The Lovely Present

Diamonds, rubies and jewels are tough to come by at the lake, so when my birthday came last week, the boys had few gifts on-hand. One of the boys knew exactly what I wanted, and he slipped quietly out the door, and collected what was available. In the spirit of Charlotte Zolotow’s, Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, he visited the lake garden and brought me cucumbers, beans, zucchini, peppers, a cherry tomato, some blueberries

and some flowers, just for good measure.

He handed me the bundle, still covered with dirt, and said, “Happy Birthday,” and took off back to the dock to play.

I was very grateful.