Roses for Gloria

Spring has sprung at the Future. Moki and I walk through the tall grass in the canyon. I watch the hawks in the sky. I see buds break into bloom on the trees. And I remember a year ago. The walks in the canyon with Gloria, our conversations, planning of projects both for the house, for our writing and livelihood. Most walks these days are alone - just the Moki dog and myself. Sam comes along sometimes if he has time before heading to work. I walk the same streets, climb the big stairs and remember how winded I used to get. I drag the Moki dog on long walks in the canyon. It's a give and take between exercise and sniff time.

Gloria and I used to often talk about the ways we'd improve the Future. Mosaic, murals, painting, planting, fountains, the tree house. Some of the projects we've completed (some mosaicing and painting) others are still to be done, like the mural on our wall. And then there are the ongoing projects, like the garden. A few weeks before she left for Italy, we spend a day or so cleaning the yard and doing some small planting. I have big plans for the gardens this year. (Shady terrace garden, front garden, side down garden.) And I've been trying to wait for Gloria to return before I start. But she is needed for more and more time, even though, I know that she would return in a heartbeat if she could.

Yesterday I could wait no longer. I've been mapping out the garden with ferns, Calla lillies, roses, purple daisies. I stopped by Home Depot yesterday and picked out a conservative (by my standards) number of plants. Three rose bushes, some Calla lillies, my absolute favorite tree ferns that I have fantasied about for years, sage and some other flowers.

They sky looked ominous, so Moki and I got right down to work. Plants were unloaded, gloves donned and garden tools plucked. We dug, plowed, furrowed and planted, pressed and gave the new plants a quick drink, before the sky opened up started to rain.

This morning, the roses had moist droplets on barely opened petals. I can't wait for the sun to come out, dry off the rain and warm them. And I hope they are in full bloom to greet Gloria when she finally walks through the gate.

Comments

[glor]

Oh-oh! No blows under the belt, pardner. This actually made me cry. And, you know, I can't cry right now. I got skullbones to harvest and conscious responses to tend over here. But I am so happy you and Moki made a beautiful garden and enjoyed doing that. I am sure Moki helped a whole bunch. I was thinking about roses in the middle of changing the tire that blew on my way back (on another car, not the one I already changed the tires to, ha!) It happened under buckets of rain poured by the first spring storm, and I could not help thinking how the rain will help the roses to bloom gorgeous.
I did not know the roses were going to bloom six thousand miles away. Wa-ho!