Happy Mother's Day to The Mothers!
It was May time, and the forest was
alive every day with birdsong, new growth on the trees, animal life. Ralph
had been having a restless night with many dreams. He dreamed of his mother for some reason.
The images reminded him of her constant care and her unending tenderness toward
himself and his younger siblings. There had been seven younger ones, boys and
girls. Each received her faithful care, and she had never tired.
His mother, unlike Ramona, was plain and silent.
And yet, his mind naturally went to Ramona. She was still sleeping, so it must have been very early indeed. His eyes opened and he counted all the ways in which she had been only wonderful. Her care was also faithful, constant, and tender. Her mind was full of wisdom and humor. She had never complained or found fault. And she was beautiful, without a doubt.
Ralph began to plan a way to express his love in a special way for one special spring day, “in addition to his daily appreciation,” he thought.
He slipped out of bed silently, without waking her, and then out of the green door. The sky was just lightening a little.
He was going to need help to accomplish his plan, so he quietly whistled up toward where Maeve had her nest, high in the rocks of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It’s an odd thing but Maeve always heard him, night or day. So did she this early morning.
As he sat poking at the fire, and giving it a few more chunks of wood, Maeve drifted down out of the canopy. Silently, she took her place on his shoulder.
“Everything OK, Boss?” said she.
“Yeah. I had to get up really early. I needed to talk to you before Mona got out of bed,” said he.
“Oh ho! What are you up to?” quoth Maeve.
“You don’t have to go all Elizabethan, Maeve! I want to take Ramona out walking, like we used to do before all this Home Clearing happened. I need your help, mostly to get Thaga’s help. Do you think you could fly over to Thaga and ask her two things?” said Ralph.
“Lay it on me, Boss,” said Maeve, perking up, because she loved intrigue more than anything almost.
“Ask her if Twigg and Cherry can spend the day there, and maybe overnight, if we don’t come back until morning,” said Ralph.
“I’ll do that,” said Maeve. Then she lifted off and was gone, determined to wake Thaga and get her answer.
In the meantime, Ramona woke, found Ralph missing and came out to her fire. She found him sitting there feeding the fire.
“Feeling alright, Baby? You’re sure up early,” said Ramona.
“I was dreaming about my mother, and it woke me finally,” said Ralph.
“I hope they were good dreams,” said Ramona.
“They were very good dreams. She was a good mother. We didn’t think about how good of a mother she was when we were all there with her,” said Ralph, a little wistfully.
“I can believe she was a good mother, Ralph! She raised a good son!” said Ramona. Then she began preparations for something for everyone to eat. It was to be oatmeal this morning. She had some raisins and butter to fancy it up a little.
Twigg and Cherry came out and soon the family ate their breakfast. Bob and Berry went out to do a little hunting because pumas don’t really dig oatmeal even with raisins and butter.
Maeve came back and took her usual perch. When Ramona ducked into the cave for something, Maeve whispered into Ralph’s ear, “It’s a go. Thaga says to send the kids over as soon as you like and they can certainly stay all night. She seemed pretty excited, once she woke up!
“I’ll just go with them to make sure they get there. I know they would but it’s good to be sure,” said Maeve.
“Thanks, Birdie,” said Ralph. “Now I have to invite Mona.”
When Ramona got back out to the fire, everything looked just like any other day. But it wasn’t just any day!
“I have an idea,” Ralph told Ramona. “Let’s spend the day like we used to! Let’s walk like we did before, together in the forest, meadows, mountain flanks, and along rivers! Let’s take a day for you and me, Mona!”
“Can we do that? How?” she said. “Will we take Twigg and Cherry?”
“I’ve sent Maeve to ask Thaga and Ooog to have them over for the day and maybe the night if we stay out overnight! Maeve will fly with them to make sure they get there. Oh, Mona, it’s going to be so much fun!”
And that’s just what they did. Twigg and Cherry and Maeve wandered over to the Neanderthal’s place for the night.
And it was fun. Ralph and Ramona went walking as they did before when they first were getting to know each other. They walked out of the Home Clearing, out into the greater forest. They revisited mountains. They walked through sweet meadows.
They visited their river further upstream than usual. Ralph caught a few trout for supper. As usual he threaded them onto a sapling twig, to carry them. Then they found a sheltered little spot and Ralph made a nice fire for the evening. They cooked their trout on green sticks, and they drank river water, and it was lovely.
The stars came out, the night grew deep, a couple of owls spoke softly, and a soft little wind blew the smoke of their fire away.
“What was this all about, Baby?” said Ramona. “I loved it!”
“It was about you, Mona. You are good in every way. No one could ever do better than you do! I am in your dept. That’s just the truth!” said Ralph, looking a little serious for a moment. “Thank you for it all. Without you I might just be in a stump like Bob!”
