March 2008 Archives

Cesar Chavez would have been 81 today. I wish I could have met him. Even from his pictures he seemed warm and real and personable, approachable despite the daunting accomplishments linked to this American leader.

Last week, I met his grandson Anthony at the Azusa City Library, where he spoke about his memories of his "Tata" and what his grandfather believed in, worked toward and hoped for.Cesar Chavez did not finish high school, never earned more than $6,000 a year, and never owned a home, yet when he died at age 66, he was already hailed an American hero.

That's why I brought my 6-year-old son to meet Anthony Chavez, who at 22 has the self-possession and easy amiability of his grandfather. I wanted Joseph to hear about a time when Mexican and Filipino Americans had to sit in a separate section of a movie theater from whites, when hotels did not allow you in, when you worked so hard for so little it was hard to think of a future.

This is what it's all about.

Today, Sandro was tooling around in his red Wiggles car, while I folded laundry. He asked me to help him gas up.

"You mean, I'm your racing crew?" I asked.

And with a sage shake of his head, he patiently corrected me, "No, Mama, pit crew."

So I stopped my labors and dutifully pretended to check the tires as we discussed what race car drivers do.

"So drivers run around the track and then they stop to get their tires changed and have gas put in their cars?" I asked.

"Yes, and then they stop and get out of their cars and give their mothers a hug," he ends in all seriousness.

For me, the best thing about Easter baskets isn’t the candy or cartoon-character plush toys, it’s the books. (Okay, chocolate bunnies run a close second.)

Over at Blue Chair Children’s Books, owner Rachel Rustenburg put together a great list of Easter tomes featured at the store.

These are board books and are appropriate for ages 1- 3: “The Story of Jesus,” by Patricia A. Pingry; “My First Easter,” by Tomie dePaola; “Eggs, Eggs!  A Lift the Flap Book,” by Salina Yoon; and “Where Are Baby’s Easter Eggs?  A Lift the Flap Book,” by Karen Katz.

For the 3-7 crowd, there’s “The Parable of the Lily,” by Liz Curtis Higgs; “The Legend of the Easter Egg,” by Lori Wallburg; “The Berenstain Bears’ Baby Easter Bunny,” by Jan and Mike Berenstain; and “The Berenstain BearsJan Berenstain and the Real Easter Eggs,” by Stan &

Don’t forget, Blue Chair also offers age-appropriate story times, free crafts and special activities.

As always, the beautiful Blue Chair Children’s Books is at 177 N. Glendora Ave.
in the downtown village area.

For more information, call (626) 335-8630 or visit www.bluechairbooks.com.

One advantage of being a stay-at-home, work-at-home mom is the odd day when you can hold off on your to-do-list just that day and not be anywhere for a good hour or two. That's when I head to the Huntington (or if you're not on a first name basis with this great place, the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens).

I first discovered the Huntington as a tourist visiting from Manila in 1986, wowed by the sheer expanse of the gardens and hypnotized by their literary collection ( the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales! A copy of the Gutenberg Bible on vellum! Scrawled letters from literary giants!) I rediscovered it as a college student at Pasadena City College, when I had to write a story on muralist Betty Dore, who just happened to work at the Huntington Tea Room. It has since become my happy place, my cheering-up corner of the world.

My dad did it. A lot of my friends' dads did it. Several other close relatives did it. Now New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer stands in the spotlight for cheating on his wife. And his wife Silda (whom I just read about recently on Cookie magazine talking about greening the governor's mansion) is also the target of many a pundit and ordinary folk on the street. Should she stand by her man? Why?

    Sandro and I met an old man at the car wash today. He had brought his little Shitzu with him, a 4-year-old named Happy, so of course we had to admire the little fellow. Turns out the old man was a missionary in Thailand for 18 years, raised five kids there, adopted a Korean boy, before returning to CA. The Korean-born son married a Filipina and he remembers attending their wedding in Manila and seeing a sign that read, "Antiques made to order." He had a good laugh about that. A couple of his kids are missionaries too, with one even bringing a granddaughter along on a return trip to Thailand.
    The old man's car was a nondescript light blue Buick, he was neatly dressed but not too natty, but he looked as happy as could be waiting there at the car wash, like he didn't have a care in the world.