To all of the readers of Ponderings from the Porch Swing: This is Lane’s oldest son, Thomas, writing this evening with a heart full of hurt as a result of her sudden passing yesterday morning, Friday, August 15 – but also with a heart full near to bursting with love and joy for the outpouring of emotion, stories, laughter, tears, and pictures from all of the family and friends that Momma held so dear.

Momma had discovered a passion for writing and sharing with her audience here that was such a help to her as she continued to work through the grief of having lost our precious Rosie in 2002 and then her most beloved Chief in 2021. I remember very distinctly when we hatched the idea for her to start a website and share her musings on life with the wide world. It was on a long road trip that she and I took to the memorial service for her dear dear cousin’s husband in Florida.

There is rarely a time that I can think of in the last several years when I was around her that I didn’t see her typing away on her iPad. I will admit that I have not been the most regular reader – I binge-read her posts like watching an entire season of some new show that just dropped on Netflix – but I know so many of you who are reading this are – and I get updates regularly – for years now – of what her posts were about when they spoke different things to different people.

But I digress…and it’s late, and I think I’m running on adrenaline and I am all cried out for the day after planning Momma’s service this morning and all of the other “stuff” that Stew and I have been working through since yesterday morning.

So – what does a hummingbird say? One time years ago one of my kiddos asked me what kind of sound a giraffe makes – you know the stage – all kids do it – the animal onomatopoeia phase – and i had no clue…so i 100% on the spot made it up and told them “oh, that’s easy, a giraffe says ‘ka-TAWWW’…” and they bought hook, line, and sinker it and didn’t look back for easily 10 years!! That’s still one of the best jokes around our house, and one that Momma loved too.

Hummingbirds talk to each other just like the rest of us – I have heard it each time I have been sitting on Momma’s porch with her in the last few months, and then again today – while we were out pondering on the porch with some old friends, but without Momma – and I think they “chitter” at each other. Set up some hummingbird feeders on your porch and wait it out – if you sit there long enough, listen hard enough you will hear it too…and maybe if you’re feeling up to it, you can chitter back.