Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES─I might get some flack for this, but I’m being completely honest here, that I have saved so much money since the country has gone on a virtual shutdown. While I would be exaggerating things slightly by saying the country has shut down, because in all actuality it hasn’t, but it feels like 80 percent is out of...

Author’s note: This continuation of the unfinished story “Lost” is the order of the day. Even as we are thrust by brave new times into deeply moving explorations of the new and near, as we are keeping close to that seldom enjoyed place home, I take it upon myself to carry on also with the old and dear and...

UNITED STATES—A plant 'variety' is a group within a species that exhibits distinguishing characteristics. A 'cultivar' is simply a cultivated variety. The first five letters of 'cultivated' merged with the first three letters of 'variety' to form the word 'cultivar.' A variety should be self-perpetuating to some degree, and may be naturally occurring. A cultivar perpetuates by unnatural means,...

UNITED STATES—Every palm tree in local landscapes is exotic. Simply put, all palms are originally from somewhere else. The desert fan palm, the only palm that is native to California, came from isolated colonies in desert regions many miles away. In fact, most plants in common landscapes are exotic. Landscapes composed of Californian plants likely include some plants from...

UNITED STATES—Listen, I’m wearing a mask, er bandana until I can find a mask. It’s been weird and amazing these last eight days of quarantine. I see it all from my pinhole, onto the world, Hollywood, USA. Weird times. Like I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody stopped me at Hollywood and Vine and offered to sell me a circus. But I...

UNITED STATES—The need to deadhead so early in spring is one of the few minor consequences of spring bulbs. Long before it becomes necessary to deadhead zinnia, canna and rose, the first flowers to bloom as winter ends are already finished. Many are those of spring bulbs. Their lingering deteriorating bloom can be slightly unappealing. What is more of...

UNITED STATES—A phone call came at the least appropriate moment from Rhett Thornton. “Rats,” she gasped. She knew better than to take that call. Rhett would go off on some tangent or tirade. She would be stuck on the island of traffic, frantic over horn honks, being gifted the finger and besieged by mean sneers. There could be no more...

UNITED STATES—None of the most problematic rodents here hibernate completely. Only ground squirrels hibernate, but they are rare, and tend to avoid home gardens and refined landscapes. Some other rodents are less active through the cooler parts of winter, but never completely stop eating, chewing and digging up what they want from our gardens. Many will become more active...

UNITED STATES—Doing a good deed in poor conscience really sucks. Eliza knew. She was crossing the city on a Friday night, after being held hostage by a motor mouth on a phone, either too drugged or oblivious to get the drift. Eliza was squirming, she detested procrastination, even to use the term implied a kind of compromise. And that...

UNITED STATES─I have wanted to have this conversation for quite some time now America. We live in a world where you have two types of people: spenders and savers. Being one or the other is not a bad thing, but it raises an important question for me: does having materialistic things bring more vibrancy to your life or does...