I think cards are for the most part bullshit (my mother disagrees and loves them), but we have settled on a truce for Mother’s day for at least a decade. She loves Chinese takeout, so every mother’s day, I go and get mom and dad a bunch of Chinese food.
That’s it. I just didn’t want you all to forget Mother’s Day.
Full service blog, don’t ya know?
Also, I may have planted the willow too close to the house.
FlyingToaster
Oh, my.
What happened?
Pika
Heh…much-needed laugh and also Mother’s Day greetings!
rikyrah
Happy Mother’s Day to Mama Cole.
About the willow?????
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
We ALL know you planted the willow too close to the house. But we are too gracious to utter those four words.
Happy Mother’s Day to Mrs. Cole, and all mothers everywhere.
Bodacious
Yep, I remember that posting decade-ish ago when you asked for input on you’re desire to plant a willow at your place. Wash, rinse, repeat ….you know the rest. We want what we want. Good luck!
Citizen Alan
My sister (in a move that’s either thoughtless or intentionally passive-aggressive) unilaterally decided to have the annual Mother’s Day get-together last night and not tell me. So I brought my mother flowers and a cake earlier tonight and then took her out to eat (we’re both fully vaccinated).
Geoduck
My family lived on a small lake when I was growing up, and my father planted a willow tree where you’re supposed to, right by the water, well away from the house and any plumbing. A beaver came along and chewed it down. The stump refused to die, and started sending up new sprouts. I sometimes wonder if it’s still there, or got struck by lightning or something.
Ohio Mom
I’m guessing the willow is now too big to dig up and move. We made a similar mistake, putting off moving a lovely young Japanese Maple the previous owners put in a weird spot and then it was too late to do anything about it.
SectionH
Sigh. Once again from the top:
Oh thanks! The 9th seems really early for Mothers Day, which s one of those days – like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s, and Cinco de Mayo that sensible ppl stay home for. 2 in 7 days, though – unexpected.
So yeah, wasn’t necessarily planning to go out, but def. won’t now. And yes, I AM a mom and a grandmom, and it’s a family tradition which started with my grandmother I guess.
Absolutely fine with people whose moms like the attention. And totally love sons who bring food To their moms.
opiejeanne
@Citizen Alan: is your sister mad at you?
Benw
Willow is a great movie and I don’t see why you are all so hostile about it
Another Scott
Quora:
Yours isn’t closer than that, is it??
Cheers,
Scott.
Citizen Alan
@opiejeanne:
We’re not close and never have been. There’s an 8-year age gap between us, so most of my formative memories involving her consist of being told in exacting detail how I was responsible for every bad thing that happened to her during her teens. After our mother finally passes away, it is possible we’ll never speak again, especially since emigration is still a goal of mine.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho:
Who is this ‘we’?
Sister Golden Bear
We tried to warn you, but nooooooo. Then again, you tried to groom Steve yourself, so we should’ve known better. //
At least you didn’t plant bamboo.
Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day to Mama Cole!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SectionH: It is early, I was going to do a Milky Way shoot with my Meetup group tomorrow night. It was perfect, Moon phase, weather… Then it occurred to me to check when Mother’s Day was. Meetup may be next Saturday(weather permitting).
SectionH
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Wow, I didn’t know the best astronomy photo areas are overrun on Mothers Day, but live and learn!
SiubhanDuinne
When I was about 2 or 3 years old, my great-grandmother took me to a Woolworth’s to select a Mother’s’ Day gift and card for my mom. I chose some cheap, gaudy trinket as the gift and then turned my attention to the greeting cards. Nonnie tried her best to steer me to the right section, but one particular card caught my eye and I insisted it was the card I wanted to give my mother.
The greeting? “Happy Anniversary to my darling wife.”
My mom kept it for years.
lgerard
Willow tree solution
namekarB
We sure as hell did
dww44
@Citizen Alan: Oooh, is she a Republican? or just a thoughtless person who’s trying to get back at you for some unknown reason? Anyways , Pooh on her. Life’s too shortto tolerate such ungracious and unkind behavior. I hope your Mom appreciated your thoughtfulness.
Steeplejack
@Citizen Alan:
Whatever happened with that job interview you were going to have a couple of months ago?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SectionH: Heh, it was more a fear of bodily harm inflicted by Madame and the kid if I was a zombie on Mother’s Day due to spending all night at Joshua Tree.
namekarB
Oldest of 5 siblings here. I was 5 YO when next sister was born and boom boom boom they all popped out. I went from having all of both parents attention to zero attention. Yeah it took me a while (decades) for me to sort it out but 50 years later my brother (8 years younger) is my best friend. Why? Because I realized what a bad older brother I was and talked about it with my siblings one on one.
HumboldtBlue
My mom’s been gone for a decade, still doesn’t feel like it.
My mother gave birth to nine children in 10 years and those of us who remain are in touch with each other daily including dad.
When it comes to sports, the text threads now stretch to mom’s great-grandkids, one of whom, a West Virginian, roots for the Milwaukee Bucks. His grandfather is from Fishtown, his grandmother is from Germantown and he decides to go with the Greek Freak instead of Joel and Ben. It’s maddening.
SectionH
@?BillinGlendaleCA: LOL
Mart
Wish I was neighbors with Cole so we could get a group discount on removing trees planted ten years back. The bastards get closer every year!
RandomMonster
Sent Mom a pot of Northwestern succulents and a sweet card and bottle of sparkling rose. With a promise to come see her in the fall. I’m a good boy.
Another Scott
Interesting AP story about divisions in the GQP over Stefanik.
