Dressing up my Mom's Obituary

This one's my favorite--I think it's because I see my mom as a warrior--especially now that she has conquered life and passed on to the next realm, plus her collar fits the armor so well...

Forgive me Mom.
I don't mean to make fun of my mother by dressing her in these old fashions, but all the pieces were on the table--like a puzzle, (my mom loved puzzles)

In the thick of a snowstorm, my sister in law brought out a box of very old paper dolls and their cut out clothing. (In the box was a letter dated 1918!) Most of these cut outs came from magazines. I can just imagine the excitement and the anticipation that came with each new installment--quick flipping of pages to the latest fashions or the next series of dolls to cut out and all were cut so meticulously!

Amazed, we picked up, looked at, and laid out, fashion after fashion and there, on the table, was my mom's obituary with her head just the right size. One outfit lead to another--I couldn't help myself, but you know, laughter and tears do go hand in hand...










She loved cats and her sun sign was Scorpio--(late October, early November)




Dancing shoes for a dancer...


Keeping the children in line...



This one fits her so well--she had such a love of the outdoors, nature and animals...









Above all, my mom was a good sport, if she could see this post, she'd laugh and say, "That's Susan!" Thanks mom for giving me the freedom to be who I am!

Driving in the Snow

As I write this, more snow is hitting the east coast! Here's just a little video clip of the beauty of the snow while in a car. I haven't seen this in years and I do miss it! (I know my family back east are all rolling their eyes as they read this, but it has been awhile for me). I remember a winter long ago when my dad put the car in first, took his foot off the gas and we were slowly pulled along in that low gear, (No one was on the road). We crawled along the streets of our neighborhood, big heavy flakes of snow coming at us through the windshield. I was hypnotized!

Traveling Back into the Land of Snow and Family

My sister Martha named this little Caroline Wren, Edna Brown, after an author of a children's book she was reading at the time and because my mom's name is Edna. We decided that this little Caroline Wren was sent to us by my mom, or she embodied my mom's spirit and had come to visit while all her children were gathered together at my brother and his wife's house. Here's my picture of Edna Brown, see Martha's picture, here.

My sister Martha and I constructed a funeral wreath , that when finished, you could only see a bit of these grape vines. They soon were covered with material, paper and pictures--I happen to like this vine part of it best. Martha posted about the wreath here.



I flew into RI at the beginning of a great snow storm! I loved it!





We were all together in our happiness and sorrow. Comforting soft snow was falling all around us.
Thank you Mom.

Mom

November 8, 1921----January 24, 2011

I've pulled pictures from my albums of my mom's visit to my family in CA. I've lived 3000 miles away from my mom for about 30 years--I've missed out on so many family gatherings, but my parents were able to visit every so often--and I've been able to travel back to the east coast every summer for the last ten years?






























I love you Mom--We will miss you!