Sunday, May 18, 2008

Simple Pleasures

When we first moved into this house, three years ago, my sister in law gave me several Iris bulbs that she had pulled from her garden. (Irises are one of my favorite flowers. Gorgeous colors, wild and exotic looking, blooms in both the spring and fall.) I planted them at the bottom of the front steps outside the front door, and waited. It didn't take long for the long slender leaves to pop up and reach for the sun. The problem was, for the first two years, that's all I ever got; long slender green foliage, but not one bud or bloom. Now, I have to admit that the first year, I wasn't surprised considering the guys kept mowing them down. By the second spring, they had been bitched at enough to know better; still, all I ever got were long slender leaves, no buds or blooms, neither spring nor fall. So, I wasn't expecting much this year.



But this morning, this glorious morning, I woke to the sun shinning warm and bright. As I opened the front door to let some fresh air in, a flash of color caught my eye. At first I thought it was the glare of the golden sun. But after a second look, I realised that they were two of the most beautiful yellow Irises, in full bloom at the bottom of my front steps! It's amazing how something so small can make a whole day wonderful and new.

After I took my shower, I decided to start work on cleaning the garage. . . . again. With a husband who has zero organization skills, all the various parts, pieces, and assorted tools from his work truck eventually find their way into the garage. Usually in dirty, ragged boxes that are dumped in the middle of the garage floor and forgotten for months at at time, making it impossible for me to find, or even get to, anything that I might have been foolish enough to store in there. As a result, cleaning out the garage is usually an all day event for me that entails much cursing and my requiring another shower, sometimes two or three. Even when I schedule it for a weekend, I rarely get any assistance because, even though 75% of the stuff is his, Roy hasn't a clue where to start, or what to do with any of it. However, this morning I was shocked when my husband followed me downstairs and set about the task of sorting through the boxes ! He didn't complain, or leave the majority of it for me to finish. Instead, he put his tools into the tool cabinet, had our neighbor, who collects and disposes of scrap metal, haul away the miscellaneous debris, and carried the empty boxes and trash to the curb for pick up on Monday !!

As we worked through the sorting of junk from treasures, my daughter, who normally spends her days in front of the computer, decided that she would walk the dogs for me. She took them one at a time around the mile track behind the house. She even took care of the specific needs of the higher energy dogs like Angel and Phoenix ! Angel is a very focused girl, and loves to play sled dog. (when she isn't trying to herd her pups) So, Heather attached the harness and leash to her scooter and let Angel take her for a pull. Phoenix, loves to run, but we both noticed last night, that he is very good about keeping pace and not pulling or running ahead. So, Heather rode her bike, while Phoenix kept pace !

By 5PM, I looked around to realise that I was alone. Roy had disappeared, and Jake and Christian had gone to a friends house to spend the night. I decided to take a break before I started sweeping the floors, and I went inside for a fresh Diet Coke. I expected to find Roy playing poker on the computer, and Heather running amok with her friends. Instead, I discovered my husband starting dinner on the bar-be-que, and Nick helping Heather and her friends to set up the 8-man tent (that she had found in the garage while I was re-organizing) in the back yard. The dogs were all contentedly sleeping under the tree.

After dinner, I was informed that Roy had given Heather permission to have Ana, and her friend Alexis, camp out in the back yard. (Since Jake had a couple of his friends spend the night, last night.) As I loaded the dishwasher, Roy got the fire in the grill blazing, and Heather and her guests, as well as a few kids from the neighborhood, started roasting marshmallows over the flames. Roy and I sat on the deck enjoying the evening, and watching the kids laugh, play, and stuff themselves with sugar. It was nice, really, really nice. As we sat there, Roy and I got to talking about what a great day it's been for everyone. Then, Roy got kind of sad as he mentioned that we are absolutely penniless right now. I suddenly realised that we couldn't have had a better day, if we were millionaires. Somehow, gathering up a bunch of old junk from storage, and making do with whatever we could find in the fridge, and just being together, as a family, provided a better day than if we had been out spending a ton of money, or off to ourselves playing with a bunch of electronic gadgets. It really is the simple things that bring the most happiness.

When the fire died down, and the kids from down the street were called home, the girls moved into the tent; which was equipt with a small T.V., an old VHS player, and a small lamp from the laundry room. They watched Homeward Bound all bundled up in their sleeping bags and pillows, then fell asleep. Roy and Nick have both gone to bed, and I'm sitting here listening to the girls snore, and talk in their sleep, on Heathers' old baby monitor as I type. The only thing I can find to complain about is this stupid June bug, that has slipped in through the back door, that's determined to make me crazy! I'm going to go kill it right now, and that will make my day perfect.

Good night all.
Love,
Susan

2 howled back:

Anonymous said...

Do you know how much I liked reading this? It was like a little page of sunshine. And I'm just so very happy it came true for you guys.

xxx

Unknown said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful day, Susan. You tale rather has me feeling nostalgic for the days when I had a family around me.