Remembering Mom on Her Birthday

Here are 10 fond memories I have of my mom in honor of her birthday on September 18:

1. She cooked all moisture and most nutrients out of all of the food she cooked.
2. She was my first music teacher.  She taught me a little about how to play piano and a lot about how to play ukulele.
3. She laughed out loud when she watched the Peter Sellers movie The Party.  She also laughed out loud when she read the book “The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N” by Lenard Q. Ross.  
4. She smoked Belair cigarettes and she wouldn’t smoke in front of her parents.
5. She liked to tickle her grandkids’ backs with her long fingernails.
6. She woke up before everyone else in the morning, sat at the kitchen table and drank instant coffee.
7. She wore contact lenses.
8. She loved growing flowers.
9. She loved decorating our house for Halloween and Christmas.  Especially Christmas.  In addition to the decorations for Christmas, she would bring out her extensive collection of Christmas sheet music to play during the holiday season.
10. She loved her dogs as much as she loved her husband, children and grandchildren.