My mother-in-law died recently at 83, after a short fight with
cancer. My husband and I visited Spokane, Washington to
take care of her things. While in Spokane, we met with family members to swap "Bonnie stories" and took a memorial
drive up to Springdale, Washington to see where she was born at home to first
generation Norwegian-American parents.
Bonnie was a complex, private, creative person, who could tell a great story. She was proud of her son and grandson, and welcomed me, as her daughter-in-law, with open arms. She spent most of her life in Spokane, except for a brief stint in Phoenix, Arizona during her marriage. She hated the heat in Phoenix, and loved to tell about when my husband was born in August in 110 degree heat with no air condition – “My gawd” she would say as she started the story, her blue eyes twinkling). Bonnie was a single working mom at a time it was not the norm. She made a career as “a damn good bookkeeper” for a major oil corporation, and then for a travel agency in Spokane. Bonnie spent her retirement years with her beloved dog and cat in a mobile home overlooking the Spokane River. She gardened, walked her dog, and created beautiful rugs, blankets, and artwork, often abstractions of the natural world.
While in Spokane, I enjoyed seeing her garden as it was awakening from winter dormancy. I stood there, listening to the wind in the trees and the birdsong, and picturing Bonnie planning, planting, and tending the garden she loved.
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| Bonnie loved sitting out on her deck overlooking the Spokane River |
Bonnie was a complex, private, creative person, who could tell a great story. She was proud of her son and grandson, and welcomed me, as her daughter-in-law, with open arms. She spent most of her life in Spokane, except for a brief stint in Phoenix, Arizona during her marriage. She hated the heat in Phoenix, and loved to tell about when my husband was born in August in 110 degree heat with no air condition – “My gawd” she would say as she started the story, her blue eyes twinkling). Bonnie was a single working mom at a time it was not the norm. She made a career as “a damn good bookkeeper” for a major oil corporation, and then for a travel agency in Spokane. Bonnie spent her retirement years with her beloved dog and cat in a mobile home overlooking the Spokane River. She gardened, walked her dog, and created beautiful rugs, blankets, and artwork, often abstractions of the natural world.
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While in Spokane, I enjoyed seeing her garden as it was awakening from winter dormancy. I stood there, listening to the wind in the trees and the birdsong, and picturing Bonnie planning, planting, and tending the garden she loved.
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1 comment:
Nice - mom would have liked it.
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