A Mother’s Day bouquet for you readers
So this past weekend (as you are reading this) was Mother’s Day. I am writing this more than a week before, so I will tell you what I will be doing rather than what I did. I am going to be dog sitting my friend’s dog (who, being rather a diva, prefers not to be alone for hours at a time) so her kids can take her out for a Mom’s day brunch. I don’t mind at all- Jackson is a cutie and will nap in my nap (and snore) while I watch “Mid-Century Modern” on her cable. A good time will be had by all.
Not the one she snared Dad with, but the sedan version I grew up in
My mother died in the last millennium- both sides of my family seems to have married and had children late but didn’t live a long time- my grandparents were born in the 1880’s and my parents in the 1920’s (and me in the late 80’s. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.) In one of many moves I lost the only picture I had of her so I can’t share that. She was, as everyone in my family, very tall. Almost 6 feet. She had very Irish coloring, with jet black hair that was going grey when I was a kid (and which she refused to tint after a disastrous trip to the beauty parlor made her look in her words as if “they poured coal tar over my head.”) and green/gray/blue eyes that I inherited. She had a senso of humor: She joked about Dad’s courtship: He saw her driving her Ninety-Eight convertible through town and decided that she was the woman he would marry. She said “He pursued me ’till I caught him.”
When “Mommie Dearest” hit the shelves she knew I wanted to read it, so she bought me the hardcover, inscribing it “See- it could have been worse!” I also remember that she did not take crap from anyone. My father’s work took him away for a month at a time and once she had to have some work done on the family car’s muffler. The dealership said they fixed it. She pointed out that it audibly was not. They gave her the old “little lady come back with your husband” spiel. She came back, all right. Driving around the dealership and town with the car blatting and farting and a big sign reading “Muffler Work Proudly Performed by Labbee Chevrolet” until she decided that they had begged enough and could fix the car.
Jackson, about to nap
Along with the height and the eye color I also inherited the “Don’t take Crap” gene.
She wore Joy in the evenings and Miss Dior during the day. Sadly the former is dead too and while the latter is still out there I believe it’s in name only. I haven’t had the heart to sniff what’s become of it. Lucky for you, you can sample the originals at Surrender to Chance.
How did you spend your Mother’s Day? Any mom memories you would like to share? Please do so in the comments.
Images: My iPhone, Pexels, and Wikimedia Commons
Oh, I would have liked your mom! My kind of gal, but then I do have a known weakness for the Irish – a bit crazy with big hearts.
My mother died early into this century and let’s just say that I have never missed her and neither does my daughter.
My Mother’s Day with my daughter was lovely. She made it very special. Smiles, fun, and laughter always work for me. Presents are always nice too. hehe.
I’m sorry about your Mom. I am sorry that mine dies (dad too) before I really got to know them as people; I hope they would have liked the person I have become, but being their child my answer would be “fuggem in they don’t”
I will take smiles, fun, and laughter any day. Of course I won’t say no to presents…
I think your mom would be very pleased with you. You never really said much about your dad. You probably actually do know the answer though. Take the memories you have of them as a child/young man and mentally change your prospective from a child’s view to a more experienced adult one. It might help you know more of who they were. And if that fails, be their child and say “fuggem”. 🙂 😉
Oh, Dad died when I was 16. So I really didn’t know him very well. Oh well.
Oh, what a wonderful story about your mom! She sounds like quite a dame. My mother also had kids late and didn’t live very long … I miss her.
She was indeed a dame. I think we all are too.
Tom, OMG!!!
I would FIGHT YOUR DAD! for your mother, she sounds just that fabulous!!
My own mother has been gone since the Jurassic Era… but she’s still in my heart. I inherited my viciousness from my maternals ( her mother purportedly killed a man with a cast- iron skillet and according to my late cousin ( whom she did NOT kill) I am very much like her
My mother wore L’Aimant during the day and Shalimar for special occasions
Well I am sure you wouldn’t kill someone with a cast iron skillet unless they did something really heinous, like ruin the seasoning. Then they’d totally deserve it.
…. funnily enough….
Well I suppose one of the advantages of living in the country is extra room to dispose of things. Like, er, ruined pots.
I just visited my mother in the hospital on Mother’s Day and gave her a card. She has just been diagnosed with dementia and she came home today. Next week is her birthday and I will give her the gifts then. I know way back when she did love and wear no 5 but when they took the nitro musk out of it, she doesn’t like it. Now she just wears Light Blue.
I have friends who are losing parents to dementia. That’s a tough one. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Jackson is adorable Tom. Love that you spent Mother’s Day on the couch with a pup. Heaven.
