Category Archives: Neighborhood

Unsettled

Posted on May 30, 2017 by sputterpub

It’s absolutely silly how upset I got about a trellis vine that died. Acceptance took three weeks – I didn’t let its symptoms tell me what they signified. I’m feeling better now all hope has flown; I paid a guy … Continue reading →

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Plant Puppies

Posted on May 29, 2017 by sputterpub

The passion flower’s otherworldly bloom, cape honeysuckle and another vine, we plan to plant today. I have the room – wisteria that I considered mine has died. For weeks I watched for buds to grow, but stunted purple petals broke … Continue reading →

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Unnecessary Walking

Posted on May 22, 2017 by sputterpub

Another gorgeous Sunday by the bay, with azure sky and eighty-one degrees. The air is light and satiny today, caressing sunblocked cheeks, uncovered knees, and arms that swing with freedom, showing sleeves of ink or naked skin. The weather’s why … Continue reading →

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Like a Broken Clock

Posted on April 12, 2017 by sputterpub

I haven’t reported about Bertilda for a while. That’s because she’s like a headache: only considered if causing pain. Most of us don’t notice when the headache eases. It took us a couple of months to realize how quiet the … Continue reading →

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Oxalisation

Posted on April 10, 2017 by sputterpub

My neighborhood’s oxalisated now. The yellow blooms make carpets in the sun. To finger-rake the foliage is how we weed the yard in April, leaving none although the flowers never hurt our eyes, and clover-cool the green is soft as … Continue reading →

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Profiles in the Yard

Posted on March 30, 2017 by sputterpub

The squirrels are the vandals in the yard. I used to think them cute, until I caught them digging holes to nowhere: no regard for shoots or seedlings. And you know I thought the cats were fine the neighbors loved … Continue reading →

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Asphalt

Posted on March 20, 2017 by sputterpub

We didn’t ask the city to repave our quiet street. Nobody made a stir. We weren’t pothole-pocked and didn’t crave improvement, didn’t lobby or demur. But sawhorse signs appeared with closure dates, and trucks with backup beeps like metronomes, and … Continue reading →

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Greg

Posted on March 15, 2017 by sputterpub

I dreamt of my neighbor Greg last week. Maybe it’s all the emails I’m getting about the fiftieth reunion. Not that I’m going. I attended two high schools. I started in a semi-settled community south of San Diego and then … Continue reading →

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Once Upon a Neighborhood

Posted on January 25, 2017 by sputterpub

I never really liked the block. Moving there in 1983 was a marital concession. I didn’t want to have it all my way; I tried give-and-take with my second spouse. He was nine years older than I, born months before … Continue reading →

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Meditation Block

Posted on January 20, 2017 by sputterpub

The route from home to BART has pleasant views, a gentle downward slope, infrequent stops – it’s sustenance for senses, walking news, but Alcatraz to Woolsey has no shops. Pedestrians like me, who people-spy, will find a house attractive but … Continue reading →

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