Happy Birthday Mum

I am not sure how this is possible, but my mother is 74 years old today. And she can still out walk me. Damn her and her healthy lifestyle.

The woman walks 5 miles a day and eats daily servings of kale or collards that she grows in her garden. No wonder she is so fit. She had better live until she is 102.

My mom continues to amaze me daily: growing, learning, switching it up, staying fresh and new. One day she is reading every book Marcel Proust ever wrote (in French mind you) and the next she is naming every tree species we walk past and growing lettuce in the living room.

Did I mention that she recently took up the accordion and lives in a lean-to on the lake all summer long? And let's not forget the 6 years of her life that she devoted to fine arts and the fact that her mural of UVM facilities workers is hanging up in Waterman.

And are you aware that she has been a full-time UVM student since she retired and gets A+s? Oh and did I forget to mention her stint as a nude model for figure drawing classes?

And then there were the 3 years that she starred in my cable access show The Deadbeat Club. People still stop me on the street to say, "I just love your mother." Join the club.

I grew up knowing that my mother was superhuman. It is not as easy as you may think having a Super Mother who can mend any tear, answer any question and heal any wound. No one else really measures up and those are some pretty spectacular shoes to fill.

Still, I am glad to have this Sparkly Diamond in my life even if I will never know as much as her. I wish I could download all her knowledge about French, music, art, sewing, knitting, gardening, cooking, and life. But I guess I have to figure this stuff out for myself. Sigh - I will never sound as good playing the flute.

I moved back here from California to hang out with my mom who refuses to ever leave Vermont. Now that I am back by her side, Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away: