by Olivia | Feb 3, 2012 | Mama Says, Uncategorized
When my mom sits in the living room, it’s always at the same corner of the couch, with an oversized ottoman handy for multiple purposes and an end table to set down her Pepsi or keep her glasses handy. And the dog, of course, is snug against her thigh. One night, she...
by Olivia | Jan 27, 2012 | Mama Says, Uncategorized
My mother has never been one to leave her bed unmade. She just doesn’t do that. Ever. (I did not inherit that gene. Just so you know.) My mother also is known to go on organizing binges. She went on one in her bedroom while I was visiting. I was minding my own...
by Olivia | Jan 20, 2012 | Mama Says, Uncategorized
My dad always kept gas in the car. When his illness made him unable to do this, my mother was still driving, and the days of full-serve gas stations were long gone. Others stepped in to be sure she had gas. She did not drive far—church, grocery store, pharmacy,...
by Olivia | Jan 13, 2012 | Mama Says, Uncategorized
Honestly, I don’t know where my mom gets this stuff. The day was particularly windy. When Mom got back from walking the dog, she put both hands on her head to tame her hair and said, “It’s really windy out there. It makes you want to take your wig off.” I...
by Olivia | Dec 23, 2011 | Mama Says, Uncategorized
In south Florida in the middle of August, it’s hot. It’s hot in the morning, it’s hot in the afternoon, it’s hot in the evening. Overnight it cools down to what we call hot in Colorado. People don’t tend to sit around outside. Late one evening during my visit, Mom...
by Olivia | Dec 2, 2011 | Mama Says, Uncategorized
I spent three weeks with my mom in the middle of the summer, but I took my work with me. “Have laptop, will write” and all that. When I’m wrapped up in a story, I can get pretty driven. One evening my mother said, “You should quit. You’ve been working all day.”...
