Selling the Orchard

FROG HOSPITAL  -- April 29, 2017  -- By Fred Owens

I accidentally deleted last week's issue of Frog Hospital  -- a thousand words, several hours of work, gone in a flash, gone forever  -- those stirring words, those soul-enriching phrases  -- I was stunned -- but, as friends told me later, maybe it wasn't meant to be -- maybe no one really wants to hear about "Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante" -- okay, that reference was a little obscure  -- anyway, it's over, and we start fresh today.

Selling the Orchard

I have to mention Trump by name in order to say that I have been ignoring him.... I looked at the front page of the NYTimes on the Internet this morning.... There was Trump news all over the place .... I scanned the headlines but skipped the stories.....
My strategy is to pay attention to local issues .... the new gas tax in California for instance .... Are they really going to use it to fix the roads?
In Santa Barbara we have disturbing news .... The Mesa Harmony Garden might be sold -- at least there have been inquiries if not offers. The Mesa Harmony Garden is almost one acre in size, with more than 100 fruit trees.... It has been labor of community love for seven years ... To build and grow what we hoped to be a long-term project on Holy Cross church property.  But the parish is losing $10,000 a month, according to Father Rafael, and the orchard property must be sold to cover the deficit.

There will be objections and organized opposition to the sale of the orchard. After all, this is Santa Barbara and nothing gets built here without a prolonged struggle.
Personally, I lack the stamina for this struggle.... I accept the loss of the fruit trees. I will plant new trees elsewhere. It always was a movable feast.
The sale, or the possibility of a sale ..... This could drag on for years... A good bet is that the orchard will still be here five years from now .... Maybe the church should start having Bingo Night to cover the deficit, whatever it takes to fill those pews..... instead of selling property.
But, no more of jesting. If you want to save the orchard, be ready to write a large check. The property is worth way more than $1 million. The real estate market in Santa Barbara is very hot. A savvy developer could put in one high-end residence, and several lower-income units. The savvy developer might even promise not to cut down all the fruit trees.
Honestly, I've stood in front of the bulldozer before. I've signed the petition. I've gone to the meetings. I have no stomach for this. I am not angry at Father Rafael and I do not envy his position. He will be unpopular no matter what he does. He is over 70 in age and looking to retirement which is mandatory at age 75. Being pastor of Holy Cross church is probably his last assignment. Selling property to cover operating expenses  -- he didn't study for years in the seminary for jobs like this. He's a good man.
Overall, to use a word that Trump uses, I'm a big fan of the Catholic Church. They operate countless schools, hospitals and universities throughout the world. They do more good than harm. The Church is the largest and oldest institution on earth without a military force. They can't start a war, although they can take sides once the war starts.
And let's hear it for Pope Francis. It took courage and daring to make a journey to Egypt. My heart goes out to him.
Back to the orchard  -- seven years of work, one hundred trees, a state of the art drip irrigation system, some thousands of hours of volunteer time spreading mulch, pruning, digging  -- all that work. You let people plant trees on your property and they get attached.
I know. I work as a gardener on other people's property. I plant trees for them  -- I plant their trees on their property. I don't get attached, but I get paid and that makes it fair. Okay, all right, I get a little attached to the trees I just planted. But you gotta let it go to let it grow.
Mesa Harmony Garden -- I stick with the promise of the word in the middle -- Harmony, which is our highest purpose. How can we maintain the harmony that makes the orchard so beautiful? We start harvesting peaches in two weeks.

thank you,
--

Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214

My gardening blog is  Fred Owens

My writing blog is Frog Hospital

Seven Spanish Angels

Frog Hospital  -- April 13 -- by Fred Owens
 I heard the Seven Spanish Angels -- the rendition by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles -- "there were Seven Spanish Angels at the altar of the sun," a very mythical song.

The Seven Gardens I worked in last week were not too mythical, but they were full of spring beauty and blossoms, bursting with color and soft breezes.

