A short history

Lavender by Acwraith

I haven't seen much of the family in a few months. Most of my anecdotes will be a degree separated from the people I love.

Mom and Dad went to Florida this last week to see Grandma. Mom has been repeatedly dinged for not sending mother's day cards. So she sent herself this year. I stopped in to check on the cat. Repotted some lavender and left in pot for mother's day. Steps involved:
Struggle with ATM's that won't let me overdraw my account.
Remove money from savings.
Buy two lavender plants.
Buy two pieces of pottery from Burlington City Arts.
Put plants, pots, extra soil in car and go to Monkton.
Rummage through Mom's pot collection to find two pot liners.
Replant.
Clean up.
Place repotted plants in pots.
Leave note and short blue pitcher filled with lavender on table.
Fulfill duty to mess something up in an otherwise logistical masterpiece--
--Leave Dave's Mom's unmarked plant in Monkton.
Don't realize until next morning when we go to take her out to breakfast.
Monday night Mom calls to report in, thanks me for the flowers, guesses to the T what happened with the second plant sitting on her counter.


Read Dad's book on Emmanuel. Books are comforting and make me cry. I go back for a second read on my next trip. I sit on Dad's side of the bed, on a blue plaid bedspread, in a house that's not my house any more but I feel possessive because I recognize the bedspread. I think my Dad is wonderful. He still keeps a box of tissues in his nightstand drawers, and closes it not all the way so a bit of tissue reaches out. I don't imagine Dad cries as much as I do, but I am certain he's handed down his nose to me, and that's a good reason for the tissues. He also has way too many books on his nightstand, same as me, not including the Emmanuel series and others that are inside. A book I lent him is on the top of the stack. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.