The mother of all weekends: Horses, hats and hearts

Get ready: Mother’s Day and the 136th Kentucky Derby Daily Double – Shopping for Chapeaus

Perfecta! Bolt over to the mother of all hat stores, Berkeley Hats, for an exquisite topper – to be worn both for Mother’s Day and for the Kentucky Derby.

Win, Place, Show Off

First and foremost: Get the hat – the bigger, the better. Mom will be a fashion Daily Double when she dons a new chapeau for the both events. Across the board, a big hat (no petite European fascinator need apply) is always a winner.

Second, research Saturday's $2.2 million race at Churchill Downs. Pay attention to the fact that “Only 14 female trainers have ever saddled up a runner and five female jockeys have climbed into the stirrups in the entire 136 Derbys." Tomorrow three very accomplished and talented women in the equine world deserve your attention.  

Finally, get savvy about the over-the-top Derby fashion, the race history, stats and winning horses' names. An inordinate amount of time leads up to the actual race. So, it's hours of partying, horse talk and betting, in preparation for the fleeting and mercurial race.

As you sip mint juleps and discuss Midnight Interlude, Pants on Fire and Mucho Macho Man, the longest two-minute race of the year speeds by in HD. All dressed up and nowhere to go? Check  out the costume party in the Marina. (Beware the meter maids of the Marina.)

Sunday: Mother’s Day, Got Card?

Cards have been written on colorful construction paper, Big Chief lined tablets, on paper plates, balloons and napkins. There are no rules – just make sure you’ve got a card.

Recipe for success: a special gift or a box of candy from See's, a bouquet from the San Francisco Flower Mart.

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue …

Every May, children are encouraged by diligent teachers to pull out their crayons and their imaginations and create a special Mother’s Day wish … little imaginations go wild and kids acknowledge mothers for their favorite things: peanut butter sandwiches, love, kisses, pizza, and for being the most ‘beauty ful-est’ mother in the whole wide world.

A Blank Slate?

Whether your mom was a Tiger Mother or a June Cleaver and you are caught short and need to complete that very special card to your mom -- take heart and take a hint:

Five Great Quotes of the Day to Use for Your Mother’s Day Card

1. ‘All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.’ -- Oscar Wilde
2. ‘The sweetest sounds to mortals given are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.’ -- Wm. Goldsmith Brown
3. ‘The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant -- and let the air out of the tires.” -- Dorothy Parker
4.  ‘God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.’ -- Jewish proverb
5. 'Though motherhood is the most important of all the professions — requiring more knowledge than any other department in human affairs — there was no attention given to preparation for this office.' -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Happy Mother’s Day!

San Francisco Dating@50 Examiner, Page Larkin, welcomes your feedback, questions and queries at Page.Larkin@gmail.com

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