My mother had gowns -- dazzling gowns -- that she kept in a trunk in our garage. They were keepsakes from when she'd been an actress on the stage. She had satin gowns and beaded dresses, as well as feathered fans and boas. Each piece as stunning as a Bob Mackie design. Retired from her acting days -- and a full-time wife and mother -- Mom let me play with her stage wardrobe.
A little girl of age seven and skinny as a twig, I donned her shimmering clothes. And in boat-sized high heels, trying to keep my balance, I clopped across the patio. Holding the hems high, I lifted my shoulders tall and pretended the gowns fit. And as I waved my hands and spoke with an invisible prince, I dreamed of a day in the future when I might really wear those kinds of clothes.
With memories of my mother, Cleo, and her effervescent spirit, I want to wish all of you Lovely Readers a beautiful Mother's Day.
Sincerely, ~ Anitra
** My next post will be next week, on the 20th.
Hi Aneet:
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute to your mom.
Enjoy Mother's Day with Erin, Charles, and Ruby.
Bits
Hello Dear Bits,
DeleteThanks for your sweet message. I trust your Mother's Day will be happy and fulfilling.
My warm regards, ~ Aneet
Hi Aneet,
DeleteYour story about Mom brought some tears to my eyes. You see, I'm a little sensitive when it comes to Mothers. Maybe it's because I'm so close with my Mom that I have these kind of feelings.
I remember when you had a post on your Mom. I believe I had stated that you definitely have her beautiful eyes amongst other things I'm sure. But those eyes in particular,yes,yes. Without a doubt.
In reading your experience as a child,trying on Mom's gowns and shoes,etc, I could only imagine seeing that happen in my mind as if a movie was taking place of your life.
This was truly one of the most beautiful posts for Mother's Day. God bless your Mom and the wonderful memories you have of a beautiful and stunning mother. (the apples don't fall far from the tree).
All the best to you and have a terrific Mother's Day with Erin and family......
Jonathan
Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sharing your beautiful heartfelt message. I am so fortunate to have you as one of the readers of my blog. I could write a long list of your great qualities, but not wanting to gush, I will name just a few. You're kind, sensitive and have a fantastic sense of humor, and these don't include your true musical gift as a drummer.
I enjoyed hearing about your relationship with your Mother. I trust that you will see her tomorrow and that you will share quality time.
Wishing you and your dear Mom a wonderful Mother's Day.
My sincere good wishes, ~ Aneet
Hello Aneet-
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day to you and Erin. Thank you for sharing those beautiful memories of your mother and the anecdote of your playing "dress up" as a child. I can tell that you inherited your mother's effervescent spirit through your posts and photos, and of course through your work over the years.
Again, wishing you and Erin a very happy and blessed Mother's Day and my best wishes that spring continues to bloom for you.
Regards,
Joseph
Joseph,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your gracious words. And your phrase "that spring continues to bloom for you," I love that. A perfect line of poetry.
Thank you. Wishing you a wonderful day as well.
Sincerely, ~ Aneet
Butterflies, flowers, mother and child... and memories shared of the magic of growing up. Another lovely essay and collection of photographs. Thank you again, Anitra, for this wonderfilled blog-- and for your conversations with those of us who follow it.
ReplyDelete[btw, I always get a kick out of "Huey and Grandpa Max, conversing": the perfect antidote for sressful days or taking oneself too seriously.]
Last time we chatted, we talked about desert flowers. I've posted a few from my land on the LRNArts blog: Devil's Bouquets, Angel Trumpets, Silverleaf Nightshades, Purple Groundcherries.
Happy Mother's Day to you and Erin. And Howdie to Huey and Grandpa Max.
Louis
Hello Louis,
DeleteLovely to hear from you and to receive your thoughtful words. I'm glad that you've mentioned Huey and Grandpa Max and that those two give you a lift. Haven't seen Grandpa this year, but Huey is back, once again, sunning himself on our rock wall.
Thank you for sharing the info about your photos. Seeing blossoms in the desert (and often it's the tiniest ones) can be quite touching. That something so delicate survives and blooms on that harsh land is food for thought and admiration.
I hope your Mother's Day was fine, Louis, and I trust that your daughter is doing well.
Sending my good wishes your way, ~ Anitra
Happy Mother's Day, Luv!!
ReplyDeleteAs usual, a lovely illustrated vignette; perfect for this day in question. My own Mom has been gone not quite a year and a half now, and I confess to being deliberately blas`e about the holiday since her passing. We were pretty tight {especially towards the end}, and your gorgeous picture up top revives some of those warm/fuzzy feelings - Mom did love her flowers in the garden!!
I can identify with the butterfly in the pic, as well. He's not concerned with how pretty the flowers might be; he's trying to rustle up some chow from the blossoms - which benefits the flowers, as he transfers the pollen from one to the other. Thus his simple search for food becomes part of the reason why the flowers are so pretty in the first place - Nature works miracles nothing, if not efficiently.
