it rained on the garden today! the hog wire has drips and the dirt is darker. the cat is climbing into the chimnea which is full of ashes and butts and I had to kick at him and say get out of there. what was he thinking, that it was some kind of a litter box?the birds are happy that it has rained, the bird bath is full of fresh water (and a mosquito dunk -- come on larvae, I dare you!) and there are sprigs of green all over the place, in the garden. I saw the first seedlings of the zinnias and sunflowers coming up a day or two ago, and Steven has planted peppers and herbs and there's a bowl of sweet potatoes and a jar of lemongrass he's trying to get to root so he can plant them.
the neighbor across the street just came out with large quantities of plastic garbage. he wears a pork pie hat. he's quiet, barely speaks, rarely smiles. after he went back in another boy who drives the car with the Colorado plates came out, bed hair and a wad of clothes under one arm. I guess they're a couple, but I think there's some shame. my next door neighbor had a yard sale and he bought a lot of stuff from her, then when I was there she said, "He used to be married. He has no business being married." I was a little perturbed at first. Steven says "that's exactly the kind of thing either of us might have said." and I thought not to a neighbor, not to a near stranger. but that's the thing about neighbors, they gossip. they talk in code about things to feel each other out. they want to know the ongoing history of the garden, what did you plant? how is it growing?
the neighbor's boyfriend is emptying trash out of his car. he just waved at me. they remind me of boys I used to hang out with at Lola's, when nobody really---
