Happy Birthday June and goodbye

June Francis Loomis Olmsted 6-21-1926 to 6-14-2011

June, Francis and Helen 1930s

We had a love/hate relationship like so many mothers and daughters unfortunately share. Yet she gave me life and taught me many wonderful skills.

High School graduation 1940s

In the last year, since my Dad passed away, Mom and I started to get along better, almost like two adults.

My time in Texas this winter was like riding a roller coaster, we had our ups and downs. Yet I will always remember us talking and laughing, telling stories, going to the beach.

Mom, me and my brother 1954

She may have taught me more in the last three months than the last three decades.

I love you forever Mom.

April 2011

Nature's Story

Berta called me this morning and said very softly, “I’m holding a baby pig.” What?

I rushed over with the camera. The baby javelina is about the size of a loaf of bread, and adorable. It seemed content in Berta’s arms, closing its eyes as if to say, “finally warm.”

Four adult javelinas had found their way in and out of the still not quite fenced side yard. (click here for that story) Then she heard the baby crying. It’s pitiful, I heard it later. She waited for the adults to come back, but they didn’t, and the baby kept crying. So she grabbed a blanket and scooped it up.

Wasn’t long before the “family” made their way back to the freshly spread bird seed inside the fence. So Berta set the baby in blanket down outside her door. It eventually wobbled itself over to the adults trying to suckle and rub on all of them. They were patient and tolerant, even a little attentive, yet were also absorbed in snuffling up as much seed as the banquet would provide.

In fact they stayed for hours finishing up the feast. It is Christmas after all.

There is something wrong with the baby javelina’s back legs and it appears weak. Very small to be trying to keep up with the pack in cold weather. I suppose if you can’t keep up then you don’t survive.

We talked about what would be best to do and ultimately decided that nature would take its course. Later in the day we found the baby dead. Berta wrapped it in the blanket and I took it to the wash where it can go back to the earth.