Helene, Scents of Summer and a Big Score!

1. As I am grinding our morning coffee beans, through the breakfast room window I discover the summer's first blooms on Helene, my beautiful Rose of Sharon. They are pale pink, almost white with a magenta center. I transplanted Helene from a neighbor's yard, a slight 16 inches tall, risen from a fallen seed. She now towers over me. I wait for her to bloom each summer and bring the bumblebees who wallow in her pollen.

2. The warm morning sunlight falls on the echinacea and a summer breeze fills the air with its sweet fragrance. We inhale. Chubby bumblebees travel from one pink flower to the next, in an almost rhythmic pattern. Britt squeals as a beautiful monarch lands on one of the sun kissed coneflowers, slowly opening and closing its glorious wings.

3. Finding a brand name on a recent thrist store purchase, searching for it on the web and discovering that the item I paid a slight $15.00 for sells for $1,600.

One more thing...Phoning my sister and hearing the joy in her voice when she tells me her daughter and precious grandsons are visiting.