Show I By IRIS mIS j f One afternoon when Pam was about four she asked me to lift her to the kitchen sideboard so she could search the cupboard for a snack I stood behind her my mind wandering as Pam shifted boxes and bottles around But I came to In a hurry when she knocked a honey bottle ort off the shelf It hit the sideboard the lid fell of off and long sticky streams of golden honey slid into my left shoe f 1 AS I STOOD THERE I fell to musing about just what It Is a dreamy young girl expects when she gets ets married and ard anticipates being honored on Mothers Mother's Day She certainly doesn't expect to stand in the kitchen with a shoe full of honey and there are plenty ot of other surprises awaiting her too There sure were for me For instance I never expected to paddle around a a damp lawn at 3 am a.m. searching for a stuffed duck named Clifford because without It a year two wouldn't go to sleep I didn't expect to spend a lot of my evenings playing a numbing mind little card game called Go Fish or checkers with my small opponent E making up the rules I didn't expect to have the only 7 tulip that bothered to come up last spring plucked and an handed to me on Mothers Mother's Day and I never expected to be sleeping abruptly four to a bed every time a thunderstorm comes up t t LIKE MOOT MT YOUNG GIRLS I had dreams of the home and family to have My visions had me placed In a house perpetually neat with children who spent most of their waking hours perched on a chair with their hands in their laps while they smiled angelic smiles I pictured a husband who would come home from work bearing cand candy and flowers at least twice a week and I saw myself greeting him at the door an orderly house behind wearing me a frilly apron and high he heels ls My visions had my girl children dressed In starched ruffles and white pumps in the summer and navy blue bluecoats coats with white collars In the winter My sons wear suits with white shirts and little bow ties on Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day and creased Levis with spotless shirts on week days davs J. J BOY BOYI I DONT DON'T KNOW WHAT happened but somewhere somewhere some some- where along the line my dreams got way out of focus To begin with m my husband has yet to bring home the first rose or box of candy after being my husband for going on 20 years and Its It's just as well because I stopped wearing frilly aprons within six months when I saw how silly sUly they looked over a maternity dress and I gave up in a hurry on the high heels I found out tha stumbling around the cleaning bathrooms I or hauling out the garbage while teeterIng on is I m plumb ridiculous m mI I THINKING BACK OVER THE nearl nearly 16 years since I started having children I cant can't recall a adaY day when one of the three ever perched In a chair for more than live five I minutes with their hands In their laps smiling angelic smiles And as for the outfits I thought I was going to well them of that either put on them came I found out the little darlings have minds of their own I suppose the place here went most awry was my vision of that perpetually neat house I have had some of it clean all of the time all of It clean some of the time but never have I had all ot of it clean a all of the time and I ont dont su suppose pp ose I ever will |