How Green Becomes Wood

"I do love a scavenger hunt, but I do think that it would've been difficult to pull off given the week we've had," Daizi agreed, "Ivy, you made me a gift?"

Ivy wasn't sure if she did remember drawing the wrapping paper, but with enough urging, she did successfully pick the gift up and give it to Daizi, and the praise she received for this simple action made it seem like a really great game!

After thanking Ivy profusely for being such a good girl bringing her the present, Daizi began to open it, only vaguely picking up that there was anything on the wrapper, so Dark made sure to point out Ivy had drawn on it.
 
The box was small, but surprisingly heavy. When opened, it revealed two carefully made glass garden decor pieces. One was a flower, and one was a heart. The heart was rainbow colored and looked like a child had drawn it out. The flower was beautifully shaped, but within it were three smaller flowers that also looked like a child had drawn them. The smaller flowers were raised but carefully smoothed so that they could be felt but not hurt any probing fingers. They were mounted on metal stakes and looked like they'd last a good long time.

"Ivy designed the shapes, and I know someone who is friends with someone who works with stained glass as an apprentice," Alec told Daizi.

"I gave a lot of rides," Xander said. He also contributed the lion's share of the money side of things, but he figured it was fair since Alec had been the one to help Ivy draw out the shapes and then used his connections to make it happen.
 
"Oh, this is lovely!" Daizi said, feeling the shapes carefully, "Ivy, did you draw these? They're so pretty!" She and Dark presumed she had a lot of help getting the shapes done, since she was barely 19 months old and still really only just scribbled.

"How do you know all these people?" Dark asked.
 
Alec shrugged. "Well, I was hanging out with some of the drama kids at school, and one of them mentioned a friend who was in welding class. We then talked about welding since our neighbor welds, and it turns out, the welder has a friend who is really into stained glass. Something about a grandparent, I believe."
 
"It's amazing the connections you make when you actually talk to people," Daizi said, carefully setting the glass flowers down, "Thank you all for doing this for me, I really like them. They'll be lovely in my garden."
 
Xander gave a nod. "He's going to be the perfect networker someday, whatever his business."

Alec grinned. "It's actually not that hard if you don't think too much about it. Mama, you should open Xander's gift next!"

"Nah, open Alec's," Xander said, shaking his head. "He's got, like, 15 gifts for you."

"Three is nowhere near 15," Alec sniffed. "Mama, what gift do you want next?"
 
"That makes me the second favorite kid," Alec smirked at Xander, who rolled his eyes. "I may have limited income, Mama, but I have boundless creativity! Oh, I should mention that your birthday gifts got unintentionally themed. Mostly unintentionally. Here, open this one first, but be careful. It has a lot of moving pieces."

Alec's first gift was a tree of life windchime that tinkled cheerily. He'd carefully twisted a thin, black rod with Lex's help into near circle, curling the ends. The tree trunk was made of four smaller pieces of brass metal rod twisted into sweeping curls and X's. From the black rod, he'd hung multiple pieces of green, yellow, and pale green pieces of glass that were all vaguely leaf shaped. Everything he had found and scavenged for, and Lex mostly supervised to make sure he didn't melt himself instead of the metal. He'd offered to pay her, but she'd waved it away when she learned it was a mother's day gift.
 
It took Daizi a little bit of time to feel all of the pieces and have it click in her mind what it was, "This is lovely! I'll have to think up a good place to hang it, maybe l'll put it in my window at work."
 
Alec glowed in pleasure at her praise. "I'm so happy! Now, these two go together, but I bet you won't be able to guess what they are!"

The first was a thin metal heart made from a beaten piece of brass. Lex had made it to sell, and Alec had happily bought it from her. It hung sideways from an S hook instead of upright and offered a perch for the tiniest of bird feet. The other piece was a glass-blown bulb made of multicolored glass, and on one side, a glass flower blossomed from the side, offering access to the future sweet liquid inside to narrow beaks.
 
"Is this a hummingbird feeder?" Daizi asked, feeling all of the pieces very carefully. It was a bit difficult for her to tell, because it was shaped somewhat differently than other ones she had held before, but it was the only thing she could imagine it being.
 
"Yes!" Alec cheered. "And this heart is a perch for them. So you can hang it near the feeder for them to rest and scout or whatever they do."
 
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