A Gift of Green Leaves

I awoke to a lush, green world on this last day of May. This Virginia creeper originated on the ground below our 10 foot high deck. The vine's tendril crept up the downspout some 18 feet to find its place in the sun. This basketless hanging basket dangles above the grill where John barbecues almost every night of the year--even in the sleet, even under the broiling sun.

I tried to take a photo of today's earrings amidst the Virginia creeper, but their green provided too much camouflage.

So I wandered down to the berry patch, looking for another photo op. There in my path was a bountiful crop of poison ivy.

Leaves of three, let it be.

Leaves of five, let it thrive.

Two vines, three-leaved poison ivy and five-leaved Virginia creeper.

I slipped past it and the stinging nettles, and hung my leafy green earrings among the green blueberries that dangle, ripening in the warm sunlight.

These, like many others in my collection, were a gift from a student years ago, a child  who bought them with her own money while on a vacation with her family. When she saw them, she thought of me. That warms my heart, as the sun warmed this last day of May.