This current heat wave continues to bake California.  Loose clothing is the order of the day.  Unfortunately, since Moishe the puppy is always along on walks, I don’t have pockets to carry my iPhone nor a free hand to safely hold it.  Yesterday we passed a yard surprising green.  Water had been chosen over conservation.  There I saw flowers-oleander bushes- blooming pink, standing straight despite the heat.  My hand reached reflexively for my pant pocket and trusty phone and met no pocket, no phone.  The plantings bordering the sidewalk are maintained by the city.  Some live, droopy with faded green, but alive.  Today I suddenly saw the brown, dry, crinkling exception.  One bush, once tall and lovely, now boasted the more familiar dead, dying leaves.  Once again no pocket, no phone just a mind picture.

What follows are pictures of the flowers and new tree now that they’ve traveled through the hot, baking dry summer.

Geranium survived the best.  It has one stalwart bloom.  In its solitude, it shines in solo light.

The Japanese maple, always delicate, lost its battle.  Curled leaves cling to dry branches.  I’ve no idea what winter will bring.

The rose, while nearly dead, retains an odd beauty.  My husband wanted to delete this photo.  He said there was something wrong with the color.  “No,” I assured him.  “It’s a dead rose.”

I’ll leave with just one more photo.  With the surrounding foliage nearly bare of bloom, this white, delicate bush stood out.  Sadly, I don’t remember its name.  We bought it at a sale for California Native plants.  Clearly it’s at home here thriving in our dry, clay soil.  I applaud it’s beauty-snow in a dry, dry world.  I hope its name is worthy of such grace.

Thank you for sharing your time with all of us.  Dry and dusty, we wait for evening.

Janice Eskridge September 2015