Morning Walk With Lemony

  Posted on April 15, 2012 By George Weaver

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Morning Walk

The phone rang at seven-thirty this morning.  My old friend and CPA asked if I were sleeping.  He does this all the time.  He lives, yes lives, in his office from January first to after April fifteenth ever single year.  He is older than I am by several years.  Maybe it’s because the man never sleeps.  He has goodies to eat squirreled away all over his office among the cabinets and boxes and stacks of income tax returns, various collectibles, and items of clothing.   He sits behind his desk with his glasses on his nose frightening people.  That’s what he does.   He likes to tease me. This morning, he had a new torture for me.  Do you know that you pay income tax at over twice the rate of Warren Buffett?  It’s a rhetorical question.  Yes, I know that, I said.  His secretary and I are going to write him in for president, I said.   Meanwhile, I am going to take a nice walk around my garden.  Where there is a will, there is a way, I said, and I am confident you will find it.  Goodbye, I said.   Once, he frightened me too.

 

I passed Che’s cage on my way out of the house.  He is hiding in the bottom.  He doesn’t understand income tax.

On my way outside, I checked on Boy’s cactus garden.  Only one leaf is broken.  Maybe it will survive.

Automatically, I look out the right screen toward Boy’s house although I know he has left for school already.

I look out the left side and make a mental note to remove the Christmas tree lights.   I think about the sun on the other side of the house.

I wonder if the Lily of the Nile will get enough sunlight on this side of the screen door.

Ah, Rita.  I take her with me every morning.  She likes to play on her Java Tree and listen to the birds.  I don’t think she speaks their language.

I have no idea why I stuck this photograph in here, but I’m not moving it.  Ignore it since it interrupts the narrative.  (I live here.)

The sprinkler  system is running.  It isn’t supposed to run this late in the morning.  I wonder why my daughter set it that way.  The lily

is too heavy for it’s stem.  I think that I should give her some food but I can’t remember which kind is good for stem strength.  Romero knows.

I need to spruce up the Bromeliads after the winter.  I’ll do that later this afternoon.  I wonder if these photographs are going to be okay.  I took off the flash the way Lemony told me.  I set the camera on aperture priority and adjusted the ISO backwards.  I hope it is enough.

The sprinkler is still on this side of the Pergola.  I am getting wet feet as I walk around toward the back entrance to the other side of the garden.

Then I see them.  The first Carolina Trumpet Vine blossoms.  The old seed pods are still hanging there too.  The vine’s gnarled winter bones are covered now in a soft disguise.   One day, the old vine will become the pergola, I think.  They are inseparable already.  I let it live.

The flowers on the way to the mailbox have begun to bloom.  I can’t remember what the name is.  I never grew them at the old house.

I see a gardener working at a house across the street.  He doesn’t notice at me.  I don’t know the people who live there.

When I turn back toward my own door, I notice that it needs a new coat of sealant.  I just had that done last year, I think.  I’m throwing it in here for Mike!

I’ll go in the garage way.  Take the garbage can in too.  Wasn’t it just last week these flowers were sticks left over from last year?

Oh dear, another broken sprinkler head.  I must remember to call Romero.  Those guys are always cutting off sprinkler heads.  The neighbor will complain about the water.

If I walk back this way through the shade, I will see the Angel guarding the Queen

And Storyman waiting for Charlie to remember him.

The sprinkler is on again.  Soon, the Pintas in the nursery pots will have grown into big, flowery bushes.  The trumpet vine will cascade over the pergola in its deceptive display, and it will be summertime at my house.   You guys come back soon!

Note:  This whole walk had a purpose.  Lemony directed me to take the flash off my camera.  This was a test of aperture priority mode.  I think it went pretty well.  I hope she is pleased with the results.  🙂

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