Nadine's Jewelry

Work in progress

Nadine is really the only mom I have ever know, even though I have had 3 mom's. She was my mom from the time I was 9 years old and she adopted me when I turned 21. She died in 1983. She was the most non -judgemental person (an attribute I don't seem to possess) I will ever know.

There was a routine to life back then. Monday was wash day. Tuesday she ironed and ran the mangler to iron sheets and my father's underwear. . . Wednesday was clean the upstairs and Thursday the downstairs and Friday, my mom got her hair done and went grocery shopping. Whether at home or out and about, she always wore earrings. You know, how you can smell a perfume from the past and think immediately about an aunt or grandmother or mom? Well, that is what my mom's earrings do for me. I immediately can see her and hear her soft loving voice.

Well, for the first time last week I was invited to altered art friend Jacikie's garage to play with a bunch of ladies. Jackie was our leader, cheerleader and provider of all things necessary to be sucessful decorating a fan and making it uniquely our own. So much fun. (See the goodies I bought at a garage sale and what we created on Jackie's blog ). Anyway, before leaving I saw this frame she had covered with costume jewelry from garage sales and loved it. She said she had gotten the frame in Poway at Home Goods store. I went immediately there and purchase the frame for $6.99 plus some other stuff. . .


The photos are of the work in progress using only my mom's costume jewelry. I'm not sure what I will use as a background for the photo of my mom. The photo of her in gold is of an earlier cruise she and my dad (who adopted me when I was 3 months old and he was 48 years old) took through the Panama Canal. The photo of Nadine on the right (which I will probably use), is from the night before she died. She was on a 3 mile cruise to no where.

The "back story" - My mom had owned a travel agency in Burbank in the 40's and 50's when women didn't do that sort of thing. She had travel all over the world alone (she was not married at the time). I have a certificate of when she took one of the first flights over the north pole. I have another certificate of her crossing the internation date line in the Pacific when that was a big deal. You have to understand that mom was a brittle diabetic who was diagnosised as being diabetic when she was 19 years old - the year insulin was developed. She spent that year in and out of a hospital as they worked with her and this new life saving drug. But, she never let being a diabetic stop her - ever.

The night she died she was taking a cruise that only went from Wilmington, CA, out 3 miles. It was designed for those who wanted to know if cruises were their thing. A friend had asked that my mom accompany her. My mom had been on cruises all over the world. She was just doing a favor. That weekend prior to the cruise Nadine had been in the hospital. On Sunday night she signed herself out AMA (against medical advise) in order to go on this cruise. Monday night I took her to the Sagafjord - a beautiful Norweigen cruise ship and I tiped her stewardress to make sure that my mom had a snack at 4 every afternoon without her asking for it. (My mom would never want to inconvenience anyone because of her problems). On Wednesday night she because ill and suffered another heart attack on the ship. She died doing what she always had done, thinking more of other's than herself and doing what she loved. I think of her often and wish I could by one tenth the lady she was and yet so very down to earth.