暖冬cool夏
這裏一年四季溫暖如春，沒有酷暑沒有嚴寒......
今年最漂亮的一串小枇杷，也是幸存於塑料盒中：
早上從樓上隔著紗窗拍到的：
Entering May one day, Em heard over the radio that the covid-19 public health emergency and national state of emergency are officially declared to be over. Delighted at the news but worried that the full return to workplace may one day required by the company, Em wishes that the current hybrid working mode could persist. An alternating two days in the office and three days working from home is the best combination to her. With three days working at home, her mornings are never hectic, as she could log in her computer in her night robe. When it comes to downtime at work, she could even work from bed. She normally takes about half an hour nap at noon, but of course if the job asks for overtime, she would work late into the night too. If pandemic ever did anything positive, it is the change of palpable life style and work style. In her mid-50s, she is no longer career-oriented; her enthusiasm ebbs as the aging creeps upon. Showing up in the office twice a week however spices up her boring life. Some watercooler moments in the office kitchen, face- to- face interactions with the old co-workers are delightful, connecting her to the outside world.
It is another typical day working from home, as Em put on her jacket and sat at the desk next to the window. It is almost June, but the weather this year is unusually cold and gloomy. She opened the window to let in the crisp air and zipped up her jacket. Then peering out the window, she scoured the leafy loquat tree in the backyard for any squirrel. The community this year is so infested with squirrels that their presence arouses disquiet in Em’s mind. Her sound sleep is irritably disrupted in the early mornings by the rustling sound from the backyard, or the alarming wind chime Em purposely hung on the tree. Several times, half asleep, she sprinted from the bed to the window, to check if it’s a squirrel again that made the sound, and unfailingly she would see a furry- tailed squirrel shakily crushing its body over the branch lunging for the loquats. Em would shush forcecibly, her right palm slapping hard against the window sill. However penetrating the sound may be, the emboldened squirrel would not be scared. It would quickly slip down to the wall nearby and stare at her, defiantly. Pulling up her pants, Em would rush downstairs, open the door, take a broom and swoop it up in the air. Only then would the squirrel run away, but Em knows that it would soon come back.
As the only fruit tree in the backyard, the loquat tree is like an apple in Em’s eye. This year however, from the time the loquat started fruiting last autumn, Em’s expectations wane and wax. Aware of the squirrels in the area, Em prepares early-- fruit bags were purchased from Temu, netted bags and paper bags were collected, and up onto a tall ladder she laboriously wrapped the fruit - -but all to no avail. Bags, nylon or paper, are torn apart, and almost every day the ground and the wall are littered with the loquat pits and remnants, some still green and unripe.
And they would have all gone if Em did not have the three days working from home. On the days Em works from home, she would sit at the desk in front of the window and be watchful, like a farmer watching over the ripening watermelon in the stories she read in her childhood. But even so, in the month-long battle, however sensitive and detective her eyes and ears are trained by then, the loquats on the tree diminish in a downward spiral. To keep the last few clusters at bay, Em resorted to her friend’s suggestion of using plastic boxes to contain them.
Em’s husband however frowned upon the idea, as he saw what he called junkie plastic boxes strewn over the tree. As he failed to dissuade Em, he joined her in the discussion of finding effective ways to deter squirrels, jokingly broaching the topic of an AI invention which would fly up and hover around whenever the squirrel appears.
Em couldn’t wait for the loquat season to end!
In fact, a new story of Bill is on its way. Stay tuned.
I think in the end it is not the loquat that made me obsessive, but the emotion attached after 6 more months of fertilizing and expectation of course:))
I actually kind of miss your "Stories of Bill":-)
I would try slingshots on the squirrels. It's fun and appeals to our hunter nature.
I can't quite get the obsession with the fruit, though. Maybe I haven't tasted the real thing :-)
受過鬆鼠之害的大抵不會再喜歡這個動物了，很aggressive,你趕它走它還瞪著看你不走，有一次被我趕下屋頂，還爬上樹發脾氣好一陣。要趕走的，吃幾顆枇杷是小事，如果在附近做窩可就麻煩了。
謝謝心雨惦記閱讀，你回來不久，還加班，自己當心身體啊！祝六月快樂！
往年我也全不理會，現在因著肺不舒服，都說枇杷對肺比較好，我也與小鬆鼠競爭搶枇杷，哈。
暖冬親的小文中英對照，緩緩讀來心裏溫暖一片。
謝謝啦！
我開車上班的路上常常看見人家後院的枇杷壓彎了樹枝，也不見他們摘的：）
不過你的這個想法倒是讓人敬佩的，家裏那位也說由它們去的，鬥不過鬆鼠的：））
謝謝你給我的留言！這篇博文本來就是一則短日記，很高興有你這樣的留言！Enjoy your fruit season!
I guess quite some fruit trees are vulnerable to frost and low temperature, not to say those tropical fruits. I have dragon fruit in my backyard too, which would not survive for cold winter. Probably you can try growing an apple tree:))
Thanks again for your visit. Have a great long weekend!
所以啊，如果一個人有了成見，可愛的東西就會變成了可惡的了，對鬆鼠的印象已經完全被破壞了，反而對烏鴉的印象變好了。有一年一隻烏鴉也來偷吃，被我看見趕跑以後就再也沒有見烏鴉來過，這就叫識相，哈哈哈：）我們家的某人就是動動嘴而已，還說那個AI的名字都取好了，就叫My Backyard Buddy:) 說笑而已。
Oncemm長周末快樂！
暖冬的英文更為細膩。
But it has tropical, leathery leaves for decoration.
暖冬長周末快樂！
小鬆鼠抓拍的好萌，要是不破壞水果還是蠻可愛的！
暖冬長周末愉快！