Birthday post & Where Sharon's From

This is one of my favorite parts of my garden. It's quiet, and shady. When I planted these Columbines, a friend of mine told me they were invasive and that I would be sorry that I put them in the garden. But, I love them because they are SO invasive and hardy. When all the rest of them get their faces out, I'll take a picture of the entire bed of them, but right now, the original natives are the only ones blooming. The others are a light lavender and a dark purple. They'll peek out later. I've tried to keep everything in this section in these colors, so they can shine up from the shadows. It's right by the steps that lead into our backyard deck, and I can sit on the steps and contemplate the world as it goes by:)

And since it's my birthday on Friday, I thought it would be fitting to have a blog entry that says "where I'm from". I truly enjoyed this exercise from Fragments from Floyd. Be sure to read Holly's Where I'm From poem too! Give this a try, and I promise you that you will have pleasant memories floating to the surface in no time at all!

Where Sharon's From
I am from apple dumplings,
from Capezio shoes
and phosphate drinks.
I am from the laundry flapping in the wind
and the penny pinching.
I am from the pink hollyhocks,
the double blossoms perfect
for making a clothespin baby's skirt.

I am from the scrabble dirt farmers
and wide hips and big feet,
from Rollie and Isabel
and all the Unknowns in the genealogy charts.
I am from the stubborn and the strong.
From "work before pleasure" and
"idle hands are the devil's workshop".
I am from vacation bible school
with baptismal blue Bible gifts.

I'm from the Heartland,
tacos and enchiladas,
pot roast on Saturdays
and fried chicken on Sundays.
From my Papa's softly whispered "Bonita Chiquita",
and my Father's arc welded steel,
and my Mother's sudsy hands.
I am from forgotten
black and white pictures,
misplaced names and places.
Faces that look at me from the mirror of my life.