There is a hummingbird and a large dragonfly, that are spending their free time in my garden.They're almost the same size.

The sun is setting right now and mother said that they were out there flitting manically betwixt the bee balm. Bee balm that is obviously a red spastic overachiever for atrracting such varied individuals.


I get out there and all there is, is golden sunlight on everything. Sharper for it's source sinking, falling prey to the western cusp of the very world.


"They were here..." mother says glancing around. The air is very still. Things are shining. She whistles.


Whistles to them like they are her tiny, brittle, fickle, enigmatic ..mischievous winged hounds.


I take pictures of the last two roses, a series of one Japanese beetle. I name him Ringo Kawasaki. He does not take direction well, lemme tell ya. I backed into a premature raspberry vine, it tore my calf, and made me squeeze the rose stem. Bit twice, I yell to mother that her **** vegetation has got its various fangs in me. She chortles, consoles her vegetation for choosing such an ungainly supper. Sure sure, dragonflies..hummingbirds..she called me out here to be swallowed whole by her trained trick plants.


I ask when the echinacea will come out.


"We have echinacea?"


"Yes."


"I don't remember what they look like."


"Well, If happen to see any I'll show you." For all i know , because I have no clue when they appear.


"OR," she says "you could find me a picture on the internet."


I am impressed. Tecnology isn't her 77 yr old forte.


"Lookit you, all technologically inclined. I have invented a monster." I smile. "But..I guess you did first, huh."


***************** *********************** ********************


Earlier I had been chatting with my kid online.


She said goodbye, that she had to head over to work. I say bye, be careful. Two minutes later.. she types... "AHHHHHH!"


I question this, as this could mean..virtually ANYthing. Johnny Depp either knocked at the front door...(like she'd be typing to ME at that point) OR, a limb has fallen off or something equally horrific.


"What, Jen?"


"I stepped on a NEEDLE..a huge sewing needle...it was STUCK in my foot, I couldnt get it out!"


Immediately my mind races back to when Jen was maybe 3, in training pants, corkscrew curls all over her head. She stepped on a small cactus plant that was for some reason sitting on the floor and removed one of the needles with her foot and got it stuck. I had been out , buying grcoeries, her mother was..of course on the computer ...and Jenny opted to lie on her back in the hallway, foot raised, both hands round said foot, and began to scream bloody ****ing murder.


I walk in, arms full of groceries, and see..hear this first...


I don't know why my child is screaming, and I hollar louder "what's going on!?"


Her mother...walks out of the study both hands raised in that Italian show of fristration of hers, and says.."She WON'T let me near her!" and then explains there is a cactus needle in said strangled, raised toeand the other end of the screaming body on the floor.


I did what comes naturally and is the essence of Jen and my's relaltionship. I handle the poop her mom cannot which is just about everything. I sat down , pried her hands apart, knee over her chest so she couldnt see, and grabbed the flailing freed foot, and studied it. No cactus needle. No blood. Nothing.


I asked the snot smeared, wet lil face..how long she'd been laying there and screaming. Ienny said forever, her mother said and hour,that felt like forever.


"Jen, I don't think there's been anything in there, for maybe 50 minutes...that's like.. half a forever." I scruffed her fuzzy lil head and she got up and went to watch Nickelodeon like there had never been a cactus plant on earth.


I shook that vision out of my head as Jen and I said goodbye again, after she'd promised me she'd wash out the needle poke.


I needed to buy some dinner, and I wanted to see how bad the foot was, if she could stand on it for four hrs...I waited a bit and then I shoved some bandaids in my pack, and made for the store. Nice sunshiny walk. I got there and Jen was at her register...standing, not laying on the conveyor belt screaming, I took this as a good sign. I got in the line behind hers and looked at the candy rack. "Psssst.." I said. She leaned back, smiling big and said "buying me candy!?"


"You know it." I said smiling , glad she was in a fabulous mood. I asked if she had peroxide or anti-biotic cream at home she said no.


I walked around , shopped. Bought anti-biotic cream, yadda.By the time I got in her line she said she got off in 4 minutes and would drive me home. I asked if I should wait on the bench outside? "Or, that one right there..with the AC." She snickered at me pointing at the bench at the end of her lane. Lil snickerer.


In four minutes we're getting in the car, and as she's taking the long way out of the parking lot somehow I convinced her to go to the dairy barn that sells coffee and ice cream, where you can play with barn cats and cow and chickens whilst you walk around with your snacks. It wasn't a difficult convincing. Jenny like me, loves to drive, and since I had groceries and she was picking up a friend from work in an hour, we wouldnt take forever.


Jenny has a peach-mango smoothie and a big choc chip cookie, I had half of an ice coffee free, because the coffee machine ran dry,lol. Sure, that works.

Jenny now wants a dairy cow for her room. they're evidently just THAT cute. As we're pulling out of the driveway, I make sure that she'll use the bandaids and the cream, and she says yes.. and pauses, thoughtfully. "G?" she says.. I say ..yes? "When I stepped on the needle , I had a really bad flashback to the --"


"The CACTUS????" I interject.


She looks at me. Eyes slowly widening, brightening.. "YES!" and her smiles becomes full fledged laughter, it's a beautiful thing and I laugh too.


"Me,too!" I re-tell her the tale of the cactus incident and it keeps her laughing most of the way home.


She offer to help bring the bags in, but there's just two. I tell her I can manage. She's got a great big heart. I love her.

I ask when she has to pick up the friend as I'm hoisting the bags out. She says in an hour .."but I wanna go home and get out of these clothes."


"Cause you ..wanna drive NAKED!?" I ask.


Her eyes flash..and she looks nervous like she heard me wrong....and these are the best...when she has to realize that I'm joking, and THEN she melts into fractious laughter.


"NO! I'm in my work clothes!" and she shakes her apron at me.


"Ohhhhh..I see. " I wink. She waves as she drives down the street. I hope she went and made good use of the sunset with her camera, maybe found some hummingbirds or dragonflies or cows. I hope that's where they were. Posing for that beautiful lil darling.

how nice! good genes too can survive not just evils..Dragonhearted babies must exist forever..
and here's to you,Echinacea tea everyone,while dreaming of a snowy winter!!

*cheers* soon,eh? Not soon enough,lol.

How are you Zey? Jenny's best friend is named Zey, too!

That was a fun read ..Not the needle part...Glad she is ok...Your a great mom

Lmao at the garden story...your lucky she doesnt have any venus fly traps out there

So did ur echinacea come up? Its blooming everywhere here, cept in my yard...And no hummers on my bee balm...Ur Lucky...No dragonflies or butterflies either

a doggy or kitty this best friend is? he he I'm only honoured anyway..please let sweet Jenny know she has another Zey friend many miles away in Istanbul.. hugs to mom and baby dragons

Syd...I dont see any anywhere yet ..and if you wanna borrow mom.. like for a LONG time, she'll sit out there and they'll come to her. *makes note on venus fly trapz..LOL

Zey..nooo, it's 17 yr old girl..LOL...she's from Britain.. and I will tell her. She (and I) are very lucky..*HUGS BACK*

i forgot i wasn't on Facebook and went to click 'like' at the end of this.

It isn't there, but i like this anyway.

LOL..I so very understand. Thank you for trying anyways, and liking.