后院很小，不过这么些年也种过不少东西。天天宅在家里，后院在我眼里更是一块宝地，今日来写一写，晒一晒。
今年是枇杷结果的第二年，果子比去年多(去年才十几颗)，但是比起人家满树的黄灿灿，我家的枇杷太小巫见大巫的。四月枇杷开始成熟，可是因为三四月的多雨，成熟的枇杷有点酸酸的。后来索性不摘了，让它们更多地吸取日月的精华，所以，五月再收获时，甜了很多，不过核大肉少，比起一位同事家鸡蛋般大的枇杷逊色太多。6/1收获了树上的最后一颗枇杷，原本想留它在树上，让那一粒金黄留给自己尽可能长时间的念想。 后来发现枇杷久留枝头，核里会长虫卵。这或许就是自然规律，瓜熟蒂落，落叶归根，人的意愿不能违背自然。更何况四季是轮回的，告别了枝头的果子，枇杷树可以重新养精蓄锐，等待十月再开花，来年再结果。而人又有了新的期盼和希望。
6/1晚饭后摘下最后一颗枇杷，某人打开了车库门，在准备去墙外把倒空了的垃圾桶拿回来时，发现伸到墙外的火龙果开花了。我闻声，赶紧跑出来看，又回身取了大相机，把挂在高高木架上的花拍了下来。火龙果通常傍晚开花，第二天下午就谢了，真可谓好花不常开，好景不常在。
不过，紧接着，第二天傍晚6/2、第三天傍晚6/3，第二朵/第三朵火龙果花也竞相开放，它张开着数十瓣白净的像羽毛般的花瓣，里面黄黄的花蕊，一朵淡黄色的雌花被一圈纤细的金黄色雄花簇拥着，众星捧月般静静地绽放在黄昏的暮色里。
遂想起有一年火龙果也开花了，结果却颗粒无收。就上网查了查人工授粉的技巧，又从楼上书架上找来毛笔，逼着某人爬上梯子。某人几分不情愿，嘴里嘟嘟囔囔，说，这火龙果自己不能授粉，半夜开花，哪有蜜蜂半夜来授粉，还要人帮忙，这不被自然界淘汰才怪。还讽刺说，你这火龙果可是$50美金一个，如果我再摔了胳膊腿什么的，可就上千块了。我听着，笑着，看着某人吃力地伸着一只胳膊，胡乱地刷着雄花上的粉然后再在雌花上胡乱刷几下，然后又把梯子拿到围墙外，打开另一朵已经关闭的花瓣，重复着同样的动作。我仰着头，一手扶着梯子，一手指挥着，憧憬着白花变红果，咽着口水......
火龙果这是第六个年头了，只结过一颗果子，那是一颗不经意间发现的果子，并没有经过人工授粉。记得那年九月去看女儿，还带着它，一家人在西雅图的公寓里分享着，那是我吃过最甜、汁最多的火龙果，自己还舍不得多吃，只吃了一小块。后来社区发函说要统一油漆墙上的木架，只好忍痛割爱，把爬上架子的火龙果都截了下来。火龙果伤了元气，去年一年没有花没有果，某人一直嚷嚷着要砍了这歪七扭八的枝条，好在我坚持，才有今日的花，明日的果。
家里盆栽的绣球花今年开得很旺，粉红色的一簇簇，很炫目。这花是两三年前我生日那天某人买的。记得那几日子两人呕气不讲话。生日那天，他没说一句话，早上独自去公司参加party了, 留我一个人在家very much self-pitied。下午三四点，他从Costco带了一大束绣球花回家，当我下楼看见插在花瓶里的那一团花时，一天郁闷的心情随之消散。后来花谢，我把它们剪了插枝，成活了好几棵。绣球花其实是女儿的最爱，某人自己也喜欢，它的生命力旺盛，花期很长，不同的土壤可以培育出不同的颜色。绣球花喜水，英文名叫hydrangea, 单词里的前缀hydro 就是水的意思，在加州干热的气候下，它需要常常浇水。
院子里种过百香果，只是结出的百香果干干的没有香味，所以前两年就把很粗壮的那棵砍了，留着一枝小小的不起眼的在花架旁，没想到它也茁壮成长了，五月开出了第一朵花。朋友告诉我，她家的百香果很好吃，秘诀是--多浇水。看来，水是生命，是养分，有水才有枝繁叶茂，才有瓜果飘香。
院子里还有一颗葡萄，多年前在Costco买的，今年第一年结果，就一串啊，还青着呢。
五六月是黑莓的成熟期。成熟的黑莓黑得发亮，颗粒饱满。某人常常在晚上酒足饭饱之后来院子转转，摸一摸沉甸甸的黑莓，如果碰上有成熟到一碰就快要掉下来的，就会摘下来，洗都不洗就送入口中。有时一边摘一边还畅想着退休后解甲归田，回老家大力推广种植。黑莓其实没那么好吃，不过难得某人喜爱，我也顺势让他独享了。一日中午吃过午饭，某人主动去洗碗。我走到后院，摘下两颗成熟的黑莓，洗了洗，送入某人口中，问: 好吃吗？某人嘴里吃着，点点头。我忽地想起Oncemm最近故事里大活宝说的金句，脱口而出又说到，"我对你好吧?"。某人一愣，丈二和尚摸不着头脑，不习惯这种突如其然的半白痴，几分不好意思地说，好。我抿住嘴想笑，转过身去，只听背后传来一句，你吃药了吗？顿时两人一顿爆笑......
