Mother's Day! Did you remember?

But we always forgot as children. Dad likely forgot too because we made an early morning dash to Peoples Drugstore to pick out presents, inevitably Jean Naté or another beauty product with a name like Desert Flower.

But moms never forget. All year round, they are always available to fix things—cut knees, childhood through adulthood happiness or sadness—provide endless support, attend parent-teacher conferences and school plays. They get up in the middle of the night with a snack (hot chocolate or wine, depending) when we come in from a dance—just to hear about it. They help with our kids and pets. And they always keep our elementary school mother’s day cards posted on the frig. . . .

Whether your image of a mom is of subtle or obvious glamor, you want to find the perfect gift for this special person in your life. Leave it to the advertisers to help. . . . The U.S. ads focus on the mundane. The French ads promote gifts with sex appeal. But articles in U.S. and French papers provide a range of similar gifts—gardening tools, plants, perfume or dark chocolate. And what do moms usually say about a gift on Mother's Day? Probably most are like my mom, who just says she is happy "just having two wonderful daughters.” I think she really means it. But I bought a gift anyway.

If you missed Mother's Day in the States, you have a second chance (if you can claim ancestry or interest in France, where it is the last Sunday of May). I will end on this FB message from a friend to all mothers--“Thank you for your infinite grace and patience.” (posted by SVS)

Busy Weekend--commencement or derby?

Two major events. One weekend. University graduations across the country. The 138th Kentucky Derby! Sitting for hours on stadium seats or folding chairs as some academic dean reads through names and honors. Sipping mint juleps (which I am not sure I like but it sounds glam), watching horses and jockeys in silks, feeling that moment of elegance (training, investments, hours of primping and less than two minutes of racing). For some parents or students, four years or more of tuition (easily more than $100k). . . . or more than $1,200 for finish line seats or $446 for other seats on the secondary market, according to an NBC website. And then the regalia. For commencement, flimsy black gowns (one size fits all) for students. As for the faculty have thicker robes and mortarboards; others (often from well-established European institutions) have dress worthy of an ecclesiastic in the Middle Ages—tam, brioche-like hat, rich velvet cloaks. The derby--everyone is dressed to the nines. The hats are particularly impressive--roses, veils, bows--nothing seems too eccentric or sublime for a derby. While at commencement, families might complain about large hats blocking their views as they try to digitalize the graduation ceremony, at the derby, it's a given. Given the choice and if money were no object, readers, which would it be? NOTE--if you opt for the derby, Ebay has a nice selection of hats!

Moving again. . . ça bouge encore

Change of address. . . . disconnect/connect utilities. . . .moving boxes. . . truck reservations-- this time with a company that provides safe vehicles that actually steer. Line up. . . no, not friends this time, but pay acquaintances. Once again, I am on the move and not quite sure how I will fill a 16-foot truck.

My move will be lean. My furniture is in my house (where I am moving). On my last move, I returned the borrowed family furniture—the beautiful but heavy, solid wood chests of drawers, desks and armoirs, not to mention the half canopy four poster bed. This move would be minimalistic—personal effects (especially clothes and shoes), kitchen things and my work. But then I dropped by my mom’s. She looked at the things I had stored at her house more than 18 months ago.

--What about this big orange ball? She referred to the air compressor belonging to my son. --Yes, I can take that. . . . --And these boxes? --Aren’t they yours? It was difficult to deny the 17th-century French books or history of the printing press were not mine. And the geotechnical engineering and marketing books. . . well, one kid has an engineering degree. . . . and the other is in marketing.

-And you know how much the kids enjoyed their dollhouses when they were growing up. . . . .You really should take those. . . . Mom referred to one dollhouse (my daughter’s) and one car garage. . . . She didn’t mention my childhood toys, stored in another closet of her house.

At least that 16-foot truck has a ramp.

What will you do on Earth Day - 2012?

Read the Lorax by Dr. Seuss (if you haven't already).

Visit a state park. . . .

Contemplate a view . . . (from Bijou Plage)

Visit an art museum (here, Giacometti statues at the Maeght Foundation, St. Paul de Vence)

Sculpture at the Picasso Museum, Antibes

Listen to music. . . .

Tango jam session led by Homer Ladas, University of South Florida (March 2012)

Plan trip . . . to little-traveled corners of the globe . . .

Or just appreciate life . . . Happy Earth Day!

Spring Arts from my Balcony

My apartment balcony overlooks a quiet, tree-lined street in the Duck Pond neighborhood of Gainesville. Weekends are pretty quiet, but this one was different.