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-election-2020-government-and-politics-463d871700b3825998fcdeb6b3da38b4
(E.g. Cheney voted with TFG much more often than Stefanik and the Teabaggers haven’t forgotten.)
Cheers,
Scott.
Citizen Alan
@dww44: I honestly don’t know her political allegiance because she’s all over the map. She’s a newly retired teacher who I once heard strongly defend transgender rights in an argument with her redneck Trumpist brother-in-law on her husband’s side of the family. But at Easter, I was momentarily stunned when she said the only two issues she cares about right now are student loan cancellation (she’s against it because she paid all her loans off so everyone else should) and immigration (she’s against that too because she has this irrational fear of illegal immigrants overwhelming the social services so “the people who deserve it won’t be able to get anything”). I suspect both she and her eldest boy voted Trump, but neither of them have dared to say so out loud in my presence and I have not inquired.
Citizen Alan
@Steeplejack: Didn’t get it. Didn’t get any of the jobs from the three interviews I’ve had since then. But thanks for asking. :) I’ve sent out another 8 or so resumes this week, and I’m also applying for the Bankruptcy LLM program at St. John’s in Queens, NY as an emergency fallback position.
Mary G
Expensive plumbing problems with the main drains?
JCJ
@HumboldtBlue: Fear the Deer!
HumboldtBlue
@JCJ:
That’s what that little knucklehead keeps saying.
Don K
I can say from observation in my mid-50s neighborhood that willows grow into big trees. Enough said.
One of my favorite memories from my teen years is when my dad decided Mother’s Day dinner should be at one of the most popular places in South Jersey, only he didn’t call to make a reservation. When we got there, we were informed there was a 45-minute wait for a table. Dad said, “the hell with that”, so we got in the car and went to another place with the same result. Two hours later, we ended up at the Vincentown Diner, where Mom enjoyed a dinner of liver and onions (her favorite), made special since she didn’t have to cook for the day. Typical of Mom (whatever happens is okay as long as your intentions are good), and also typical of Dad (drive around for two hours to avoid a 45-minute wait). And I love them both in their absence from my life.
Ken
@Mary G: Worse, the willow roots got into the cellar and keep puncturing the lids on John’s home canning and draining the jars.
Steeplejack
@Citizen Alan:
Sorry to hear it. The interview sounded so promising, and I know you want to get out of Mississippi. But thanks for giving me closure.
Hope you have better luck with the new queries.
SectionH
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho:
@Mary G:
Meh, the willow tree is a fait accompli now. I’m much more worried about John’s new idea of attracting crows… I mean, this is the guy who’s been carefully protecting little birds’ nests from Steve for several years now – and he wants to encourage crows? I’m hoping that he’s read the feedback he got from people who know more about crows and had a rethink.
Srsly, the willow tree is John’s problem. Crows are gonna be all over that neighborhood too…
NotMax
Never found the time to drive all the way to Target for a card (at least here they have a bodacious assortment), instead opted for a fast run to the closest Long’s Drugs (now owned by CVS).
Selection of Mother’s Day cards was not at all up to snuff – downright pitiful, really. Proverbial light bulb overhead illuminated so walked a few steps to the rack of Thank You cards, which offered some excellent choices which could be easily customized on the inside to fit the day.
Ruckus
@HumboldtBlue:
Mom gone just over 9 yrs, it was the day before her 95th birthday.
Steeplejack
@Ruckus:
You don’t forget. RIP. ?
Brachiator
People, especially or often men, should give up stupid fights over sentimentality and what they think is bullshit and just be nice for Mother’s Day and other occasions that are important to the people they love.
My mother is 92 and in reasonably good health. She lives with my sister and I will talk to them on Sunday. Video chat. This Mother’s Day is particularly important to me because my siblings and I were able to protect our mother from Covid. We were dreading like hell that she might come down with it, especially as she lives with my sister in Texas, where there is a lot of stupidity going on.
Felicitations to those observing the day or remembering a parent.
OzarkHillbilly
Say what? There’s a day for mothers? Next thing you’re gonna tell me is there is a day for fathers too.
rikyrah
@SiubhanDuinne:
Because, she was your mother????
rikyrah
@HumboldtBlue:
Mama has been gone almost 13 years. Still miss her??
Ruckus
@Steeplejack:
No, you don’t forget.
She had a decent life, she outlived her ex husband and her daughter. She wasn’t perfect but then who the hell is? Life is a series of trials and hopefully a series of somewhat good days, better for some days, worse for others. If we are good we make the best of it. She did.
As I sit here typing this I’m trying to reflect on lives lived and lost, and I wonder why some people are intent on hating others for reasons that escape anything even being in the vicinity of rational explanation. I had an interesting discussion about the death penalty with a long time friend this evening. I understand his logic, but I don’t see it working and that makes me wonder how people can see a point of view of things that has no logic whatsoever. I think racism and misogyny deny all logic. I can see how hate can have a logical side, but I can’t see how racism and misogyny have any logic at all. And yes I can see that not everything is logical, but to have no actual logic whatsoever as to why you could see hate as a basis for your entire life? Is it me or is there something fundamentally wrong with great swaths of humans?
Lavocat
Misplaced willow plantings: this is how blood feuds start. Great story about this on my wife’s maternal grandfather’s side. Resulted in people not speaking to each other for years and the willow being mysteriously chopped down in the night. Seems willows too close to buildings have a way of inevitably interfering with sewage outflows. The consequences can be most… noisome. Willows DO so love their shit.
J R in WV
Early commenter said “A beaver came along and chewed it down. ” Obviously John should borrow a beaver from DNR and set it on the tree…
. . . . . . . . . . . . ;~)
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.
Chinese take-out can be really good, enjoy Mrs Cole!