A conversation with a good friend got me thinking about picture frames (I swear I never have enough!)…and the picture frames reminded me of a funny story…so I thought I would share it with you today.

When my son was 13…I decided to embark on this huge picture project. I decided that I would take all my favorite pictures of my son from birth until his current age and frame them. Some of the pictures were posed...some he was playing sports in…others were of him just having fun and being a goofy kid. What can I say…he was my absolute favorite person to "frame" so I went a bit hog wild. I think (rough estimate...so it could have been more) I framed 30 pictures of him...which were scattered throughout the living room and den. Now the pictures were in different groupings...some on table tops...and others on the wall...so it was done very tastefully.

Anyway…after I had completed my project...I called my son into the living room...and after he took a few minutes just looking around and taking it all in...the very first thing out of his mouth was..."God Mom...it's like a freaking monument to me!" He went onto to say..."I thought a person had to be dead to get something like this...but I guess not."

Well...after I got over the initial shock of what he said...I laughed my ass off. Why? Because if I looked at it from his point of view...I guess it did kind of look like a freaking' monument.

And when my son would later ask me...”Why so many pictures mom?” I would simply reply…”Because you’re so special…yanno…in a short bus kind of way.”

Of course…I left the pictures up. Yes...all of them ...to which my son would simply say to his friends as they passed through the living room on their way to his bedroom. "Yeah...I know...it's a lot of freaking pictures of me...cuz my mom thinks I’m so special…and she apparently loves me that much!"

Well...I did...and I still do today...lots and lots.

One Saturday morning…when my son was 10-years-old…I took him to a fishing derby. This was not my first time fishing…nor was it my son’s…but you would have thought we were both newbies by the way we kept loosing our bait to a very clever fish. Now this clever fish continued to steal our bait for almost 2 hours…and he was really getting on my last nerve because somehow I was elected (I don’t remember any vote! ) to bait the hook. Well let me tell you something…I can think of a LOT of things I would rather be doing besides sticking squishy worms on a fishing hook but according to Zack…I was faster…so it was my job to do it. Oh goody.

Anyway...this continued for about an hour...when I finally realized I wasn’t fishing…I was baiting hooks…and Zack was fishing with 2 fishing poles…mine and his. So I told Zack it was my turn to do a little fishing...and to hand my fishing pole over. Well being the smartass he can sometimes be…he promptly handed me his snoopy fishing pole. I gave him a look that let him know I was not impressed…but he proceeded to tell me how he was really good…and because of this reason…he needed to use my pole because it was a grown-up fishing pole...and not a baby fishing pole.

Since Zack was trying to win a prize…I let him use my fishing pole for the rest of the fishing derby. Well…this clever fish continued to snatch our bait away…and he was really starting to piss me off because we came so close to catching him several times…but in the end he would always manage to get away.

Now Zack proceeded to catch several small fish…but nothing big…and I could tell he was becoming very frustrated because he really wanted to win a prize in the fishing derby. Now this is where the story gets interesting.

There was 5 minutes left in the fishing derby…and we had one worm left…so Zack told me to give it one more try because we both knew he was big...and since I had been playing with this fish for quite awhile…I gave it one last try. I cast my line out to where the clever fish had been hanging out all morning…and when I felt the him go for the bait…I jerked hard…I’m talking really hard… and somehow managed to finally snag him.

Well that fish fought and fought and fought. And I continued to reel him in on that little ole’ snoopy fishing pole. The pole bended and jerked multiple times…but it never broke…and the fish somehow stayed hooked. During all of this…I had Zack jumping up and down and screaming words of encouragement in the background because he was so excited. Hell...I was excited too!

Well...I continued to reel that fish in…sometimes by using the rod…and other times just using the line…but trying very hard not to break the line. When the fish was approximately 5 feet from the edge of the lake…the line finally broke.

At that very moment…Zack looked at me…and I looked at Zack…and without saying one word to each other…we both jumped into the lake at the very same time. We both were standing knee deep in water...and we both were grabbing frantically for that fish…Zack with his hands…and me with the net which I had quickly grabbed on my way into the water.

With Zack’s help…I was able to scoop the fish into the net…and throw him up onto grass where we had just been sitting. When we finally took a good look at that fish...we couldn’t believe our eyes. He was huge! And we had just a few minutes to get the fish to the officials before the derby officially ended.

At the end of the fishing derby…Zack was awarded the prize for biggest fish caught…and let me tell you…he couldn’t stop smiling…or telling everyone his big fish story. Before we left…we let the fish go because I really didn’t want to clean a fish that day…and Zack felt the fish deserved to be set free since he was so smart. You gotta love the logic of a 10-year-old!

And even though we didn’t have fish that evening…we had pictures of that very clever fish…and a story that would be told over and over again. A wonderful story of how Zack caught (with a little help from mom) a very clever 8 pound fish on a snoopy fishing pole.

I have often wished I could relive that Saturday morning in June all over again.

For the past 4 summers I’ve had the same family drop by for some extended visits. This family is quite cute, very furry and absolutely adores my cherry tree. In actuality…they’re not really visiting me…and they don’t come to the front door either. They stroll in very casually through a fence opening in the backyard…and then they proceed to climb up my huge cherry tree…and begin feasting upon the ripe cherries sprinkled throughout the tree branches.

My raccoon family usually visits several times a year…and they usually stay for an hour or two each visit. I enjoy their visits so much that I usually pull up a chair to the closest window and stay a while. This year was a real treat when I realized mom had given birth! She had this lil’ ole’ thing trailing very close behind her…and I’m talking cute…cute…cute…with a capitol C.

Now the baby was still a bit clumsy…and slipped numerous times in his pursuit of the perfect cherry. And of course...mom was right there to catch him if he slipped. All of the raccoons were amazing acrobats and never shied away from the tallest and skimpiest of branches.

At one point…there were 3 raccoons positioned close to the very top of 3 different branches…and these branches were pointing towards the sky. They had 3 of their paws wrapped around the branch like it was a fireman’s pole…while the 4th paw attempted to swipe at a huge cherry. Of course…all the best and biggest cherries were at the very top of the tree.

Now...there were a few mishaps and close calls…but the raccoons always seemed to stay out of harms way. And during their dinner at some point…they would even stop and pose for one or two pictures (not by choice of course) when they discovered me quietly watching them.

When their picnic was over...they slowly descended from the tree…and walked single file back home...with dad leading the way...and mom bringing up the rear.

I’ve always enjoyed their visits so much…and I hope they continue to visit me again and again in the years to come.