Angelina's Garden

Household Conversations and a  Door Prize

Its Monday.

…and when my 11 year old came home from art school, he came right to me with this announcement:  “Mom! Somebody said the D-word up at Masters today!”

“Oh really?  How’s that?” I asked.

“Well, a kid in my class was working at one of the tables and he blurted it out.”

“He just came out and said the D word all by itself?” I asked again.

“No, Mom. This is what the kid said:  ‘These problems are so d**n hard!'”

“Then what happened?” I asked.

“Well, the whole class took a deep breath and just stared at him.  Then everyone started laughing,” my boy told me as he chuckled and curled his lips up in that cute way when he’s tickled about something.  “It was so hilarious,” he added.

“I bet that teacher didn’t think it was hilarious,” I said.

“No she didn’t.  She sent him straight to the office!” he said still laughing.

“You enjoyed that way too much, didn’t you?” I said slapping my leg.

He looked at me and we both laughed.

These are good days.

About that time, I looked at my watch.  It was time to drive  to the Garden Club meeting.

Eight years ago, when all the grass died in my front yard and the deer ate up all my hostas, I decided it was time to join the  Garden Club so that I could learn not to kill stuff.  Mostly, this plan has worked.

I walked in a little late, but wasn’t too late to get in on the door prize drawing.  Quickly, as the president called for all the drawing slips, I scribbled my name onto a small, blue piece of card stock.  I handed the slip to Margaret, and she dropped it into the jar.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Garden Club meetings aren’t the most exciting meetings in the world. Not that I don’t love plants and all.  It’s just that when I sit still in a chair after 6 pm, in a warm, dimly lit room, the possibility of getting drowsy goes way up for me. And, sure enough, I was nodding off right through the talk on Aesculus sylvatica.

Amazingly, I survived the talk without drooling. Then I was startled awake when I heard my name called. I’d won the door prize!  Guess what it was?  A praying mantis nest.  Hands down, the coolest door prize of all time.

These are good days.