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Quarantine sparks creativity for Mother's Day celebrations

Shirley McMarlin
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Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
David Herndon, of Edgewood, visits with his mother, Doris Arlene Herdon, 88, at Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Squirrel Hill on May 9, 2020.
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Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
Diane and Patty Blessitt visit with their mother, Jacqueline Blessitt, 92, at the Jewish Association for Aging’s Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Squirrel Hill on May 9, 2020.
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Courtesy of Endy Reindl
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Endy Reindl (left) will share a Mother’s Day dinner with his parents, Paula and Bill Reindl of Altoona, via Skype.
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Tribune-Review
Wendy Anton Sparrow (left) surprised her mother, June Anton of Hempfield, on Mother’s Day with a flock of pink flamingo statues in her back yard. Here, the pair are seen at the 2019 Derby Day for Charity at Oak Lodge near Stahlstown.
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Courtesy of Nan Loncharich
Nan Loncharich of Hempfield created wool flower pins as Mother’s Day gifts for women receiving meals at the May 9 Feeding the Spirit food distribution in Greensburg.
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Courtesy of Mary Ellen Raneri
Facebook Live baking sensation Lucy Pollock (left), 97, will get a break from her Latrobe kitchen on Mother’s Day with a catered meal courtesy of her daughter, Mary Ellen Raneri.
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Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Marie Smith, a resident of Logan Place in Lower Burrell, will turn 102 on Mother’s Day.
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Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Marie Smith, 102, a resident of Logan Place in Lower Burrell, jokingly attributes her longevity to a taste for junk food.

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention — and it’s taking a little inventiveness to celebrate Mother’s Day this year.

With eat-in restaurant meals off the table and family gatherings giving way to social isolation, creativity kicks in. Many accepted the challenge of finding a new way to show mom how much they care.

Endy Reindl’s mother told him not to worry about gifts this year, but that’s not the way he rolls.

“I still wanted to get something, even though I can’t be there with her this year,” said the executive director of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. His parents, Paula and Bill Reindl, live in Altoona.

His solution was to send a package of carefully chosen, “locally sourced” gifts that she can open while they dine together over Skype. The package included soup mixes from G Squared Gallery in Ligonier and sauce from Giannilli’s Restaurant in Greensburg.

“She really likes Giannilli’s sauce,” he said. “You don’t get that in Altoona.”

June Anton of Hempfield woke up to a backyard menagerie of pink flamingos, courtesy of an overnight stealth mission by her daughters, Wendy Anton Sparrow and Megan Anton. The sisters also placed pots of June’s favorite flowers around the garden.

Because of the quarantine, Sparrow said, “We had to take it up a notch this year.”

Still, the sisters didn’t think their mother would appreciate having the plastic birds on the front lawn for the world to see. They’ll look out at the flock and laugh as they share dinner, with each on her own corner of the patio.

Their sense of humor is a little “twisted,” Sparrow said, but also a reflection of how much they love to laugh with their mother.

Spanning the distance

Mother’s Day also is a time for visits to older family members in assisted living and other care facilities, where hugs and kisses will be virtual instead of physical this year.

At Logan Place in Lower Burrell, it’s an extra special day for resident Marie Smith, who turns 102 today.

The original plan was to have a Victorian-style tea in the dining room, said Carrie Connelly, life enrichment coordinator. Now, family members — including Smith’s daughter — will arrive at staggered times to have their tea and cookies on the porch, while their special ladies join them at the windows, having their tea in special mugs given as gifts by the facility.

Staff also arranged FaceTime visits for those who can’t be there in person, Connelly said.

Redstone Highlands arranged closed window and virtual visits for residents of its three campuses, said president and CEO John Dixon. They’ll be able to open gifts that were delivered beforehand during the sessions.

Female residents all received cards and flowers on Friday, and they’ll receive special treat boxes with today’s dinner.

Residents of three Jewish Association on Aging facilities in Squirrel Hill were able to visit with loved ones on the other side of a Plexiglas barrier on Saturday and again Sunday.

“It’s the first time since mid-March for families to see their relatives,” said public relations director Tinsy Labrie. “Everyone knows it had to be done, and everyone’s been great, but the families were anxious to see their moms and grandmas.”

Out of the kitchen

Mary Ellen Raneri of Latrobe is shooing her mother, Lucy Pollock, out of the kitchen for the day.

The 97-year-old Pollock has become a sensation with her weekly “Baking With Lucy” Facebook Live sessions, demonstrating the fine art of making everything from biscotti and gluten-free pizza dough to gnocchi and meatballs.

The cooking session, usually streamed on Sunday, was moved to Saturday this week. On Mother’s Day, Pollock and Raneri will sit down for the camera to do a Facebook “Chat With Lucy.” Raneri said viewers have a lot of nonfood questions for Pollock, who dresses up to cook — like where she buys her jewelry and leopard-print shoes.

Dinner will be delivered by a local caterer, and then Raneri and her husband, Phil ,will serenade Pollock with one of her favorite country songs.

The Raneris are right on trend with takeout dinner for mom. Area restaurants offering Mother’s Day meal deals said business was booming.

“Obviously, people still want to find a way to celebrate the special people in their life,” said Joey Hilty, owner of The Vandal in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. For The Vandal, that meant “hundreds” of orders for Sunday brunch by midweek.

The six-course lasagna and braised veal package from DiAnoia’s Eatery in Pittsburgh’s Strip District sold out in six hours on Monday, said co-owner Aimee DiAndrea.

“That was 500 meals, so it was definitely popular,” she said.

‘You’re the world’

Nan Loncharich, a fiber artist and arts educator from Hempfield, wanted to do something for women who might be having a difficult Mother’s Day because of the economic shutdown.

She crafted flower pins using hand-dyed, recycled wool to be given to the first 50 women receiving meals at Feeding the Spirit’s weekly food distribution Saturday in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park.

“I put a little note with each one,” she said. “It said something like, ‘The world knows you’re a mother; but to your family you’re the world.’ ”

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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