Earlier this week, Sunday, May 10, 2026, was Mother’s Day, and I hope you all had a wonderful time, whether you’re a mother, a daughter, or both.
Thanks to my daughter, Wendy, and son-in-law, Jeremy, I had a marvelous day. They brought a beautiful bouquet of roses and a variety of complementary blossoms, and took me on a road trip to explore the amazing countryside around San Diego. The scenery was amazing, the sky an impossible shade of blue. I took some pictures to share with you.
I was very happy yesterday, but I did miss my mother, Hazel Bleecker Lael, who passed away in 2019. She was a terrific mom, sewing costumes for our Halloween adventures, baking the best cookies ever, budgeting for months to make sure our Christmas stockings bulged with well-chosen gifts.
There was always an orange in the toe. ☺
The tree was fresh, smelling of pine sap, and provided by Dad, who ventured out into the wilderness surrounding the town of Northport, Washington to choose one, and it glowed with colored bulbs and bubble lights and tinsel.
On Christmas Eve, she always read us the classic, “The Night Before Christmas”, and I will treasure that memory until my brain shuts down.
In fact, without Mom, I wouldn’t have become a writer.
She was a voracious reader and trained me to be one as well.
I’m so thankful for both my parents and my three siblings, too.
Road trip views:
My mother, Hazel:
