“That’s it!” I called as I walked in the front door and dropped my bags by the chair.

“Last day of school.” Alex said as he came around the corner from the kitchen. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks!” I flopped down on the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table. “What a weird year it’s been.” I shook my head. “All the pandemic protocols…” I looked over at Alex “It was all so crazy.”

“I know. You’ve been stressing about it all year.” Alex sat down across from me. “But it’s all over with now and you have the whole summer ahead of you, right?”

I had to smile. “You’re right. I should stop thinking about the school year and start thinking about all the things I want to do this summer.”

“What are some of the things you want to do?”

“Well,” I looked around the room and pointed to the basket by his chair that held my sewing things. “I’d like to finish that counted cross stitch piece I started a few years ago.”

Alex looked down at the basket. “You’ve got most of it done already.”

I nodded. “I’m sure I could finish it before school starts up again.”

“That’s a good one. What else?”

I had to think about it for a minute. “I guess I’d like to paint that back room.”

Alex nodded. “Maybe you should start writing this stuff down.”

“That’s a good idea.” I got up and grabbed a pad and pen from one of my bags. “I have a stack of books I’ve wanted to get to.” I sat back down and began to write.

“What else?”

“Well…” I was tapping the pen against the pad. “Oh! I want to get the car in the shop to fix that ding I got when someone hit it with a cart at the grocery store.” I began writing it down. “I should probably get some doctors appointments in.”

“See?” Alex reached over and picked up his water glass from the coffee table. “Look at all the things you can accomplish this summer.” He took a sip from his glass then put it back down.

“Oh! I also want to clean out my office desk.” I shook my head as I was writing it down. “That’s been a mess for way too long.” I stopped writing and looked up at Alex. “Well, actually my whole office could use a cleaning out.”

I held up my list for Alex to see.

“There you go!” Alex said. “Now you won’t be complaining at the end of the summer that you didn’t accomplish anything.”

I smiled as I got up. “I’m going to put this on the refrigerator so I’ll see it every morning.”

Alex got up and followed me into the kitchen. I grabbed a magnet and stuck it to the front of the fridge, then stood back to admire my list.

Alex patted me on the shoulder. “You can start first thing tomorrow!”

I looked over at him, hardly hiding my annoyance. “I just finished a Covid school year! I can’t get the weekend off?”

Alex held up his hand. “You’re right. Sorry about that.”

I sighed. “Thank you.” I went over to the drawer where we kept the take-out menus. Pulling out several of them I held them up. “What sounds good for dinner tonight?” I went over to get my phone. “Because cooking doesn’t start until Monday either.”

Alex looked surprised.

“Okay, fine.” I went to the table and sat down looking through the menus. “Maybe cooking starts tomorrow but right now what am I ordering?”

It was first thing in the morning and I was leaning against the kitchen counter holding a steaming cup of tea, looking out our glass door, when my son Alex came into the room.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

I pointed at our railing as I took a sip from my cup. “That poor thing right there.” I said showing him the robin who was busy making a nest on the railing of our back porch. It was less then a foot away from our kitchen door.

Alex shook his head. “That’s not a very good spot.”

“Before I went to bed last night I noticed some sticks and moss on the railing but I thought it had just blown up there from the storm.” I had to shake my head too. “What made her think that would be a safe spot?”

We watched as she flew off. I put my cup down on the counter before I opened the back door to take a closer peek at the nests progress.

Standing next to it I could see it already had the rounded form of a nest. I was reaching over to touch it when Alex pulled my arm down to stop me.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“I’m seeing if it’s secured to the railing or if a gust of wind could knock it off.” I pushed the nest ever so slightly and could see it wasn’t attached to anything.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “That’s going to go flying in the next storm.” I looked over the edge of the railing and could see the robin standing by a tree holding a small stick in her beak.

“Let’s go back inside.”

Once inside I picked up my cup of tea and took another sip. We watched as she climbed in her nest, settling down with a quick wiggle of her body and placed the stick next to her. She then used her beak to move the sticks and moss around her body forming more of the nest.

