ode to my mother...

i am thinking about my late dearly departed mother,and she was definitely one of a kind person... she was a self made person,not rich in monetary terms,but she was definitely a very rich lady,in terms of:if you knew her,you would never forget her... she was a self taught lady,knowing things that people would die for in knowing,and had a sweet but wicked sense of humor,but yet,she worked at so many jobs that to count them would make me be here for days... she was the smartest person that i ever knew in my life,because she was a vacuum,in terms of knowledge... when she ran for city council,in the small town where she lived,she walked to every house,every hill,and talked to everyone in town,and then when she ran for mayor(she lost,barely),she repeated the feat,and actually read the ordinances that came before the city council,no matter how long they happen to be,so to argue with her,in front of the public,in private,or in chambers,you better know what you had to know,because it was a challenge to do it... i have her councilmember plaque on this desk,behind this computer,as a reminder of her... when we talked at night,she would say that,"she needed her harassment",from me,and even at times,she would come downstairs,and knock on my apartment door,and have a pouting look on the face,and say the same thing to me,when we missed that time between us,for a few days... she had a baby grand piano upstairs,and the funny thing is that,when she played the piano,i would sit on my toilet,because of the acoustics in the room were great,for listening... another funny thing is that she may have been a classical pianist,but i best remember her,when i listen to country music,i guess,because she was so down to earth... i miss her most on her birthday,and in the holiday season,because she was a very good cook,and i remember one year,she got tired of the usual Christmas tree,and actually brought in a live manzanita bush,and decorated it up with ornaments... i never told her that it was the most beautiful "tree",that we ever had,growing up,and one year,she was a vegetarian,so we had "vegaturk"(as she called it)... what holidays that we had!!!!!!!! in her later years,she would celebrate Chanukkah,and Christmas,because she converted to Judaism,and in fact,if i can find candles to fit her small menorah that i have,i would light all nine candles,next year... my memory of her is so fresh,because i lived under her apartment in a duplex,for her last seven years of life,and she is still so alive to me,even though,that it has been almost five years that she passed away... sometimes,i need my "harassment",Mom... you are always in my heart... your son...