food: Reubens

Mom (and also Dad) used to compare the quality of Reuben sandwiches they ordered at different places.

We just went to Max's Opera Cafe and myself and a friend had the Reuben - we both agreed it was not as large and messy as we'd thought it would be (not as much dressing or cheese).

Is it the high food prices?

Pictures that I envy a little bit

This is not really Remembering Mom, but more like, being aware of her absence.

I have a few blogs that I check out every so often, writers and other people that I like, and probably not coincidentally, more than a few of them are women in their 50s or 60s, and many with grown or teen daughters (Mad, others).

I just checked out the blog of the author Lois Lowry (who wrote the Anastasia Krupnik books, among others that I love) -- and saw this picture of her and her daughter:

Pang.
Maybe also because I just got back from one of my HFD hikes, which I'm doing in her memory.

There's a similar picture that I took of my godmother and her daughter, when her daughter was pregnant. A lot of stuff is represented there that I won't be able to directly experience.

Mom's Work

This is Mom working in the lab at St. Croix Hospital, in St. Croix, Wisconsin. (probably sometime between 1971, when she and Dad married, and 1974, when I was born, because I was born in Monroe).

This picture was from a newspaper section that Dad saved which was for "Hospital Week".

The caption reads: Left to right: Margaret Earnest, Jack Arsenault, and Diane Pederson.

Diane Pederson working on Bacteriology. Jack Arsenault reading Blood Chemistry Test results. Margaret Earnest reading the Flame Photometer which measures the body electrolytes.

I always found all of this stuff to do with Mom's job so vaguely fascinating. I don't think we really knew what she did really - I usually envisioned her sticking people, drawing their blood, and then testing it, which was probably pretty close.

I still have several of her name badges from various jobs. I don't know if we have one of her white coats or not.

Mom was really into medical shows - M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Trapper John, MD, to name a few.

I have to look this up again on the original article - but this is Mom receiving the award for logging the most volunteer hours ever, as a candystriper at Trinity Hospital. I think it was 1000 hours. It may have been the most candystriping hours in the history of the state. Need to fact check.

Here is a much better picture of my grandmother also. I wish I had been able to meet her. I am almost envious of my mom being a teenager here and having her mom there next to her to support her.

My dad really loved Ruggie and always tells about what a great lady she was, and especially, how nice she was to him. She was just really classy, as was my grandfather also.