If I had 15 million dollars

One of my old favorite conversations used to be about how I'd spend my lottery winnings if I ever actually won, which could happen only if I ever actually played. My husband has always had the theory that the first thing he'd do would be to give $1 million to each of his friends so they'd have money, too, and wouldn't be jealous of us. (We always knew when he was on the outs with somebody because they wouldn't be named as beneficiaries of our imaginary largess...)

And so, in this feeling broke time a year, I've been thinking again about what I'd do with money if I had it in excess. One thing I'd like to do is buy presents for people when I see something appropriate. A swatch of ridiculously expensive fabric, for instance, for my fabric-loving friends. Japanese craft books. Today the Washington Post today mentioned some saplings that are descended from a tree that supposedly shaded Gen. Robert E. Lee in Hanover, Va.. They're selling them for $60 a piece to help preserve some battlefield. I'm not a Civil War buff (thus the expression "some battlefield.") But I have friends who are and I'd love to be able to just say: Look, I got you this tree!" (That led me to a great site, by the way: www.historictrees.org. These trees aren't descended from specific historic trees, but they do introduce you to important trees in America's history, they sell varieties of those trees, and they also break them down into categories like: author, president, environment, etc. There's the Ray Charles Live Oak, for instance, or the Clara Barton Redbud. The list could be a lot more extensive. (I'd love to know what kind of tree is in Mick Jagger's front yard, for instance. At the very least, the site gives me a nicer association for Clara Barton. The Redbud is one of my favorite trees, and it's nice to think of Clara's name as being associated with something other than a rest stop along the New Jersey Turnpike.