How lovely is the lily

I smelled it the instant I stepped from the car.
The sweet, tangy scent swam on the humid evening air, sliding on the warm breeze - an unexpected surprise.
Before I dragged the groceries out of the car, I ran around the side of the house. Its vibrant pink petals atop the rich green stem, the stargazer lily is truly a star among the plants at our home.
I always thought that the stargazer was a lily born in an exotic place. I know the ones in my wedding bouquet came from Holland. They almost did not arrive in time because I was married 11 days after Sept. 11, 2001, and a lot of planes weren't flying then.
I've told the story many times that the one thing I knew for certain about my wedding was that I would carry stargazer lilies. I couldn't picture my dress. Or the cake. But I could picture my bouquet. And, actually, it turned out much better than I imagined.
So when I saw a box of stargazer bulbs at Wal-Mart, I was taken aback. Could I grow my favorite flowers on my own? In my very own flower beds?
Turns out the answer is yes. Stargazers are not an exotic lily, although their colors can be quite tropical looking.
On a Saturday morning when Kenny was at the farm, I planted my six bulbs alongside the house in a place I hoped would not attract attention from the dogs or the legions of squirrels that seemed to be digging everywhere in our yard. I think we have a special breed of squirrels that suffer from memory loss because they seem to be struggling to find the walnuts they buried last year.
Four of the lilies came up fairly quickly. Then a fifth. And, finally, last week, the sixth has poked its head out of the mulch. I don't know if it is going to bloom this year since it is so far behind the rest. It was covered by some extra mulch the Ump had put down in the side flower beds.
The plants budded and then it seemed like forever as the long, slender flower grew and grew. Eventually, I could see a hint of the color and for the past two days I have been waiting for the flower to unfurl.
I drove right by, but she lured me with her sweet fragrance.
As you can tell, I grabbed the camera to take a shot. In a few days maybe there will be multiple flowers to photograph.
I am going to plant a whole bunch more next year - maybe even some different color lilies in a different area. But I am going to very carefully cultivate my stargazer patch and so I can relive one of the happiest days of my life all summer long.

My beautiful stargazer lily. 

Can you spare some change?

In the marketing department, we try to convince people that change is good. More is better. Leave that old slow dial-up behind for faster, better, newer broadband and, oh bytheway, what about wi fi? Are you prepared to go wireless?
If your job has anything to do with technology, you might be more comfortable with the idea of change because change is constant. One upgrade leads to another and so on and so on ad infinitum.
But when you move away from the desk is change as friendly and forward-moving? I feel like I'm clenching my hands and closing my eyes while Fate waves her fickle wand and randomly moves the pieces on my chess board.
My much beloved boss left last Friday. Nancy was a friend too, so I feel bereft on both fronts. It felt like our little department had finally settled into a rhythm. We all dance to different music, but we had achieved harmony sometimes. Will we again? Probably. Just the beat that was Nancy is gone.
In a fit of boldness a couple of weeks ago, I switched pocketbooks. For years I have carried a small purse - some not much bigger than a checkbook. They all had long, thin straps that I could wear comfortable over my shoulder and across my chest. I have very sloped shoulders off which regular bags slide uncomfortably and inconveniently.
Mom and I were in a shop in Lewisburg, W.Va., when I spotted a very light green leather rectangular purse about three times the size of the pocketbook strapped across my chest.
In marketing, this spring onion green is a very hot color. That might be what drew me to it. I am looking at the world through marketing eyes these days.
I bought the purse and Mom bought me the matching wallet.
It is cavernous. Everything from my old purse barely covered the bottom of this bag. I found myself getting frustrated as I groped around trying to find my keys or my sunglasses.
There's a special pocket inside for two cell phones or a cell and a PDA or IPOD or whatever.
I really like the purse, but somehow I feel fake. Like it's a change I didn't really need to make.
Even the Ump noticed the difference. When we left the house the other day he said "Don't forget your lunchbox" pointing at the green purse.
Pretty funny, but I didn't laugh out loud because I still feel unsettled about that damn purse.
And if you think I feel unsettled about that, imagine how I must feel about the whole job issue.
I know everyone says change is good. Maybe. But the best kind of change is an unexpected quarter in the bottom of a cavernous purse.