Genes from Jean.

Mothers are sluggers. End of sentence. To carry a child for nine months and literally grow life out of your body takes the utmost, passion, perseverance, and patience. Mothers have a devotion to their children that is biologically and spiritually unbreakable. Don’t get me wrong, mothers and children have had a complex relationship since the beginning of time. Look at Oepidus. Look at Teen Mom on MTV (yes, Slug can exist between these two worlds). But needless to say, without mothers, none of us would be here. So for this Slug Story, I found it extremely awesome to feature none other than my own mother, Jean Spinelli Smith.

Science Flower Art.

My mom, dad, and I had just come home from out East, celebrating my Grandpa Larry’s 95th birthday (if you know Larry or have heard from him, just know that Slug Story may need to be turned into a feature film). We parked in the driveway around 2:00 and by 2:05, my mom and dad dropped the luggage, changed into their “outdoor clothes, and went into the yard. It was officially Spring, and time to begin working on their special bonding project: the maintenance of our backyard. My mom and dad have turned our yard into a lively, peaceful compilation of spaces; a pool with intricate blue lining, a patio with glass tables, lizard art. It’s a beautiful yard. But for my mom specifically, there is one aspect that she really tends to… and that is her gardening. Gardening is one of the most grounding (no pun intended) forms of art. You’re literally creating paintings with plants. It’s not just enough to put the right flower colors in the ground, it’s an understanding of their anatomy, their personalities. Whether or not they do well in sunlight, whether or not they’re thirsty all the time. Gardening is a great connector to ourselves and our planet.

Yellow Boots, Green Slug.

So back to the day. When we returned home, I saw her about to go to the garden. I thought “A quiet Sunday afternoon before the summer starts? This may be my only chance at this.” So I took a shot in the dark. “Hey mom, would you like to be in a Slug Story?” She was taken back for a second. Quiet. “Sure”. SHE SAID YES! I ran inside, started grabbing stuff. A couple of summers ago, my mom showed up to the garden in one of the coolest outfits I’ve ever seen. She had these yellow boots on, gray pajama pants, blue striped kitchen apron, with a collared white shirt on top. Her wild hair and silver watch contrasted the entire thing; random yet put together, just like nature.

Jean Marie Spinelli.

With this outfit in mind, I had thought of this concept a couple months ago. I always love paradoxes and surprises. My mom’s maiden name is Jean Marie Spinelli … pretty much as Italian American as you can get. And when I saw that she was gardening with a shovel, it reminded me of all those Italian mafia movies and shows (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, even Kill Bill when they buried Uma Thurman alive). I thought it could be interesting to show what my Italian mother does with her shovel. Take a look at the video to see.

“I brought you in this world, and I can take you out” - Jean Marie Spinelli Smith to her newly planted flower.

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Momma

Mother Slug.