You can still snag a Joy from FragranceNet.
Portia xx
Jackson IS adorable and knows it. Yesterday my neighbor called in a panic- her dog walker bailed and she needed Torbin (her grey standard poodle) walked. So I took him. He’s hilarious. Kept looking at me like “what’s with this ‘walkies’ shi7? I’d much rather have a belly rub and a cheeseburger..”
HA!
I’m with Torbin.
Don’t tell Jackson but Torbin makes me laugh. If he had opposable thumbs he’d be ordering Omaha steaks on his moms credit card.
Omgoodness what an adorable pup!
Growing up, we celebrated Mother’s Day but I have always felt like Hallmark created these “holidays”. Mom is almost 98 and wants nothing, plus because of health issues she really only leaves her house for appointments, so a quick visit sufficed. She is out of everyday perfume at the moment (Nina Ricci L’air du Temps is saved for Sunday and special occasions) so I am buying her a new bottle of SJP Lovely, which smells great on her.
SJP IS lovely. Great choice!
I am lucky in the pup department. I see all the dogs in the building and they have to stop for love and scritches, but I don’t get awakened by then at 6am and I don’t have to pick up their poop.
Do you know the Irish eye colour combo is the rarest in humans? Central heterochromia is that central ring of gold/green around the pupil & grey/blue outer pupil that do many of us of Irish descent have. Like Domenic Cumberbatch our eyes look different under different lighting & eye makeup.
Probably the Irish that gave your mum the creative car revenge gene too! She sound hoot!
Funny you should mention that- I had an eye doctor tell me that years ago but a mean friend insisted “they’re just hazel. Practically brown” mines a three ring circus- gold right at the pupil, then green and a blue outer ring. If I wear a green shirt they’re green and a blue shirt, blue.
Now if I only got those black triple eyelashes..
‘Mean’ and ‘friend’ are… well… just… no.
And I done seen your eyes. They are GORGEOUS!
Thank you my dear! Your honey colored peepers are pretty pretty too!
Mine are gold in the middle & sea change grey round the outside. Reddish brown or peach eye make up, really popping green eyes, pinks or grey/black & they’re blue.
I got the double layer curly lashes that touch my specs. Sadly, ginger & pale at the end.
My lashes are the same. Bunny lashes. I’m too lazy to color them and rub my eyes too much for mascara.
It’s a beggar when some turn round when they’re ready to drop. Scratched eyeball hurts like a barsteward
Yikes! Never had that happen, but I’m constantly clean8ng my glasses because my lashes act like reverse windshield wipers on them. Smudge city.
We sent cards and gifts to Mr. C’s mom and stepmother who live out of state. His mom used to wear Emeraude, and stepmother loves Samsara. I took my mom, who is local, out for a nice lunch which was a bit of an undertaking since she’s dealing with Alzheimers, but we made it happen. She doesn’t wear scent nowadays, but used to wear No 5, Avon Charisma, Timeless and Occur! Your mom sounds like she was a knockout and a real barrel of laughs. Loved the stories about her. Got your wit and love of convertibles from her, huh? ?
I thin’ I did indeed! But Dad made her get rid of the ‘56 Bel Air convertible when she was pregnant with me because it was “impractical” with a toddler and a baby on the way. He got her a ‘61 Impala SS 4 door hardtop with a screaming V-8, no doubt thinking she’d prefer the more sedate and less powerful “beach wagon” Country Squire we had. Not a chance. She’d let him drive it but it was her car- and the one she embarrassed Labbee Chevrolet in. We finally got rid of it for the ‘70 Olds 98, when the Chevy had 30k miles and was rusted through the floorboards.
Our family had a light blue ’77 Impala that we had for many years until the alternator in it failed a couple times. We drove up and down the east coast in that thing.
Oooh! Impala FTW here, too! The four of us ( parents and brother) wore those insane matching outfits ( me and mom in striped sundresses and Papi and brother in white clamdiggers and striped boatneck tops – brown ( which matched the dark topaz color of the Impala) either blue and white stripes
Very chic
You guys were stylin’! My Mom put us in anything she could get cheap at Caldor’s since we would either grow out if it by the time we got to the car or manage to get car & motorcycle grease (my brother) horse stuff (my sister) or indelible art supplies (me) staining it. Even the stuff that wouldn’t rot in a landfill after 1200 years, we could ruin in 24 hours.
How funny! We traded in the 70 Ninety Eight for a 77 Impala. The “downsized” one. After the gas crisis having a car that got 8MPG city just wasn’t the thing. It was the same pea green as the Queen Family Truckster in “Vacation” but ran better.