Ralph couldn’t be serious for long, so they ended up giggling like kids.
They went home to their children in the morning, after a night of camping out like Forest People always used to do. The kids had a great time too, with Thaga and Ooog!
His mother, unlike Ramona, was plain and silent.
And yet, his mind naturally went to Ramona. She was still sleeping, so it must have been very early indeed. His eyes opened and he counted all the ways in which she had been only wonderful. Her care was also faithful, constant, and tender. Her mind was full of wisdom and humor. She had never complained or found fault. And she was beautiful, without a doubt.
Ralph began to plan a way to express his love in a special way for one special spring day, “in addition to his daily appreciation,” he thought.
He slipped out of bed silently, without waking her, and then out of the green door. The sky was just lightening a little.
He was going to need help to accomplish his plan, so he quietly whistled up toward where Maeve had her nest, high in the rocks of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It’s an odd thing but Maeve always heard him, night or day. So did she this early morning.
As he sat poking at the fire, and giving it a few more chunks of wood, Maeve drifted down out of the canopy. Silently, she took her place on his shoulder.
“Everything OK, Boss?” said she.
“Yeah. I had to get up really early. I needed to talk to you before Mona got out of bed,” said he.
“Oh ho! What are you up to?” quoth Maeve.
“You don’t have to go all Elizabethan, Maeve! I want to take Ramona out walking, like we used to do before all this Home Clearing happened. I need your help, mostly to get Thaga’s help. Do you think you could fly over to Thaga and ask her two things?” said Ralph.
“Lay it on me, Boss,” said Maeve, perking up, because she loved intrigue more than anything almost.
“Ask her if Twigg and Cherry can spend the day there, and maybe overnight, if we don’t come back until morning,” said Ralph.
“I’ll do that,” said Maeve. Then she lifted off and was gone, determined to wake Thaga and get her answer.
In the meantime, Ramona woke, found Ralph missing and came out to her fire. She found him sitting there feeding the fire.
“Feeling alright, Baby? You’re sure up early,” said Ramona.
“I was dreaming about my mother, and it woke me finally,” said Ralph.
“I hope they were good dreams,” said Ramona.
“They were very good dreams. She was a good mother. We didn’t think about how good of a mother she was when we were all there with her,” said Ralph, a little wistfully.
“I can believe she was a good mother, Ralph! She raised a good son!” said Ramona. Then she began preparations for something for everyone to eat. It was to be oatmeal this morning. She had some raisins and butter to fancy it up a little.
Twigg and Cherry came out and soon the family ate their breakfast. Bob and Berry went out to do a little hunting because pumas don’t really dig oatmeal even with raisins and butter.
Maeve came back and took her usual perch. When Ramona ducked into the cave for something, Maeve whispered into Ralph’s ear, “It’s a go. Thaga says to send the kids over as soon as you like and they can certainly stay all night. She seemed pretty excited, once she woke up!
“I’ll just go with them to make sure they get there. I know they would but it’s good to be sure,” said Maeve.
“Thanks, Birdie,” said Ralph. “Now I have to invite Mona.”
When Ramona got back out to the fire, everything looked just like any other day. But it wasn’t just any day!
“I have an idea,” Ralph told Ramona. “Let’s spend the day like we used to! Let’s walk like we did before, together in the forest, meadows, mountain flanks, and along rivers! Let’s take a day for you and me, Mona!”
“Can we do that? How?” she said. “Will we take Twigg and Cherry?”
“I’ve sent Maeve to ask Thaga and Ooog to have them over for the day and maybe the night if we stay out overnight! Maeve will fly with them to make sure they get there. Oh, Mona, it’s going to be so much fun!”
And that’s just what they did. Twigg and Cherry and Maeve wandered over to the Neanderthal’s place for the night.
And it was fun. Ralph and Ramona went walking as they did before when they first were getting to know each other. They walked out of the Home Clearing, out into the greater forest. They revisited mountains. They walked through sweet meadows.
They visited their river further upstream than usual. Ralph caught a few trout for supper. As usual he threaded them onto a sapling twig, to carry them. Then they found a sheltered little spot and Ralph made a nice fire for the evening. They cooked their trout on green sticks, and they drank river water, and it was lovely.
The stars came out, the night grew deep, a couple of owls spoke softly, and a soft little wind blew the smoke of their fire away.
“What was this all about, Baby?” said Ramona. “I loved it!”
“It was about you, Mona. You are good in every way. No one could ever do better than you do! I am in your dept. That’s just the truth!” said Ralph, looking a little serious for a moment. “Thank you for it all. Without you I might just be in a stump like Bob!”
Ralph couldn’t be serious for long, so they ended up giggling like kids.
They went home to their children in the morning, after a night of camping out like Forest People always used to do. The kids had a great time too, with Thaga and Ooog!
💗
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