Dear Elisa:

HAPPY 42nd BIRTHDAY!

Woodblock Print #42 from 100 Views of Edo "Cherry Blossoms by Tama River" (1856) by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), Brooklyn Museum Notes Hawkeye Belle Rose Pink blend Shrub White, light pink shading Blooms with 42 petals Extremely fragrant Diameter: 4.25 inches Height: 4 feet-5 feet Bred in 1975, USA by Dr. Griffith J. Buck Spring is coming, just three weeks away! May cherry blossoms of Ando Hiroshige's Woodcut #42 and extremely fragrant Hawkeye Belle Rose with 42 petals bring you much joyfulness, serenity, and peace in your 42nd year.

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

Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, Verse 42: The Tao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two. Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to all things. All things with backs to the female and stand facing the male. When male and female combine, all things achieve harmony. Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe. — translated by Stephen Mitchell      Harper Perennial (1994)

Jackie Robinson wore #42 for Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-1956); Hall of Fame 1962 #42 retired by all MLB teams

At age 42, David Livingstone was first European to see Victoria Falls (November 16, 1855). At age 42, Eadweard Muybridge showed Leland Stanford all four feet of galloping horse are off the ground
Livingstone (1813-1873)	South Rhodesia #37A (issued 1938)	Muybridge (1830-1904)	Photograph of galloping horse (1872)