muggy and sultry

Summer is definitely here at the Ponderosa. Our agave plant's flower stem is now to the level of the roof of our two-story house. It has sparked an ongoing discussion (out of range of children's ears) between Mr. Strega and me as to what exactly it resembles. I feel it is leaning towards a certain aspect of maleness, yet he insists it is more like an asparagus. This has prompted an unanswerable, Alice-in-Wonderland type of question: "When is an asparagus like a man?"

Anyway, my garden is in that wonderful phase just before everything blooms; all is lush and green. Jasmine and honeysuckle are in full and fragrant bloom; the first roses--Elaine (white rose), Bella Roma (multicolored), Dream Cloud (hot pink, single petals), Blaze (red climber), Angel Wings (pink/white miniature) and Angel Face (purple) are all in their last flowering and some have been cut back for a second round of bloom. Nasturtiums are just about to flower, as well as calendula; I have blue windowbox sweet peas, which I don't think I will plant again, as they look weedy; I also have pink windowbox sweet peas, which always look nice. Future bloomers include zinnias, larkspur, four o'clocks, sunflowers, climbing sweet peas, and tons and tons of poppies. I tend to grow easy things, and not very many veggies--this year I have mini pumpkins and one very large tomato plant. Gardening is integral to my life as a writer--there is really some connection for me to making things grow and being able to write, if only for the hour or two I can spend outside, puttering about and thinking.

Speaking of which, I have been getting my poetry manuscript together for Milkweed Editions' June open reading and for Comstock Review's poetry contest (I generally don't enter poetry contests because I hate shelling out reading fees, but Comstock has published my work twice and their reading fee is low, and they're legit to boot). Still working on that other project--due to a lot of new information about my family, I am faced with a bit of revision. Even though my book will probably be published under the cloak of "based on true stories," I still want it to be aligned as much as possible with the reality of my family. Thus, I have been a bit of a hermit these days.

People have been asking me how I feel about getting all these family photos--I honestly think my mind has really not gotten over the shock! Ultimately, it makes me feel that anything is possible.
So, I'm off to the races for another day of pen to paper--I do often remember to pause and be grateful for the fact that I am learning to carve out the time to work, trying to make at least a fluid schedule to sit down and just plug away.