Springtime Update

Even in sunny California, there are seasons. Now that we’ve passed the Equinox, the wisteria are in full bloom, heavy clusters hanging like pale grapes. The rosemary is also thick with blossom. It comes in two colors, lavender and blue, which would be lovely planted together. Rosemary here is not confined to herb gardens or sheltered windowsills. It’s a tough, drought-resistant plant that grows so rampantly it’s used as a ground-cover and in the median of highways.

The orange and lemon trees are heavy with fruit. I think we’re going to make more lemon-ginger marmalade with the lemons from our tree. Actually it’s a neighbor’s tree, but one branch hangs over our fence, and we pick the lemons from that. We do have a couple of orange trees of our own.

The view from my bedroom window is a Cezanne painting: the sky, a neighbor’s red-tiled roof and creamy ochre walls, the silvery green leaves of a eucalyptus, and the brilliant emerald and orange and yellow of the citrus trees. Soon enough I’ll be putting up the dark, heavy curtains to keep the heat out, so I enjoy it while I can.