Husband asked me many days ago was there anything special I wanted from him for Mother’s Day.

I just want cactus, I said. Lots of them, actually. Really? his response. Totally.

See, there is a cactus vendor at our local farmer’s market and his stall every Saturday is brimming with the most intriguing, spiny flora you’ve ever seen. They look other-wordly. Alien. Artistic. I want to fill one side of our driveway with an audience of them.

Right now on that sad hillside there are a couple scraggly looking fruit trees that scream for water and in SoCal, we’re expected to ration H20.

Everybody knows cactii don’t have an addiction to water. And they are so. . . can I say it? . . . Cute.

So that’s what husband did.

Yesterday, I woke up to a little garden of strange, hot-dog-like creatures, all of them looking as if they should be named. Care to suggest some?

Oh, and the cherry limeade from Sonic?

It was divine. Splendid. Superb.

See you on Wednesday, when I will post a couple days early. (I’ll be teaching at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference this Friday.) We’ll talk about two new books – one from Robin Lee Hatcher and one by Susie May Warren. I will also post the winner of Elizabeth Musser’s new book, Words Unspoken. See you then!