the day after

 
I hope everyone had a pleasant day yesterday.

My sister, who has traveled for Christmas every year since her husband died 10 years ago and spent the holiday either with her daughter in New Mexico or our brother in Washington state, did not travel this year because...covid. Instead her granddaughter Vickie came to spend the holiday with her and so Pam and Vickie hosted a very small Christmas dinner in her new house with us and her roaming adventure friend Bobby. It was very nice and we had a good time.

Pam is the only person I exchange gifts with because she adamantly refuses not to do so and her gift to me this year was this very cool pig birdhouse which no bird with any sense at all will ever nest in because the hole is big enough to give every predator access so it's purely decorative. I love it.

My gift to her hasn't arrived yet, maybe today. I ordered it end of November and eleven days later got a notice that a mailing label, with tracking number, had been created and the post office was waiting for the package to arrive at a facility. Eight days after that according to the tracking number it still had not arrived at the facility. I dashed off an inquiry, they apologized, didn't know what had happened, duplicated my order and sent it UPS this time due to arrive the 29^th. The next day, just out of curiosity I checked the original shipment via USPS and it now said delivery scheduled for the 26^th, today. So, yay, she gets two.

My brother always sends a gift too, some sort of edible (no not that kind), even though I never reciprocate. This year it was a box of sugar, an assortment of candy from the area, which I got a big kick out of so either he didn't read the post about my blood sugar level or he's trying to kill me. And yes, I'm eating them anyway.

The grandgirls are here at their parent's house across town, the grandboy in Arkansas with his girlfriend. Had planned to go visit yesterday but we all took naps instead so that's on the agenda for today. (After I wrote this Jade and Robin came by for a visit on their way out.)

And so to tidy up this week, Wednesday, instead of finishing clearing out the last 12' of the barn because a cold front was due in that evening with a chance of rain, I got the trash wood over to the burn pile and everything else I didn't want to get wet squirreled away and by then I was worn out and went in and took a nap. We did get some rain and Thursday it was very cold and very windy and I barely ventured out. Yesterday a bit warmer, nice in the sun, but, nah and doubtful I'll get to it today either. We really need to get the roll up doors that were planned for each end but that will have to wait.

Winter is our good sunset season but this year they haven't really been anything much but last night we finally got a good one.

two surprises

Way back right after the flood when I was pulling things out of the house and reported losing all my art and design books (but not my glass art/technique books which were on a higher shelf which was fortunate because more than one of those is out of print now), I received a message from a FB 'friend', a man I have never met but who comments on my posts now and then. He had been following my tale of woe and asked about the art books and for my address, a message I never replied to because I was kind of overwhelmed at the time and it just slipped past me. Eight days ago he inquired again whether I had lost all or most my art books. To which I replied yes, but that I was not that upset about it and planned to donate the survivors to the library, only a few that I really cared about and I listed about 5 titles and I gave him my address. Yesterday, the mail carrier came up the driveway and handed me a box. When I opened it, this was inside.

This is not an inexpensive book. So, John Fletcher who lives in Michigan and whom I have never met or spoken to except to exchange a comment now and then, you have a beautiful and generous heart. Thank you for your thoughtful gift.

So because the universe wasn't through showing me that there is still beauty in the world, when I checked on the four chrysalises I saw one monarch had emerged and two others had turned black indicating that emergence was nigh (within 24 hours). 

When I saw it flex its wings, I gently lifted it out and put it on one of the plants I had brought inside. The next morning it was still there still exercising its wings slowly so I gently lifted it up and transferred it to the rose bush in full sun. The next time I went to check on it, it was gone. 

I had also taken the two chrysalises out and put them on the plant stand 

and by early afternoon, another had emerged. 

Just now, when I checked again it had also flown off but the third chrysalis was gone, not even the empty shell left behind. I sifted through the dried up leaves below and found it with a jagged hole in the side, victim I suppose of a bird. 

I guess I should have considered that when I placed them so near the tea cup.