One Hundred Things My Mother Taught Me A Million Times – Chapter 35

#35 – “Always wash the drinking glasses first, when the dishwater is cleanest.”
(My son Colt, granddaughter Sydney, daughter-in-law Lovie, daughter JoLene, son Cuatro, Me, Mom, 2002, Gray Moss Inn, San Antonio)

Nearly everyone asks me the same three questions about the one hundred things my mom taught me a million times:
1.   Do you really have one hundred things?
2.   How do you decide what to write about?
3.   Why do you write about the one hundred things?
The short answers are, yes, I really have one hundred things. I write “ stream-of-consciousness” whatever comes out as I think about the randomly chosen “thing of the day” and the memories they conjure. I write about the one hundred things to capture and record my memories of my mom and as a tribute to her. I also write because I love to write and every famous writer says that if you want to be a really good writer you must write, write, write.

Which brings me to drinking glasses and dishwater. I don’t want to over-think this one of one hundred things my mom taught me a million times, but then I never really know where I’m going with these things.  Click on Read More Below...


First, I should say that whether mom is responsible or not, I have a rather obsessive disdain for spotted glasses. I’ve been known to walk out of really nice restaurants that made the mistake of delivering a water-spotted glass to my table. That’s just sloppy, and it can be even worse. I was out with friends recently and one of the women was presented a wine-glass with some other woman’s lipstick on it. Now you know I’m not finicky about germs, reference the bad-ass Wade family germs, and I’ve swapped plenty of slobber, so it’s not a germ thing with me. For lack of a better descriptor, I guess you could say it’s a propriety thing. Wine (or anything), should be served appropriately – in a spotless glass or dish.

Lord help me if I ever set my mama’s table without holding up every glass to the light to check for spots. I’m the same about spots on the silver or flatware. I have to polish everything that goes on the table, right down to the salt and pepper shakers. And it’s not like I was beaten if a spot was spotted, this is just one of those lessons that really, really stuck.

As far as the dishwater, of course it’s hardly relevant today with dishwashers, but even those mechanical geniuses leave their little polluted crustys of puddles on the glasses occasionally, so I am ever vigilant. Oh, and by the way, the thing about washing the glasses first, mom also said to never put more than one glass at a time in the water. That way you don’t break glasses against each other, and you know that when you break a glass you’re going to be short one for your eight or twelve-place setting, and that’s some stress you just don’t need in your life.

You know, come to think of it, perhaps mom was teaching me more about avoiding stress than washing glasses. She was right. Always wash the drinking glasses first (and one at a time), when the dishwater is cleanest.

Have a beautiful spring day!

SueAnn