The Glenna Aimee Boroson Memorial

36. King Arthur, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round table. Mom instilled in me a deep appreciation for nearly all versions of Arthurian epics and lore. A lot of the idealism in it was formative to her, and to me. Definitely a part of the family tradition.

37. Keychain flails. Mom was always very security conscious. She kept a rather stupendous array of keys attached to a chain and a handle, which she could use as a weapon. She also had guns, carried an icepick for protection, and I bought her a mammoth MagLite to use as a club. Life is dangerous, and she was always prepared.

38. Cashews. She was eating them a lot in the last months of her life.

39. Chicken drumsticks. She liked chicken breasts too, but as she was ailing her arms were weak and she could handle drumsticks better.

40. Boiled Hebrew National frankfurters. One of her staples at home. I eventually started liking them broiled or fried as well, but she could deal with that. Boiled only. 

41. Lamb chops. Particularly…

42. Overdone. Seriously, she liked all meats burned to a crisp. She joked that she would eat the burned meats the restaurants would otherwise throw out. If there was any pink, she’d not eat it. I’m the opposite– I like it bloody.

43. Breaded fish. Another difference in our eating habits– she disliked fish so she covered it up as much as possible with spice and texture. I like it clean and fresh.

I visited her grave today, recited the Mourner’s Kaddish, and left a big rock on the Boroson gravestone. I left a birthday card. I cried.

Happy Birthday, Mommy. You would have been 70 today.

29. Sweet & sour sauce.

30. Vegetarian bacon on her salad.

31. Linguini with white clam sauce (particularly from Vitales in Teaneck, back when she wasn’t kosher. I ordered this for her once during her stay at CareOne, when she was having trouble putting on weight.)

32. Spiedini, also from Vitales. One of the tastiest foods on Earth, that hardly anyone has ever heard of.

33. The musical “Evita.”

34. The musical “Camelot.” Mom was a huge Arthurian Myth obsessive, and she got me hooked at a very early age. I once sat down and read the whole T.H.White epic in one sitting as a kid.

35. The musical “Hair.”