There are songs everywhere, because it is spring. A young woman came over to the house to see about renting the spare bedroom. Her name was Lily. I said to her, "Hi Lily," and instantly I thought of the song, sung by Leslie Caron in 1952. It was a favorite of my mother's. "A song of love is sad song, hi lily, hi lily, hi-lo." Do you remember it? It was so old-fashioned.

Lily looked at the spare bedroom, but said she will think about it. Usually that means it is not quite right for her needs. Selecting housemates is a crucial process at our house. Laurie is very good at picking the right people to rent the room.

Angelica is moving out, which is why the room is available. I would tell you all about Angelica, but that is a private matter and this is a newsletter, so I only write about people who welcome the attention.

But there is so much to say.... so many people that I have gotten to know here in Santa Barbara.

I could write about Pete Georgi. He wouldn't mind. He sells insurance and restores classic cars. He is also the manager of the Carriage Museum, where they keep the antique carriages and saddles on display.

But then I know personal stuff about Pete, nothing shocking or strange, nothing like that, but still I would need permission.

That's why we invented fiction. I could make up a story with a character named Pete, a gruff sixtiesh man, and his two daughters, Lily and Angelica. The two daughters are finding their way in the world and Pete is confronting mortality. The daughters are growing up too fast and Pete is getting old too fast.

Lily, the younger daughter by two years, works at the Equestrian Rescue Center. She loves the wounded horses, the abandoned ones. She is a vegan and she has become militant about that. She argues with her Dad. Pete told her, "You're living under my roof and you will keep your opinion to yourself when I have my pals over for a BBQ. I tolerate you and you can tolerate me. Maybe you think I'm a terrible old rascal, but I

am not."

Angelica, the elder girl, is not one to debate with Pete. She only wants to get away. She does HR work at some health care business. After hours she does hair extensions and eyebrow plucking and skin care, a bit of a cash business. "I'm getting away from here," she tells Rahin on her very smart phone. Rahin lives in Calabasas just outside of Los Angeles, and makes big dollars doing sales work for Pfizer Drugs. He comes from the Middle East. He's ten years older than Angelica, drives a New BMW. Pete doesn't even want to meet him. He is angry and scared. Angelica will go away, far away, and there is nothing he can do about it.

Well, I could make up a story like that.

So I write and I garden. 

Politics. Politics are happening too fast these days. Anything I read or write will expire by tomorrow. I could write that Trump embraces NATO until he doesn't. He disses Putin until he wants to be friends again. Why watch?

Today North Korea's fearless leader and our blessed President are staring at each other to see who blinks first.

I was talking with a close and trusted friend about this. I said our guy is not nearly as crazy as their guy. She agreed, "but that's not saying much. I would feel much better if Hillary Clinton was handling this."

Personal Business. I will soon be working as a tutor, working for a non-profit in an after-school program helping junior high and high school students -- helping those who are struggling and those who strive to excel. I will be doing a lot less gardening.

Spring Subscription Drive. A $25 or $50 subscription to Frog Hospital comes with the promise that I will try my best. I have been writing this journal since 1998.

I have written some hundreds of issues of this journal, and some of it has been very good indeed and I would like to continue writing this, and I would like you to send me a check for $25 or $50 or punch the PayPal button.

You can find the PayPal button on the blog. Go to Frog Hospital.

Or make out a check to Fred Owens and mail it to:

Fred Owens

1105 Veronica Springs RD

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

thank you very much,

Fred

Don't get me wrong. Paying attention to national and global issues is the duty of responsible adults. Pondering and discussing issues is a necessary part of public life. But you need strength to be effective. you need to hold your ground, and one way to gather your strength is to spend time in the garden, with your feet literally on the ground.

--

Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214

My gardening blog is  Fred Owens

My writing blog is Frog Hospital

The Barista is Always Right

By Fred Owens

The Barista is Always Right

I once worked as the substitute barista at Cafe Culture in LaConner. I had steady customers and got good tips, but I had a way of dealing with people. Like this -----

I wish I could discriminate. When I was the afternoon substitute barista at Cafe Culture, I served everybody equally. I fixed them a hot steaming foamy latte, one and all. But there was one group coming in the place, I wanted to shut the door when I saw them.

