Dear Emily:

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!

Woodblock Print #30 from 100 Views of Edo "Plum Park in Kameido" (1857) by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), Brooklyn Museum Notes Hiroshige brings us face to face with the celebrated "Sleeping Dragon Plum" of Kameido. This tree, the most famous in Edo, was known for the purity of its double blossoms, which, according to one Edo guidebook, were "so white when full in bloom as to drive off the darkness." We are so close that we can almost smell the tree's powerful fragrance, reputed to have lured the shogun Yoshimune as he passed nearby in the early 18th century. May these double blossoms plum flowers and the 30-petals Double Delight Rose bring you much joyfulness, serenity, and peace in your 30th year.

Double Delight Rose Red blend Hybrid Tea Red & white, red edges Strong, spice fragrance Blooms up to 30 petals Diameter: 5 inches Height: 3 feet-4 feet Bred before 1976, USA by A.E. & A.W. Ellis

Lao Tzu (604 B.C.-517 B.C.) Chinese silk painting from British Museum

Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, Verse 30: The Master does his job and then stops. He understands that the universe is forever out of control, and that trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Tao. Because he believes in himself, he doesn't try to convince others. Because he is content with himself, he doesn't need others' approval. Because he accepts himself, the whole world accepts him. — translated by Stephen Mitchell      Harper Perennial (1994)

U.S. #569 30¢ Buffalo issued March 30, 1923

Here's a favorite image of a Buffalo on a 30¢ U.S. postage stamp. Recall the song "Home on the Range" by Brewster Higley (1872)— Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam Where the Deer and the Antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the sky is not cloudy all day. Chorus Home, home on the range, Where the Deer and the Antelope play, Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the sky is not cloudy all day.