A life

It is hard to believe, until it happens, that a life can end. From one minute to the next, the heart has stopped beating and the eyes do not see what is in front of them. We said goodbye to Frida Monday night. She died peacefully with us, her doctor, and her pet sitter around her. We laid her in a special place in the garden where we can say good morning and good night to her, as we have for the nineteen and a half years that she has lived with us. Two thirds of our marriage. Most of our life together as a family.

gifts from the past

I was tearing out vines all weekend. On the last day, I pulled up what I thought was an invasive gladiolus, but it wasnt. It was a delicate fritillary gladiolus that my mother gave me years ago, when we were at our first house. Somehow, under the green mulch that has been the jungle taking over my garden, that slender bulb thrived. I quickly watered it and promised to mulch it and keep it happy.