Decafs! You wouldn't believe this, we ran an honest coffee place, and these people came in and ordered decaf! I gave them the long stare, the long pause, thinking, but of course not saying, you want decaf? What is the point?
I never got used to it.
The soy latte people were not easy to like either, but after a while I got used to them. One day I even tasted a soy latte and it wasn't half bad.
I had no quarrel with the Chais. It wasn't my thing, but what the heck, they tipped as well as anybody.
Otherwise all were welcome, Democrats, Republicans, the employed and the idle, the rich and the poor, the religious and the scandalous, the happy and the depressed. It takes all kinds.
But the decafs, no.

Thanks for asking about my annual physical.

There has been a lot of talk about the merits of the Affordable Care Act and the Republican effort to repeal or replace it. I cannot present an opinion here with any authority. But I can report on my own success with health care  --- I just had my annual physical. I get Medicare. It works for me. Why not have it for everybody?

Santa Barbara is a great place for health care services because of all the affluent and educated people who demand it. Doctors want to work here. I go to the Sansum Clinic, which is the major clinic affiliated with Cottage Hospital, which is the major hospital.

Sansum Clinic is first class and friendly. My doctor is Bryce Holderness, from the University of Southern California medical school. He is a handsome young man right out of central casting.

I see him every March for a physical. Overall I did fine this year. My prostrate level is so low that I will not even need to be tested again, he said. My cholesterol is well within range, but I will be taking a new blood test in a few days. Hopefully it is still good. Same with sugar level, and other indicators from the blood test.

I have taken Lisinopril for the past ten years, a mild drug for hypertension. A lot of  people my age take this medication and it costs $8 for thirty pills. The drug slightly loosens the blood vessels and improves the flow.

I take Lorazepam, or Ativan, in a small dosage, as needed, for occasional anxiety. I have also had this same prescription for ten years.

The current problem is sciatica, a constant but not severe pain from my right hip to my ankle. Eight weeks now and not going away. X-ray reveals stenosis of the lumbar vertebrae. They took an MRI and will give me the results shortly.

Physical therapy is the preferred method. I do my exercises three times a day, and go to PT twice a week. Other options are to be avoided, the doctor said, unless absolutely necessary. Other options are more powerful pain medication, or surgery. Right now I take Alleve twice a day. I sleep well and the doctor told me to continue gardening work because the mobility is good for it.

Cataracts. I have them. They make night driving difficult. All the lights glow. Many people my age have them. A simple surgery some time next year will fix it. Next year because they wait for it to get worse so that they don't have to fix it twice.

Finally, there is a benign nodule or growth on my thyroid, the size of a walnut. It may have been there for years. If it gets any bigger it will be removed by surgery, but the doctors are not over-excited about this, having scheduled the next appointment for thyroid ultra sound in December.

Besides that, I told Dr. Holderness my life was good and I was not especially irritable or depressed. I sleep well, eat moderately, get exercise, have a nice girlfriend, etc.

I get Medicare and I pay $135 per month for Medicare supplement insurance. I do not have coverage for prescription medicine. In alternative medicine I have sometimes chosen acupuncture and hypnotherapy. I avoid the chiropracter, I think he promises too much.

Any questions?

Spring Subscription Drive. A $25 or $50 subscription to Frog Hospital comes with the promise that I will try my best. I have been writing this journal since 1998.

I have written some hundreds of issues of this journal, and some of it has been very good indeed and I would like to continue writing this, and I would like you to send me a check for $25 or $50 or punch the PayPal button.

You can find the PayPal button on the blog. Go to Frog Hospital.

Or make out a check to Fred Owens and mail it to:

Fred Owens

1105 Veronica Springs RD

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

thank you very much,

Fred

--

Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214

My gardening blog is  Fred Owens

My writing blog is Frog Hospital