Thank you, Champagne Belle!

 Thank you, Champagne Belle, for safe passage. I missed seeing you on the aircraft and asked one of the lovely Ladies in Red for the name of our steed. Thank you for the comfort and the partnership we have, thank you. Not only this time but as always, tons of kindness! This time, it was the lovely Nicky and gentle David. 

We wonder who we betray. I felt I betrayed my mulberry tree, just as it was in the throes of birthing. Awash with little green caterpillar-like fruits with teeny tiny tendrils that feel like hairs, the juicy fruits that turn purple so dark that they almost look black are just beginning to form. I left with a sense of sadness that she will not be appreciated and will garner the strength to bring forth her offspring on her own. Nobody loves my mulberry tree like I do. Last year, I left three weeks later and still barely had any fruits on her and almost no yield. This year, she's laden. Heavily pregnant. I am so sorry, tree. Khamat Khamana. 

The loquat trees are laden, too. The Lucious yellow fruits hang in bunches, and the fruits on the one tree can vary sharply in taste, to sweet, sourish, and bland like different family members. They propagate quickly, and I am assured of a rotation of volunteers present in my yard. 

Besides these two trees, my moringa had just started to flower. I love using its flowers in my raita. The lemon grass needed a cutting back, as its strong, crisp, grasslike leaves dried after the months of cold weather. It still gave me tea—dear, beautiful trees and plants. 

It has been such a busy last couple of months. Why do we leave what we obviously enjoy, or rather, do not in some instances fully rejoice in? Not living in the moment? In my case, no, it's not as simple as that. It's the lure of Love. Do we love a place because we love someone or because they are in a place we love? That is a question, the answer of which we know in our hearts. 

Once I arrived, I was not disappointed. Clumps of daffodils greeted me, clustered by the front edges and around the sides of the front of the house. One, The tulips are early; it seems they had warm temperatures here. 

There are clear signs everywhere that Winter is loosening its grip on the land, quenched. It's a special feeling to realize that one is privy to the unfolding of Spring. Let the rebirth and rejoicing begin! 

Veenu Banga

03/23/2024

11:43 pm.