my momma

I just spent way too long looking for a photograph of my mom and me.
She's wearing sunglasses in the photo, with a canvas channel 13 bag curved over her long shoulder.  We were visiting the Statue of Liberty, so she's got little black Olympus camera cupped in one hand while looking into the distance, looking very beautiful and tough.  In a Jennifer Beals sort of way.
I'm up front and center in two braids, big glasses, and my Washington "deecee" overalls, looking squinty (no sunglasses).

Sadly, I can't find it anywhere(!) so please imagine it, and  instead, look at this picture, from around the same time.  She didn't usually wear deely boppers in the kitchen, but I think it suited her goofy side quite nicely.
Here are some memories of my mom from when I was a kid:

1.  Strong, smooth, warm, brown hands with veins bobbing all about on the surface.
2.  Big sunglasses, big regular glasses too!
3. The softest, silkiest, curly hair ever.  I used to want my friends to stick their hands in it, to everyone's embarrassment, and to my pleasure.
4. Her key chain, a little brass pulley, worn smooth and soft.
5. Blintzes with blueberry sauce, homemade applesauce, big pasta shells stuffed with cheese in tomato sauce, warm raisin scones snuggled into a cloth napkin, sour cream coffee cake, and cookies, lots and lots and lots of cookies.
6. Delicate porcelain boxes (made by her) with mysteriously fitting lids.
7. A majorly green thumb resulting in bags upon bags upon bags of zucchini.
8. Love.  Such an incredible amount of love, I swam in a whole mountain lake of it.

Happy Mother's Day Momma!