a moment with mom

On Wednesday I went to Cupertino to have lunch with my parents and celebrate my mom’s birthday a few days late. After lunch we had some lemon meringue pie that I made that morning. It was so lemony & delicious. My parents love a lemon meringue pie.

After lunch, my mom & I worked in her small garden. We repotted a jade plant into 2 larger pots. They looked happy & cute in their new, larger pots.

I pulled weeds, swept the deck area, & did some watering. My mom has 2 San Pedro baby’s sprouting from among her 6 cacti.

On my way home, I drove through Ladera, where I grew up & where my parents lived for over 50 years. Sometimes places I remember from my youth seem smaller when revisited. Ladera seemed bigger to me now though, maybe because all of the trees have grown & matured over the years.

I drove past our old home on Escanyo Way. The new owners have done lots of landscaping making it harder to see the house. I could still see the trees that I remember so well from my childhood, especially the giant redwood out back and the majestic oak.

Next door, the new owners of the Sussman’s house have cut down all but a few of the many pine trees we always called “Neilda’s pine trees”. It’s amazing how well you can see the house now, but I couldn’t get used to it.

I sat parked in my car in the cul-de-sac for a while. I remember seeing “strange” cars drive around our cul-de-sac and thinking, “Who’s that?”

Now I’m the strange car with the gawker vibe. I stared at the window where Neilda always sat & looked out when she was on the phone. She was somehow almost always talking on the phone. I could feel her spirit smiling down on me & hear her calling my name all long & drawn out in her Southern accent, “Aaabigaaail!”

Then I drove through the neighborhood & up to “The Pool”. Everything is upgraded & manicured, a high-end vibe I don’t remember. I didn’t open the gate, but walked around the outside & took in the gorgeous views of Webb Ranch & the surrounding hills all green & thriving. It was such a nourishing visit to the land where I grew up. I felt remembered, especially by the trees, & grateful to have spent so much of my life in such a nature-rich, beautiful place.