HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY 2025

I was actually made aware that it was almost Mother’s Day a couple of weeks ago…on Easter! That’s because someone texted me a gorgeous little framed painting of purple and white flowers in a vase, as a beautiful way to wish me a Happy Holiday that day.

Painting by May Salkin. Photo of it by Peter Meahan.

My mouth was watering over the picture, and then I realized that I wasn’t familiar with the phone number from whence it came. So I examined the artwork for a possible clue to the identity of the well-wisher. And that’s when I noticed the signature of the artist. And it was none other than…my little mother!!! I was so proud of her all over again.

Yes, in addition to being a much-published poet, May Rose Salkin was also an accomplished watercolor artist. She specialized in miniatures of flowers in pretty vases. She actually didn’t even begin painting until she was fifty-two! How amazing is that?! And she was kind enough to give them to several of both of our good friends through the years. (But I believe that most of them are in my collection.)

A couple of years ago, while working on clearing-out my cluttered guest room, I came upon a small pouch containing a bunch of her petite pix. She had given them to me on one of my later visits with her, and asked me to give them to my fave buddies for her. While I was deciding just which of those peeps actually deserved one of these precious paintings, I realized there was one person who really did deserve them—yours truly! So now I have them all in my living room; they make fun additions to the several I keep in the kitchen, especially the ones my father made into magnets.

Here’s one fun little story about my mother’s artwork, which is perfect for Mother’s Day.

The little pouch that holds several of my mother’s miniature paintings; it’s still intact in my house! Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this article.

When Maybelle finally retired from teaching high school English, she was able to spend more time painting. She’d create, and then my father would put them in little frames, some of those also unique. Since the ’rents lived in Brooklyn, they invested in a booth in the Spring and Summer Art Shows along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Hipsters and others would come along and “ooh” and “ahh” over the adorable art. And, of course, my charming and very personable little mo would love chatting with them all.

But here’s the amusing rub: If she liked the prospective buyers, especially young couples, she’d tell them to just take a painting! No charge, of course. She wanted them to have one. And if she didn’t like someone, she’d tell them that they can’t buy one! So, in other words, my parents would basically pay to give her work away!!! I’m sure my father wasn’t too thrilled with that financially-inane situation, but he got as big a kick out of her as everyone did, so he went along with it. And I’m just about positive he did so very proudly.

So, I thank my mystery Easter texter for reminding me of all this, just in time for Mother’s Day. (Because of a bro code he sent with the pic, I later sussed-out that he’s Pete, Mr. X’s perennial bestie, of whom my parents were particularly fond.)

Now all that’s left for me to do is to wish every mother out there a very Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday, from my mom and, according to her, her favorite child.