“Now what are we going to do?” I sighed.

“What do you mean?” Alex looked confused. “It can’t stay there. We’re out on the porch a dozen times a day!”

“I know.” I watched as she pushed the nest closer to her body. “But she’s so determined.” I looked over at Alex. “It would only be for a few weeks.”

“Are you kidding me!” Alex shook his head. “You don’t want us using the porch for weeks?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s for the babies.”

“Didn’t you just say the next storm would blow it off the railing?”

Now I was feeling torn. “Yeah.” I said reluctantly.

“So you mean to tell me you’re okay with her building a nest, laying her eggs and then a wind storm blowing it away?”

“Well, when you say it like that…”

That’s when my husband Steven came into the kitchen holding up his mug. “Coming in for my second cup of coffee.”

Alex looked over at him. “Mom wants us to give up the porch until the robins eggs are hatched.” Alex was pointing out the window.

Steven looked over at the nest. “That’s a pretty stupid place to build a nest.”

I sighed. “I didn’t say she was bright. But she’s very hard working.”

We watched as she flew from the nest to get more material.

Steven opened the back door, picked up the nest and went over by the fire pit to lay it down on the edge.

“You’re going to burn it?” I cried.

Steven was headed back to the kitchen. “Sure. It’ll make great kindling for our next fire.”

“Well, now I just feel awful.” I said as I watched him walk over to the sink to wash his hands.

“Why?” Steven grabbed a paper towel and was drying off his hands when I looked out the window. The robin had landed on the railing with a twig in her beak hopping back and forth looking for her nest.

I shook my head. “I don’t even know what to say to her.”

Steven grabbed his mug and went over to the coffee maker to refill it. “Tell her the next time she’s out with her realtor she needs to talk about finding a better location.”

Alex started to laugh but stopped when he saw the look on my face. He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I don’t know about you but I’m going to go sit out on the porch and get some sun.”

I was in the kitchen, ready to start dinner when I turned the water on to wash my hands. “Oh, no!”

Water was leaking from the faucet and spilling all over the counter-top. I quickly shut the water off and checked the long neck of the faucet where I could see an inch long crack.

“The kitchen faucet is broken!” I called to my husband Steven.

Steven came into the kitchen where I was standing in front of the sink pointing to the crack.

He reached over and turned the faucet on and watched as water sprayed from the crack and quickly covered the counter-top. Shutting it off he looked over at me and nodded. “Yup. It’s broken.”

“So how do we fix it?” I leaned against the counter.

“We buy a new faucet, call a plumber and see when they can get here to install it.”

“Okay, so how long do you think that would be?”

Steven shrugged his shoulders. “Could be a few days or weeks, depending on how busy the plumber is.”

“Weeks!” I looked around the kitchen. “How am I suppose to get meals ready without a sink?”

“I could stop by Lowe’s after work tomorrow and get some tape to fix it.”

“Okay, thanks.”

But after dinner, as I looked at all the dirty dishes stacked in the sink needing to be rinsed off before putting them in the dishwasher, I couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

“I’ll be back in a minute!” I called as I reached for my purse and car keys.

Twenty minutes later my son Alex met me at the front door. “Where did you go?”

I held up my bag from Lowe’s. “I’m going to fix the faucet myself!”

Alex looked doubtful. “Didn’t Dad say he’d fix it tomorrow?”

I pointed to the sink filled with dishes. “I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow.” I pulled the Flex Tape out of the bag and placed it on the counter-top before throwing the bag in the trash. Opening the drawer I grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting open the tape. “I went to the plumbing section and looked around at all my options and this one seemed the best.” Cutting off an inch wide strip I peeled the protective sheet off and began wrapping it around the faucet. “It says it’s waterproof and stops leaks on hoses so I figured it would work on this too.”

