So do ya think he did it?????

My mother was crazy. Everyone knew it, including my friends. It's ok. I've come to terms with her stealing my thunder by being crazy. Not certifiable crazy, but funny crazy. Of the hundreds of people who knew her well, most all have a crazy Harriet Story.
It's weird being in college and laughing with your friends over stories about your mother.
Before those of you who didn't know her think maybe she was a crazy drunk or something, she was crazy naturally. The woman never drank in her life until about a month before she died. She had a glass of cheap pink and loved it. It was her 70th birthday.
Her funeral was an event. With nearly everyone who attended the viewing telling me their Harriet Stories. I counted around 1200 people who signed the book. So that's a hell of a lot of crazy episodes in ones life. I believed all of them. And me being her youngest child, let me tell ya,I have a truckload of them.
So I couldn't let events of the weekend go without comment.
I am going to come right out and say it for those of you who didn't know my mother.
My mother was the only while woman in America who honestly thought OJ was innocent.
I know, I know. Can you believe it?
She was totally consumed with it. She watched every hour of the hearings. I swear. Then at night she watched all the talk shows about it. Esp. Giraldo. Pronounced by my mother with a hard G and just like I spelled it.
All conversations during that time somehow made their way to OJ and her BFF Giraldo.
After a few months of this, we couldn't take it anymore. We had to tell her to shut up. Literally. She was not allowed to talk about it to any of her family. (except for poor Aunt Babe who was too polite to tell her to shut up)
If you knew my mother, that was no simple feat.
She would ask complete strangers if they thought OJ did it.

The most outrageous part of this whole story came when my mother and I went to visit my sister in Washington DC. The Madonna was getting her house painted by people from Guatemala or somewhere. Anyway, they couldn't speak English. When we first arrived, we were sitting in the dining room and my mother started her whole OJ thing. My sister and I both yelled NO, we are not talking about stupid OJ. So we went into the kitchen to start cooking dinner. My mother stayed sitting at the dining room table. We were in the kitchen about two minutes when we heard her whisper to the Guatemalans "Do you think OJ did it?"

I almost fell over. I was hysterical. We all just laughed and laughed. They didn't even speak God damn English for cryin out loud.

So for the rest of the week, while they were supposed to be painting my sisters house, my mother cooked them lunch everyday and made them watch OJ's trial with her.

Yes, she was crazy. There was no reasoning with her. She was such a headstrong woman (humph, can't imagine who that sounds like). There was no talking to her on this or anything else for that matter. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! She had opinions, strong opinions on just about everything.

Anyway, needless to say, I've been thinking about mom alot this past week. First because of OJ and second because her birthday is this weekend. Wonder what she would have to say about OJ now? I can only imagine, and I'm sure she would have told us!

Happy 79th Birthday Mom, Grammy, Auntie, Sissy, Har, Hat, Harriet!

This Thursday we are celebrating Mary's Birthday at her old haunt The Elbow Room.
See you all there.