margaret's birthday

today is my aunt margaret's birthday. 

i call her margaret. she much prefers that.

margaret is my only aunt . . . but in "only" getting her, i lucked out because she was, and still very much is what i know as "the cool aunt" . . . you know, the person who dropped the important books ...
siddhartha, steppenwolf, a book of dali prints,  and much much more
at exactly the right time

to wake me up to the worlds beyond and inside this world . . .

she was the person who took me to europe in the middle of my teen years and made sure that i saw berlin - east and west, amsterdam, koln, and many places i had read about or heard about and which suddenly became entirely real and colourful.
as i look back on that journey (and i do that often) i still cannot imagine how she managed that.

but she did.

margaret opened a space in my understanding of this world that my own parents couldn't - through no fault of their own - (because i wouldn't let them) that allowed me to grow beyond my own limitations.

to be clear, i am very grateful for her existence beyond what she has provided me!

the world is a richer place for her incredible food, her passion for english history, her kindness, and her astonishing gardens.

yesterday we had coffee and little cakes from a local pastry shop.
she told me she was feeling her age.

well. not if her appearance, her lifestyle, and her wide ranging and
fascinating conversation are any indication!

happy birthday margaret!!!