Photo taken 11/24/1995
Today would have been my mom’s 94th birthday had she lived this long. (She passed away on October 23rd,1998 just a month and a day before what would have been her 77th birthday. She was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1921.) I miss her. If you knew her, you’d miss her, too. She was a terrific lady. Some of the stories that her long-time friends told about her at her memorial service surprised me–and didn’t. They were soooo her!
One of them was about the time she and Dad and their friends got dressed to the nines and drove to Seattle for a big night out on the town. When they got to this ritzy restaurant, she and the ladies went to the restroom…only to discover that there was a long line of other ladies–also dressed to the nines–waiting to get into the two much-in-demand stalls. The other two stalls were plugged with (you-guessed-it) and non-functional.
So mom, dressed in her finest garb, grabbed the available plunger and took it upon herself to address the issues so the ladies would have more options. I could just imagine the looks on the faces of those other ladies… HORRORS! How could this woman “lower” herself to dredge toilet bowls?
Easy! She had the pioneer spirit. Nothing was beyond her. Nothing threw her. No task was beneath her. There was a problem and she fixed it.
End of story? Hardly….
My mom was a great lady… (This is in contrast to the fit Mahatma Gandhi’s wife threw when he said the two of them would take their turn cleaning the public toilets like everyone else did. She thought it beneath them. He didn’t. Nor do I. Sanitation work is crucial to human health and well being. It’s noble work. Anyone who does it for a living–or as an offering, as in my mother’s case and Gandhi’s case–has my undying gratitude and utmost respect. There are very few demeaning occupations; there are only dismissive, demeaning notions about some of them.)
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In Other News...
Found these two cuties at Pier 1 Imports this weekend and went back for them this afternoon to get them for Jackie, who needs more Christmas items as badly as Macy’s does (NOT!). But they’re too, too cute and I know she’ll love them, so I’ve put them on her dinner table so she’ll spot them when she gets home tonight… They’re much cuter than they look here in these two images. (Being flattened into two dimensions does them no favors.)
Lisa and I bought a turkey and potatoes for the Thanksgiving Day feast we’re planning to have here at my place on Thursday. We also went to Denny’s so she could have lunch. (I had already eaten at home before she called and came over.) I have to remember to take the turkey out of the fridge tomorrow night so it thaws by Thanksgiving Day morning. Good luck with that. I’m not a cook. Someone better remind me or I’ll forget!
