One of the many reasons that Rachel and I moved to Sonoma was so that we could have plants, or a garden, or both. We now have a townhouse with a pleasant little back patio with a barbecue grille (another modest desire that was not quite possible in NYC). There is a plant out back that was there when we bought the place. I believe it is a type of small maroon Japanese maple. It is almost more of a bush than a tree. There is one in the front of the house also. We both really enjoy them. When fully colored in the summer they are beautiful and slightly exotic. I'm told they're also rather expensive.
A few months back Rachel's mother, my friend Lisa, and myself planted a few additional plants in the back yard. We were all hoping for the best. After only a couple of days it became evident that these plants were not getting enough sunlight or water. I could change one of those things, so I did. I began watering almost every morning. This didn't help save any of the new plants we had planted and killed the one that was already here, the maple. I guess I over watered it. So now, with victory complete, having decimated the entire back patio, I return to square one. We will have to replant the back area and I will have to do some research on what to do next, and perhaps more importantly, what not to do.
So, that's how things have progressed on me becoming a farmer... I'm thinking of applying for a farm subsidy. I mean, I am still a liberal victim.... I'd hate to not keep my republican friends sufficiently angered.
My piano playing has not been going well either. I'm not practicing enough. So, I'm not getting any better. I will wait until we have guests over and then after a few glasses of wine I become Elton John in a duck outfit with oversized glasses... hammering out a few drunken chords, forgetting verses, false notes, slurring lyrics, changing songs mid-performance, all the while thinking myself to be quite the entertainer. One friend recently thought enough of it to shoot a quick iPhone video. In the morning I was confronted with the wreckage. Let's just say that Ray Charles' legacy is safe for now. But I'm quickly snapping at the heels of Motley Crue.
Home Sweet Home, indeed.
.
