7/22/2020

与一位黄衣老人聊天，他很懂植物，告诉我说MINT的茎是方形的SQUARE形的。 BEEBLAM（香蜂花）也属于薄荷MINT属的。果然，我摸了摸它们的茎，是硬硬的柱状。他又说BEEBALMS不单吸引蜜蜂，也吸引蝴蝶和蜂鸟HUMMINGBIRD。 

A senior guy with yellow shirt walks into the garden. Standing in the middle, with hands rest on waist, he looks around, seems being feeling the environment and appreciating his works.

I started being interested in learning knowledges of plants since this spring. Being attracted by their leaves, flowers, trunks, fruits, seeds, crowns. I wanted to know them. I bought two books, one is National Audubon Society,  Field Guide to North American Wildflower, the other is DK Nature guide, Trees.

From the books I learned much more than just their names. meeting the plants in person and reading about them (from books or internet) became a wonderful hobby for me!

Two months ago, during a conversation with a senior female gardener, I knew she is a member of ABC gardening club. That club takes care of three gardens in the park. Two are located in the turf area and one in the playground area. The one in the Southeast corner is a welcome garden, the one on the Northeast is a herb garden.  Gradually I already got the impression as what she told me.

Now I am standing in the herb garden. A newly blooming flowers with strong mint fragrance is the shining star of the garden today. I eagerly want to know its name so I can do more research from internet when I get home.

He seems like a nice gardening person, ” How about you?”, with smiles on my face, I greet him. “It seems you enjoy the garden as I do. I really appreciate the two gardens in the park. I saw various flowers going and coming in the past a few months. I just saw that newly blooming dark pink-purple flowers, do you know its name?” I point to those flowers and ask.

“Oh, this is a type of mint, called beebalms(香蜂花）. Its flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. This garden is taken care by ABC club. The club takes care of there gardens in this park. If you are interested, you can join them. It’s good. You can learn a lot of knowledge for gardening. “

He seems like a serious person,  but decent ,friendly and very knowledgeable on plants, I asked the right person. I told myself.

“You seem pretty knowledgeable for plants. “

“I am ok. I have a herb garden in my back yard for almost 20 years. “

“No wonder! then how about this?” I point to another one, next to beebalms, with same color flowers, they look similar.

“this is blazing star,  not belong to mint family.  I teach you an easy way to tell plants in mint family. they all have square stem."

I have a try. He is right! three different herbs in mint family look different in appearence,but they all have square and stiff stems! 

林外草场路道上落了一地棕黄色的干叶，抬头望了望灌草上方的树叶，明白了那落叶来自那槐树。 迎面走来两人，穿黄色的T-SHIRT, 原来是刚来小园里的老人，他和老伴在一同健走。

The road to the wood is thinly scattered with yellowish-brown fallen leaves.  I look up, to see the trees above the bushes. Now I know where the leaves come from. They are from those two big locust trees.

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有趣的是，一年以后，我才知道他们两位老人二十年前离了婚，有三位儿女，六名孙子孙女，如今又开始一起活动了。想想，两位老人应该是物实的人吧。

早上把儿子在学校对面的一个停车场落下，看他过马路时向两边给他让行的车辆挥了挥手，然后小跑过马路，我心里一笑。虽然他挥手的动作很快，显得有点不好意思，但我已经觉得很幸福了。这说明他接受了我的建议，想成为了别人眼中懂礼貌，受欢迎的人。前两天，把他落下时，见一位同学先于他，正走向斑马线，我让他下车快点，赶上那位同学，和他一起过马路。他问我为什么，我说这样车辆让行你和他一次。他快跑几步跟上那位同学，一起过了马路。过去后，他转回头朝我这边望来。还有一件让我高兴的事，小孩通过一个月的课后户外跑，在无意间开始欣赏自然界里的植物了。昨天喝CRANBERRY JUICE 时告我，公园里有两棵结着小红果的树，不知能不能吃。我知道他说的地方，告诉他那不是人吃的，鸟很爱吃。前段看到圈里分享的一篇转自三联生活周刊的文《我们的教育远离自然有多久了》，自然会塑造和影响人的性格，我深以为然。

九月，是各种小红果现身的季节

小孩的日裔男同学带饭到校，今天分了他一个饭团，说里面包的SMOKED SALMON, 这容易，也来试做一下。 想到前两天和他谈对未来老婆的憧憬。首先从身份上要是中日韩裔的，为什么？说是长得更好看，也不那么疯，更可爱，而且文化习俗也接近。没想到傻里傻气的小孩心里已经有了打算，听得我笑死了.

今日的秋雨秋景

他说他看的《舌尖上的中国》是从哔哩哔哩上看的。