The PASSWORD Is: "Mother"

You know you really must be some kind of monster when people look through your family photos and with genuine, thoughtless sincerity exclaim, "That's your mom?!?!?!" - as if they could never fathom that something so hideous (me) was born of something so fair (she).  What can I say, not every project you work on, even one on which you've spent nine months, turns out the way you expected.  Fortunately, I was born just past the days when people would've immediately tossed me in a sack with a couple of bricks and flung me in the river like so many unwanted kittens.  I think my parents still question their own judgment until I remind them of my alternatives.  Would they have me swinging from the bell tower of a famed, Medieval cathedral or haunting the singers of a Parisian opera house OR would they prefer to have me under their constant supervision, thus minimizing the trauma wreaked upon an unsuspecting public?

This is my mom...
channeling the spirit of Tammy Wynette

My mom will hate me for saying any of this because I have brought this very scenario to her attention and she does not approve the theory; she doesn't think I'm ugly (the phrase "A face only a mother could love," comes to mind).  Yet, the only reason I mention it is to wish my Mom and all of the mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day!

Looking at these photos makes me truly sorry for all the terrible things I've put my mom through.  It makes me realize that she was once inexperienced and idealistic and could never have imagined all the torment that five weird children and thirty eight years of marriage can bring.  It makes me see her as a real human being who never considered the seemingly-insurmountable obstacles that would be placed before her, who never realized that in the face of these obstacles she could summon the strength to laugh through her tears and persevere.  My mom had a life before I did.

Would you be able to tell this face
 how hard life was going to be?

In looking for proof of my Mom's pre-child life, I finally uncovered something for which I have been searching years and years - evidence!!!  In 1972, three years prior to her marriage with my father, my Mom appeared as a contestant on Password.  Password is the game show famous for bringing Betty White together with the love of her life, host, Allen Ludden.  My mother was lucky enough to play with White, but as much as I have combed over the Game Show Network archives and Password clips on YouTube, I have never seen any kind of documentation of her appearance.  I thought I had sorted through all of the family's slides but I found a few small boxes that I had never seen before.  Surprised and ecstatic when I held these up to the light, I knew I had hit the jackpot.

Unfortunately, I broke the one slide projector that we had and I haven't the faintest idea how to scan these into the computer.  In my desperation to share the slides, I was reduced to holding them over a lightbulb and snapping a photo.
On the left you can see my mom's competitor and Betty White.  The host, Allen Ludden, is in the center with my Mom on the far right.  I'm still trying to figure out who her celebrity partner was during this round.

*Update: My Mom informed me that her partner was Ross Martin from The Wild, Wild West.

Wearing a pink dress of her own make and design, my Mom was a big winner, earning enough money for a trip to Europe.  There are so many things that I wish after viewing these slides.  I wish that I could see the show (I would love to see how she acted, how she spoke, and how she behaved on her TV debut).  I wish that she had won enough money to set us all up for life (Haha!).  More than anything, I wish that she had kept that dress!

I can't wait to get these transferred into a more easily viewable medium.
Yet, I'm really glad to have these slides that my grandparents took of
the television while they were watching their daughter win big money!

"Spellbound"
I wish I knew whose hand scrawled the message, "Real cute?"
on the back of the slide mount...perhaps one of her five brothers?

She reminds me so much of Hayley Mills in these photos.
I really enjoy how all of the slides were placed into the card-
board mounts upside down (and sometimes backwards). 

"Trinket"
I said she won "big money," but I think she ended up with a
total of about $2,000.  I guess that's not too shabby for 1972.

It is funny, people (particularly Mary, who regularly accuses us of "Like, being the same person" ) tell me how similar my Mom and I are - in personality, in temperament, in orneriness.  For as alike as we might be, I am constantly learning something from her.  I have discussed in some length my Dad and his particular brand of challenges, but the fact is that none of that would have been a story if not for my Mom.  It is my firm belief that my Dad pulled through because she gave him something to live for.  This is evidenced by anyone who stands in a crowded room and sees that, for my Dad, the room is completely empty except for my Mother.  Every time she walks past his gaze, he sighs like a lovesick schoolboy; he brightens at her every movement.  This is no accident.  She has been a steadfast wife, a tireless worker, and the type of partner for which most people would kill.

