I’m Back
Posted: July 26, 2009 Filed under: Aha!, Joined at the Heart, Writers Write | Tags: camping, family, goldfish, perception, vacation, writers, writing 2 Comments »After 16 days away from home, visiting family in the Sooner State, and then, howling at the moon in New Mexico’s Peco’s Wilderness, I’m back. My little home is welcoming and bright. The climate is atrocious–a jillion days in a row of 100+ heat with no rain. But, my good neighbors watered the potted plants and topped off the fish pond. The Freds, our three goldfish, didn’t miss us.
I don’t have any witty observations about travel that are printable because a) my family would no longer speak to me or b) I’ve already earmarked the idea for my next manuscript, set in the New Mexico Wilderness. So, I’ll list my favorite moments:
- Coffee with my extended family every morning in BBC1′s tiny travel trailer.
- Watching my girls slosh hand-in-hand up Holy Ghost Creek.
- Hiking to see wildflowers taller than me.
- Aspen trees.
- Corned-beef hash and fried eggs eaten off a paper plate.
- An up close look at Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting, Jimson Weed.
- People watching in Santa Fe Plaza.
- The silence of St. Francis Cathedral.
- Blue mist over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
- Stars. In the woods, stars light up the sky.
- Staring into the campfire.
- The sound of Holy Ghost Creek lulling me to sleep every night.
June Garden Journal
Posted: June 29, 2009 Filed under: cottage garden | Tags: antique bath tub, backyard pond, garden, goldfish, tomatoes, water garden Leave a comment »Today’s temperature was 104°, a record high for San Antonio. These photos were taken earlier in the month. I’ve harvested the tomatoes and given up on the squash, but the flowers are still beautiful. The city expects to go to Stage 3 water restrictions this week, so unless a tropical storm hits the Gulf of Mexico and floats north, summer gardening is over until September. For now, I’m enjoying what my next-door neighbor calls my “urban oasis.”
Butterflies are abundant this month. This guy is perched on a plant called Mist. Since my garden is pesticide free, and I purposely planted extra parsley for the caterpillars, we see more than ever.
This pot has held nearly every kind of plant without success. I should have tried strawberries first! I started too late for a real crop, but I'm inspired for next year. 4 o'clocks round out the rest of the bed.
Echinacea are in the foreground. Salvia, basil and roses grow in the back. I love this jumble of blooms.
Esparanza love the heat. Grandpa Ott's Morning Glories climb the fence on strings of jute.
I managed to harvest quite a few Celebrity tomatoes before the sun roasted the plants. The heat from the brick wall is a problem in this bed.
The canna in the bathtub is a conversation piece. Our goldfish eat the mosquitoes off the surface.
I've been warned about the invasive nature of Cypress Vine, but I couldn't resist planting my patio window boxes. The leaves are lacy and green, and a tiny red flower blooms like a star.
