Monarchs and Eddie

I’m kicking myself for not planting more reds, purples and hot pinks for the hummingbirds and monarchs, especially for the monarchs.
I did plant some red verbena and while I was out watering the forever thirsty, run up my water bill annuals, I watched one lone monarch light on it. As I stood and watched it gather nectar, a cat crept out from around the powis castle. He was in full stalking mode after my monarch! Out of nowhere and yet somewhere from deep inside of me, I heard myself quietly say “No! That’s Ed’s monarch.”
Ed was my brother and he died last January. Last summer while at his farm, I had watched Eddie stand each day at the kitchen window in complete reverence watching the monarchs on the butterfly shrubs out back. He never got tired of watching them. He’d call you over again and again and say, “Look at that! Can you believe that?” For Ed, each butterfly was always the first one he’d ever seen.
So I did a lot of picture taking of the monarchs for Ed, maybe for me too.
Today, my lovely and beautiful sister in law frets over those butterfly shrubs like she did so tenderly and adoringly with Ed. She tells me the monarchs are all over the back garden. I must go see them; I miss Eddie.