I cut another strip and wrapped it around the faucet next to the first one. “Just to be on the safe side.” Double checking to see that it was on tightly I looked over at Alex before slowly turning the water on.

Alex and I watched to see if any water was coming out. “It’s holding.” I said as I turned the water on full force.

I held my breath as I watched the faucet. After a few seconds when it was still holding I turned the water off and looked over at Alex. “I fixed it!”

Alex was nodding his head. “You did.”

I put my hands on my hips and looked around the room. “What else needs fixing around here?”

Alex started to laugh. “You know you fixed it with tape, right?”

“Not right now.” I held up my hand to stop him from continuing. “I’m still enjoying my feeling of accomplishment.”

Steven came into the kitchen. “What have you two been up to?”

I pointed to the faucet. “I fixed the sink!”

Steven reached over and turned the facet on. “Hey, no leaks. Good job!”

I smiled as he turned the water off. “I’m thinking maybe I should get a tool belt.”

“Hey, I’d be glad to get you a tool belt.”

“Really?”

“Sure. But you know when you get a tool belt it comes with a list of projects that need to be done.”

I thought about that for a moment. “You know, on second thought I think I’ll take a pass on the tool belt right now.”

It was late afternoon and my husband Steven and son Alex and I were all enjoying a soft breeze as we sat on our back porch waiting for the sun to set.

“Anyone interested in a fire?” I asked as I looked over at our fire pit that was overflowing with dried out sticks.

For the last couple of months anytime any of us were in the yard and saw a stick laying in the grass we’d toss it in the fire pit.

I looked over at Alex. “Can you go inside and get the lighter and some newspaper?”

Alex got up. “Sure.”

I walked over to the fire pit and began breaking the larger sticks into smaller pieces. As I was working on that Alex came over with the lighter and newspaper.

“Thanks.” I grabbed the newspaper and began balling it up. Reaching down I placed the newspaper balls under the sticks.

“Are you going to stack them in a teepee shape?” Alex asked.

I looked over at him. “I was just going to light the newspaper on fire and see what happens.”

“Oh.” Alex sounded disappointed. “I’m not sure you’ll have enough air flow.”

I waved the lighter at him. “Let’s not get all science-y here.” I bent down clicking the lighter and watched as the newspaper began to burn. “I’m sure this will go up pretty quickly.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll see.”

He sat down in the Adirondack chair next to me and we watched the flames begin to get bigger.

“I did it.” I said as I smiled and sat back enjoying my effort. “You know, this is the first fire I ever started.”

Alex looked over at me with a surprised look on his face. “You’ve never started a fire before?”

“Nope.”

“I can’t believe that.” He didn’t seem convinced.

I looked over at him. “I live with three guys. Do you really think I would ever get a chance to make a fire with you guys around?”

Alex laughed. “I guess not.”

The heat from the fire began to reach us and we moved our chairs back. “You know there’s something very satisfying about making a fire.”

“I know.”Alex watched as I turned around to scan the woods. “You’re looking for more stuff to burn aren’t you?”

I had to laugh. “I am.” I got up and was headed for the woods when I looked over at our birdhouse which had a Black-capped chickadee family in residence. One of the parents was sitting on a limb right outside the house loudly chirping. I could see the smoke going in that direction. “Oh no!”

“What?” Alex asked.

I pointed to the birdhouse. “The babies hatched the other day! I heard them when I was filling the feeders!”

“Okay?”

Another billow of smoke floated in that direction. “The smoke’s going right into their house.”

I sat back down in my chair. “Maybe we shouldn’t add anything more to the fire.” I could see the fire was beginning to die down.

“I guess that satisfying feeling of fire building is over.”

“It is for now.” I got up and walked toward the house. Grabbing the hose I headed back to the fire pit. “I’ll have this out in a second.” I called over to the chickadee.

I was sitting outside trying to enjoy the beautiful day when a brown oak tassel fell out of the tree above me and swirled down to drop on my shoulder. “These things are killing me!” I said to myself as I picked it off of me and tossed it onto our lawn that was already covered in them.

