- My sister and I lost our mom this spring. Growing up, Mom was always practical, industrious, and resourceful. But she sure did have a whimsical side. When we were little she sometimes made us a very special meal: butter and sugar sandwiches. It wasn’t until years later that we realized that she probably made those because she hadn’t had a chance to grocery shop, and that was all there was in the house. But she made us believe that butter and sugar sandwiches were the same food that “the princesses” ate. We never knew who these “princesses” were, but we knew that eating the same magical food they did made us special, too! She was like that. She was whimsical. She’d sweep the floor of the woods, drawing the floor plan of a mansion with leaves. She did somersaults in the backyard with my friend Milton at a party in the backyard. And she made simple food seem like the food of royalty. I hope someday my own daughters remember me that way.
- I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last April. After a frustrating summer of sitting by the phone waiting for this test result or to schedule that treatment, it’s over. Yay! We called in an old priest and a young priest to perform an exorcism of the demon cancer cells, complete with pea soup. Ok, it was a radioactive iodine treatment performed by the good docs at St. Lukes, but it sure felt like a horror film! Now I just have a follow-up appointment, meds for the rest of my life, (no biggie) and occasional body scans to make sure the evil-doer doesn’t latch on to some other body part.
- The above made me have to cancel travel plans, turn down cake biz, and unable to accept wedding and party invites. However, Serendipity stepped in to fill the void! It started out as a tiny, spur of the moment experiment last spring. Let’s see what happens to this little egg on this skinny, scrawny milkweed. Now I’ve got milkweed lining the sidewalk that surrounds the pool inviting Monarch butterflies to “get busy” and lay their itty bitty pearls. I’ve got milkweed in a tent to keep out the evil-doers, (wasps, spiders, birds). And I’ve got even more milkweed inside the house as a nursery for newly hatched instars. Folks who dare to walk through the front door won’t escape without being shown the beautiful jade green pupa hanging from branches on end tables and shelves. The first thing I do when the sun begins to brighten the day is check the caterpillars. The first thing I do when I get home from work is see if the butterflies have left more eggs. My friends cringe when I insert mentions of butterflies, caterpillars, chrysalises into every conversation. My husband knows to ask for the Caterpillar Report when he calls. We are planning to construct some kind of screened-in green house or gazebo so we can raise and release even more!
Some might call it an obsession, tho I prefer the term, “passion”.
And I’ve only just begun!
Loss, Answers, and Serendipity
Hello Butterfly! 