Dirty Livin'

These gals love dirt...and water...especially mixed together.


Lovin' the fall mud. No matter the season - anytime is a good time for some spontaneous, messy mud play.

Now, sometimes I wonder.."What must my neighbors think?". What, with our half painted and oh so tiny house, gaggle of children running about, home repair projects that never seem to end and, of course, my dirty, mud lovin' children in the yard.

One of which is just a babe.

Hmmm, what do they think? I am sure that some interesting classifications come up for folks who are inclined to do so. And God knows how many jokes about birth control I've heard over the years and how many sly winks I've caught out of the corner of my eye. So, yes... I may have an idea or two...

But then again, I also know that when people have talked to my husband and I, or our kids, or have witnessed our interactions with them or with each other...they've sometimes been a bit perplexed. Their classification system doesn't seem to apply. I think they try to squeeze us into one pigeonhole or another, but I think we manage to slip out of those tight spots sooner or later.

Then it totally slams me.

It. Doesn't. Matter.

Should I somehow be relieved one way or the other when we defy those social strata?

All the ideas we may have, those notions of being able to summarize someone by their parts. Such silly nonsense, really. How could any one attempt to summarize the entire existence of not just one individual but, even an entire family or group based on snippets? Still, this is often how our minds work. How we try to make sense of our environment, especially in our busy world.

Then there are the moments of hope that shine.

A simple exchange at the post office between 2 immigrants from vastly different countries and cultures, one young, one old - between them, a simple offer of a stamp so one would no longer need to wait in line. These are the snippets I choose to remember, that I try to collect. Snippets of the embracing spirit of love.