Holiday

I can’t keep my holidays straight. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in France, and that will make it the third time this year I sort of feel like I should have a special day but don’t know whether it’s the right one to be celebrating. There was the UK one back in March, which we learned about too late to do something for Eric’s mother. There was the US one two weeks ago, where I was in Swindon (see below) but I did get an email from my daughter which is a rare enough occurrence that it qualifies as cause for celebration. They seem to make a big deal about it here too, so maybe I can parlay that into lunch out somewhere. I could use a little cheering up on the mother front, as my daughter takes off on a rock and roll road trip and I find myself echoing my father’s words that ring in my ears, even to this day - “What about a job? Aren’t you going to use your talent? How are you going to support yourself?”

Meanwhile we’re booking a tour in the fall (I know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and all, but someone in this family has to be the responsible one and I'd always felt sure it would be Hazel) and the US part is sort of like a board game where you throw darts at the various sections of the country and see what sticks. There are the obvious highly-populated areas where we have to play (New York, DC, Chicago) and the ones where it’s never a sure thing (Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia). And the rest of the country in between. Complicated by the fact that the first dates are in the Northwest. It’s all beginning to take shape, only yesterday the email box was a little inactive and I got kind of anxious and frustrated. Then I realized it’s the start of that long Memorial Day weekend there. Who's working? I remember dressing up bikes with red, white and blue streamers when we were kids, and parades honoring soldiers and going to the cemetery. My family are all meeting up in Pittsburgh and I know Eric and I will see them in the fall but it’s kind of strange being so far away. If I were actually there I doubt I’d think about "Memorial Day" at all. Or I'd be too busy to get together.

I think I’m definitely going to play the mother card tomorrow.