"Perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild." (Welsh Proverb)

According to a Welsh proverb, "perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild". Does this mean that perfect love comes immediately — or soon after — the birth of the first grandchild? Or, does this mean that after the first grandchild is born, perfect love does not come until after another grandchild is born?
I imagine perfect love probably comes with any grandchild, or child for that matter (although I have neither, and my maternal instincts are mainly exercised in the extreme care I offer in tending my terrace garden). In any event, whether perfect love comes with the first grandchild or not, the fact that I am my maternal grandparents' first grandchild causes me to like to believe that the first interpretation offered in the aforementioned questions is true. Not only am I my grandparents' first grandchild, but I was born on their wedding anniversary, a fact not lost on my grandmother, who can be seen holding yours truly in the black and white photograph posted at the top of today's blog entry, July 23rd 2011.


My grandmother (whom I have referred to in posts which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here) is on my mind and in my heart this hot and humid July 23rd afternoon, for she was born on this date in 1900, and in the listings for bizarre holidays that occur on this date, both Gorgeous Grandma Day and Hot Enough for You Day are included. (I confess that I often refer to this listing because I design invitations that preserve a moment in time, event program covers that enhance any occasion, and greeting cards that go beyond communication — including unique selections which can be found within the pages of my down-loadable brochure as well as in the store-front pages of my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art where purchase information is available). 


The latter of the aforementioned bizarre holidays for today  — Hot Enough for You Day — feels like an understatement, what with the oppressive heat wave that has been enveloping New York (which I have referred to in a few blog entries that you can find by clicking here as well as here and here). Consequently, I find myself on the subject of weather once again in today's blog entry. For at 3:30:12 EDT, when I was in my terrace garden, giving my containers of herbs, vines, plants, flowers, shrubs and trees their much needed third watering of the day, the thermometer registered a little over 100 degrees as seen in the photograph posted below.

  
I hope, dear reader, that I am not a photo-artist, writer, blogger, gardener, that is turning into someone obsessed with weather, but the fact remains, in prolonged periods of heat I am concerned about things dying in my garden. Hopefully, my fears are unfounded. At least the bees seem non-plussed in the brutal heat, and they are thoroughly enjoying my Echinacea plants as evidenced by the photographs posted below.

I can certainly understand why the bees love the Echinacea's flowers: they look lovely even after the petals have fallen off, as seen in the photographs posted below.

The petal-less Echinacea flower adds a unique touch to most any cut flower arrangements that you can create to celebrate a number of occasions, including today's unusual ones of Gorgeous Grandma Day and Hot Enough for You Day, introduced to you, dear reader, at the beginning of today's blog entry, along with the Welsh proverb, "perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild". 


However, upon my reflection of that proverb, I must say that, for me, perfect love sometimes occurs in witnessing the miracle of how things grow in a garden.