Mrs. Leigh, she's got a lovely daughter...

You remember my daughter, don't you? The one who slept through the skunk invasion? I talked about her in this Theme Thursday post. When my daughter was little, I called her Dunkle, so that's what I'll call her on this blog. Well, Dunkle's all grown up now and living far, far away. We talk as often as we can, and I think she follows this blog (though not officially) to keep track of what's going on in my head.

Dunkle and her husband have sent me flowers for Mother's Day for the last few years, and it's always a treat to see the van arrive. This year, I thought the tradition had run its course, and that was just as well, given our economic times. But when Dunkle called me on Mother's Day, she asked whether I would be home on Tuesday - and now I know why. A van pulled up outside just a few minutes ago, and a man struggled to open the gate. I met him outside, and he handed me this beautiful bouquet.

I promptly took a couple of photos of it,
and I let Wilson check it out. He said "Purrrrrrrty!" I think he shook the vase a little, as the picture is slightly out of focus.

Speaking of Wilson, I believe I've found a companion for him. It isn't Duffy, the bear I've been looking for (I may have to wait until I go to England next, to find her). But I found another companion, one who will bring back fond memories to me, if not to Wilson. More on that, tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I have had an interesting day. Not only did I receive a great surprise, but I voted in our Provincial election. I voted Green. I am a voice crying in the wilderness, I know, but I did it anyway.

I do Haiku

...but only rarely. I read at Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes that today is the day - so here is my haiku in honour of the haiku festival:

A thousand blossoms
quiver in the morning sun
May's eager virgins

©Sandra Leigh 2009

p.s. It turns out that the idea for the Haiku Festival comes from Tracy at Pink Purl and her friend Elizabeth of About New York , and a grand idea it is, too. I'm a little slow on the uptake, so I didn't get on the official list. I hope they don't mind stowaways.

Who's a Lazy Girl?

Because I could, I spent my day - the first half, anyway - doing not much of anything. I played on the interwebs, and then I watched Chocolat on television, which was as close to sitting around, eating bon-bons as I had been in a long time.



Then I really got comfortable - complete with tea and oatmeal-raisin cookies (having no bon-bons in the house). I lay down to finish Tender Graces. I should really have invited someone over to take photos, it was so silly. There I was, stretched out on the couch, sniffing and hiccoughing and wiping my eyes and blowing my nose. Do you remember that scene from Romancing the Stone where Kathleen Turner's character is writing the last page of her steamy western romance novel? She types and snivels and honks and types and weeps, then hugs the final page (or was it her cat?) to her breast in an ecstatic release. Well, that was me - but it wasn't a steamy western romance novel, and I didn't even write it. It's just that I've been so excited for so long about the release of Tender Graces, that when I finally had it in my hands, I was almost afraid to read it. I read it very slowly. I savoured it. At times, I read it aloud. And now it's over. So I moped for a while, made dinner, and had a Mother's Day chat with my daughter, which cheered me up immensely.

Later, I requested a copy of Chocolat from the library, because having seen the movie, I imagine I will like the novel. Then I remembered seeing Joshilyn Jackson's The Girl Who Stopped Swimming AND Between Georgia on the library's list, so I ordered them, as well. If they are as good as her Gods in Alabama, I know I'll love them.

Meanwhile, I'll have to content myself with reading whatever I've got on my shelves - and maybe do some of that writing that I've been letting slide.

John (Robert Frost's Banjo) and René (Yes is Red) and I were tossing around the idea of starting a new tradition: Original Poetry Sunday. All three of us posted original poems yesterday, and it felt like something we should strive to do on a regular basis. I'm all for it. Is anyone else interested in joining us? A lot of us post poetry now and then, but this would be something to strive for - to put ourselves out here, naked and everything, on a weekly basis. What do you think?