Z to A

Z--for Zebra

Imagine driving down some country road in Texas, the sky a brilliant blue, the roadsides blanketed with coral Indian Paintbrushes, and you see this: Eight dark brown and white zebras!  

I was driving and Luci was sleeping on some farm road around Fayetteville, Texas.  Bob and I were talking on the phone.  I let out a yelp of joy.  

These were magnificent creatures.  I could have watched them for hours.  Luci and two zebras sniffed each other through the fence, and we finally parted so I could get us home before dark. 

A--for Amaris

Today I had the most magical visit with a little girl named Amaris. Her daddy was moving a couple of things in my house and I noticed her looking with fascination at the brightly colored bird house Joy had given me, hanging in the tree.

Her mother and 3-week-old baby got out of the truck and I invited them inside.  Amaris charmed me from the get-go, such a curious little girl who walked around my house noticing every detail with pure unprompted delight.  (Neither of her parents was particularly impressed.)

She stopped on the porch to look at my potted plants, mostly succulents, and wanted to know the name of each one.  "I have my own little garden at home," she said.

She loved my wooden painted giraffes, metal houses on the wall, a jeweled ukulele Day made years ago, my big white light fixture ("It looks just like the moon!" she said),  a South American stitchery, and a recipe box Day made with a fork handle.  

Her attention to details and colors made me ask her, "Are you an artist?"

"Oh yes," she said.  "I can draw anything.  My best things are dogs and birds, but I can draw anything.  Next time I come to your house, I will bring you some art." 

"Could I open the box?" she asked.

 I watched her fingers opening the box, so I read to her the words Day had inscribed inside the lid:

"Love as powerful as your mother's love for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar...no visible sign...to have been loved so deeply...will give us some protection forever.  It's in your very skin."

                        from Harry Potter

When her parents said it was time to leave, she said, "I don't want to go yet! Can we stay some more?" 

This may be the best compliment one can ever get from a guest!  I can hardly wait until she comes back with some art--but she, herself, is a work of art who made my day.