Tiger Lily Thrills

Lily - May 2010

California by Amy Correia

I’m moving out to California
to find my place in the sun
beneath the lemon trees
and I’m living on
oranges and gasoline
hummingbirds humming
helicopters hovering
California
will you take me in
to your soft brown hills
tiger lily thrills
California
Palm trees
look like spiders in a starry sky
they look as strange as I feel inside
my suitcase is heavy
’cause I packed it full of childish lies
nowhere left to run
California here I come
California
I was born in a small town
Sunday school
grandfather pines
Saturdays my mother
didn’t bother me
making my mudpies under solitary skies

Lily - May 2010

Lilium lancifolium, columbianum, Stargazer Lily, Easter Lily…the list goes on and on, there are so many different types of Lily in the species. This orange one is not a true Tiger Lily since it has no spots but I love them because they are like a burst of sunshine in a sea of green.The white ones I have will open in another week or two. They get the sun a little later in the season. Fine by me, since the orange ones will be almost finished by then.

Lillies prefer rich and moist, well drained soil and to be left alone. I don’t even pick the flowers for vases because they don’t seem to like it much. I leave them alone to bloom and when their season is over I cut the entire plant down near the ground and wait for next year. That’s it! They seem to be pest resistant as well. One of the easiest plants I have.

Lily with Buddha - May 2010

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3 Minutes by The Sea

SONNET 60 – William Shakespeare

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Nativity, once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d,
Crooked elipses ‘gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.

When you live in California, people tend to assume you spend a lot of time at the beach or have an ‘ocean view’. Actually, a very small percentage of Californians have an ocean view (we don’t feel every earthquake either) and to most of us, it’s damned hard to find time to drive over to see it. I live only about 10 minutes from the beach, but I haven’t actually BEEN in almost six months. Usually, it takes an out of town visitor to get me to spend an afternoon on the sand. This isn’t because I don’t love it or enjoy being there…I really do like the ocean and the beach. But, like anything else, a million things come along to distract me or take priority, then it’s too late or, worse, tourist season! I do not go to the beach during tourist season if I can avoid it – eek! Having a husband who survived skin cancer is also on the list of reasons why going to the beach is not a constant habit. I do, however, long for it on occasion – usually when I know I can’t get there.

If I were being truly honest, I would say I prefer the mountains. That’s where the trees are! As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was hike through the aspen groves in Colorado.
There is absolutely nothing more peaceful than standing in a silent damp forest waiting for the slightest breeze to make the tops of the trees whisper at you. The ocean roars with aggression and there are always other people there. In the forest, you can feel truly alone with yourself and your thoughts, and nature seems to respect your privacy.

Today, Tom and I had some errands to run in Ocean Beach, so we decided to include lunch and a quick drive by the sea.

There are some storm fronts heading our way so the news has been announcing larger than normal waves.

This always piques my interest in going so off we went. It really was beautiful and, although we were only there for like 3 minutes, I got lungs full of fresh clean air and remembered that life isn’t all paperwork. It’s sand and sun, dogs and hippies, pelicans and taking a break for lunch with your man. While there, I vowed to get down to the water more often this year, to remember that experiencing nature is a necessity and maybe not a luxury after all. We’ll see how that works out, but today was beautiful and I was grateful for the encounter, however brief.

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