The stores will be busy this weekend as family members look for the perfect gift for their mothers, grandmothers, aunts and other important women in their lives.
Mother’s Day is an economic advantage for retailers who stock and promote items that many mothers didn’t know they wanted until their loved ones presented them with those oh-so-perfect gifts.
Traditional gifts that have stood the test of time are those plaster of paris handprints that are presented with love by kindergarten and Grade 1-2 children, accompanied of course by hand-made cards that are preserved for years in places of safety.
Tradition also provides a bounty of chocolates, flowers, jewelry, telephone calls from afar, breakfast in bed, coupon books offering an assortment of chores to be tackled by family members, a spa day, a dinner out, or just some quiet time alone.
A quick check on this year’s list of gifts for Mom are an assortment of digital devices from phones and cameras to robotic vacuum cleaners to upgraded hearing aids and photo frames. There’s something called a gummy bear cleanse but that sounded painful and not nearly as practical as a pressure cooker, car wash gift card, candles or casserole dishes.
While shoppers still lucky enough to have a mother to buy for on this May 12, 2019 day of celebration will check their credit card balances to make sure that nice set of earrings falls within the budget, the City of Moose Jaw has already taken action to ensure that some ladies of local households will receive the best gift of any Mother’s Day in their celebratory memory.
Tell me — what Mother wouldn’t want a free day at the Moose Jaw landfill site? I can’t imagine any women of any age, not being excited by the prospect of having a cheap date at the dump, participating in the “yard waste weekend” with other Moms and their families.
This two-day event (May 11, and Mother’s Day, May 12) has been designated by the city as the only weekend until fall when city residents are able to gain no-charge entry to the landfill to drop off bags of leaves, grass clippings and regimented-sized tree branches. There will be another opportunity in the fall for these free dumps at the landfill but any such fall date will never hope to match the impact of dumping on Mother’s Day.
Mothers who worry that family members might be spending too much money won’t have to worry about the cost of the yard waste weekend. The normal $10 tipping fee has been waived for this occasion, providing the driver with an opportunity to use that $10 to buy Mom a Muffin and egg breakfast, or a greeting card that expresses sentiments of love and affection.
There is indeed a silver lining in the yard waste weekend: Moms won’t be subjected to any old piece of the dump. No, there will be a “yard waste zone” where staff members will check the bags to make sure that non-organic waste items are not being smuggled in against the rules.
And another bonus: return trips are more than welcome — and still free. Mother’s Day weekend just keeps getting better and better
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