A few days before the 43rd Santa Fe Spring Arts Festival opened,medians were dotted with little white markers designating vendor space. Large tents in public spaces and dozens of port-a-potties appeared. After 5 p.m. on Friday, the eve of the event, vendors streamed in to set up tents and displays for the weekend festival that was expected to draw crowds of 100,000.

Photo--Kana Handel, whose “Many Moons over the Prairie,” was chosen as the poster for the festival, depicts a Chagall-esque horse carrying a child and offers a message of hope—that the horses will be on Paynes Prairie for many moons.

The estimated 200 vendors included artists from the region and state artists, as well as others from the East Coast, New England, the Great Lakes and Colorado. They brought jewelry, glass orbs, oil paintings and photography of landscapes, sculptures in stainless steel, copper or stone, woven shawls and musical instuments.

The crowds arrived along with platoons of strollers. Shorts and tee-shirts. Tattoos. Flip flops and Birkenstocks. Everyone enjoyed the festival in a special way.

Father to son, "Look at the horses and flowers."

Mom about son, "I think he's more concerned with staying on the line [of the road]."

Kids in general (voices rising), "I want MORE ice cream."

The Gainesville Community Jazz Band played wonderful music (all that was missing was the dance floor). The nearby Thomas Center also had live music (jazz and blues) as well as children’s art and games.

I was tempted by so many things--a small landscape by Eleanor Blair, or photography by John Moran, Dick Cunningham and Richard Auger. But like many other passersby, I began to wilt in the 80-plus-degree heat and sun.

But what was missing? Pets! Pets were not allowed at the festival.

Here, children's art is displayed.

The festival ends today at 5:30 p.m. The tents will come down, the merchandise loaded and streets cleaned. . . . Let’s hope the vendors made good sales, and Gainesville continues to be known for its support of the arts.

For more information on the festival, visit here

For more on artist Kana Handel, visit

The end of the backyard egg hunt?

On my early walk this morning, I thought I might see neighborhood kids, hunting for eggs in the wet grass. But only a few cats greeted me.

Have backyard egg hunts gone the way of door-to-door Halloween trick-or-treating? Replaced by organized events that draw thousands of kids?

As kids, we spent days, coloring or dying eggs that we left in a basket for the Easter bunny to hide. Once we found the eggs (along with the prize sugar crystal or chocolate egg), we spent the remainder of the day, getting our parents to hide the hard-boiled colored eggs. . . . again and again.

Maybe everyone has tired of the egg hunt. Maybe some kids have lost interest. . . . When my two kids noticed the large, life-size bunny wore a plaid shirt under his costume, they began asking questions. A few years later, they opted for chocolate eggs but skipped the hunt.

“Are you going for an egg hunt today?” I asked my son and his fiancée today, Easter Sunday.

“No, Mama, we’re too old for that. We're going to a brunch.”

Maybe the backyard egg is a thing of the past. But some traditions remain--the Macy's Easter Parade on Easter Sunday and the 134th Annual White House egg roll, which takes place on Monday, April 9.

For more information, visit

Easter around the world - click here

Our Pets and Our Health!

I had an Ikea clock that kept time in the kitchen. My pets were fascinated with the movement of the hour and minute hands. One day the hands no longer moved past 6:30, and then the hands disappeared altogether. . . .

We all know the benefits of having pets. They reduce depression, high blood pressure, stress and anxiety. They facilitate a social life. According to WebMD, pet walks are a more effective way of meeting people than say. . . . online dating.

Pets offer other advantages.

We won’t need an alarm to get up in the morning. First the whiskers, then the “jump over,” and then, if not a watch or Prada glasses, they will find another valuable to dangle and get us out of bed. They "friend" or "unfriend" many of our friends. They ensure we don't get too attached to nice furnishings, wallpaper or material possessions.

We no longer think of buying an Eero Saarinen womb chair or Lilly Reich/Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair. We no longer wince at the sound of claws on wood or fabric.

They have us trained. We have learned to distinguish between cat sounds—the purrr (I’m happy), ra-owwh (I’m at your door with a gift), RA-OWWHHHH (if you don’t open the door, I will be forced to eat the gift). . . .

To ensure the safety of our pets, they live inside. Indoor pets (apparently) live longer and stay healthier. . . . And the wildlife remain plentiful. A study by the Mammal Society, quoted by a UK animal protection website, estimates that British cats capture nearly 275 million prey per year (approximately 20 percent are birds and majority are rodents).

My two cats live indoors and still find numerous ways to hunt and stalk. Here one is waiting to grab the legs of the next unsuspecting person who comes down the stairs. . . .

They both were adopted from a pet shelter and have adapted to their new lifestyle. Guess I had better sign off and run to the store. We're out of the flavor of the day!

What do your pets do?