A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke Once again, I flipped my calendar over to see what was coming up and was amazed to see that Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday, May 9. I don’t know why I seem to forget that it’s always the second Sunday in May - every year. Time passes so quickly these days it’s easy to lose track. Or perhaps more realistically it’s because days run together without the usual anchors of normal life. (Yes, I know normal is just a setting on the dryer which was funny the first hundred times I heard it but not so much anymore.) I have always believed that humor and joy go a long way to making life enjoyable. I still do. It’s just harder some days than others. Time to think positive. Mother’s Day is a good place to start. It’s fitting that Mother’s Day comes early in May, a time when Mother Nature is busy mothering. All the birds and flowers and trees are doing what nature tells them to do – multiply. The pollen count is higher than I’d like but I’ve gotten used to it and it is nice that wearing a mask outside doesn’t look weird. It does help.   And the bunnies! Oh my. My whole neighborhood is filled with bunnies. I don’t dislike bunnies except when they eat everything in sight, which is what they are intended to do. If they’d just leave the flowers alone, I’d be happier. But bunnies are bunnies. In the past I’ve put out used kitty litter (predator urine) to keep bunnies out of the back yard but they no longer seem to care. The vegetable garden is fenced off so they can’t get in there but it’s impossible to fence off every square inch of the yard. Spray to keep bunnies away like pepper sprays make me sneeze and, again, the bunnies don’t care. I am trying to work my mind around appreciating them and assuming they’ll eat half the perennials and hope they have had their fill by the time the annuals go in. I’ve been seeing some bees and butterflies in the yard, presumably gathering food to get ready to make babies, which I’m happy about. I’m sure there’ll be more soon. The Creeping Charlie and dandelions are looking healthy. All in all, especially since the recent rain, things are looking good. Most of my friends and I have lost our moms and we will certainly all take a drive to cemeteries here and there to wish moms Happy Mother’s Day because even though they are gone, moms are never far from our thoughts. It’s one of things we talk about when we’re wishing we could be together – with our moms and with each other. I feel like everyone I know has something negative going on in their lives. Concerns about the pandemic continue even as more and more people get vaccinated. There’s a bug going around the Valley that has symptoms like COVID-19 including fevers, coughs, etc. It hit my family pretty hard. It seems like cancer is rampant as more and more people I know are diagnosed with it. Politics isn’t worth thinking about much less talking about. Gossip has gotten more malicious than I ever remember and rumors spread like wildfire. Everyone is stressed out and it’s time to cut each other some slack.  I want to be able to talk to my mom about it all because I know she’d say something wise, or crack a joke, and make me feel better. I’m the one that the kids come to for comfort and a laugh and some stupid or possibly, hopefully, wise advice. I’ve been doing the mom thing for quite a while and the grandma thing for a few years but I miss my mom. One of these fine days we’ll all be able to hug each other safely and make it better.  Have a wonderful, safe, joyful Mother’s Day.  Stay in touch. My number is 574-3159. Email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com or write to me at the Home News, P.O. Box 39, Spring Green WI 53588.  The news deadline is 12 noon on Mondays.  Visit our website at homenewsrv.com Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. If you need a display ad, Dave Pronold can be reached at homenewssales@newspubinc.com or by calling him on his cell at 588-4777. Display ads, or ads that are in boxes, are due by 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. The classified ad deadline is noon Thursdays the week prior to publication for both the Buyer’s Guide and Home News. Classified rates are $13 for the first 10 words, then 30¢ per word for each additional word. Call (608) 767-3655 or email classifieds@newspubinc.com  Legal notices are due by 2 p.m. on Fridays, email them to legals@newspubinc.com Call the NewsPub central office at (608) 767-3655 for subscriptions and all other information Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, although afternoon hours can vary. Closed Fridays.