I think of so many things to write about when I’m away from paper or my computer. When I have time to actually compose my thoughts, crickets.
-
-
My 3 year old came home from daycare appalled because a kid in their class had said a bad word.
I asked what the word was.
“I can’t tell you. It’s a Bad Word.” (Big ol’ eye roll. My child. It had already started.)
I said “I’m not setting you up to get in trouble. And you aren’t saying the bad word if you are just telling it to me. It’s OK. I promise.”
“It was the S word.”
“He said ‘shit’?”
“No-o-o. He said (deep breath and portentous pronouncement} ‘Shut. Up.’” -
Lilies. HA!
About 15 years ago, a friend gave me some red Lycoris bulbs. They are commonly called resurrection, mystery, spider or magic lilies. This is because they do a trick. The leaves come up in the Spring and die back in the Summer. Then, in the Fall, they bloom. Stalks just pop up out of nothing and open a cluster of bright flowers.
They didn’t do much at the end of the walkway from the deck to the driveway. But, they didn’t die either. I don’t know if they were crowded by the mint or St. John’s wort (which has since died) or if they just had soil they didn’t like. Whatever the reason, they did not thrive. Some years not even blooming at all.
In September of 2017, we were staying in New Bern and popped over to Kinston for the day. Resurrection lilies were blooming everywhere. Chuck was amazed by the flowers just springing up out of lawns and I had never seen them so prolific.
When we got home, mine were blooming. So, I knew where to find the bulbs to move them. And I put some in the front bed by the road and some in the ring bed in the back. They seem to be doing pretty well. Slowly spreading and blooming regularly.
This morning, Chuck went out to water the fall greens and, when he came back in, he said “I think there’s a resurrection lily coming up in the yard. I don’t know what else it could be.”
I looked for it and didn’t see it.
I walked around, pulled a little grass from the beds, took pictures and missed it completely. So, he came out to show me.
That’s definitely what it is. We have no clue how it got to the other side of the yard from the driveway and that far away from either of the flower beds.
All we can figure is that all flowers make some kind of seeds and that a bird planted that one. Or else, I dropped a tiny piece of root when I was carrying bulbs around 4 years ago and it took this long to grow into an actual flower.
Either way, if it’s that determined, I’m not moving it.
-
I finally googled “jingle dance history” this morning. I have seen the dance at powwows and and it’s a lovely thing.
-
My great aunt famously stood on the stairs of her sister’s house when a party went on too long and said “Come on, Bill. Let’s you and I go to bed so these nice people can go home.”
Lena and her sister, Della, were best friends and absolute characters. Bill was Della’s husband and Lena was leaving her sister to lock up since the party was at their house.
Later, after Bill died, Della moved in with Lena and her husband until her dementia required moving her to a care facility. She stayed gracious and entertaining, even though her short term memory crumbled away.
Della Mae Parmley Oakes 25 December 1966 Lena was a competitive bridge player and was packed to go to a tournament when she simply did not wake up one morning.
Lena Alder Parmley Foster Christensen
8 October 1982
I am the Audience 