WEATHER

Our record-breaking winter storm in December was quite an event. Eight inches of snow. Several episodes of hail and snow pellets. It took till the end of February before the piles of tree branches along every street were picked up. Our nice bottle-brush tree got broken, and so did the biggest rubber-tree I have ever seen. The leaning trees in the park had to be cut down, for which I am not sorry. But I don't understand why they left four-foot tall stumps, too high and slanted to sit on.

The last few days have been truly warm. I can actually take off my coat and sometimes my sweater indoors.

The cycle of spring flowers begins. I wish I were organized enough to make a flower diary with pictures. Mustard, poppies, anemone, oxalis, and various others probably bloom at very exact times, partly overlapping each other. My favorite rose bush this year has only two big beautiful deep pink-streaked flowers, instead of several small lighter-colored ones. White, lavendar and purple alyssum are blooming where planted. A hollyhock is coming up in the sidewalk. One year it had beautiful blossoms. The next year it go cut down before it bloomed. It doesn't know that it actually doesn't, according to some people, belong in the sidewalk. Judas trees are blooming, yellow puff trees are starting to bloom.

 Anchusa, which has small deep blue flowers, is blooming. It's actually kind of a weed, but the flowers are nice. One year, back in the early 70's, I planted the garden variety, which looks about the same but without the thorns. The next year I didn't want them, but they were hard to get rid of. Every piece of tuberous root would start a new plant.

Every time I see a spectacular flower display, I look for the same thing to happen the next year. But it never happens again at the same place. But there are new ones. This week I saw some well trimmed pittosporum with lots of light-green new growth.

But the brick sidewalk near our flat hasn't been swept in over three years. The row of 20 or more big flower tubs gets no care at all, except for an automatic watering system, which is in need of maintenance. What grows in them is what grows easily, including a few persistent flowers and lots of weeds. The nicest flower displays are often half overtaken with some weed. Or there are several nice plants but they are much too crowded. I can appreciate a sort of wild look, but the dirt and dust and  neglected look never cease to bother me.