A Magnified Survey

I leaned over the brass dish to inspect my green marble lighthouse in the bright morning light. Right next to it sat an open packet of decorative dried botanical leaves on the dark polished wood. Picking up a brittle, skeletonized leaf stem with both hands, I peered straight through the curve of the glass cat's-eye sphere. The clear glass enlarged every delicate vein into a massive web of jungle trails! Even without stepping outside, a daring mom always finds uncharted terrain right under her nose. I propped the leaf upright against the dish rim to keep our miniature forest trail clearly mapped for inspection.