What a Day!

I got up early and got everyone here fed and out to potty, and then it was off to the Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale.  I had been planning to go to this for a year, and as it happens, Roberto promised that the two trees would be my Christmas present (I’ve got to get around to ordering the rest of his).

I got to Robertson Stadium and UH a little before 9:00 a.m. and there was already a very long line.  (I had arranged to meet Roberto and Bar there.)  I got in line and a very nice lady was asking people to fill out invoices on clipboards.  One rather rotund, senior, paranoid guy refused.  The woman simply stated that he wouldn’t be able to buy any trees without it.  I wonder now what happened with him.

Just as the line started to move, I saw Roberto up ahead.  And the line moved quickly.  It wasn’t like other lines, where you stop and start.  Once it started, we were on the go.  R called Bar, who was parking her car, and we caught up with her around the bend — R kept saying, “we’re coming your way!” and we did.

When I first walked up to the line, I had a face-palm moment:  why hadn’t I asked Roberto to bring his dolly (named Salvador) to haul our purchases?  Several people had either dollies or trucks or little red wagons — which I found out later were being rented.  I thought — we can carry the two little trees I wanted to buy. . .

After I filled out the invoice, some other very helpful person (there were tons of them) gave me a map to the sale.  I knew exactly what I wanted, based on this book (which was the greatest present ever!!!!!! also from Roberto!!!!!):  a persimmon and a tangerine.  They were in different places.  We scooped up Bar and then went straight to the persimmon — my first priority.  They were in HUGE pots — maybe 30 gallon ones.  I panicked.  There was more than one variety.  I pulled out my gardener’s bible.   All I could think was:  hurry up idiot.  I found the part about which persimmon to buy, and left Roberto there to get one — after finding out that they were pulling them out of the big pots one by one.

Bar and I headed to the tangerines.  Which to pick?  We consulted the book again, and I turn to the page that said “the Pong Koa is the best fruit tree you can plant in Houston” or something very authoritative.  And there they were!  Bar went back to help Roberto, and I picked out a Pong Koa — not the biggest, not the smallest, not the fanciest, but just the right one.

Then I headed back to the persimmon area.  Roberto was holding a bare tree about 4 foot tall with its root exposed.  He said we need a bag to put it in.  Once again, a very helpful young person got us a bag, put our tree in it and added some straw, which they had there in bales.

With our two trees in hand, we consulted the map and found our way to the check out.  It was all very organized and we went the cash route.  Along the way, young people, including a very young boy (very confident), filled out our invoice, stared it, and checked it again.  One older woman tried to sell us the book I already had, as well as a membership, but otherwise everything was smooth, courteous and efficient.  As we left, a woman at the exit wished us “Be Fruitful!”  It was only 9:35.

A friend of mine is in town from New York, and we arranged to pick him up and go for brunch.   He’s Japanese, very funny and wonderful and just saying — used to comment on this blog until he got addicted to Facebook 😦

We went to Croissant-Brioche in the Village — which has the best French onion soup.   It was crowded when we got there, but we quickly snatched a four top and everything was cool.   Good friends, good food, good conversaiton — you just can’t beat it.

Roberto said that while he was waiting to get the persimmon, he over heard that it should be planted today.  I wasn’t quite ready, so we parted ways from brunch, and I took my friend from New York back to where he was staying.  I returned home to build the raised bed for the new persimmon.

I’ll have pictures tomorrow, because, by the time I got home and got the tree set up, it was getting dark.  It was a lot of work, but I think the finished product is good.  I put two rebar stakes in and tied them loosely with some strong cloth cord even though it seemed pretty stable — we’re supposed to have thunderstorms tomorrow, so I don’t want it waving around in the wind.

The most amazing thing today — though that might just be a timing factor — the Tree Sale was pretty darn amazing — was how easy it was to trim the bricks for the raised bed I built.  I had never done it before, but just following simple instructions, I was able to cleanly trim two bricks.  I was all like, “damn that worked like it was supposed to.”  It says everything about having the right tools for the job and following instructions.  That’s one of my strong points, I think.

Today was a very good day.  It was exciting, fun, and satisfying, spent with friends and kittens and the earth and promise of things to come.  There’s nothing better than that.

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Flowers

Cats sent me these. 

Thank you so much.  They are my two favorites in one: purple flowers.

Did you get my email?!?!?!?!??!?!?

My Friend

This evening I let the girlies out into the front yard around 6:30.  They had been out in the yard together for a couple of hours when I decided to check on them.  They were chasing each other around the yard, running under bushes and continuing to define the infinity pattern that Dora had started alone through the yard.  Now it is both of them running chasing each other — sometimes Dora is the chaser, sometimes Tammy is the chaser.  I checked on them later to find each pup on a different step on the porch.

To whom do I owe this happy play between my two puppy girls?  Let’s just call her AM.  I know she reads this little blog at times, and while I haven’t heard from her — I want her to know that every time I see my puppy girls playing together, every time they both share the bed with me, I have her to thank.  She’s the one who encouraged me to bring them together.  Early on, I had kept the two pups separated because Dora attacked Tammy.  AM insisted that they had to come together and be companions.  She was right.

AM was also a great champion of feral kittens.  She fed them, trapped them and got them fixed, worried over them, and supported me in caring for the little OKs I have now.  I wasn’t always helpful.  She found a kitten and called me once and I wasn’t there for her.  I only bought a trap just before she left Houston.  We could have done a lot with it I think.  But now she’s not here.

I don’t know if she knows how much she is missed.  Daily — and that’s no exaggeration — students hound me about where she is.  For most of two weeks I have said simply that she is not here.  Late this past week I told them I don’t know.  BECAUSE I DON’T.  Not that I would say shit to anyone, but it would be nice to hear from her.  HINT.  It would be nice to say that she is ok, thank you very much.  HINT.  It would be nice to know that the person who is sorely missed might say BOO.  HINT.

AM, if you read this, please drop a line.  You can be anyone you want.  The only students who know about this blog are cats and Terrie.  You know both of them are cool — otherwise I wouldn’t have told them.  AM, just drop us a line.  Let us– and that includes Roberto and B (you remember them, yes? from the AlGorething) know.  We simply worry.  Worry.  We want to know that you are ok.  I sent you an email from bizibacsoon at earthlink dot net.  Maybe it is in your junk mail?

Even if you don’t catch this or decide not to respond, I want to tell you that I miss you.