Back to Atlanta Series - Our Garden

This is the house that ignited my passion toward gardening. Natural woods in the back, magnificent Japanese Maple on the side, gardenia which gives me a long lasting inspiration for flower arrangement. It taught me that the beauty of gardening resides in harmonizing our creation with the one from the Nature.

I still miss our lady bank climbing rose. It is so naturally mingled with fig vine underneath in front of our house. It is simply warm and elegant at the same time. I experimented having Asiatic lily growing out above monkey grass. I am trying to recreate here in Ohio to create a dynamic garden - one background with different looks through the seasons. I still crave for the smell of Chinese sweat olive tree.

We may go back to see our retro mail box that Sammy created and our giant bamboo vase. Hope that we still can see the green house we built from old windows salvaged in the hood and our fountain for koi fish. We had to leave after three year hard work and finally witness the vision turned into reality. What I missed most is the sanctuary for me to practice yoga and tai chi chi gong.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our kids

Trotsky never made it in Ohio. We had to put him to sleep the day before our final move after a long period of agony. We had a long walk the night before through his familiar neighborhood woods and elementary school. He was such a sweet, crazy and smart dog. We had to let Gorme go more than a month ago. She is our little fluffy butt. We are glad that they both had a wonderful time in our Atlanta house.

Trotsky would balk each single moving thing and not stop after it is long gone. We have to shout him off or literally go to the garden to knock his head off. Gormie could wait right outside chipmunk hole for hours. I hope that she could have that patience for her endless meals.

We surely miss them!

Back to Atlanta Series - Ourselves

I am glad that I finally got rid of my Germany philosopher glasses. Sammy loved it and is still not totally over with it.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our Moms

We had a garden tour in Atlanta with Pat, BC and my mom. Sammy baked a cute name tag for every one. It was really fun. Especially the garden of Lush Life's owner and the garden of very well known landscape architect Ryan Gainey.

Are they all cute except me there!

Pomelo - 我的柚子

Last week it was another regular Monday. As usual, I got up around 7:00Am, left home before 8:00 for a seventy five mile drive to the office. It was just another winter morning with a bit thin snow in the air.

I turned on the radio and listened to WOUB which is NPR in South East Ohio. Actually it is the best public station I ever have had. While I drove through Nelsonville, snowing started a bit thicker. I switched to Pat Metheny. Somehow I love that feeling to drive through white snow powder and mesmerize cruising through California coastline when that music is on. But this time the ride was a bit different. My emotion gate just busted open on me. It brought this ride all the way back almost forty years ago. It became vivid and right back in front of me.

I still remembered that was a sizzling summer time. I was about 4. My dad was not around much since he was always assigned to work on projects far away. We might see him every three or four months. My mom was a high school principal. Always she had endless meetings into 10 to 11 PM. Still my brother and I were able to see her everyday. However this very summer, she was asked to go to another part of city and stay to receive group study for two months. It was not unusual during the chaotic period in China. She was allowed to come back home every Saturday. Sunday was only day off for a week then. During the week, my brother sent me to kindergarten and then went to school in the morning. For me, I had my three meals in the kindergarten. I knew that my mom gave my brother some money and kept some money in our neighbor for him as well. I could not remember how he got by his three meals every day. Sometimes, he picked me up in the kindergarten in the afternoon and we took a bus to go and stay with my aunt over night. Sometimes my brother had to wait outside door until I finished my supper. I still have that image of my skinny sweaty brother waiting outside the door and hoping I could swallow my food faster. It took us about 40 minutes to our aunt's home. Most times we went back to our home on our own during the week.

We counted our fingers every day for that very Saturday since we could see our mom again. During the week, we had no way to communicate with her since no access to the phone. Even though we might be all dirty during the week, we always washed our faces and feet and had a clean clothes on before walking to the bus station. We did not want her to worry about us. We walked through the neighborhood, market and arrive in the station in 10 minutes. We always got the station at 6:00 PM. When every bus arrived, we were just so anxious to fear that we ever missed her. When finally mom appeared, that was the happiest moment in our whole week. My mom checked through us from head to toe many times. She might be just relieved that we were just fine. The every first time she brought us a pomelo fruit. We were so excited and could not wait to get home and cut it open. My brother and I just fought to hold that pomelo on the way home. My mom had to let me hold half way first before reluctantly handing over to my brother. We tried to preserve a bit long but it would be long gone before the weekend is over when my mom had to leave again.

