This morning was perfectly beautiful. I use that word too much but there’s just not another word. Maybe I should write the morning was splendid with an arctic blue sky and lines of thin soft-hued white clouds stretched across the horizon. The sun was shining on the neighborhood’s freshly cut lawns making them sparkle with dew drops and the birds were flitting around singing and arguing.

I ate breakfast sitting in the swing. I splurged this morning and added two pieces of bacon and some scrambled eggs with cheese to my plate with the bagel and watermelon. My plastic porch plate I eat on every day wasn’t big enough. I had to eat on a china plate. It was cold sitting on my legs. The whole time I was eating, Penelope was staring at me with the starving African child look. I tried to ignore her and then she gave me the pitiful puppy dog look. I was greedy and didn’t share anything with her. I lied. I gave her the eggs after Stew said, “You love birds and you’re eating baby chickens with cheese this morning!”

I was pondering today on how I could have a child 41 years old. My oldest son’s birthday is today. I remember the day he was born. He’s grown up to be a kind, compassionate, generous man. He’s a loving husband and father and is very proud of his three children. He is every bit the Southern gentleman his father was. He was an easy delivery and an easy child. He could entertain himself with a bushel basket full of wooden blocks and loved to collect dinosaurs and play with Legos. He’d build the Lego set box design then he’d tear it up and make something of his own creation. He’s got his daddy’s smarts and my common sense. Not much he can’t do it he sets his mind to it. He’s a pretty good seamstress, too! Had to sew the butt of his pants together once at work!

Chief was just delighted to have a son. He was so proud of all his children. Some of the older men on the Russell construction crew came to the hospital to see Tom Byron’s son and one of them told Chief, “We looked down the lines of all the pink babies and when we saw the little brown one at the end of the row we knew it was yours.”

I had lots of visitors in the hospital. I remember I had a room full of Russell work friends chatting and Mrs. Julia Russell came in to visit. She had sent me a huge arrangement of blue and white flowers and when she saw some blue carnations mixed in the arrangement she ranted and raved about telling the florist “not to put any carnations” in the arrangement. My friends just politely left the room. She scared them and me, too! Never have liked carnations since she disected them. She brought Thomas a $100 dollar bill to start a savings account. She and Mr. Tom Russell loved Chief and kept up with our children and invited us to visit many times. My children always acted like heathens when we visited but that just made the visits more enjoyable for Mr. Tom and Mrs. Julia. They loved it when Rosie would jump from the coffee table to the sofa and Mrs. Julia would reprimand me when I got on to Rosie.

Was sitting on the porch later in the afternoon pondering and looking at how pretty my porch flowers were. I sat up to make a photo of my view from the swing and here comes Grandpaw raccoon walking up in the yard like he owns the place. I thought he had left. He’s fatter than the last time I saw him. He sat down by one of the bird baths and started eating seeds from the ground. I got pretty close before he saw me and he kicked up a dust cloud running away. I know I have too many feeders in the yard and that causes the critters but I love my birds in a spiritual way and they give me hope and courage to face the days without Chief. I feel he sends the flock of cardinals each day.

“Advice from a Raccoon — Unmask your talents. Climb to new heights. Be curious. Look both ways before crossing the road. Avoid junk food. Always wash your hands. Enjoy the night life,” — Advice for Life by Your True Nature.