THE 7-11 CLOSES AT 5

THE 7-11 CLOSES AT 5

I don’t know why I choose to post about my mom today; does it have to be Mother’s Day?  It just seemed like there was stuff about my mom that I needed to post.

My mom was a pip.

She was born in the 19teens.  She lost her mother at a young age, lost her father at a young age and lost a younger sister at a young age.  She was tough, stoic and philosophical.  She was 105 pounds after dinner.

At a young age mom had scoliosis.  Her spine had a slight curvature.  At that time there was no operation, no braces, or no rod implants to stabilize this condition.  The doctor just told her to strengthen her back muscles.  He told her to swim.  Mom swam a lot.  She was a very good swimmer, not competitive, but she was a good swimmer.   Her spine curvature was held at bay up until she hit her high eighties. 

People complain about the high costs of health care today.  There is the difference.  The same scoliosis condition today is treated with operations, and therapy with what I understand are very successful results; expensive, but effective.  Mom was told to swim; inexpensive, and with very iffy results.  Mom was lucky, but then she did swim a lot!

Mom was an athlete, though we never knew it until she surprised us with her ability.  She challenged my braggart brother to a race when he was 12.  We thought that was crazy.  My oldest brother was a very fast runner.

Mom was faster. It was a fifty yard dash and it wasn’t even close. 

When we moved to Long Island in the fifties, my brother came home with a Lacrosse stick.  This was a game unheard of at the time except for in Long Island, NY and Baltimore, Md.  “Let me try that,” mom said.

“It’s pretty hard to catch and throw” Jim said.  “I can barely do it.”

“Let me try.”

Mom cradled that ball, caught and passed it like a pro as we watched slack jawed.

“I grew up in Baltimore for Christmas sake!”

Mom exercised everyday almost up to the end.  One day she was demonstrating her leg lifts in front of the entire family.  An old lady in her eighty’s she was doing pretty well until there was some gas passing.  We tried not to laugh as we watched.  Mom was non-plussed.

“That is not part of the regular routine.”

I grew up hearing various mom sayings,

“Good better best never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better best.”  That was from her third grade teacher.

"Well then, FIRE the cook!" That was when anyone complained about dinner.

“Hells Bells!” That was when she was upset.

“Dammit to Hell!”  That was when we ran and hid.

“Oh, just ignore him then.”  Standard advice.

“Life’s too short.”  Advice when standard advice was ignored.

Mom loved birds and animals; I guess there were not too many creatures in Baltimore when she was growing up.  Watching a nature show on TV one night she walked up to the screen and smacked the image of a lion taking down a gazelle.  “Stop it!” she yelled.  She was older and getting a little funny, but I don’t think that reaction was age setting in.

I think the thing I liked best about mom was her Gracie Allen mind.  She would just say funny things without knowing they were funny.  My favorite:

“Mom, I’m going into town to pick up some hotdog rolls.”

“Well you’d better leave now, the 7-11* closes at 5.”

I miss my mom.


*The store did close at 5, but it was not a 7-11