Loveliest, Again

 

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

 

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

 

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

Cousins

7 Cousins, 1 Cousin-in-law, & 1 Grandmother (The unfortunate fashion statement at lower right was not the fault of the person wearing it.)

Panic. Away from home. Unable to access Internet from laptop, where e-mail password is stored in browser. Unable to access e-mail from borrowed desktop because e-mail provider will not accept passwords.

Oh, it’s not that bad. I can’t get to my e-mail from the desktop at home either. Should have done something about that ages ago but just let it ride. Will think about it tomorrow.

I’m visiting with my cousin MV. She’s the oldest of seven cousins. I’m the youngest of the bunch. 

I must say she has improved with age. She’s not nearly so bossy now that we are both senior citizens.

MV’s first baby was born when I was ten years old. Six weeks later, I spent a week with her family. I wagged Baby around as if he were a doll.

I was very good at it, if I do say so myself, but it has since occurred to me that MV was either very brave or very crazy. I had neither experience nor character references.

Or maybe she was just crazy like a fox. I changed a lot of diapers that week.

The baby is now on his own way to senior citizenhood, as is his little brother, who also survived my handling.

In fact, it won’t be too long before they start getting mail from AARP. I don’t know whether they realize this. I was surprised and a bit insulted when I got my invitation to join up.

Because I’m convinced all seven of us are still as young and cute as we were the Christmas our picture was taken.