We started to count again for the next yummie pomelo. It was another Saturday. We washed our faces and feet and arrived in the bus station at 6:00PM. Many bus stopped and left. We checked every single person coming out of buses. That familiar face just did not show up. Bus arrived from every 10 minutes,20 minutes to 30 minutes. We had been in the station for 4 hours and it was already dark. We started to realize that mom might not be back today. We just had to go back home for the safety. It was a long way home for that 10 minute walk. I dragged my feet. I just wanted to cry in the dark and could not. We turned our heads every few steps to hope that mom miraculously appeared right behind us. But I just did not have someone to have arms around and cry to. My brother was just another kid 3 years older. I can not remember how we spent that long dark night and the day followed. I was worried about our mom but just could not imagine how much more worry and guilty went through her mind through another long week.

Every time I taste a bite of this juicy fruit, its bitter and sweet sense offers a life experience more memoriable.

China Becomes A Foreign Place For me --

in amazingly good way. I thought that I still could feel the pulse of that country well. I read this article about Vale tines of gay couples in China. Attached are two pictures. It allows us to peek the couple's intense kiss and ease and light mood of the crowd through the lens. It happened yesterday in the Beijing street. Even though Chinese culture never has strong resentment of same sex love, it still has me breath catching of the openness of Today's China -coming from a long way in a very short time.

Happy Valentine's Day

We do not pay a whole lot attention to Valentines day usually. However, I sense that people around suddenly are a bit more into it or I was really not into it. Or I guess that people just need that bit warmness during the hard time. Actually Sammy always remembers and gives a sweet gift. I am just bad about this. Maybe do some flowers if that counts.

Rose, I like it but it is never my favorite. When we just repeat the same more often, that becomes boring. I used to do flower arrangement more often and love it. I love those less significant kinds of flowers. Green mum is one of them. Nothing needs be grand. Just let my mind run its flow and be mindful of beautiful things that we need each other among living creatures and our Nature.

We collected some sycamore bark last fall along our biking trail. Well Here it is my arrangement for your Valentines. Happy Valentines Sammy, all of our families and friends far or close.

A Nice Break From Winter

Icing drive way still reminds of freezing cold days that barely passed. It was up to 55 F this afternoon. The drive way was still covered by thick ice and it took me a solid 3 hours to scrap and clean it up. Our neighbor's dog Nellie was around. She has been fully grown now. Very hyper sweet!

We were so worried if the electricity might go off last a few weeks. Then all our plants in green house might go to heaven or hell. Fortunately it was not interrupted as a large part of area went out of power. Today was the very first time that I was able to open doors to let my plants breath a fresh air. I have had a few plants casualties this winter so far. I am coping the pain a little better than last time.

Life Takes all Forms

Have you ever heard a plant named "mother of thousands"? It is low maintenance to keep it alive and thriving but does take a bit effort to pick all the little mothers of another thousands to grow. By nature, human being tend to cherish less when something comes by easily. My neighbor told me then that this plant would grow too leggy. She gives up on it.

Well, When I got an Ikea round shallow pot and started to create a miniature Zen garden with succulents, mini figures, bridge and temple. I thought that it needs some high structures. Since nothing came to my mind handy, I put a couple of mothers which were nearby then. Since the pot has been moved in the house for the winter. These two baby moms grow into adult leggy ones. I feel that my Zen baby has a hippie mom. It is a meticulous tranquility living somehow with a sort of harmony between disarrays.

Once a while, Sammy accuses me of garden Nazi if I deny his ideas. I do not think that Nazi should never associate with gardening. Well, somehow we will tend to follow our own ways or philosophies to conduct. Most likely our ways could be single minded or narrow. But life takes all forms which have the beauty in their own ways. Yeah my struggle is going on. But I can let my hippie mom tend my Zen baby. After all, they both are Nature worshipers.

Mother of Thousands can take you by surprise with beautiful orange trumpet flowers.

Brini Maxwell in My Mind

More accurately Brini is in Sammy's mind. She is this cool retro queen. Her show is our favorite and unfortunately it was canceled in style channel. Unless living in NY, we can not see her on TV. Well Sammy is so so happy to have some of her pillows now.

Are we foodies?

We started the day by watch sun coming out and shining on the white snow in the bed. It surely put us in a pleasant mode. I turned out TV and watched recorded Barefoot Contessa. The show is all about making out of Cheese. This goat cheese, caramelized onion and tomato tart caught Sammy attention immediately. He just has to have it. That is what we had tonight. Just simple delightful. Ian Garten gave me a guide for my very first American dish - Italian Spaghetti and Chinese Meatball. She is simply wonderful.

Here the tart is

New Year Event

As I mentioned, we went to Ohio University New Year Celebration Party last Sunday with our friend Laiyiee and Bob. We had a lunch at our house before the party. Laiyiee made her signature New Year cake made of sweet rice and red bean. We just love it. Besides the rest is all western. Sammy made this yummy lemon pasta with shrimp. All that matter are abundant for the rest of year.

I have to say that I am impressed by the Chinese Student and Faculty association to organize the event. The program was very good and involved other groups of students in OH and Athens community as well.