This one takes some explanation.
I had on a favorite t-shirt, color: purple. It was getting late and I was wondering what to do for a self portrait today. As I was walking out of our sunroom, I spied this plush figure of a moose. Instant inspiration.
My mother, reared 8 children, me being the baby of the bunch. 20 years between my brother Larry and me.
We used to refer to Mom as Mother Moose, why I’m really not sure. We used to say to others that you couldn’t be a Mother Moose unless you raised 8 kids. Mom was, as always, full of good humor and enjoyed our teasing – she gave it right back.
One year, in thinking of what to get Mom for a celebration, I cannot recall if it was a birthday, Christmas or Mother’s Day, my dear bride, my Karen Sue, brought home this purple moose as the perfect gift for our dear Mother Moose. Mom loved it.
As we were clearing out Mom’s place after she died, I inherited the purple moose. I look on it and recall all the good times.
I took the purple moose, propped it on my shoulder, put one of it’s arms around my neck and here you are. A reminder of my Mom, my dear Mother Moose.
Oh – almost forgot – Mom’s favorite color was purple, or any shade near it. =)
She’d be proud of you Matt. We called her Mother Moose because of the Deer head left in her bed by Denny.
Love Mr. Moose’s memory of Mrs. Moose (Remember Mr. Moose on Kaptain Kangaroo? He talked in a high-pitched voice and was forever fooling dear old Captain with a shower of ping-pong balls that ‘drenched’ his hairy head.
On her nickname… actually, Frank and I called her Mrs. Moose because whenever she said she needed to go to Janie’s for a haircut, she said, “I have to go, I look like I have antlers.” We heard that enough times that eventually we knighted her “Mrs. Moose”. Rest well, oh antlered One. We love and miss you.