My son Alex came out of the house. I waved him over to the chair next to me. “I’ve already cleaned your chair off!” I called.

Both our chairs had been covered in a coating of green pollen.

As Alex came over I began to itch my eyes. “I swear this pollen season is worse than last year.”

“You’ve been saying that for the past few years.” Alex reminded me.

“That’s because I was never allergic to anything before.” I picked another oak tassel off my chair and began to sniffle. “But these things are everywhere!”

“Seems like there’s a lot more of them this year.” We looked over at two squirrels chasing each other around the birdbath.

“Lucky me.” I snorted.

“When did you notice you were allergic to oak trees?”

“When we moved here.” Another tassel found it’s way onto my lap.

“Really?”

I shrugged my shoulders as I brushed it off. “I don’t remember ever having any problems until the neighbors across the street cut down those two big oaks in their front yard.” I shook my head at the memory and looked over at Alex. “Remember we were out on a walk and when we turned the corner the smell of the freshly cut wood started to close up my throat? Then my eyes began to water.” I shook my head again. “It’s been all down hill from there.”

We live in a heavily wooded neighborhood made up largely of oak trees. This is the time of year you see piles of oak tassels, raked out to the curb, waiting for the town to come by and pick them up.

Another tassel dropped on my head. I held it up to Alex.“I was driving by a group of kids that were throwing clumps of these things at each other.” I tossed the tassel to the ground. “There was even one little boy that had a clump of them on his head, wearing it like a hat.” I shook my head and had to laugh. “My eyes began to itch just watching them.”

Alex started to laugh. “Don’t worry they won’t be falling much longer.”

Just then the wind picked up and dozens of them began to swirl to the ground. “Well, I’m out of here!” I said as I headed to the house “I need to blow my nose and wash the pollen off my hands.”

“Remember just a few short weeks ago you were complaining that spring would never get here?” Alex called to me.

“Remind me to be grateful when this part of spring is over!” I said as I brushed the last few tassels from my shirt and went into the house.

I walked into the house carrying several grocery bags and placed them on the counter. “Okay, let’s see if I win!”

I walked past my son Alex and went over to the shopping list that had been left on the counter.

“Why do you always leave the grocery list at home?” Alex asked as he began unloading the bags.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t do it on purpose. I just forget to bring it.”

Alex opened the refrigerator and put the milk on the shelf. “So why don’t you make the list on your phone? That way you’d always have it with you.”

I looked at him for a moment then shook my head no. “This is more fun.” I said as I held up the list.

Alex was still putting the rest of the groceries away while I quickly read through the list. “I remembered everything!” I cried as I waved the list up in the air. “And there were some hard ones on here.”

Alex started to laugh. “You had hard ones?”

I pointed to the first item on the list. “Dijon mustard.” Hoping he’d be impressed but not taking any chances. “Not just mustard but Dijon mustard.”

Alex nodded. “Okay, I guess that was a hard one.” he took the list from me. “Wait. It says Cascade.” He looked around on the counter top. “I just unloaded the bags and I didn’t see any Cascade.”

I held up a finger. “That’s because your Dad said he wanted to get that at Costco, so it doesn’t count.”

Alex nodded again. “It also says tortillas.” he pointed to the item on the list. “I wrote that one myself and I know I didn’t put that in the freezer.”

I looked back on the list. “That one doesn’t count either.”

Alex laughed. “Why doesn’t that one count?”

“Because it wasn’t on the list this morning when I looked at it.”

“I know.” Alex put the list back on the counter. “That’s because I added it when I ate the last one at lunch today.”

“See. So it doesn’t count.”

“How?”

“Because my ‘memorize the grocery list’ game started this morning before I left the house. Anything added after that goes on the next list.”

I pulled a pad out of the drawer along with a pen and handed it to Alex. “You can start a new list and that can be the first item on it.”

