Dixie getting used to her new home.
Delta and Dixie flew back from South Carolina Beach and were solemnly greeted by all of Oh Valley’s Fancifulls. They had both been dearly missed.
The Celebration of Life ceremony that was held for her Aunt Myrtle in South Carolina Beach had been beautiful. Attended by many of Aunt Myrtle’s neighbours and friends, though no other relatives as Dixie was Aunt Myrtle’s only living relative.
Dixie was relieved that Delta had been with her. Delta and Dixie crossed wing-tips through the ceremony as dragonflies don’t have hands to hold. Daphne and Dinah, Dixie’s sorority sisters, crossed wing-tips close at their side.
Daphne has made long flight back to Oh Valley with Dixie and Delta. Dinah couldn’t take time off work just then but said she’d drop in for a whirlwind visit while on hiatus between films. Yes, Oh Valley was added to her itinerary for later in the summer.
Dixie is sometimes sad when she thinks of her aunt dying. She knows she has the support of her friends here and that they are ready to listen and give assistance if asked. What she wishes is for everyone to act the same as they did before she left to attend her aunt’s funeral.
She wants her summer fun to return. She doesn’t want to think too much about Aunt Myrtle and become sad. She remembers the good times … like helping to make strawberry preserves… and rocking for hours on the porch swing while her aunt told her stories of her own childhood. Even learning how to sew was finally a fond memory. Learning wasn’t very fun at first but Aunt Myrtle said she should keep practicing. She persisted and was really proud of the bonnet she completed for herself – especially the hand-embroidered blue flowers on its brim that her aunt taught her to stitch. From then on, she enjoyed sewing and embroidery. Yes, she has many good memories. Those are the memories she will keep.
Good memories can sometimes make you sad when you know the person in those memories has died. Dixie’s aunt told her, while on that very same porch swing, that memories are the threads that keep you connected to your loved ones, even when they are not physically with you any longer. The memories will keep your loved ones alive in your heart.
Dixie perched on a Blue Devil stalk . Blue – Dixie’s favourite colour.
Even Darby is different around Dixie. He’s on his best behavior and not teasing her as he normally would do. Dixie knows he’s being respectful of her and her loss but she finds his behavior too weird. She’s used to bantering back and forth with him. It was fun. It put some spark in her life. She wishes he would behave towards her like he did before her Aunt died. She is not sure what to say or do to let him know how she feels. She thinks she’ll have to talk with him, to tell him she’d rather they get back to normal.
Oh Valley has become Dixie’s permanent home. She was happy spending summer vacations here. Winter will be a huge change for her. She will have to get used to the colder climate. She has always wondered what snow feels like. She has never touched it or played in it. Snow is something she has only ever seen in pictures. Now she’ll find out about it first hand. Or… maybe not! Looking out at it from her window inside Oh Valley’s Magical Insect Inn might be close enough. She has lots of time to decide. It’s only summer, after all.
Daphne likes Oh Valley and is thinking about taking up permanent residence. She has had word from Dinah that she’s on her way up to see what she’s missing out on. Dinah thinks that Oh Valley must be a very special place. Everyone who visits never seems to want to leave.
Here’s hoping your day is a happy one.
Sue, Axie, and The Fancifulls of Oh Valley