twenty years

My mom passed away 20 years ago today. So, like every year, in the midst of all the being thankful for what we have, my family is forced to deal with what we don't have. So I'm thinking about Mom, and I'm thinking about Mom at Thanksgiving.

My mom was a German immigrant, but she was especially proud to be a US citizen. So you'd have to forgive her for the horrendous red, white, and blue polyester pant suits she wore, especially around the Fourth of July. At Thanksgiving, with everyone around, she loved to brag about how, unlike most natural born citizens, she could name all 50 state capitols. Except that she, uh, didn't know them. But that wouldn't stop her from daring us to challenge her.

"Vermont."

"That's too hard, give me another one."

She also told the same damn joke over and over.

Mom: "What's the capitol of Louisville....er I mean Kentucky"

You: "Ahaha - you just said it - Louisville."

Mom: "Nope. It's Frankfort."

It's no secret that my Mom was a drinker. And when she drank, she liked to sing. Here's a couple of her greatest hits:






My sis will remind me of more, I'm sure.

Drunk, sober, or somewhere in between, I miss you, Mom.