Ate breakfast on the porch pondering in the swing and watching the world wake up. Dark blue sky with large fluffy bleached clouds. Wasn’t the brightest of suns but warm enough to make the flower blossoms stand up and turn their faces to the warmth. The day was so pleasant. The breeze blew in a peculiar way and made the wind chimes closest to me ping one pipe three time before it pinged the next one once. Never heard that wind chime symphony before, it was a new melody. The other wind chimes on the porch were silent. Maybe it was Chief or Rosie’s angel wings fluttering before me. I think that way sometimes. Childlike, but it’s real to me. Got to admit it was strange the other ones were silent.

Today was Miracle Grow day for the flowers and vegetables. Then I washed out the birdbaths, cleaned the nasty snail guts from the solar water fountains, and filled the three birdbaths up with fresh water. Found another cucumber and picked four big bell peppers. The wood thrushes are really enjoying the birdbaths. This afternoon I watched a wood thrush take a dirt bath in a big ant hill. Had to research that and I discovered ant secretions keep insects and fungi away. The ants spray formic acid when they feel threatened and the birds rub this on their wing feathers. Fire ant bites hurt so bad can’t imagine bathing in them.

Came in the house when I got hot and sat in my reading chair thinking about friendship. I watched the children in their little groups when I went to take the grandchildren to swim team practice. You could watch their faces light up when a friend walked up to their little groups. I went back outside when the hot sun left my swing and was still thinking of friendship and all the wonderful days I spent as a child with my bike riding best friend and our group of friends near by. Lots of bike riding, lots of skating, lots of hose pipe drinking.

The phone rings and it my dearest friend. We may live in different towns now but that hasn’t dulled our friendship. We have weekend visits together and frequent phone calls. She’s the caller and I’m the big talker. Constantly interrupting her anxious to tell her my latest escapade or grandchildren moments. Stew said we talked for over two hours. Time flies when we talk. We never run out of topics and never run out of laughter. I’m glad my neighbor was gone to town or she’d think I was crazy with all the laughter coming from the porch swing. We’re going to Shady Oaks together, too! Gonna get us a two-seater wheelchair and let Charlie B and Penelope pull us around.

Friendship is trust and affection between two people. Friendship offers companionship and prevents loneliness. True friends are our confidants and we can rely on them. They love us unconditionally. We can be ourselves when we’re with them with no fear of judgement. True friends are honest and we can trust them. They support and encourage us, care for us no matter what, and tolerate our shortcomings. They always make us laugh and come in an instant when we need them. You just feel good spending time with friends.

The first person I called when Rosalyn died was my dearest friend. She’s been my confidant for over 40 years. She rushed right over, coming so fast she had two different shoes on. But she knew I needed her and she was there every day till I Chief and I could make it on our own.

Read this on a website, “A real friend walks in, even when they’d rather be somewhere else, when everyone else is walking out.” Her husband died several months after Chief and we’ve been able to support each other and hold hands as we walk down the paths of our widowhood.

I’m making a new friend from a fellow blogger who wrote today, “Loved your message this morning….. Thank you for sharing the view from your porch. Someday I would love to sit on it with you. Blessings to you.”

Blessings to you too, new friend!

“Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief,” — Marcus Tullius Cicero