Thoughts of a giving daughter (2/7/05)

Today’s mail brought a unique surprise. I received a card telling me that a pussy willow would be shipped to my house sometime around the first of April. That is the last thing I expected to find mixed in with the bills and junk mail. I assume the plant is meant for my upcoming birthday.

My daughter sent me a note last week wanting to know what kind of tree I wanted and why. At the time I thought it was a strange question, however as she has asked me many unusual things in the past, I answered her anyway.

I remember playing under our pussy willow when I was a girl. The fuzzy spring catkins were often cut and brought inside by the armloads. Our giant Christmas cactus spent every summer under the sheltering shrub. I never wove its supple branches into wreaths but maybe I will someday.

I want the new pussy willow to fill a spot in the landscape and block my view of a trash bin. I have a place picked out where I hope it will be happy. That section of the yard floods on occasion and Salix seem to have an affinity for water. The hard part will be keeping the lawn mower away from it until it gets big enough to fend for itself. For some reason lawn mowers seem to think that young plants are a delicacy.

My daughter appears to be trying to turn me into a forester. Last year she got me a bonsai juniper. It is currently living on a porch swing covered with snow. It seems happy enough.

At Christmas I received a grow-your-own-bonsai kit which consisted of a tiny pot, a peat pellet and a packet of seeds. To my surprise one of the seeds has sprouted and the bonsai is all of an inch high. The remnants of the seed is still attached to its four miniature needles. I think it will be quite a while before I need to prune it with the tiny scissors that were included in the kit.

I got that plant by default. She bought it for herself but once the package was opened she decided it was more trouble than it was worth and gave it to me. Maybe I should designate a section of the yard as the Elizabeth Forest. That way I can showcase the plants I am sent from across the country.

We have a trip planned to a home and garden show in Cleveland soon. They erect an entire grove of conifers inside the convention center. The pine-scented air is so refreshing after the dismal winter weather. Somehow the fragrance of dirty snow doesn’t compare to the heavenly aroma of dozens of trees brought in from the cold. Maybe some day Elizabeth Forest will become as much of a haven for me as the home show is a respite from the winter doldrums.

I am looking forward to the arrival of the pussy willow and its first soft catkins. I have no idea how big this thing will be when it arrives or even if it will survive. The anticipation and uncertainty are part of the gift. She knows how much I enjoy watching things grow and change.

I never know what to expect when she asks unusual questions. Sometimes she is taking a class and wants to know my reaction to whatever subject she is studying. Sometimes something came up in conversation and she wants another opinion. Sometimes she is searching for a birthday present for me. No matter what her reason, I am blessed that she wants to know what I think. Not all mothers are so lucky to have such a caring daughter and I am very grateful for her.[[In-content Ad]]