75 Things I love about my Mom from Sue Kurta

1. Her solid gold heart

2. She defines and lives unconditional love

3. Her wicked, brilliant sense of humor

4. Her sense of fun - she will go to great lengths to give some one a laugh

5. Her scones

6. She has always had a hungry mind and loves learning new things

7. She always read a lot and loves books

8. She let us be who we wanted to be as young people

9. She is completely and totally optimistic

10. She always sees the best in people - one of her mantras is "go for the good" when talking about anyone

11. She will try anything

12. She is very open minded, much more so than many younger people I know

13. She has a rich personal history, from her immigrant roots to living through World War 2

14. She is the family communicator, and is in touch with the distant relatives in foreign lands

15. She will do, and has done, anything for her family

16. Has provided nursing and hospice care to dying family and friends - Aunt Julia Bade, my Dad's Mother Mary Kurta, Vinsetta customer Margaret MacKenzie and others

17. She sings along with the radio loudly - always did

18. She was a wild driver when we were young - it was fun (tummy ticklers!)

19. She took up graphology when she had three children under 10 and was providing home care for her Father in law, who was blind

20. She once gave our dog Cindy mouth to mouth resuscitation

21. She always volunteered to drive for field trips when we were in elementary school

22. When it snowed in Michigan, she sometimes would let us bumper ski on her car. She thinks this was irresponsible - I think it was amazing

23. She is very modern and open about religion - more so than almost anyone I know - she is un-rigid and asks good questions, which most religion discourages

24. She has never dyed her hair, had her nails done or worn make-up - she is naturally pretty

25. You can't "gross her out" - she will look at any injury, dress any wound or administer any at-home medical treatment needed (injections, stitch removal, wrapping a bandage correctly, amongst others)

26. Her spontaneity

27. She volunteered and tutored others throughout her life

28. The loves cartoons and has a vast collection

29. She once rode a ski lift in street shoes just to get a good photograph of us kids on the slopes, then walked down

30. She used to swim two miles of laps at the YMCA when I was in high school, she would also do it off the beach of their Mackinaw home

31. She doesn't make excuses

32. She is deeply, deeply kind

33. She talks to anyone, everywhere

34. She has a master gardener certificate from MSU

35. She knows how to play clarinet and piano

36. As children she let us be so free - I remember being allowed to play in the pouring rain outside, take all the cushions off the furniture to make a play house, or make big "mixtures" in the kitchen of anything we could pour into a bowl and stir up

37. She liked to watch baseball on TV with the sound off, then play WJR radio because their sportcasters were better

38. Not just baseball, she loves watching most any sports on TV

39. She always celebrated holidays in super fun ways: Easter egg hunts, birthday parties, even green eggs or pancakes on St. Patrick's Day

40. She is a beautiful embroiderer

41. She sleeps in the nude

42. She is a great dancer and it is how she met my Dad

43. She likes to whittle and once took a class on it

44. Her beautiful Northern Scottish accent

45. Her collection of art items made from a single piece of wood

46. Her Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus collection

47. Her beautiful grey and white hair

48. She was never afraid of getting dirty

49. When she was cooking, how the ingredients (dough, meatloaf) would be caked all over her wedding ring

50. She is moral and upstanding and ethical - always a good person to go to for advice

51. She is absolutely and totally honest

52. Her fascinating Scottish family history - she was born at home

53. She is a non-drinker, and the tiniest sip of alcohol always makes her dizzy

54. She and my Dad have traveled the world: Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Europe. When we were kids, they always took a trip while we stayed with Grandma & Grandpa: Hawaii, Mexico, Spain & Portugal. They have also been to Brasil to visit Kay's husband Ildeu's family

55. She was in 4H as a young person new to this country, and had a prize steer

56. She and my Aunt Betty can speak this secret gibberish language that they used to use when talking in front of us as kids - usually about Christmas gifts - it's not pig latin, and I've never been able to learn it

57. She is an opera freak

58. She's always been into nutrition, diet stuff, and reads everything to educate herself on the latest science of it - she has even explored raw food cuisine and owns a food dehydrator, sprouter and juicer

59. She would come out to Detroit punk bars to see my brother's band play in the 1980s, and let them practice in our house

60. She would drive me and my friends to teen discos, roller rinks, and wave pools in the 1970s, and come pick us up several hours later. As a young person, I was given trust, which is one of the best things she did for us as kids

61. She is one of the hardest working people I have ever known

62. She rode her three kids around on an old 1950s bicycle that my Dad customized to hold herself, my sister and brother on a series of welded seats on the front, back and center bar of the bike (see Kay's photo on next pages) That bike hangs on the wall of my garage here in Jersey City

63. She has a great marriage

64. She always let us know she was proud of us. She still does.

65. She makes perfect home made jams and jellies

66. She is a night owl - I frequently get emails from her at 2 or 4AM

67. When she is tasting something really delicious, she closes her eyes and wants silence

68. She has great taste in knitted, pretty under garments - she has bought me the perfect long johns, wool camisoles and winter warm wear

69. She is an expert knitter

70. Her family were the funnest, funniest, happiest Scottish people you could ever meet. Her Mom & Dad threw huge parties at their farm in Michigan, took folks on hay rides, and gathered around the piano to play Scottish tunes, handing instruments to everybody in the room

71. She never got mad at us when we did stupid things as kids - she always said "never punish the truth", and she didn't, even when it was inexcusable

72. Her perfect skin

73. She is not a complainer, and didn't tolerate it in us kids

74. She loves animals, feeds feral cats, babysits my dog, and gives the neighbors dog treats when it comes it her back fence

75. She's not only my Mom, she is one of my best friends, and what a great friend she is - fun, interested, and full of love

HAPPY 75th MOM AND MANY MORE - I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH xoxoxoxoxox Sue