiting. The soak bucket has saved me many times. It always sits in the stationary tub because we throw Merritt’s bibs in it everyday. Merritt has a degenerative mitochondrial disease. The mitochondria are in every cell of the body and they create the energy to power the cells. Merritt has no energy. She has never progressed beyond about a three month level. But guess what…she doesn’t talk back or need designer clothes! She is my easiest child in many ways. Her original prognosis was a very short life…she’s proven doctors wrong. I guess I should add more info about her on the site. Its all in the book. Which is getting closer and closer to being a reality. I’m almost on board with an agent…need to do some final edits. Thanks for stopping by. I love your blog too! Kathy
March 29th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
My kids are just little, but i’m learning about the “joy” of mud!! I’ve already washed my 3 year old’s jacket 2 times in the last week!! How he gets so dirty is beyond me!
April 1st, 2007 at 3:12 am
oh yes - the joy of mud!
spring sure is amazing after a long (rainy if you are from here) winter!
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:54 am
Hey Kathy, thanks for the information on Merritt. I know how hard it can be to have your life thrown into an unexpected direction due to health issues, but you seem to have found all the good stuff in the difficulty. I admire that! Looking forward to the next post…not to rush you or anything!