January 20th, 2002
It’s Not My Imagination

The trees grow and each year produce more leaves for the gardener to rake.

It’s not just my imagination; there really are more leaves than ever this year. I realized that the red oak tree is now three times as tall as when I moved here eight years ago. Then it was just a little taller than the privacy fence.

More signs of the coming spring. I saw two tips of Tulipa clusiana peeking their noses up in the meadow.

by M Sinclair Stevens

2 Responses to post “It’s Not My Imagination”

  1. From MLA:

    I have taught each of my children as poetry the one item of poetry you gave me:

    “I am a Garden Wild, Existing Most Improperly In a World Full Of Gardeners.”

    The profundity of it still makes my head light sometimes. Assuming that we do change but we do stay the same, I take no small pleasure from the enigma of both sentiments coming from one source.

    In that spirit, here is my much less eloquent contribution to the lexicon of horticultural proverbs:

    “I learn much more from weeds than from flowers.”

    Michael L. Abbott, Esq. J.D., Attorney at Law, amateur gardener and horticulturalist.

    Post Script: My willows have survived a hard winter and my bamboo flourishes, just waiting for the first sign of warmth to explode. The parent willow will achieve immortality by the propogation of their clippings , dying, as it is, from a parasite. I do love that tree. Here in the valley, they can and do grow a foot a day.

  2. From MLA:

    Spring is near in the Great Central Valley. I have lived here long enough to have recognized the pattern. Actually, it is a little late this year.

    The almond blossoms, pink and white, arrive like Old Faithful in the third week of January through February 10. My favorite time of year. I have five acres of almond trees and for a short time, it is heaven on earth.

    My willow is bginning to bud. It is an old friend and it will die this year.

    Happy springtime. Let me know if the seeds are what you wanted.

    Wow! Five acres of almond trees; you’re a regular farmer. Well, thank you for the seeds. You sent enough to plant several acres to beans. I have, though, only one row 3×14 feet. So I will share some with my friends in Dripping Springs who have 18 acres. — mss