What a Mom Wants: Mother's Day Weekend

Instead of fresh cut flowers, my mom requested geraniums from Old Hook Farm, which will last all summer. Her mother's window sills were brimming with geraniums in Switzerland, which I also nostalgically recall through photographs and from visits there as a child.

A night out at Brooklyn's Brick Oven Pizzeria with the works: Eggplant Parmesan, Caesar salad, a small pie and cannoli, all to share. The Ridgewood location (cash only) is BYOB, so we had a pleasant red for the table.



A night of comedy with a legend. My mom, aged 70, said if Betty White at 88 can stay up, she could stay awake until 11:30 to watch her Saturday Night Live appearance. I, at 34, couldn't stay awake past 10 p.m. and have to watch it online. Pathetic, I know.

Loved her witty monologue. A class act. I am a proud, unabashed Golden Girls enthusiast.

Flowers from church. Each Mother's Day, the church we attend hands out flowery plants to every woman, married or unmarried, mothers and those without children, to show their appreciation toward the women of the church.

Isn't that a lovely idea?


An outdoor picnic at Demarest Farms. A peek in the greenhouse.


Her meal was not vegan or vegetarian, so I'll show you mine. Mushroom soup (loaded with assorted mushrooms, noodles, carrots and celery), with an onion roll and Jersey Blues blueberry iced tea.


We got an unexpected picnic guest: Jake, a Golden Retriever. His guardians own the farm and he is often socializing with farm visitors. He's getting a little TLC from my sister.


This my mom's first year as a "mom" to a dog, who we adopted through a local rescue group we found on petfinder.com. So we topped the day with a stroll with him over the always magical bridges in Van Saun County Park in Paramus.


I still recall Ben Stein's words about showing appreciation for our parents, "that they spent the heart of their lives taking care of you, feeding you, teaching you, putting a roof over your head, warming you with their love and concern."

Thank you for all those things, Mom and Dad.