The Word of Chi by Chef Scotty: Mama Mia Rhthym & Lovin it Up Fluff

“What other words, we may almost ask, are memorable and worthy to be repeated than those which love has inspired? It is wonderful that they were ever uttered. They are few and rare indeed, but, like a strain of music, they are incessantly repeated and modulated by memory. All other words crumble off with the stucco which overlies the heart. We should not dare to repeat these now aloud. We are not competent to hear them at all times. ”
― Henry David Thoreau

January 31st, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdqNkWg0Dr8

Mother Mary Cleo celebrates her Birthday today although these last few years she seems to have grown ageless; her beauty lasting beyond that of any Oil of Olay supermodel. My Mom is something of a delight in that her little quirks make her so extra special, so unique, so Lynene!

Memories of What makes my Mom a bit so Special:

1.) drinking Mountain Chablis on ice, mixed with Crystal Light & a splash of Diet Slice
2.) hiding little “Mommy loves you” cards in my Incredible Hulk lunchbox as a kid . . . it always put the biggest smile on my face as I quickly tucked it away before my playmates could see!
3.) a green thumb she does have as well as an infatuation . . no obsession with Hosta plants.
4.) Spaghetti with the addition of venison bologna = Good Meal
5.) Shake-n-Bake pork chops = Broken Teeth
6.) Addicted to running, this woman would rise at 5:30am and jog 5 miles every single day!
7.) The Wagner annual living room Easter egg hunt, she made that Holiday my favorite & when Easter landed on my April birthday – a bunny cake with frosted in vanilla Betty Crocker love, dusted with coconut, licorice whiskers & Cadbury egg for a nose.
8.) Her laugh . .somehow she’s able to inhale as her vocal cords replicate a donkey in heat
9.) Her whistle . . the two fingers in the mouth method and unquestionably the loudest whistle ever
10.) Excursion Gag Me 1: Midwestern craft fairs with wood workings, dolls, country bumpkin décor
11.) Excursion Gag Me 2: Payless Shoes, I would grow nauseous after 15 minutes and wait outside
12.) Excursion Gag Me 3: Parade of Homes, endlessly driving around & admiring newly constructed housing developments . . . real exciting stuff for a kid!
13.) Her tenderness to her parents and caring for them whence the downgrade started, my grandma passing to cancer and Alzheimer’s set upon my grandfather – I loved them so very much.
14.) Creamy spinach-water chestnut dip nestled into a rye bread basket
15.) Family uker tournaments, the siblings bickering back & forth; Mom & I were always undefeated
16.) Madison Farmers Market trips – this truly was the inspiration behind my deeply rooted passion for gardening, herbs, fresh produce, artisan meats & cheeses . . . a gift which led me to becoming a successful chef who a devotion to local, sustainable & organic
17.) Our family garden – sweet corn, sugarsnap peas, damn melon never beat the winter . . this too brought forth my inner chefdom as one who intimately knew the aroma of each ingredient
18.) Cheese of every imaginable kind, her taste buds have finally extended beyond part-skim swiss
19.) Bathroom therapy . . . every morning I got called in while she performed the laborious application of cosmetics. I had a momma who prompted communication through & through
20.) Apparently she was the Queen of Backgammon - does that game even exist anymore?
21.) A firm diet of: a blended frozen berries-yogurt-fiber concoction for breakfast, popcorn sprinkled with powdered cheddar cheese & grapes for lunch, weight watchers/jenny craig like pre-packaged meals for dinner . . . Love you Mom, but a Julia Child’s you are not.
22.) Sunday movie night, a fireplace crackling & Mom sifting her hands back & forth through my hair.
23.) Charlie, the stuffed animal platypus that you had custom made for me when I was but a estranged boy enamored with all the oddities of Australia. Still my favorite gift of all times.
24.) Jamming in the station wagon to the tunes of Cool & the Gang, the Neons & Gloria Estefan

I could go on for seemingly forever . . so many magical memories that this amazing woman has given me but it is her lessons of love that truly manifested within my own spark . . something uniquely different, some charismatic cause to care deeply for all that I could touch. I haven’t mailed the card yet . . so here it is:

A Mother is the hand that reaches out to help. The smile that comes with each success. The eyes that see it as we are. The heart that wants our happiness. There’s love in every thought you , Mom, and a world of thanks in every wish for all your dreams come true. Happy Birthday

Mom,

There is no Hallmark message that could ever truly translate my feelings for you as a mother, a best friend, a mentor and a teacher. Each year that passes, I ask myself “how have I come to possess such talent, such unequivocal desires & passions, such magnitude of creativity?” The answer always arrives in the image of a nurturing mother & father whom each contributed their own unique qualities & uncompromising love. And perhaps the true test of that love has been my own faltering footsteps; my struggles as a boy outsider grappling to earn your praise through accomplishment & success . . a man standing apart from the rest; having wrestled with change and won each round, but so often lost the match.

You’ve been by my side through it all, endured my tears, shared my triumphs, lifted me in sorrow and carried me through the invasive tornado. Together we have survived, those wounds healed by your touch and the scars marking memories of our epic journey through this often calloused life. There is nothing quite like a mother & child bond, our hearts beating to the same rhythm no matter the distance . We are kindred spirits that dance, we are resolutely headstrong in our thoughts, we are fragments of the same spectrum. I love you mom and thank you for being the maternal illumination of my life. Today we celebrate your birth, your contributions to not only me but our family, community and friends. May you have many more years of merriment as the cherry blossom you are!

With endless love – your Son

I never seem to get cards out on time if at all . . . no proper excuse these days as I have the time and in this case I actually have the card right here by my side. Sorry Ma, but I’ll be with you in just a few days, making some fresh mango margaritas, shopping on the promenade for our next dinner, shuffling the deck before another hand of Uker . . . more memories, more healing for me, more mom. So, a recipe in tribute to my mother could only come as my very favorite thing that she made. It’s kind of white trash Midwestern but just so damn, damn good – I give you Pistachio-Pineapple Fluff!