So, not one hour after I posted the last entry I picked up the Boston Post and they had an article about how Non-native species were crowding out native plants and animals, complete with walking fish and 15-foot Triffid-like plants and--Purple Loosestrife.
It would be too much to say "I don't care". I did a lot of rooting out of non-native species on my property in California. But...
They still make my heart leap when I see them in the full sunlight. They do.
After all, I am a non-native here, as I was in California. And, if not proud of it, I'm not ashamed of it either. I put in central air conditioning when most of the natives thought I was overreacting. After our 23rd 90-degree day this summer, with humidity even the weather forecasters typify as "oppressive", at least I'm getting my sleep. I wouldn't have it any other way. Non native though it is.
I work with many people from China, Japan, India, Great Britain, South Africa. Non-natives. Our company is so much stronger for having them with us. But do they feel, as I often do, as if they are split apart. One psychic piece far away, another here. And many of those people, like me, will never be able to pass for natives. On the whole, I can't get up a lot of juice about being a "native". Maybe that's because I haven't been one for a long time...
There's the regional accent, which, coupled with my hearing loss, continues to give me some droll moments. The TV yesterday spoke of congestion on the "Central Ottery". Funny, the picture they showed had cars and trucks in it, not otters.
It is funny, though, how quickly I've adapted to the East Coast style of eating. Summer for me screams for grilling things--sausages, steak, hamburger--on the grill outside. Salads and fruit and fruit and fruit. God, I feel like I never had a good peach in California, and I've had some amazing ones here--golden fuzzy orgasms. We eat all the more joyfully knowing that it will end before long. We'll be back to green bananas and wan oranges. Soon it will be fall, with apple everything and cranberries and getting into the squashes. Then winter with the soups and stews and roasted this and that--anything to keep the oven on as long as possible. Then spring with its salads and sandwiches.
Speaking of eating, I've made an appointment with a hypnotherapist next week to start working again on my weight. I've gained back through the move most of what I lost last fall. I did want to do it myself, because I'm sure there are some big issues that are keeping me big. But the important thing is to be doing something. And now I am. I'll keep you posted...
That moment has come when Summer has started to become Fall. Sometime in this heat wave. I'm starting to see a couple of brown leaves here and there. The green now looks tired rather than bursting with vitality. The crickets are blowing their trumpets around our wall of Jericho, and at times it seems they will collapse our walls by sheer volume. And I'm tired and going to bed...
Thank you for reading.
Copyright © 2001 Pete Stevens. All rights reserved.
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