The consummate storyteller having fun in Milan, Italy

No words necessary

(They usually do)  And it turns out it was. Some things are worth waking up at 5:15 am for. Memorial Day Sunrise.

Listening to the waterfall and walking through my neighbor’s dreamy pink garden I lost track of time.

It’s almost summer in Florida but it was still a nice evening to dine outside. There were just a few annoying flies to swat. “Why do they always come to every party?” You can’t blame them. Dinner was delicious. “Happy Mother’s Day” And yes, let’s not forget Robbie. It’s his birthday but he’s exhausted and decided to give himself the gift of lazy. He would spend his birthday doing what he wanted, which on this day was nothing. “Well it is his birthday” He said we’ll celebrate next month. I’m one for stretching out celebrations. “That’s a great idea. I mean, like I said before -it’s his birthday. Do I have to get him another present?” We’ll get him a birthday cake. Speaking of cake. . .

“What is dinner without dessert?” Dessert is always the best part of any meal. You eat the healthy stuff first to prove you have earned it. We ate all too quickly and pausing briefly the highlight of the evening was next. I decided to temper the sweet with fruit, to take away any possible guilt we could feel. We had gone to the gym in the morning and had been good all day.

I went into the house and artistically arranged the desserts and then placed them all on a serving plate. I was determined to make only one trip outdoors with everything. I would not have believed that I could do it. But determination (coupled with luck), I miraculously carried all the desserts, plates piled up on top of one another without dropping anything. I probably knew it wouldn’t be good if I did. “She’s been watching too many cooking shows. Have you really learned a lot?” A few things. I’m really into lemon zest now. I love zesting.  Bob was quick to add: “Jill really loves to zest” I zested the salad. And I’ve picked up a few hints here and there. The dessert was gone even quicker than the dinner. I thought maybe everyone would savor each bite but that didn’t happen. A soft breeze came up and everyone was very relaxed after a satisfying meal and lively conversation. The flies on the other hand left unsatisfied. I think I heard one say as he flew away: “They didn’t even leave a crumb” But he also added “Happy Mother’s Day!” And yes we must agree: It was a Happy Mother’s Day!

We all have a drawer we call the junk drawer. A place where stuff gets tossed because we’re just not ready to part with it. Afraid we may need it at some time in the next fifty years. Maybe. An attachment to an item that probably doesn’t deserve attachment. And then I have the souvenir pen drawer. A curious blend of pens from my travels. (this runs parallel with the snow globe collection)  Actually the pens are pretty cool. Some from ships that don’t sail anymore. There’s Pinocchio who was enjoying Firenze before we took him home (unwillingly, he was right in the middle of his afternoon gelato). And then there’s the alligator pen. A favorite pet pen, though have you ever tried writing with an alligator in your hand? It is not very comfortable at all. And you know how the collection starts. Very innocently with one item. The pens and snow globes are small and inexpensive, easy to toss in a suitcase. And then the collection gets obsessive. Every where we go we must get a pen and a snow globe. Friends and relatives are required to add to the collection. “Surprise! Guess what we brought you back from vacation!” And by now it has grown so large that we’ve run out of space for it all and we don’t have the heart to say: “Please no more. No more pens and snow globes” But the collection keeps growing. It now has a life of its own. As for the alligator pen: I will hold him very carefully.