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The Very Young Butterfly Catcher


The story I was told.

She was a child.
Ang ubing. Maybe three, maybe four.

She had fallen ill.
Masakit.
Dakes.

Terribly sick.

"She pinched the air," said Lola Julia, "like she was catching butterflies."

- 30 -


Mosiac Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf is where I'm heading now. Come join me.


Comments

  1. Hope the butterfly pinching makes her heal
    Thanks for dropping by my blog today

    Be safe Susieee

    Much💟love

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  2. ...I gave up on pinching butterflies a long time ago. I'd be happy if they sat still long enough for me to take their picture!

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    Replies
    1. The trick, I think, Tom, is to let them come up to you. I nearly got sideswiped by a butterfly the other day.

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  3. Su-sieeemac - I remember being really sick when I was young. My most distinctive memory is the smell of Vicks Vaporub - I think butterflies would have been much better! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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    Replies
    1. Angie, I've been keeping my eyes open for Vick's Vaporub. I want to know if it smells the same as I recall and if the vapor does get through a clogged nose. I wonder why and when parents stopped using Vick's.

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  4. I like the way your pictures have such free flowing motion and colour. Like Angie, I remember the smell of Vicks Vaporub from my childhood. I still use it every time I get a chest cold. But I swear it isn't as strong or as effective as way back then. - Margy

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    Replies
    1. Wow, Margy, you're the first person to tell me that my pictures "have such free flowing motion and colour." Thank you very much. :-)

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  5. I remember being sick as a child. My dad rigged up a pot lid as a gong so I could ring for help!

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  6. Hello, Children can feel so helpless when they are very sick. I have never tried catching a butterfly, I just like to watch them go from flower to flower. I hope all is well, take care!
    Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

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  7. Butterflies mean joy in life in native teachings so this little girl will do quite well.

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    Replies
    1. Birgit, thanks for telling me about butterflies meaning joy. This actually happened to Mama, and you know how well she did. :-)

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  8. Love the drawings!!
    A lovely Post for MosaicMonday, thank you for sharing.

    Stay healthy, stay well.

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  9. I wonder what she was catching.

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  10. Thanks for sharing your story and drawings! Have a good week sweet lady!

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  11. I wonder if she caught them. :)

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    Replies
    1. Ooooh, what an image, flying among butterflies.

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  12. Love this dream story. They see things we can't see when sick or dying. I'll never forget the movements and expressions my brother made. He was reaching for and reaching to understand something with his arms and his face.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Colleen. I hadn't thought about that. We were with Mama when she went through her vision phase. For her it was a house and a garden that she saw in a distance. I must write it all down before I forget.

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  13. Your drawings are wonderful and evocative along with your words. I like your use of both languages and think you’re very lucky to retain those words from your mother. I remember being seriously sick more than once as a child ... and I remember “seeing things”. These childhood illnesses happened much more often back then I think....pre-antibiotics. (Or at least before they were used so freely.). I’ve been thinking about that a lot late,ly as obviously the viruses have developed a resistance after all these years. ....

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sallie. It feels weird being praised, even at my age. It's funny, all of a sudden, an Ilocano word or term pops into my head. On a readability scale, I'd say my Ilocano is probably 2nd or 3rd grade. Ha, I never of it like that before. My pronunciation is pathetic. One of these days, I'll write about the Communication Gap in my family. Lordy.

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  14. I adore butterflies. And your drawing - beautiful.
    Amalia
    xo

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  15. I've never heard of pinching air to make butterflies, is this a metaphor or am I missing something. Such adorable drawings you share.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade
    https://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/2020/05/mothers-day-mosaic-monday.html?m=1

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Dawn. I didn't write it to be a metaphor. It was an actual scene from Mama's life. I need to work on my introduction. :-)

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