Olathe, Kansas

I’m falling in love with green all over again.  Don’t get me wrong; I love my gum trees and my bush environment back in Australia.  But, oh my!  The green, green grass of home sings to me.

I’m staying with my niece, Mary, and her hubby, Tom, in Olathe.  They have a beautiful home and a wonderful big garden.  I’m guessing “wonderful” is not the word on Tom’s tongue at the moment, however.  As I write, they are out in their wonderful garden, for the second sweaty day in a row, doing the necessary chores required by such wonderful gardens.  I, on the other hand, am enjoying the wonderful green-ness of it all from the safe distance of a wicker rocking chair on the patio.  (Don’t even bother asking why I’m not out there helping with the planting, mulching, weeding, watering, feeding, etc. –I’m here telling you about it.)  I have help; my friend, Teddy is helping me to guard the patio, keeping it safe for all and sundry.   (Did I mention I’m having a wonderful time?)

I need to explain about Teddy.  He and I are getting acquainted slowly and gently–not necessarily my usual style, but it certainly suits him.  Teddy has only one speed: all-ahead-slow.  He also has a dropped foot, like me, so we have the makings of a sort of bond.  I may have mentioned before that I am not a dog person. That is to say, I generally don’t like dogs.  I prefer cats.  I also prefer Subarus to Volvos, jazz to country, pecans to walnuts, chocolate to anything.   I don’t hate Volvos or walnuts. But here’s the thing:  I really like Teddy!  And I’m also fond of his cousin, Otis.  That’s huge for me.  I reckon by the end of my visit, Teddy and I will be mates, in a quiet sort of way.  You would understand if you could see his face, but he is decidedly camera-averse, so it’s unlikely I’ll ever get a proper photo. 

I’ll be hanging out in Kansas all through June, so I expect to have at least one close encounter of the tornado kind.  I shall keep you posted from my bunker.     MM