Yesterday when we were sitting in the living room, my Mom looked out the front window at a Saguaro Cactus and asked what the bumps on the top were. I said they were the buds of the flowers that would bloom in a few weeks.Then I looked out and saw that not all the Saguaros had buds on their top. I pointed that out and said, "wow, are cacti also female and male?"
Mom immediately became her old self and said "All species have males and females, even plants." It reminded me of the many things that she taught us as children. She had so much knowledge of nature and animals. I was astonished when she showed me the "star" in the apple. You can see that when you cut an apple horizontally instead of vertically. I delighted in the snapping mouth of the snap dragon. In Cleveland we could walk in the woods and see the Jack in the Pulpit and different flowers than I have known here in Arizona.She knew the names of all of them.
My Mom had a green thumb and our home was full of plants that often had to be coaxed to stay alive. At our families cottage on Lake Erie she had a garden that yielded wonderful corn and other vegetables. She taught me how to swim and she taught me manners and thoughtfulness. She taught us the joy of family and friends.
We were lucky to have the best of her for so many years. I love the moments when I see her snap back to those times and share her knowledge. They may be brief glimpses, but I treasure them when they pop up.
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