Pretty neat to capture such essence in a "simple" photograph, but then again you really do have a keen eye for such things, don'tcha?
8^)
Have a great mother's Day!
{{{ANEET!!!}}}
Chris, hello, hello,
DeleteThank you for your interesting and thought provoking words. I can well understand why you might tune out Mother's Day when you've lost your mother so recently. I'm really sorry to hear that.
On another note, I appreciated the metaphors in your discourse on nature. I'm delighted that you took the time to look closely at the butterfly photo. I cropped it from a larger shot. It's wonderful to see how effective changing borders can be. I also applied a feature to give it a slightly diffused and dreamy quality. I have to turn things around and say to you, that you have a keen eye don'tcha?
Sending you my regards Chris, ~ Aneet
Hi Aneet,
ReplyDeleteWhat Beautiful memories you have of your Mother.I'm sure she was special.
Those memories will live Forever.I am very very close to my Mother,although
my Grandmother raised me in Manhattan.although it was my choice to live with
Grandma,I would travel the world to see my Mother wherever she was living at the time
Today I am closer than ever with my MUM.Your dreams did come true,As I am quite sure
in your Profesion you got to wear some of the most fabulous clothes ever created.
I do hope you had a great Mother's Day with your Family.always wishing you the best
Roger
Hello Roger,
ReplyDeleteIt's always a special treat to hear from you. I have enjoyed reading about your special relationship with your grandmother in the past. As I read about your mother traveling the world, I see that you now parallel her life by a world traveler as well. I'm delighted to hear that you and your Mum are close today.
And yes, I did get to wear some extraordinary clothes as a model and an actress. I thought of adding a photo of myself in a glamorous gown to this post, but when it got down to it, the balance was off. On this special day, I didn't want to upstage Mom.
With gratitude an warm wishes to you Roger. ~ Aneet
Aneet,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the wonderful tribute to your mom. My own mother passed away almost 12 years ago...and my mother-in-law a few years after that...so Mary and I look at Mother's Day through often bittersweet glasses. But your post reminds us to remember the beautiful and precious time we shared with them. Those memories are to be treasured.
My best wishes to you and your family,
Tom
Tom, hello, hello,
ReplyDeleteAs always, it's lovely to hear from you. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for your wise and insightful words.
My warm wishes to you and your wife, ~ Anitra
Hi Anitra:
ReplyDeleteYou must have gotten your mother's beautiful eyes. I can see the resemblance. Did your parents get to see your work on "The Price Is Right?" I would love to see a picture of you in one of your glamorous gowns. I've seen many TPIR videos of you in a lot of casual wear or swim wear. I also thought you looked beautiful no matter what kind of wardrobe you had.
Also, I came across a 1976 TPIR commercial featuring snippets of showcases and there was one where it seemed to have a "Robin Hood" theme where Janice was dressed as a princess and I think you wore some kind of "Robin Hood" outfit. Do you remember doing a showcase like that?
I hope all is well with you and your family. Summer has come back to the Windy City and I can't wait to visit the farmers markets in my area and enjoy the season. Are there any other farmers markets that you go to? I know that you featured one on your blog.
Have a wonderful June!
Sincerely, Marie
Hello Dear Marie,
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to hear from you.
You know, in the past, I didn't see my resemblance to my mother. Her eyes were huge and bright blue, and mine are hazel. But in looking at this photo of her above, I see an expression that reminds me of my close-ups on TPIR.
And yes, my parents did watch "Price". They enjoyed it immensely, and paid at least one visit to the set. I do remember the "Robin Hood" sketch. Many of the episodes and sketches haven't been released to the public, as Bob Barker doesn't want any of the segments displaying furs publicized. It must be difficult to edit these out.
As for summer, when you live in a four-season environment, it so enhances the pleasure and beauty of each one. Yes, we do have a few other farmer's markets. They are wonderful events. Each is held on a particular day of the week, set up in a parking lot and lasts for several hours.
And as for you, Marie, I trust that this summer will be charmed and bring rewards to both you and your precious twins.
Sending my warm regards, ~ Anitra
Hi, Aneet...
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have seen this because it was posted yesterday, but I think it fits well with the sentiments that you and others have posted here about mothers. These are the showcases from a November 1972 episode of TPIR which was posted by the family of the day's showcase winner. This one was never rerun on GSN because there was a fur coat offered in Grocery Game. You should have very vivid and warm memories of the second showcase. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKusLGXDZ2A&feature=relmfu
Enjoy watching it! This is one that has stuck in my memory for 40 years.
Good wishes,
Bob
Hello Bob,
ReplyDeleteGosh, I am just amazed to view this showcase again. Thanks a million for sharing this; it really touches my heart. You are so thoughtful.
Yes, I truly did enjoy seeing my Dear Daughter Erin in her appearance on The Price is Right. What a memory this is -- and to think that it stuck in YOUR mind for all of these years.
My warm wishes to you Bob. Sincerely, ~ Anitra