Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9th. For the past month, we’ve been inundated with ads extolling jewelry, flowers, candy and other traditional gifts for Mom. Although it’s been eighteen years since my mother died, it still feels odd not to buy a Mother’s Day card and gift.
Mom and I had quite different tastes. For example, when we were shopping together, she would admire a dress displayed in a store window that I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing.
Instead of purchasing flowers or a box of candy that only lasted a few days, I bought practical gifts for her. My thought was she could splurge with the money she saved for something she wouldn’t normally buy.
When my folks moved into their new house in Durand at the beginning of the seventies, the builder had the lawn sodded. It didn’t take long for dandelions to invade the pristine grass. Mom’s complaining about the wild flowers gave me an idea–I would give her a dandelion digger for Mother’s Day. The implement had a long, hardwood handle with a small, metal two-tined fork attached. She could stand upright and remove the pesky weeds from her lawn for many years. She seemed pleased.
On the following Monday afternoon, her neighbor, Mildred, walked over to chat. The two women had been friends since they were young, farm wives living in Laona Township. Both couples had retired from farming and moved to town where their homes were two blocks apart. Mildred bragged about the traditional gifts she had received from her six children. Then she asked, “What did Lolita give you?”
Mom replied, “A dandelion digger.”
Mildred was incredulous when she repeated, “A dandelion digger?”
Mom answered, “She knew I could use one.”
Do you have a memorable gift that you gave your mother?