GARDENIA

Early morning sunrise in the balmy air of June in Florida provides a sense of belonging where I am.

A taste of juicy ripe mango mixed with the balmy air attracts a sense of being one with this earthly plane.

The cats, Bo Cefus and Bo Trey- puer and cynax - laze comfortably after breakfast, licking each other which I interpret as with gratitude for each others presence.

As I awaken more to the surrounding environment, I notice there are two gardenias abloom on their bush in the yard.

I wonder how they could have survived the torrential downpour of the night just passed.

Ordinarily,  rain causes them to brown up and go limp.

GIFT

Someday soon, I will  be meeting my new granddaughter, Madison.

I just sent a box of gifts for her and for my grandson, Chris.

The main gift is a quilt made by my cousin Dot.

When she comes to visit, I have waiting the wicker rocker, a replica of one given to my first born son, Rob.

Ii also have ready to present to her, a huge piggy bank, a wall hanging also made by cousin Dot, and a blanket which took me too long to crochet.

I hope she likes them.  But, most of all I hope she likes me.

For all the material things I might be able to give, she is surely loved as much as life itself and a precious gift which I welcome into my life.

GLASSES

Growing old is fun. Going blind is not fun.

Noticing that my eyesight was waning rapidly and believing that any attempt at being able to see better was a futile expectation, I nevertheless set out to let the optometrist give it his best.

I was tired of the frames I now refer to as "goggles". Three years ago I thought they were frames that would let me look like a  "movie star"  with progressive lenses.

I had recently begun wearing a pair of glasses which were the previous prescription - could see great from the top, but the bifocal for reading was too weak.

The end result, leaving out the whole story which led to this, is lenses of the same prescription as the "goggles", in the frames of the previous prescription.

The problem had been that the lens prescription in the "goggles" was altered by the other additions and the glare proof screen was pearlizing. I was relieved that I am not as blind as those glasses led me to believe.

The perk was the "old" frames are top of the line flexible titanium. When this was noted, I remembered that I had put out that kind of money for frames I loved that would last a lifetime (so to speak) and somehow got lost in the desire to look like a movie star!

I am still visually challenged, but, gee, I actually can see with glasses again.