• My Juicy Mother
• Posted: 2009-08-06 10:25:16 By Barbara Holmes
• The juiciest person in my life is my mother, 89, who has always been a force of nature. She has friends of all ages, including little boys, who grab her around the legs and hug her. Maybe it's because, at 4'8", she's so close to their height.
  
  My mother had a stroke five years ago, and before she called me early that morning to inform me, she made her bed, called someone to take care of her cat, cancelled a dinner engagement and put on eyebrows, eye shadow and lipstick. Only then was I called. Goodness knows she wouldn’t go to the Emergency Room without makeup. She wouldn’t take a trip to the laundry room without it.
  
  She used to go to seniors’ dances twice a year and dance until after midnight, but the stroke, a heart attack, a broken sternum and a broken right hand have slowed her down. A little. She still puts on CDs and dances around her apartment living room with Amy, the cat, as an audience.
  
  My favorite photo of her was taken when she was in her 50's - she’s wearing a huge grin and swinging from a tree branch.
  
  Mom’s always been stylish; she hates old-lady clothing, and shopping energizes her. And yes, she uses a computer - she does her banking and is now learning to write e-mails.
  
  How has having a juicy Mom affected me? Mom and I flirt, tease and joke with friends and strangers. We say to shoppers we pass twice in the grocery aisle, “We’ve got to stop meeting this way.” We love silly, and we laugh like all the female members of her family, a cross between a explosive bray and a loud cackle. Last year we both had makeovers at a Sears cosmetics counter.
  
  Also last year, I took my first singing lessons. I started a novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November 2008, and I’ve taken up photography and painting. My cellphone screen says, “Hello, Gorgeous!”
  
  And every time I buy something new, my mother has to have it, from drapes to a new computer.
  
  I feel pretty juicy at 62, and it looks as if I’ll have to continue to be juicy until I’m at least 89. I’m now a role model for my mother.

• Re: My Juicy Mother
• Posted: 2009-09-14 17:24:30 By Loretta LaRoche
• I absolutely loved this story.
  Thank you for sharing it!
  My Best
  Loretta

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