Motherlode

Motherlode:   a principal vein or zone of veins of gold or silver ore.  The term is also used metaphysically to refer to the origin of something valuable or in great abundance.

 The definition of this term as well as describing my mother as a "golden lady" works on another level - my father was a jewelry manufacturer and a gold refiner who, when pouring molten metals into a crucible was left with ingots of pure gold. I don't think I would be exaggerating if I referred to her as "pure gold".

Some truths and observations about my mother Estelle Lenard nee Schapiro:

•  My Mother is smart - she is always reading. She adores her five grandchildren and two daughters more than anything . We are her world. (although for the record I was the 'bad' daughter and still am).
• She once washed the bathroom floor on her hands and knees with a broken wrist.
• She has a touch of OCD. - well, maybe more than a touch.
• She washes out her sheer knee-hi panty hose stockings every night no matter what. If the house was on fire she would wash the stockings before leaving.
• She weighs the same now as the day she got married and except for a few pounds here and there - always did.
• She lost her husband (my father) after a long and difficult illness. She cared for him scrupulously although broke down a few times with "I can't take this too much longer"  and she didn't have to.
• In later years she learned to knit and knitted afghans for her daughters, her grand-kids, and when she finished those started on her friends grand-kids. Everyone could pick out their own two colors although as her eyesight started getting weaker from macular degeneration they were limited to lighter colors.
• Anyone who is lucky enough to be a guest at her Boca Raton condo is treated everyday to a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice or both. This was treated about the same as stocking washing because if she runs out of oranges there is no rest until more is bought.
• My mother loves her martinis. She calls "Grey Goose" "Blue Goose" when ordering.
• She loves going out for dinner whether Applebees, Denny's, or a five star restaurant. She hates to cook (we call her 'blando') and loves all food served to her proclaiming it 'the best (fill in the blank) she ever had.
• My mother is now 86 and has recently undergone 4 hour surgery for spinal-stenosis which has left her without the use of her right leg. Although she is not a complainer, every once in a while she comes out with "I can't take this too much longer".