疫情下，整日大眼瞪小眼，日子真是有点无聊，这笑或许就是一剂良药。写到这里，再短短地写一点与后院无关的话题--那就是某人第一次给自己理发。网上和身边有些能干的太太，都开始帮着给先生理发。N年前我也试过一次，结果理的我浑身冒汗，某人太挑剔了。所以，我打死了也不会给他理发的。这次估计两个月不理发，他头发长的难受了。当他提及要理发时，我只好煽动他自己理。他抱着反正不出门、大不了理光头的决心，找出了十几二十年没有动过的理发工具盒，上网看视频，然后摘下眼睛，对准镜子自己动手，而我只负责从后面拍照。看着他笨拙的手将推子从后往上推，头发从厚到薄，再到啃啃哇哇，我在一旁吃吃地笑个不停......
写下这点琐碎，记录下五月六月的后院和生活点滴，并存照于此。
While people in the east coast are expecting May flowers, we in the west are reaping fruits. Thanks to California's year-round sunlight, a small yard like mine can still grow something. For years, I have experimented with various kinds of plants and flowers. Some died, and some survive and thrive. To name a few, blackberries have been bearing fruits year after year. A loquat tree, planted from a seed, is in its second year of fruiting. The dragon fruits sprawlingly climb to the top of the wall. What’s new this year is that the grapevine, purchased from Costco four or five years ago, also starts its fruit. The pearly pea-like grapes, strung along, though still green, are growing fuller and rounder day by day. Though there is only one bunch, from baren to fertile, it is a breakthrough. One bunch this year could be a precursor to the next year’s abundance.
The ripening of loquat first came around in April. The surplus March and April rains could have washed away the sweetness. The first picked loquat turned out to be a bit sour, holding back my itch of picking. And then the prolonged collection of sunlight did give rise to sweeter fruits. The overdue loquats, their skins wrinkled a bit, when peeled off, the meats inside taste like being dipped in sugar. As one after another loquat was picked and consumed, I stopped at the last one, as if keeping it on the tree would fantasize its permanent appearance. But the fear of its seeds being infested with worms soon overcame me. The plant has its own life cycle. Like it or not, it is time to part with it.
The moment we picked up the last loquat, we found the first dragon fruit flower blooming in the dusk. As I hurried out to the other side of the wall with a big camera in hand, I saw high up on the wooden trellis, nestled among the green sprawling branches, protrude a white flower, long and tube-like. The dozen arrow-shaped white petals are opening against green outer leaves, and in the middle, one female light-yellow tube is clustered by myriad golden male stamen. Then comes the second (06/02) and the third flower (06/03) in a sequel the following nights. When it suddenly dawned on me that they might need our assistance in its pollen transmission, I urged my husband to go up the ladder. With a brush, he strained himself to touch the high hanging flowers, brushing here and there, in the hope that the withered flowers will turn to dragon fruit cactus in weeks.
05/31/2020
The last day of May falls on a Sunday. The brutal death of a black guy named George Floyd is like a domino that triggered nationwide protests and riots. Unnerved we are like most people, as the looting started in the neighboring cities, we still decided to go to the beach for an outing. The freeway looked normal, so did the beach, except that none of the visitors was wearing a mask. We consciously put away our masks in the pockets, to be mingling with the crowd. Walking in my Xero shoes on the rugged trails under the cliff, with gravels, pebbles and rocks piled by the other side, I kept a distance with the others. And without masks on, we did not linger, and was on our way back after an hour or so. How I miss the days before March this year when we can freely roam and rove on the beach!
|