Alex sighed as he began to write. “If you’re not going to put the list on your phone maybe you could call me when you forget the list and I can send you a picture of it.”

I shook my head. “I told you I’m working on my memory.” I crumpled up the old list and threw it in the garbage then tapped the side of my head with my pointer finger. “As you can see I’m crushing this memory game!”

Alex handed me the new list where he’d printed TORTILLAS in capital letters. “Hopefully this will help with your next trip.”

I was in my bedroom getting ready for work when I heard my son, Alex call from the kitchen. “Hey! You’ve got a hummingbird at your feeder!”

“What? No!” I cried as I stumbled out of my room still trying to get my shoe on. “Not now!” I came into the kitchen looking at where Alex was pointing. Standing on the edge of the glass feeder, dipping his long beak into the opening shaped like a flower, was a ruby-throated hummingbird taking a long drink of nectar.

“I put those feeders out a month ago when we had a warm spell.” I looked over at Alex. “But I haven’t changed the nectar since. What if it’s gone bad and he gets sick?”

I went over to the drawer where I kept my pots. Pulling out a saucepan I placed it on top of the stove. “I really don’t have time for this!” I looked at my watch. “I’m suppose to leave for work in ten minutes!”

I went to the cabinet where I stored the sugar and pulled the plastic container off the shelf. “I wasn’t expecting you today!” I called over my shoulder to the emerald green beauty.

I reached into the drawer and pulled out a measuring cup. Scooping a cup of sugar from the container I poured it into the saucepan. Carrying the pan over to the sink I poured four cups of water over the sugar. Once the pan was on the burner I lit the flame then looked at Alex.

“I really need to finish getting ready for work.” I grabbed a wooden spoon from the drawer and handed it to Alex. “Can you give this a quick stir until the sugar dissolves and turn it off when it comes to a boil?”

Alex gave it a quick stir. “Sure.”

I went back to my bedroom to brush my teeth and do my hair.

“Hey,” Alex called a minute or so later from the kitchen. “Just wanted to let you know the goldfinches are all over your new feeder but the seed is pretty low.”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I tossed my hairbrush back in the vanity drawer and peeked out the bathroom window to see for myself.

Alex was right. The feeder needed to be filled again. “You guys are pigs.” I mumbled as I went out to the kitchen and headed to the back porch. “You know I just filled that two days ago.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think they call the amount of goldfinches we have out there a charm anymore. I’m pretty sure it’s called an infestation.”

I had to laugh. “No it’s not.” I grabbed the bucket of birdseed and went out to the feeder. It only took me a minute to fill before I was back up on the porch. Alex was waiting at the back door.

“The hummingbird food came to a boil so I turned it off.”

I looked over at the red glass feeders. “I’ll fill them when I get home from work.”

I was just getting ready to step back into the house when Alex pointed over my shoulder. “Hey, that’s the first chipmunk I’ve seen this year.”

I turned around to see the little brown fur ball scampering around the bottom of the feeders.

“Didn’t you get him a bag of shelled peanuts?” Alex asked.

I tipped my head back and sighed. “I really don’t have time for this!” I checked my watch again. “I should be leaving for work right now!”

“But don’t you usually go in early?”

“Yes. Because I need to get some things done before everyone comes in.” I was back in the cabinet grabbing the bag of shelled peanuts.

“So, you’re really not late yet.” He reminded me as he went to the drawer to get a pair of scissors so I could open the bag.

“I guess you’re right.” I looked at my watch again. “Technically, I’m not late yet.” I opened the bag and scooped out a handful of peanuts.

“See!” Alex opened the back door, following me as I went back out on the porch.

He stood next to me while I tossed peanuts over to the chipmunk. When I was finished I brushed the peanut dust off my hands and Alex patted me on the shoulder. “If anyone at work asks why you’re not there at your usual time just tell them you had some unexpected guests show up at the house.”

“Hey, Alex!” I called to my son. “Guess who’s at the feeders again today?”

