Mom and the Symphony

As I age I realize what a remarkable person my mother was. It seemed she was everywhere at once...and maybe still is.

She would have loved my garden...I learned
everything I know from her.

You need to remember that she never had a driver's license. She did learn to drive but my father in his infinite wisdom just never found the time to take her to town so she could take her test. There was only one car so I don't suppose it would have made any difference.

Still up until the time she could not live alone, she managed to get around one way or the other. She had a very active social life and her calendar was filled with lunch dates and church functions.

We were from a very small town so our exposure to the fine arts was limited. It wasn't until she was nearing 80 that she discovered the symphony. The orchestra would travel from more than 100 miles away to play on our local college campus. And my mother was always in the front row.

I suppose that was how she knew about the romances, marriages and divorces of the playing members. It seems the conductor and the lead violinist were married and then divorced. The new lead violinist became the second Mrs. Conductor after a whirlwind romance. (There may have been a baby involved but I don't know that for sure.)

I have always wondered how she knew this kind of thing. Her ear was to the ground always and nothing happened in her front yard that she didn't know about.

Her neighbor was a drug dealer but she got along with him just fine and called him David. I think she figured this out by watching. I never heard about a police raid or anything so I never did know for sure. She would have turned him in I think but she knew his mother so I suppose that made a difference. The only thing she didn't like was the stink that came from his house once in awhile.

I suppose I have inherited her curiosity about people. But I don't think I will ever be as perceptive as she was. Thinking about her makes me smile!

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