Gramma's Geraniums

cindy has gramma's geraniums but I had forgotten she did. we have them in droves (front & back yard), rob planted them and they took off, mom can't seem to keep them going. but I had forgotten that cindy had them and when I saw a whole corner of them on her porch, i was so hopeful. a little piece of gramma in valencia.

when the glendale house was on the market, i cried a little everyday. my best childhood memories would soon belong to someone else. i even tried a rite of passage by burying a time capsule in a deep hole at the farthest corner of gramma's garden. a place i didn't go nearly enough, behind the patios and pool area, the small gate that led to gramma's passion. insanely big mint leaf plants, blackberry brambles (mom's favorite), zucchini, tomotoes - only remnants & stubborn vines remained as i sat in the dirt and cried. the little jar contained a picture of gramma & grampa in matching hawaiian garb dancing on the cruise. smiling at the camera, gramma showed herself - a happy lady with her loving husband, not a care in the world. wilted, dried flowers from her funeral and a letter telling just how important that house was to this family, and to me.

around the pool, gramma's fuschia geraniums thrived. on the day we took the kids to enjoy grampa's pool one last time, i carefully cut stalks to keep, hoping they would live on in our yards. hoping a piece of gramma would always be there, signifying comfort and love. and they do. even in valencia.

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a two dog night

the eskimos used to say it was really cold if they needed 3 dogs to keep them warm. i've always only needed 2 dogs, although maybe that has something to do with my being in southern california and not alaska.

i've had 2 sets of dogs in my adult life, although the most current is closer to a matching set than the prior. one way i have been lucky (or unlucky in the summer - whew!) is that one of each pair could generate enough heat to light a city block!

corona used to be the one we'd hug close when bones were chilled, now it's little tanner. smaller in stature but even greater on the heat scale. you can't wish him far enough away in the summertime, but when you just get into bed in the winter and the sheets give you a chill, tanner's the one you want by your side. and he's more than happy to oblige.

some of my happiest moments are spent with one dog within reach of each petting arm. it's one of the reasons i just can't see adding a third. no third arm! nope, two of them lay there making those calm, sleepy faces that let me know they are just as happy to be there as i am to have them there. little reminders that there's always something to care for in this lifetime. something to call your attention away from yourself at the most selfish of moments, or those most sad and crushing.

not having children of my own, i'd say i'm proud of my little furry ones (or big ones as the last case may be), that they all have loving and giving personalities and...oh wait, that's what dogs are mostly, just bundles of unconditional and anxious love. watching my friends and family go through the cautious toddler years, the tenuous teenage years then the expectant adult years that their children pass through too quickly, i think i may have taken the easier four-legged route. on a night where i'm able to snuggle down with them and watch an old familiar movie or two, that suits me just fine!

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