Birthday Party�

2002-08-17

Another photo, relative to no subject at all except that it was blooming today. I think this is a kind of morning glory. The flowers have five major ribs and last only a day. The seed heads also look very like morning glory seed heads. I'll have to look them up to be sure, but I'll be that I'm right. If you trim back any of the leaves, they also smell like morning glories. If the chemistry is the same, that part that my nose knows, is the same. . .

Had a really nice birthday party. Youngest sister and family showed up slightly early. I heard voices while I was cooking and asked spouse "Is somebody here?". He said "No, the neighbor kids." Thirty seconds later the doorbell rang and I heard the twins calling. Guess I should trust my senses more. They seldom steer me wrong.

I got a lot of really nice presents. One I actually asked for; a couple that just happened. My dad made a quilt hanger for me. I'm going to hang a quilt that my great grandmother made on it. It's not in the best of shape. The silk bits have rotted through, but the rest of it is fine. And it's a connection to family that I would like to preserve. It may not be the best way to save it, but it is the best way to appreciate it.

Another gift happened after we had eaten. My oldest nephew disappeared. None of us knew where he was. He wasn't in the kitchen, the bathrooms and office were empty. I stuck my head out the front door and saw him among the plants. He was looking around, touching the leaves, watching a butterfly. I was glad that my garden offered sanctuary to another human for once. I felt a small thread connecting us in a way that hadn't happened before.

The final gift was something that I said to my niece. We noticed that she, too, was missing. I looked out the back door and she was petting Penny. Rather forcefully. I went out to make her let the cat go. Penny is glad to let you pet her, just not glad to be held. We walked around my small patio. She noticed everything. She noticed the spider in the watering can. "Look! There's a spider in there!" I replied "Yes, that's my friend. He eats the bugs that eat my plants." From then on, "Are the fishes your friends?" "Yes, the fishes eat the mosquitos that want to bite me." "Are the caterpillars your friends?" "Yes, the caterpillars turn into those orange butterflys. Orange is your daddy's favorite color." "Are the frogs your friends?" "Yes, they're my friends, too." "And look, there are moths on your flowers! They're your friends?" "Yes, they are my friends."

It made me happy, to show someone that nature is our friend. To be able to show someone else how I feel. To have someone else show me how many friends I have.

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