The women in my life

I am supported and served by over 20 women in my life. They maintain my home and garden, take care of my body and teeth, pamper me with beauty treatments, keep me physically fit, provide services in the retail arena, and serve me as mentors and teachers. This list of women doesn’t even include work colleagues, friends, and family who are always there when I need them.

I’ve wanted to write a little essay about each of these wonderful women for a while. This is a start. And, as I write more I’ll post them here.

The at home support group:

Elma is a cute little woman who seems to fly around the house from one room to the other, cleaning and doing the laundry and sweeping the driveway and garage floor. Plus, when she has time, she’ll clean out a drawer or two, and it doesn’t even matter that I have to rearrange things after she puts them away. She walks in saying Ola and leaves saying Adios and always calls me Mrs. Madeline. And, as a result of all her hard work, she has raised three beautiful sons , all high school graduates. And two are now in college. She is truly a pure gem.

Janet, a former gymnast, climbs up huge ladders to wash the high windows in our third-level family room. She also climbs up on the roof to wash these windows on the outside. She is fearless, and like a monkey – short and spritely. She also power washes our front porch and path and cleans all of our hanging light fixtures. She has a wry sense of humor and is a good business person.

Ann and Mimi are my creative and green arborists and gardeners. Ann knows just what to plant when and how to take care of the many trees we have in our garden. I know how much she cares about how our yard looks. She also has helped us get rid of the raccoons who have been visiting my little pond ever since it first appeared in our side yard. When she and Mimi were designing my garden they would come into my new office – before it was even finished – and squat down as if they were sitting at my desk so they could see the view I’d have. Now, little blue, orange, and yellow birds regularly come to my little round cement pond and take a dip.