Ms. Evelyn

  Isn't it funny how something as simple as a ribbon can trigger a memory and then a flood of feelings follow?  Hanging on our Christmas Tree are several handmade ornaments that were given to me years ago. These are nothing more than a few pieces of ribbon tied together with a button glued in the middle.  They are supposed to resemble poinsettias.  As an handcrafted item, they are nothing special..as a memory, they are everything. 

  Back when my kids were small, I did a lot of volunteering at their school.  Mostly, I did arts and crafts with the kids but I, also, decorated their classrooms for different events or parties.  It was fun and kept me in close contact with their teachers.  Not many parents wanted the extra work that was involved in being "Class Mom" but I loved it.  With my youngest son's classroom, I had a helper.  She was the grandmother of a little girl in the same grade.  Ms. Evelyn and I got along famously and could work together without ever a hitch.  She was highly creative and never shied away from any projects.  In fact, she instigated a good many of the fun times that we provided for the children.  

  Each year, Ms. Evelyn and I would exchange a small gift at Christmastime.  Always, these gifts were homemade!  What else could be expected?  I cherished each just as I know that she did.  Good friends are just that way. 

  Well, as they have a habit of doing, the kids grew into adults and Ms. Evelyn and I did not have classrooms to decorate.  We still kept in touch with each other until that fateful day when Hurricane Katrina hit.  With no method of communications at hand, we had no way of contacting each other.  Her house took a direct hit.  She and her husband headed to Texas to live with their son for a while.  I had no idea at the time and with all the confusion that major storms leave in their wake, I never even thought of the outside world.  

  It was not until years afterwards that I discovered that my dear friend had passed from this world.  I felt a whole rush of emotions.  It was hard. Just weeks later as I was decorating the Little Bayou House for Christmas, I came across the ribbon ornaments.  Wow!  These things were always special but  now they took on a whole new meaning.  They were our friendship all tied up in ribbon.  I still cherish the poinsettias and hang them on the tree.  I still cherish the memory of Ms. Evelyn. Some friendships last forever.

Pop's Poinsettia

Back in the day when I was but a kid, Pop used to grow all sorts of things.  That stood to reason..we lived on a farm!  Anyway, he was never one that would pass up a challenge to get some unusual plant to flourish whether it be in the fields or among the many flowers that he grew in the kempt yard.  One such plant was a Poinsettia.  I can remember that folks from all over would stop to see this plant.  They would ask if they could take a picture of it or have their pictures taken in front of it.  It was not that Poinsettias are or were that rare.  The plants can easily be bought in most any store around Christmas time.  It was just the sheer size of Pop's Poinsettia that lured people into the yard to have a look.  About midsummer, the plant would suddenly start shooting skyward!  It was planted on the south side of the large, screened porch and provided a good bit of shade.  By late fall, the plant would be every bit as tall as the porch itself!  By the time that I took notice of the plant, it had multiplied to be many shoots.  A good twenty or thirty stalks would rise up a be as big around as a shovel handle at the base!  They were huge!  The Poinsettia we are so used to seeing nowadays is but a wee facsimile of the true plant.  Pop's was a true plant.  Then, after the first freeze, the tops would all turn crimson!  The beautiful dark red bracts would contrast nicely against the bright green leaves.  (Those golden little globs in the middle of the red leaves are actually the flower part of the plant!)  I, like everyone else, was in awe of Pop's Poinsettia!  It was gorgeous!  And...when it turned brilliant red, it meant that Christmas was near!

All of the memories of Pop's Poinsettia came flooding back to me late this afternoon as Ms. Ez and I were on our daily hike.  After making our way to the pier and back, we headed around to the back of the house.  I wanted to grab a couple of Satsumas from the tree as a late evening snack.  After grabbing my fruit, I took the long way around to the front door.  This took me through the herb garden and across the tiny footbridge.  Once inside the Rose Garden, I caught a glimpse of red and thought perhaps the geraniums had spilled over through the fence.  It was then that I realized that the Poinsettia Plant was starting to change colors!  My sister-in-law had given me a small plant two years ago right after Christmas.  She had been at their church after the holidays were over and noticed that the Poinsettias that had decorated the sanctuary were being removed.  She hated to see them just tossed in the trash so she salvaged as many as she could.  Cynthia was kind to share one with me!  My plant was replanted in a larger pot and promptly forgotten (as I am so prone to do with most plants!).  It grew.   Neglected for two years, it is surprising that the plant is still alive and now..it is gracing me with a bit of wintry beauty!  I told Son that he needed to haul it inside for me so we could "temper" it.  He looked a bit confused but humored me on this one.  The plant needs a good bit of darkness (at least twelve hours each day for a month) to attain its bright colors.  (How Pop got his outdoor plant to do this is beyond me!)  Hopefully, this Poinsettia will be brilliant red by Christmas!  Granted my Poinsettia is far from the size of Pop's as mine is only about three feet tall but it is a start!  Maybe in a few years, mine can be a tree-sized harbinger of Christmastime!