A Southerner finding peace in SoCal

So this week my wife and I have been prepping our backyard for a party this coming Sunday. I have helped assemble a gazebo, dug holes for plants, pruned shrubs, and swept the patio. One of the more gratifying chores has been the assembly of patio furniture. Getting a table and chairs put out on the patio, and a couple of faux wicker seats with large green cushions bisected by a steel fire pit next to it really rounds out the set.  From college to China, then first years of our marriage-- I have occupied a string of apartments, guest rooms, hotels and hostels. None of those places sported multiple citrus trees or a pair of semi-feral vagrant cats. Not to sound cliche, but this place is really special; one could call it a milestone.

As I sat in my green cushioned, faux wicker glider chair yesterday after work, I indulged in a handful of fresh kumquats. Yes, we have a productive kumquat tree adjacent to our patio. For those of you who haven't savored the exhilarating rush of kumquat consumption, it ambushes your taste buds. The fruit is consumed whole, skin and all. A light zephyr of sweetness emanates from the peel and sets you up for the sucker-punch tartness of the middle. It is like having a conversation with Christopher Walken about some esoteric hobby and having Robin Williams interrupt you.  The kumquat: enjoyable, yet surprising.

That backyard experience with near perfect weather, and the promise of an almost infinite growing season combined to ease my mind about being here for a while. I used to be edgy and feel "cramped" within the social and political structure of this state, but California is cool. Dang cool! I don't recall being able to have fish tacos en route to Home Depot in Alabama. Nor finding any bougainvillea in the garden section there :o)  Perhaps the peaceful feeling is a sign of my growing tolerance of people who have a wildly different (lackadaisical) world view.

Just another example today at work was from a colleague's comment. He told me that I possess an abundance of "useless information." I gently retorted that much of my reading and learning is solely for personal enrichment. That threw him sideways; he couldn't fathom studying and memorizing information just for the sake of knowledge.  I suppose my outlook is contrarian to my peers. While many of them see studying as a painful means to a necessary end, I see it as a positive lifelong habit. Never stop learning! And in the words of gun scribe LT Col. Jeff Cooper, "If it is worth remembering, WRITE it down!" So many things I think about writing down for the sake of posterity, but slip into the pit of procrastination. That is a dangerous trap one should avoid. Steer clear, remain vigilant, read the Proverbs, and always keep looking up.