Walala Wa Sala

That roughly translates to 'you snooze, you lose'.

There is a raging thunderstorm rumbling by right now. Half an hour ago the sun was shining down on my little garden. Pam, a Jehovah's Witness stopped to ask for my daughter as I was planting marigolds along the edge of my tiny parcel of earth. They had many conversations before she moved to her own place. The lilies are up and growing. My bargain rosebush, with blooms the color of the best sunset you ever saw, is full of buds again for the fifth year. A couple of sparrows were so engaged in courtship they flew right into Pam. I'm not sure who was more surprised. We spoke of the joy of a garden. How people just stop to chat as you're poking the earth or pulling some weeds. A beautiful neighbor once came running across the street with two ice cream cones for me and Christine as we tended the flowers. Another neighbor asked permission to pick a bachelor's button for his lapel each morning. That was from the first garden I planted here. Just some wildflower seeds, but what a show! Crimson poppies, bright yellow sunflowers, lemon colored evening primroses and daisies in starched white bloomed all summer. Oh yes, and those sky blue bachelor buttons.

Although retired, he rose the same time each morning. Walking to the corner deli for his morning paper in sartorial splendor, he said he felt the boutonniere was the finishing touch. I'll say. He was the eyes of the neighborhood. I'm not sure when he slept. If there was someone suspicious near any one's car in the wee hours he would be on the phone with security. He was a delight to talk to whether working in the garden or shoveling snow. He and his wife were devoted to one another. She died about six months after he did. She told me her heart was broken and she would see him soon.

The point I mean to make is to appreciate each minute. A garden is a microcosm of life. When it's dormant in the winter we plan for the spring. Springtime brings green shoots from bulbs that overwintered. In fact, they need that chill, that dormancy to regenerate and bloom anew. Summer brings the lush life. Flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables at their peak of fragrance and flavor, just ripe for the picking. Autumn, my favorite season, makes preparation for the sleep of winter. The transition from growth to rest is celebrated 'round the world. On Halloween or Dia de los Muertos, the thin veil that separates the living and dead lifts for a day or two. We celebrate the memory of those we loved and feel them ever closer to us for a brief time. It reminds us to show love and appreciation for those we care for while we can.

The storm is over. The sun is shining through the clouds. Ozone makes the air smell clean and fresh. People are back out trying to salvage their barbecues. Thunder rolls in the distance, but it might just roll the other way. Thinking I need a new skull fence for the Goth garden. It will have to wait for the Halloween sales in the Fall. I think it has an old fashioned look about it.