“The goldfinches?” Alex came into the kitchen where I was standing by the sink looking out at my feeders that were swarming with goldfinches.

“I can’t believe we have so many!” I pointed out the window. “Aren’t they adorable? It’s like watching marshmallow Peeps flying around!”

Alex laughed. “I wonder why there are so many of them this year?”

I began to count them. “I see ten right now. How many do you see?”

I saw Alex scanning the yard. “Did you get the two in the tree over there?” I looked to where he was pointing.

“I missed them!” I cried. “That makes an even dozen!”

I reached over the sink and opened the window. We could hear them calling to one another. “They sure have a lot to say.” I looked over at Alex. “I have no idea why we have so many this year, but I’m loving it!”

They fluttered from tree branches to feeder then back to the branches.

“I just ordered a special goldfinch feeder and thistle seed for them.”

Alex looked confused. “What’s wrong with the feeders we already have?”

“They’re not designed for goldfinches.” I shook my head. “And those feeders don’t have their favorite seed in them.”

Alex pointed to the feeders out the window. “I’m going to disagree with you on that one. They seem pretty happy to me.”

We watched the feeders as little battles erupted when they wanted their turn at the perch. “See, they don’t have enough places to land!” I argued. “The new feeder I just ordered is a long tube with several spots for them to perch. They’re going to love it!” I looked over at Alex. “Did you know they’re social eaters.”

Alex looked over at me. “How do you know that?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I looked it up.”

Alex nodded. “Of course you did.”

I continued with my list of facts. “Guess what they call a group of them?”

Alex shook his head. “A flock?”

“Nope! A charm!” I couldn’t help but smile. “Isn’t that adorable!”

Alex laughed. “I guess that’s a good name for a bunch of flying Peeps.”

“I know! Right?”

We watched as a couple of Black-capped chickadee’s tried to get to the feeder but there wasn’t enough room. “That’s another reason I ordered the new feeder. The goldfinches are hogging all the space and my other little friends can’t get a spot.”

Alex laughed. “So now you’re annoyed at the goldfinches for hogging the feeders?”

“Only for the next day or two until their feeder comes in.” I leaned across the sink. “Hey, can you guys let my other friends have a turn please?” I called out the window.

Alex looked at me for a moment before he reached over the sink and slowly closed the window.

“Why do you keep forgetting we have neighbors?”

A few weeks ago my husband Steven surprised me with over a dozen hyacinth plants. They hadn’t bloomed yet so you could only see the purple crown of the flower poking out from the center of the leaves.

“They’re going to be beautiful!” I said as I looked over at him feeling concerned. “But aren’t you and Alex allergic to them?”

Steven shrugged his shoulders. “I was going to get you daffodils but they didn’t have any and I know how much you like these, too. I figured if we planted them far enough away from the house they would look great and we wouldn’t be able to smell them from the house.”

Steven picked up the box that the plants were in. “Let’s go in the backyard so you can find a spot for them.”

We headed out through the kitchen door. After scanning the yard we decided on a spot where I could still see them from the kitchen window but far enough away that we were pretty sure we wouldn’t be able to smell them.

Steven placed the box down on the ground and went to the garage to get a shovel. While he was gone I grabbed my phone to see what kind of care they would need.

When Steven came back with the shovel and a container of plant food I was still scrolling through my phone. “They don’t like a lot of water.” I looked at Steven and smiled. “That’s good because you know I have weak watering skills.”

Steven laughed as he started to dig a hole. “Yes, you do.”

I was still scrolling while Steven kept digging. “Did you also know hyacinths are deer resistant?”

Steven nodded his head as he dug the shovel into the ground again. “That’s another reason I picked them.”

The deer population in our neighborhood is huge.

Steven finished making the hole and went and got our watering can. Filling it up before adding a few scoops of plant food. He filled the hole with some water before taking the plants out of the containers and placing them in the wet earth. “These are suppose to be planted in the fall.” he said. “So you might not get a bloom this year.”

I knelt down next to him. “But they look like they’re ready to pop any minute!”

