Christmas spent in Toronto with Mike and Dorcas
For Malcolm’s 5th birthday, we created an Adventure Quest through the woods. The kids visited various exotic characters who gave them gifts (walking sticks, bags for treasures) or an assignment (find a Perfect Pinecone to give the next character). Mom played the Queen of the Forest. She held court and served tiny cups of tea from a tiny teapot.
Hair colour passed from generation to generation. After this photo was taken, Malcolm’s hair darkened, Heather’s faded somewhat, and June’s went through a variety of changes. Good thing we have this photo. All natural. 
Mom’s exquisite sensitivity to beauty encouraged her love of gardening. She carefully chose many named flower varieties to grow. Then she discovered ornamental grasses and created this backyard bed for them. This is a scan from 2003. There are other photos on the Décor page.
A Christmas with puppets a few years ago. Seeing how she has interacted with Malcolm over the years has confirmed for me her good mothering skills and how fortunate we have been to have her for a mother, despite the inevitable “My Mother, My Self” conflicts which are part of the daughter’s growing up process. – HH
