The Gift of Living

Yesterday I spent my day off from slavedom enjoying the peace and tranquility with 2 friends at their little slice of heaven on earth. They live in an old farmhouse out on 4 beautifully maintained acres with the white picket fence, two dogs, some chickens, a pool and best of all, the dreamy aroma of they're many "Mimosa" trees in bloom!!
What could be more relaxing than laying in the pool soaking up the sun and smelling that delicious fragrance. If you have never smelled the blossoms you are surely missing a treat that fills the nostrils with elusive pleasure and makes the mind believe they are in heaven!! This tree also goes by other names: silk tree, silky acacia, and pink siris. It's latin name is Albizia Julibrissin. It's natural habitat occurs from Iran to Japan. It was introduced in the U.S. in 1745 and has since survived in the south-east areas. My earliest recollection of this tree comes from my Italian grandmother who did not give up when she planted it on her windy, northern Ohio farm. She waited for a few years for it to flower because it kept getting killed back by the winters but she finally got to witness the tree in bloom and the love affair began! Once I saw the tree and smelled it, my love affair had also been ignited. So you can imagine my complete surprise and delight upon discovering that my friends have not only one Mimosa but many of these delicious trees. Like I said, heaven!

So, I spent the day and part of the evening with my friends cooking, conversing, reading, walking, eating, and best of all, getting to know them a little better. A VERY good day indeed. This is what I speak of when I mention "quality of life"!

ANGELO