Green

anabelle and i are visiting my dad and sarah here in boyleston, massachusetts where the green is so green it all looks like a big jungle compared to the sparse and jagged landscape and red red rock of las vegas. today she sat in the grass for the very first time. she hoisted her elbows up so high they almost reached her armpits, so unsure she was of the prickly mess she was sitting atop. i showed her how to pat it and wiggle her toes in it, and that made her giggle. we sat in the hammock which overlooks dad's gardens, and that also made her laugh. she clung to the ropes and refused to rest with me. who can blame her -- it's all so new! i showed her a bullfrog and a Full Moon japanese maple, let her touch the rough bark of a tree, and we picked a small purple violet. soon both of her chubby hands were filled with clumps of limp greenery.

then upstairs we went for her "morning" nap - i am clinging to the remnants of a tattered schedule - and as i nursed her to sleep (for shame, i know) i wondered if her mind is just now seeing only the greens of dad's garden. the hundreds and thousands of shades - the dappled green of the grass underneath the trees, the chartruese of the hostas... all nameless and wonderous. each leaf, each blade seen in great detail and up close, the big picture just a big blur.