What do masa (as in tamales), polente, couche-couche, grits, cornpone, hominy, hush puppies, and cornmush have in common?

(Besides yum.)

Corn.

citrus

Around the turn of the century, my parents still lived in south-central Louisiana. Dad saw some wee citrus trees for sale at a building supply store, and though he was no gardener, decided to plant some in the yard. He dug a hole for each of four trees, and left them alone.  Louisiana offered good soil and plentiful sun and rain. Within two years, the trees began to bear fruit. With nearly no effort, my parents soon had amazing yields of oranges and sparkling flavored grapefruit. The earth - bountiful planet that she is - provided plenty for my parents, and the squirrels, rabbits, snakes and birds who also resided in the yard. There were plenty to share with friends and family as well.

'Found'

'My wife waits for a caterpillar
to crawl onto her palm so she
can carry it out of the street
and into the green subdivision
of a tree...'


from 'Found'
by Ron Koertge

'Fill your heart with love and there is no room for anything else.'

quoted from a gravestone in San Marcos, Texas

loop-de-loop

part of life requires
zig-zag
and loop-de-loop
(sometimes we get lost doing this)

part of life
is straight, fast, & narrow
(sometimes we get tripped doing that)

it's a matter of timing
to reach one's destination
(should there be a destination) -

zig-zag and meander now;
now:
GO!

An interesting note regarding Adam and Eve is that they are not just characters in a story or a myth. They have a documented family tree: Genesis - chapter 5.

pets

What other species take dogs into their homes? Feed cats and turtles, monkeys and parakeets, deer and ponies? Hide frogs in the bathroom sink, build plastic tunnels for gerbils?

Humans cherish their pets, give them dear names, buy them toys and warm cushions, snacks and rhinestone collars.

Perhaps swans take in ducklings, and sows mother kittens. There are wolves known to feed abandoned human infants. Perhaps many creatures have space in their hearts and homes for the wandering stray struggling alone.