the sweet smell of small successes

The sweet scent of the blooming Maid-of-Orleans Jasmine fills the backyard these days. I was able to finally find some and planted them everywhere I could. The scent reminds me of my Abuelito's walled garden. It was a small paradise filled with tropical plants. He had a papaya, mango, orange and ciruela tree. I've written of it before. It was so impressive and is still very vivid in my mind.

Happiness is being able to pick figs and gather basil only a few steps from the backdoor. My Grandfather has given me a "real" fig tree to plant in the fall. It would be awesome to one day have a big tree covered with figs. The figs see here are from a dwarf fig tree, more of a bush really. This year I was able to get them before the birds did.

My Grandfather loves to start trees. He is always starting trees and giving them away. He got my fig tree from the side of the irrigation canal next to his house. The canals are hundreds of years old and his house is a special place. My Grandfather is nearly 90 so the work he put into getting it for me meant so much. He knows I love figs. I have a Mountain Laurel and Oak that he started from seed years ago with the intention of giving them to me once they reached a certain size. I understand the joy in it. I only wish that one day from me will emerge the ability, skill, talent to grow and maintain natural beauty. I am trying and really get excited over my small achievements.