GRILL MASTER

I was visiting my sister Liz in North Carolina and we were on her back patio tending her plants. I was deadheading some flowers while she was filling her watering can. I had just clipped a faded flower from her geranium plant when I noticed a hummingbird whiz by my head.

I looked around her patio. “Where’s your hummingbird feeder?”

Liz had just started giving a big drink to her hibiscus plant. “It’s over there.” She said pointing behind her.

I looked past her bird bath but didn’t see any feeder. “Where?” I asked again.

She pointed to a large bush with purple flowers on it.

“The salvia plant.” She said.

The hummingbird was buzzing from flower to flower on the large, lush plant.

“I knew they liked the color red but I didn’t know they were attracted to the color purple, too.”

“They really love that plant.” Liz answered as she moved over to her lavender plants to give them a drink.

I watched as a swallowtail butterfly floated by her grill. “Hey, do you ever use that?” I pointed to her covered grill.

Liz looked over to see what I was pointing to. “Nope.”

“Really?” I was surprised. “When your friend Rita and I visited you a few years back, Rita talked you into buying it. She said it would change your life.”

Liz shook her head and sighed. “Well, it didn’t.”

“Well, I know it changed mine!” I’d moved over to her bird bath to see if the base needed adjustment.

“What do you mean?” She put her watering can down and went into her screened porch and sat down.

I followed her with a handful of deadheaded flowers that I set on the side table before sitting down myself. “Steven and I hadn’t used a barbecue grill in years but after Rita cooked those steaks on your grill I was hooked. I talked Steven into buying a small grill when I got home from that trip and we’ve been grilling ever since!”

I took my phone from the side table and scrolled through my texts. “We used that grill so much that we wore it out!” I held up my phone to show her a picture of a grill that Steven had just sent me. “He just got the new grill delivered today!”

Liz took my phone and looked at the picture. “Nice.” She handed the phone back to me. “So when Rita said it was going to be life changing…”

I laughed as I took the phone from her. “I guess she meant for me!”

A slight breeze stirred and her metal wind chimes began to make a deep trilling sound. I looked up from my seat to where her wind chimes were hanging. “I love that sound.” I sighed.

“So why don’t you get some?” Liz sat back and put her feet up on the ottoman.

“All my guys hate the sound of wind chimes.” I sighed and pointed to her salvia plant. “I have a better chance of buying one of those before anyone at my house agrees to get those.” I then pointed up to the chimes above me.

Liz shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it?”

“Do what?” I leaned back against the cushion to get comfortable.

“Everything’s a group decision at your house.”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “But,” I held my pointer finger up. “I’ve also got someone grilling for me now at my house so if that means wind chimes are on the back burner…” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m good with that.” I picked up my phone and began to text. “But right now let me send Steven a picture of a salvia plant and see where he wants to plant ours!”