que pasa

My house has a lawn. When we first got the house, we had the lawn landscaped and there were these nice flowers and plants. The sun was too much for the flowers to take so those died. What we have left are the hardier shrubs and mini-pines/firs.

Then my dad decided to carve up part of the lawn to create a pond for our fish to swim in. What used to be a majestic waterfall has now evolved into a tame creek where water flows through the thick roots of the plants firmly embedded in the rock structure. While they may be something to look at, I think the patch of earth at the side of my house is where most satisfaction is derived.

We have had a series of maids helping us over the years we have lived here. They all seem to like to plant things in the side patch. It is wonderful how Alvera, Elizabeth, Vilma and Marlene have cultivated the little garden at the side and I can see the fruits of their labor today.

Thanks to Elizabeth, we have orchids growing off the palms. Two of them are in bloom now. She dried and cut up coconut husks, tied them to the palm stems such that it holds pieces of charcoal together and keeps the plant propped up. Alvera planted the jackfruit tree that now yields such sweet and juicy fruit every year. Vilma grew lime plants for home-made lime juice, and kept the side patch nourished so that the jackfruit tree would continue to do well, and planted an array of useful plants that could be used in cooking. Marlene has just joined us and I think she is now exploring things she can plant, and ways to keep our plants healthy and fruitful.

The patch is still nothing much to look at, and one might even say it is messy. No grass, just plants growing out of it. But each plant is doing well, and has probably produced something that has ended up on our dinner table. I never thought much of it but I guess under the right hands it is amazing what green fingers can do.

I do not have green fingers. I can never figure how our maids manage to keep the plants alive; much less have them bear flowers or fruit. Much to my embarrassment, many plants have died in my care - I have yet to succeed keeping a cactus alive. My last plant, Henry, not a cactus, died of dehydration because I left it in the office over a long weekend and no one was there to water it. Henry was doing really well – I even had him repotted – and one silly slip like that just killed him altogether.

That was about a year ago. Maybe I will find the courage to try keeping a plant again another day. In the meantime, I would rather just brag about the excellent work that Alvera, Elizabeth, Vilma and Marlene have done.