“They could.” he was still arranging them in the hole before placing the dirt around them. “That’s why I gave them some plant food to help them out.”

Once he was finished planting them we both stood up to admire our new hyacinth patch.

Weeks later I was looking out my kitchen window when I saw the purple star shaped flowers had bloomed.

“The hyacinths are blooming!” I cried.

Steven and my son Alex came into the kitchen. I was pointing out the kitchen window. “They’re blooming!”

I lead the way out the kitchen door to admire them from the deck. We weren’t out for more than a moment when their heavy fragrance reached us. “Uh, oh!” I looked over at Steven and Alex. “I guess we didn’t plant them far enough.” I slowly inhaled. “They do smell nice though.” I looked over at them. “Don’t they?”

Alex looked over at me, his eyes already looking watery. “They are pretty but they smell like a headache to me.”

“I’m sorry.” I sighed.

“Don’t be. I’m glad you like them.” he began walking towards the kitchen door. “I’ll just be enjoying them from inside the house for the next couple of weeks.”

I watched as Alex disappeared into the house before looking over at Steven. “I really do love them.”

“I’m glad.” He sniffled and leaned over to kiss my forehead. “But I’m with Alex on loving them from inside the house.”

“I have to run to the grocery store!” I called from the front door. “I forgot the sour cream that goes with dinner!”

“Okay, see you in a minute!” My son Alex called from his room.

Forty minutes later I returned, carrying a potted orchid. The few flowers that had already bloomed were a beautiful shade of purple with a half-dozen buds waiting to open.

Alex met me at the door. “Well, that doesn’t look like sour cream.” he laughed.

I pointed over my shoulder as I went into the living room to put the flower in my “when I buy an orchid this is the spot it likes” place. “The bags are in the trunk.” I began adjusting the orchid so that I’d be able to see the blooms when I was sitting on the couch. “Perfect!” I said as I stepped back to enjoy my new addition.

Alex came in carrying several plastic bags. “I thought you were just going to get sour cream?” he placed the bags on the kitchen counter and began unloading them.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Once I was in there I kept remembering other things I needed so…”

Alex pulled out a box of Russell Stover candies and held it up to me. “I can see that.”

“Hey, every once in a while I feel like a little piece of chocolate okay?” I took the box from him and tossed it on the counter.

“Fine with me.” Alex laughed. “I’m just surprised with the interesting list of things you got when you were only going out for sour cream.” He handed me two bricks of cheddar cheese.

“Those are for snacks after dinner.” I opened the refrigerator and placed them in the drawer. “Weren’t you the one who asked me to get cheese a few days ago?”

“I was, when you bought crackers last week but there was nothing to put on them.”

“See? I remembered and you’re welcome.” I went back over to the bags and pulled out a half gallon of strawberry ice cream. “This is for dessert.” I opened the freezer. “I thought we could drizzle some chocolate sauce on it.”

“Sounds good.” Alex peeked in the bag. “Did you remember to get sour cream?”

I looked around on the counter. “I’m positive I did.” I looked over at him. “Did you get all the bags from the car?” I began gathering up the empty grocery bags and realized there was still something in one of them. “Thank goodness.” I said as I pulled the container of sour cream out of it. “I was afraid I was going to have to go back to the store.”

Alex laughed again as he looked at the box of chocolate on the counter. “I’m pretty sure I know why they say you should never shop on an empty stomach.”

I scooped the box of chocolates off the counter. “I’m not saying you aren’t right but when I open this box I’m sure you’ll want me to share.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

He walked over to the orchid. “We haven’t had one of these in a long time.” He gently touched the flower.

I shook my head as I walked over to where he was standing. “There was just something about that one that said it needed to come home with me.” I looked over at Alex. “Every once in a while you just need to treat yourself to something beautiful.”

Alex looked at the box of chocolates tucked under my arm.“And something delicious.”

I smiled as I put the box on the coffee table. “And delicious.”