Blue Sparks

While outside the other week I noticed a small piece of fluff floating in the wind. It spiraled around in the air currents for a while and eventually landed close to where I was standing. The fluff was actually the seed from a milkweed plant, a pest that I have viciously cut down in my own gardens on many occasions. This time it was different, and I really do not know why. Rather than the usual loathing of a plant that I am unable to kill, a flood of childhood memories came back to me. One in particular sticks out more than the others.

I remember finding a caterpillar on a milkweed plant when I was a child. Being curious I captured the young monarch butterfly larvae with a piece of the plant and placed it in a jar with some holes poked in the top. Over the next few weeks I continued to feed the small caterpillar by finding new milkweed and adding it to the jar. Eventually it hung itself upside down from one of the leaves and created a cocoon. Being quite proud of this “accomplishment” I took the jar in to school to show all my friends.

Now, at some point along the way something bad happened to this poor butterfly I was trying to raise. I can not remember if my mother would not allow the jar in the house, or if I just forgot it outside on the picnic table one night. No matter what the reasoning was, it happened to rain that night and the poor jar was flooded when I found it the next morning. I emptied the water from the jar and dried out the cocoon, but it was too late. I never did get to see the butterfly emerge…

It seems odd, and yet exciting at the same time, how something as simple as a small seed floating on the wind can bring back memories like this. Thank you, milkweed, for helping me remember.

Jackie and I’s 3rd wedding anniversary is coming up shortly. We were wandering around the mall today, attempting to give each other gift ideas. I believe I know what I am getting her, but I do not think I have given her sufficient ideas yet. It is hard though, I do not even know what I want. But I am starting to get on a tangent… already! Afterwards we started talking about how I proposed.

For my 26th birthday Jackie had decided to throw me a surprise party. Unfortunately for her, I managed to figure out what was going on beforehand. My thought was to do a reverse-surprise and propose to her when I walked in the door. Let me tell you that Jackie is quite the snooper, or at least that is what her family always tells me. She has an uncanny ability to be able to shake a wrapped gift and tell you exactly what it is! So with this in mind I was quite nervous about having the ring in the apartment at the time. Especially since Christmas was nearing and presents were beginning to accumulate.

I was not really sure what day the party was, so I carried the ring around in my pocket for about a week. My hand was in there almost constantly making sure I had not lost it. Finally I figured everything out when my friends Don and Matthew got me out of the house, quite conveniently, during a weekend when Jackie was around. I was taken out to Bayshore Hobbies in Hamilton where Don was nice enough to buy me a 100 sided die for my birthday. The whole time we were out I was so nervous I thought I was going to puke!!

When we finally got back home my plan, as stated above, was to drop to one knee as soon as the words surprise were exclaimed in unison. What I had not anticipated was silly string!!!! I was bathed head to toe in the blasted stuff as soon as I opened the door, and lost my concentration entirely. I had to think quickly and regroup. I look back and say to myself “You should have just done it right there anyway,” but that’s hindsight. Instead I started drinking, it was my birthday party!

About an hour later I managed to pull my courage together and told everyone I had an announcement to make. I pulled Jackie into our dining room/living area and dropped to one kneee with everyone watching. The rest is history, although she still claims she never would have said yes if she were more sober at the time!