From her I learned what it means to work.  From her I learned the meaning of unconditional love.  From her I learned how to tie my shoes, butter toast, sew on a button, crack an egg, and a million and one other things that I take for granted every day.  From her I learned that life really isn't fair. From her I learned that even when life isn't treating you fairly, it is important to rely on faith, family, and one's own fortitude to carry on.  It may seem corny but my favorite song about mothers comes from a cartoon; in a few simple phrases. "Your Mother and Mine" expresses all that "mother" means.

"Your Mother & Mine" - Walt Disney's Peter Pan

To all the moms out there, I hope your children are providing you at least one day that makes you glad that you didn't throw them in the river.  To my own Mom, I love you.  I am proud of you.  I am in awe of your bravery.  I respect your commitment and admire your consistency.  I hope to find over my lifetime half of the determination and love that you exhibit daily.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

De Doo Doo Doo, De Dah Dah Dah

Well, Howdy!
Nope, that's not Temple Grandin dressed
for the Golden Globes; that's Mr. Tiny
dressed for The Doo Dah Parade!!!

Do you ever feel like a chicken (you'll come to appreciate the analogy later) running around with its head cut off?  Lately we have had so much going on (fun stuff, I'm not complaining too emphatically), that I feel directionless, exhausted, and powered exclusively by nervous energy.  Certain areas of my existence have suffered - sleep, cleanliness/organization, and blogging being no exceptions.

Mike probably has a cleaner bedroom than I.

Weary but excited, we woke early last weekend to participate in the second-annual Easy Acres Chicken Sitting entry in the 2012 Doo Dah Parade! 

You might remember the fun feathered fiasco of last year's Easy Acres entry as documented by our humble blog.  This year our theme was The Grand Ole Opry circa 1972.  Rhinestones, big hair, chickens, and a 1960 Cadillac Eldorado convertible were the order of the day.

Our Mistress of Ceremonies, Honky Tonk Queen, Grand Marshall, and
all-around Red Hot Chicken Picker, Anna, of Easy Acres Chicken Sitting

Deke Dickerson lent himself and his Cadillac to the festivities.
Have you see any finer fins than this?

Due to an allergy among our ranks, our usual flurry of feathers was forbidden.
That didn't stop the storm of sequins and confetti!

Chicken Head

Our flock

The Ladies who Parade

Yes, those are tortillas (hurled by rather-overzealous crowd members).
And yes, we did save them for our post-parade party - we served chicken tacos.

Every person's motives for parade participation are different.  Many people are there because they are part of a performance troupe.  Many people are there because there are too few parades in which to practice the drills of your Disco Drill Team.  While plenty of us were there just for fun, some people had a light, and a message, that they just couldn't hide under a bushel any longer.

"Cannabis Safer Than Alcohol"

She turned her sign just as the shutter snapped, but it read,
"Moms say legalize it!"
Marijuana? Prostitution? Gambling? Smokeless tobacco for children in wagons?
Not my mom - on any of those issues - just for the record.

The dominant theme this weekend was "fins and fowl."  After experiencing the grandeur of chickens and that '60 Eldorado, we motored down to San Diego for the Charles Phoenix show followed by a dinner at The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop and a two-car Plymouth show.  Two of our dinner companions drove their Plymouths and the fins couldn't help but be the star of the show!

The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop won for best execution of legume-based chicken mosaics, 

but I have to say that it doesn't hold a candle to our beloved, La Palma Chicken Pie Shop!

This is how the chicken....

...wanted to cross the road.

"Golden Commando Power"
My new catch phrase

I have absolutely no idea what this song means, but it says "do" and "da," and my lengthy preamble nothwithstanding, it's pretty much all I want to say to you.

"De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" - The Police

And just a couple more CHICKENS!!!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny