When I return home from my morning walk, Winnie jumps up and greets me at the door. Denver is laying on the deck enjoying the coolest part of the day, but he comes inside when I return. They watch to see where I’m going to sit before finding their spots on the floor, but as soon as they hear The Wong Janice playing her cello, they know I’m going to write. Where exactly? I keep them guessing on that part.

I believe we’re all awaiting cooler temps. The Bougainvillea are blooming slowly, so it seems the recommendation of letting the soil dry out completely before drenching is working, but by the third day of full sun they look like they’re in pain.

I have a complicated relationship with Bougainvillea. It’s the only flower that I tend to each year that is frustrating, but all I have to do is catch a glimpse of one of it’s vibrant blooms to put a smile on my face. Once it starts to bloom it doesn’t know when to stop, so maybe it’s frustrating to see that we’re a lot alike.

It never plays it safe when it’s ready to bloom. This morning, I was standing at my kitchen window gazing at the Bougainvillea hanging on the other side of the glass and noticed a tiny bud forming on the very tip of one of it’s branches. This plant starts at the end and works it’s way inward, forming blooms along the way until it reaches the center. Start at the end and work your way backwards to find the beginning.

A couple of mornings ago, I awoke at 4am and dove straight into refining my space. From moving the furniture around I needed to relocate some items to make it cozier.

This reminded me of Mama and I could feel her spirit nearby. Mama passed away over a decade ago, but I always feel her near when standing at the threshold of a new path and when I was a child, I’d see Mama moving stuff around and ask, “What are you doing Mama”? She would always reply with the same two words…”Just piddling”.

I could tell she was focused on the task at hand, but at the same time, not sure of the end result. Mama taught me that nothing is permanent and she gave me resilience. I’m the youngest of four and we all had a healthy fear of her, mainly because when she said she was going to do something, it was as good as done. She kept the receipts from all our Christmas presents, not only to return them if they didn’t fit, but she’d take them back to the store if we found them before Christmas.

When she knew what she wanted and how things could be she wasn’t afraid of change. Two days ago when I found myself piddling and the giveaway pile expanding, I realized Mama knew exactly what she was doing… she was piddling on purpose.

31 W
17 S

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