It is only fitting that my mother has a birthday in the month of May. After all, her name is Alice May. If she was Alice June, born in May…that would be awkward and make no sense at all.
Growing up, I thought it was the greatest that my mom could tap dance. How many moms can do that? She would get the ole shuffle-tap going on the kitchen floor. And we never even lived in Buffalo.
My mother’s maiden name is Bacon…so growing up kids used to yell, “Hey Bacon…how about a strip!” They had better not make my mom cry…’cause her dear sister, Anne, would track them down and beat them up.
My mother is 20 years older than I am….so when I graduated from high school she was only 37. No wonder my mom and dad liked to have friends over on a Friday night…they were still young. No shuffleboard yet. When I was in high school, my mother went back to nursing school to finish her degree. It was funny to see her hitting the books… at the dining room table...right beside me. “Hey mom, could you move over and give me some elbow room here!” Alice studied to become the best nurse ever. She was no Nurse Ratched. She had an excellent bed-side manner and always gave the best care. Just ask Jerry…her husband, my dad. No one could take better care of “Oh, Jerr” than Nurse Alice.
Alice is so darn clever and can fix anything. Give her duct tape, some string, and a few nails…with a little concentration (enhanced by biting her tongue)…she could fix or jimmy rig just about anything. She’s got that ole Yankee ingenuity.
When Alice is reading a book…forget getting her attention. Growing up I remember thinking, “Hurry up Mom and finish that book. It’s dinner time.” She can get totally lost in a book. “Earth to Alice…the macaroni is boiling over the stove, the rolls are black and the chicken is on fire and burned to a crisp. I think that is why to this day I like my food well-done.
My mother is a wonderful woman and mother. When I was young I used to make labels of my name with that old fashioned label maker punch… “Kathy-Anne Thomas The Greatest”…and plaster them all over everything…my books, records. Why did I think I was the greatest? Because my mom made me think I was…and that is pretty special. She is also a wonderful Nana…and thinks her grandkids are pretty grand too.
Alice May has the best-est friends…and that is because she is so much fun. I probably shouldn’t mention this…but they call her Gladys…and pronounce it Glad Ass…or happy bottom for short. :) She and her friends are in a Red Hat group. You know the “disorganization”…happy ladies wearing purple clothes, red hats and boas. You really can’t miss them. She also has her friends at the Museum…where she works as a tour guide. If you want the low-down on the latest exhibit…quick, get in her group. She’s the best.
Everybody loves Alice! It is easy to love her…she just has a way of tap dancing her way into your heart.
1 comment:
I couldn't agree with you more!
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