Auto Known Better were it

Everyone everywhere either is, had or will be a mother at some point. With that title comes weight not shared by mortal man. Men are too slow and terribly reluctant to catch on to new trends so going off for extended periods to 'hunt and gather' is still how many men operate. Of course as homo-sapiens we're a few million years further down the evolutionary trail and that field of ripe berries waiting to be picked has morphed into grabbing a few cold ones at the corner pub and coming home with an empty basket… nothing to show for all that effort.

Not For Women

By Rim Vining

Thankfully, I believe my experience as a child of the fifties is different from life in this age. Progress has been made. The dynamics of the household and the process of raising kids has shifted to a more shared platform. That is a good thing. My father went to work, (and so did my mother) yet he came home, read the evening paper and then sat down to dinner when it was served. I never saw him cook a meal beyond the occasional grilling of a burger and never saw him do dishes beyond rinsing his coffee cup before a re-fill. So my mother taught us to cook and clean up afterwards. Valuable skills that have served me well.

So taking my theme from the obvious, it is May. America kicks off this month with Cinco de Mayo which celebrates the Mexican military victory over the French in 1862 but is not actually a celebration of Mexican Independence. That is in September but it did established Marquita (Margaret) as a household name. My favorite claim to the drink's origin is "Enrique Bastate Gutierrez created the Margarita in the early 1940s as an homage to actress Rita Hayworth, whose birth name was Margarita Carmen Dolores Cansino, born in Tijuana, Mexico." The name might be right but pretty sure she was born in New York. Her mother's maiden name was Hayworth hence her stage name.

May then swiftly progresses to Mother's Day and ultimately ends with Memorial Day. What else do you need to know? We're here because of our mothers, we made it to adulthood because of our mothers and then we honor those who gave all leaving their mothers to grieve fascinating connection

I normally write about conveyances of the automotive gender but with Mother's Day at play the logical, if somewhat skewed tangent, has to do with ships at sea. Why are boats and other seafaring vessels named after women? Besides the obvious naming them after goddesses and such, you have to get to the real root of the cause which is safety A ship at sea is a vessel intended to carry you safely from port to port and home again as you hunt and gather from the sea. Who has kept the sailor safe all his life? Pretty sure it is his mother and the women in his life. Women don't put their children in harm's way and women don't send children to war.

Were it not for the women. Were it not for their patience and teachings. Were it not for their smiles and their touch… most of us would not have made it to adulthood. That's a fact. I can count on one hand the sage wisdom given me by my father while all the rest of the credit for my character goes to my mother… and her mother… and her grandmother… I'm sure there are studies out there indicating I am not alone in this.

Thanks Primrose! Happy Mother's Day!

~autoknownbetter@gmail.com

Rim Vining, humorist, friend and a devoted community volunteer