on any given Sunday

there is a beautiful little scene that keeps replaying in my mind. it's late Sunday afternoon and the day is perfectly still. there is no wind and not a cloud in the sky. the sun is out and hitting us at just the right angle - the kind that makes for beautiful pictures, especially in the suburbs. we're in front of my parent's replanting the rock garden. i'm in charge of hauling the big bags of manure and soil out of my trunk and dumping there where the plants will go. my mom is in charge of telling me what to do. there's something about her crutch and the way she's leaning, then walking, then giving orders that reminds me of Dr. House. we're talking about how expensive that full-sized Magnolia tree was and why a smaller one will do just fine when my grandmother opens the front door. my mom repeats the price of the centrepiece in waiting to her and tells Amy to watch and wait for her reaction. on cue, she puts both hands to her head in her classic expression of disbelief. i have seen that expression a thousand times myself but never really noticed it until now. it's the cutest thing. it really is.