Join the Tuesday Slice of Life
I have had a wonderful, peaceful week with my parents in Madison, MS. on New Castle Lake. They look out at the lake every day. There is something so calming about watching water. Each day, they are visited by a great blue heron, a gaggle of Canada geese, and a family of mallards. Each evening, the sun sets over the horizon making a new painting in the sky.
Each day we embarked on an outing. The first fell on my mother’s birthday. We attended her monthly book club meeting that took place in a Circa 1908 Revival mansion The Fairview Inn B&B and restaurant. I loved being surrounded by smart southern women discussing books and life! They put a candle in Mom’s crème brûlée.
Happy Birthday, Dot!
The next day the three of us went to the Mississippi Museum of Art for lunch and a viewing of the Old Masters to Monet. We also enjoyed the permanent collection and the quilt competition.
On Thursday, we went to the Mississippi Craftsmen Center on the Natchez Trace. So many talented artists and craftsmen in Mississippi!
The rest of the week included hearing my brother play with two other musicians at a fine restaurant, a bookstore visit with my dad, and seeing my sister-in-law in Steel Magnolias. She played the mother, M’Lynn and had me sobbing by the end.
My favorite part was just being there, having time to read, write, and visit with my family. One evening we sat out on the screened-in porch. I read aloud poems by Natasha Trethewey (who is originally from Mississippi) while Mom tracked the stars on her iPad. I wrote the following poem:
Tonight,
instead of TV,
we stargaze;
chart the evening sky on the iPad app.Mom announces Venus
above the horizon
glimmering like an orange diamond,not unlike the firefly
with its lonely, silent flashes.When we stop talking,
frogs moan, crying
like spoiled children resisting bedtime:Let me stay a little longer,
to find more stars,
to catch more stories,
to be more awake!
Reflections on the Teche 
Wonderful poem, Margaret! My mother was also a “Dorothy”, who was called “Dot”!
Jack Ferstel
Sounds like a beautiful week, Margaret, your mother’s birthday and seeing your brother & sister perform! I would guess playing the mother in Steel Magnolias couldn’t be easy! I love your poem (“let me stay a little longer”) and every bit you shared, but especially that ending, the porch sitting. My mother and I sat out each evening to watch the fireflies arrive, a Missouri evening. We don’t have these amazing insects in Colorado so it was always a special time when we went back when the kids were little, too. And, we lived on a lake in Missouri, too. I don’t think we realized how special it was until we moved!
Lovely slow days of summer on a lake. Thank you for sharing your experiences. And your poem.
My son-in-law is from Mississippi. You captured it beautifully. I love that your mom is in a book club and that you attended the meeting; she is lovely, like her daughter. You seem to have a very artistic family. xo
Time with family is time well spent. What an awesome week you had!
Love how your mom navigates the stars and an iPad and love how you share the beauty of family and nature.
GORGEOUS photos!
Love:
“Let me stay a little longer,
to find more stars,
to catch more stories,
to be more awake!”
So glad you had a wonderful visit with your family. Your poem evokes the magic of your evening!