Before I begin today's entry, Jimmy said I should keep posting the MY GRAMMY MOMENT link at the top of my blog, every day, so my friends and family can continue to vote for Stacie (the Top 10 will be decided this Friday!!!), so here it is: MY GRAMMY MOMENT. (You know Jimmy is always right!!!!)
So, today is the 22nd anniversary of the day my mother-in-law Adele died. I loved her so much and still miss her a lot. She died on a Monday, too, so it was particularly poignant today as I thought about that sad day, twenty-two years ago. When I spoke to Eric he said he was thinking about his mother, too, and I said the best tribute we can give to anyone is to keep remembering them and thinking of them fondly after they’re gone. That keeps them close to us.
Adele was a lovely, sweet woman who loved me as much as I loved her. Instead of thinking I wasn't good enough for her son (as lots of mothers do), she actually thought Eric was lucky to have found me, and often told hiim that. She knew he was a wonderful man and would make a great husband, and she was happy he found someone who truly wanted to make him happy, too. I hope she is looking down on us and is proud of all we have gone through this past year, and the fact that we are still so much in love, and very much together.
I was thinking about my own Mom, too. I feel so lucky to still have her in my life. I called her today and told her how much I love her, and how beautiful and sweet she is and what a great mother she is and has always been.
My mother devoted her entire life to my sisters and me, and my Dad. She never had a real career, she never had any passions or hobbies that took her focus off us. We were her life. She loved music, and the theatre, and she and my father were very well-known in their community because of their charitable work, and participation in many clubs and organizations, but she was always there for us.
Now, even though I am 51 years old and my mother is thousands of miles away, my mother is still always there for me. She calls me to see how I’m doing, and is very supportive of me and Eric. Instead of worrying about me, and making me have to console her, or comfort her, she constantly asks me how I am, and when I say “I’m fine,” she says, “I don’t worry about you! You are a beautiful, independent woman and I know you will be fine on your own until you can be with Eric again.”
When I get a job, she says, “They’re lucky to have you.” When I sell a piece of artwork she says, “I’m sure it’s fantastic!” My parents don’t have a computer (yet – we’re working on it), so they can’t go online and see pictures and keep up in that way, but I send my mom cards, and postcards, and she does have a little device that allows her to send and receive emails, but there’s no internet connection and it’s text only – no pictures.
When I tell her my friends invited me to dinner, or a movie, she says, “Who wouldn’t want to spend time with you?” That’s what she’s always like. She builds you up and makes you feel great. Isn’t that what our mothers are supposed to do?
I love to send her and my Dad jokes, which she will then read to him. They love that and there are always a million jokes going around the internet, aren’t there?
Anyway, after I spoke to my Mom and Dad, and voted for Stacie about 500 times, I did two loads of laundry and then went to the post office on my bicycle. It was only 55 degrees today (I say that with a note of apology to those reading this in colder climates!), so I had to wear a jacket, but the sun was shining and it felt good on the sunny side of the street.
This time I remembered my helmet, gloves and lock, so I was well-prepared. I mailed a package at the post office and then headed back towards home and stopped at STARBUCKS. I got a tall hot mocha, instead of my usual iced drink and enjoyed it outside while the sun was shining.
As I was sitting there, this young girl got out of a car and approached me, asking me if I go to Starbucks all the time. I told her I did and she asked if I would buy a $20 Starbucks card, because she needed gas and didn’t have any money. I waited while she got a receipt from the cashier proving that there was $20 on the card and I bought it from her, even though I don’t need it, because I felt bad that she had no cash. When I told Eric the story, he felt sorry for her and said, “I guess she needed gas a lot more than she needed coffee!” Is that considered a good deed for the day? At least I know I will use the Starbucks card, but I still felt guilty spending $20 when I already have an automatic reload card!
After I got home I relaxed and watched TV, had lunch (hummus with cucumber and snap peas) and voted for Stacie, and then took a nap. I have been snacking on the piece of home-made Garlic Chedder cheese I bought yesterday at the Farmer's Market. OMG! It is SO good. You don’t even have to chew – it just melts in your mouth. This is dangerous! After all, I AM the Cheese Queen!! I just have to make sure I don’t eat the whole thing in one day!!!
I forgot to mention that for breakfast this morning I ate one of the organic grapefruits I bought yesterday at the Farmer’s Market. It was so sweet, it tasted like it was sprinkled with sugar. I loved it. I don’t know when I last had a grapefruit – it could be 20 years!
For dinner I had a salad and another piece of cheese (I told you it was dangerous!). There’s a new show on TV tonight – TRUST ME on the TNT channel – starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. Of course I am a fan of Eric’s, because I loved Will & Grace for years, but I am also a big fan of Tom’s, because he starred in a show I was a huge fan of – Ed, which was on for a few seasons where he was a “bowling alley lawyer,” which meant he was a lawyer who left the big city, moved back to his home town and bought a bowling alley, but continued to practice occasionally. It was a great show.
Tom is also the father, played completely in flashbacks, on ELI STONE, which is another show I really love. So, I was curious to see these two boys in a new setting, with new characters, and it sounds very interesting! Unfortunately, I was so busy voting, playing on FACEBOOK and watching TRUE BEAUTY (another great reality show) that I never got a chance.
I wanted to catch Jay Leno at 11:35pm. Mondays are my favorite night, because he does HEADLINES, which I really enjoy. So, I guess I’ll watch it tomorrow. Ahhhh, the luxury and loveliness of DVR. How did I ever live without it? I know VCRs were cool, especially when they first came out and you had the luxury of leaving the house when your favorite show was on, but we’ve come SO far since the early 80s and DVR has just fueled my television addiction. My only problem is that you can only record two shows at a time. When will they up that to 3 or 4?
Today was not very productive for me. Except for getting some exercise by riding my bicycle, doing laundry, and mailing a package, I didn’t accomplish anything – except for voting for Stacie which, of course, IS very important. I wanted to work on a craft project today but never got around to it. I want to start Elsa’s project, but she is supposed to give me more pictures and memorabilia, and I’d like to wait until I have it all before starting. I hope I can get it from her tomorrow! I need to get crafty!