We have had a potted Meyer lemon plant on our patio for several years. We fertilize and water it regularly. The record-setting desert heat this year has been rough on our small plant. Some of the lemons formed splits in the surface. This is the first year we have experienced the splitting. In addition to the hotter than normal temperatures, we have had a little over two inches of rain, which is about four inches less than normal for this time of year.
This year we still have 15 lemons on the plant, which is not a lot for this plant. A couple years back we harvested 55 lemons.
Near Hutch’s Pool in the Santa Catalina Mountains (11/18/11) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
For what is the moon, that it haunts us, this impudent companion immigrated from the system’s less fortunate margins, the realm of dust collected in orbs?
View Above Hutch’s Pool In the Santa Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
“In those vernal seasons of the year when the air is calm and pleasant, it were an injury and sullenness against nature not to go out and see her riches, and partake in her rejoicing with heaven and earth.”
The Two-tailed Swallowtail is Arizona’s State Butterfly — Image by kenne
“The adult butterfly (also commonly called two-tailed tiger swallowtail) has yellow to orangish-yellow wings edged thickly with black. Each wing has 4 almost parallel stripes (the innermost stripe is the longest, while the outermost two may simply be bars). The hindmost part of each wing has a curved row of blue patches and below the blue are several bars or spots of orange. Two tails extend from the rear of the hind wing, with the innermost tail considerably shorter.”
That old star that’s about to light things up is going to shake its head and shrug when it looks down and sees there I am again, come spang around it one more time.
Back in the late 1970s I had occasion to spend some time looking around nursing homes. I managed to do it enough times and look them over closely enough to convince myself that we Americans haven’t kept our eye on the ball when it comes to living and being alive.
The people in those nursing homes are alive, but they aren’t overjoyed about it, and the life they’re living only has in common with actual life that the bodies and food are warm. The caretakers roll them back and forth or they hobble between television sets, meals, games…
Goldeneye In Pima Canyon — Grunge Art by kenne
Grunge Art Butterfly by kenne
“The Big Squeeze” — Saguaro Cactus Between Two Boulders Image by kenne
