resuming ....

     It has been a while since I posted around here. Life has been very hectic since I retired three years ago. My  grandkids are now 10 and 8 -- feisty, smart, more techno-savvy than I am. The seven year old actually taught me more about my new iPad3 than I can ever follow. He would say: "Hey, Farmor, that's easy!" Of course, you know that Farmor is Norwegina for father's mother.

     I thought I was quite a reader when I was 10, but my granddaughter beats me to it.  It is so much easier to read with a Nook than with hard copy. The only thing I can brag about is I was in high school when I was nine and entered college at 13.
     It is amazing what young people can do these days. I would not tell you that retirement is a breeze. We are busier now than ever before.









fall colors in orange county california

michaelmass day



speechless

A week ago, a woman stopped her car, walked into my garden and calmly stole bags of ripe pomegranates.

My husband happened to come out when this woman was coming  back with two plastic bags to load up on more pomegranate and Meyer lemons. He was so stunned at the outrageous behavior of this unknown woman. What does one do with this kind of broad daylight thievery. We are still speechless at this outright

thick-skinned aggressive  behavior.

I do not know what this plant is. It is so airy and so short-lived.

amaranths

you  melt-my-heart
kick-ass bitchin' you
coming here
where
i kneel
weeding
smudged-faced
mud-caked hands
unkempt hair
i hide among
between
green leaves
you
embrace
kiss me
and whisper
the amaranths are
on fire !

(c) z m evensen
16 march 1995

transplanting

What do you know? We are having too much merlot grapes on the vine. So, we uprooted a couple and replaced them with raspberries -- gold and red. Hope the berries will fare as well as the merlots. I can't bear throwing away good heirloom plants -- so I transplanted the vines in my  "farm". 'Twas back breaking work -- since the soil is parched by the recent heat wave in the valley.

Another experiment. 

I do not know if the Black Krim tomatoes which I grew from seed will survive when the weather turns "cold" in Southern California.  I transplanted some today  along with  red hopi amaranths . I started the season of 'reds'  -- brilliant red lettuce, red spinach and red hopi amaranths and merlot grapes  :-)
Will post  some pictures later. 

Heard it is raining in the Sierras.  It is time to  bury the bulbs for springs up there.

moon calendar

moon calendar

moon of drifting shifting ice crystals

moon of winter-stars and ice sundancers

moon of waking seeds and sweet greens

moon of shy daffodils and arrogant poppies

moon of crimson strawberries and white corn

moon of warm night winds and hungry fires

moon of wild rice and dandelion wines

moon of haunted pumpkins and old myths

moon of dark chestnuts in burning ashes

moon of sugar dusts on chocolate furrows

moon of hoof prints on frozen lichen

moon of warm-den sleep.

( moon is out tonight in the high sierras. reminded me of the poem above which i wrote a long time ago. cool and windy today. )

z m evensen
13 july 1993