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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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Spring in San Jose

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.13.2009

Spring has come to San Jose! I took a walk around my neighborhood and took some pictures of the flowers blooming right now.




This was mostly for you non-Californians, since some of you might have not seen many palm trees.


I think this is a magnolia tree but I'm not sure.

These are the "rolling foothills" near my home.





I'd love to grow Calla lilies at some point.


There are tons of cherry blossom trees in bloom right now. The pink and dark branches are really dramatic and make for a nice drive down a street that's got lots of them on either side.



Here's a closeup of a cherry blossom.



This is some really pretty rosemary growing in somebody's front yard.


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Comments

Anonymous said…
Wow. Spring IS in the air. Beautiful.
Fri Mar 13, 11:08:00 AM 2009
Barb said…
Can you feel the waves of jealousy coming from the still mostly brown Midwest?

Thank you for posting those beautiful pictures.
Fri Mar 13, 11:55:00 AM 2009
Camy Tang said…
LOL Sorry to cause waves of jealousy. We pay for it with a higher standard of living, though.
Camy
Fri Mar 13, 04:31:00 PM 2009
Amy said…
Thanks for sharing the blooms. I'm also here in the brown (and white--it snowed this week in South Dakota). As the last lingering daylight dips down below the plains, it's a balmy 38° here.

I'm going to find my sweater.
Fri Mar 13, 06:20:00 PM 2009
scottsgal said…
Wow we won't see colors like that in Chicago until probably June - I'm jealous!
Sat Mar 14, 09:21:00 AM 2009
NeedANap2 said…
I don't think that's a magnolia tree. We have one and it's much bigger and mostly big green leaves and branches. Then later white flowers bloom.
Mon Mar 23, 12:48:00 PM 2009
Sherrinda Ketchersid said…
Those are beautiful! You are lucky to live in such a beautiful green place. We are just starting to get blooms on the Bradford Pears and Crepe Myrtles. I love Spring!
Thu Apr 09, 08:35:00 PM 2009
Cecelia Dowdy said…
Great pics! Thanks for sharing. Ya know, I planted tulip bulbs a few years ago. Tulips bloomed for ONLY ONE YEAR. For the last two years, the leaves came up, but no tulips! My mother said I have bad soil. I'm not sure what's wrong with my flowers!
Fri Apr 10, 02:50:00 AM 2009
Linda said…
Thanks, Barb, you are too close to reality about us Midwesterners! We're lucky to see tulips just peeping out.
Fri Apr 10, 07:02:00 PM 2009
Frances said…
wow, those are such lovely flowers...love the lite purple ones. :)

It's summer here in my part of the world and I'm hoping to take shots of those beauties, too.
Sun Apr 12, 06:27:00 AM 2009
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