Blind Date, by Sue Schools

By Sue Schools

Patricia Holley was sitting in the entryway of a restaurant, in downtown Ajijic, expect-

ing to meet her perfect match. Friends had set her up with a widower who they thought could possibly be her “One.” She picked up the current copy of the Ojo Del Lago and chuckled at an article written by the late Jim Tipton. A very tall, silverhaired man entered and smiled, extending his hand as he approached.

“You must be Patricia. So glad to meet you. I’m Howard Melton.”

Patricia returned the smile and, taking his hand, said, “Please to meet you, too. You’re punctual. I like that in a man.”

“Ah, yes. I was a Boy Scout too and am always prepared. Shall we go inside?”

Patricia rose from the bench and he was surprised to see how compact she was . . . a dumpling of a woman with rosy cheeks.

As they approached the dim interior, Howard asked, “Shall we sit here, my dear?”

“No, let’s go back towards the corner, out of the flow.”

The waiter helped her with her chair and took their drink orders, leaving the menus for them to review.

“I love their rare flap steak and loaded baked potato. Do you know what you’d like to order?” Howard asked.

“I’ll have their veggie lasagna and I brought my own herbal tea.”

Howard placed their orders and said, “Okay, then. Let’s get to know each other a little. I’m from Texas and love to hunt and fish.”

“Oh, my. I couldn’t take another’s life. I even capture spiders and take them outside for freedom. I read a lot, do you?” Patricia said.

“Yes. I think I’ve read every Lee Child and Clive Cussler. What is your preference?”

“I abhor violence and read Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts, and the like.”

Howard then asked, “What about movies? I’ve been waiting to see The Joker and the new Bad Boys movies.”

“Ah, no. I would enjoy Little Women or Frozen II. Do you dance?”

“Oh, darling, you’d be embarrassed to see me on a dance floor. It seems I have 16 feet going in different directions at once.”

The waiter politely served their meals and retreated. Howard immediately knifed up huge portions of juicy red meat, while Patricia delicately selected small portions of her salad.

“You can call me Howie. That’s what my friends call me.”

“Thank you, but I prefer to call you Howard. And please don’t call me Pat or Patty, I prefer Patricia.”

“Alrighty then, Patricia. I guess I’ll be blunt and tell you I’m 71 years old and with the help of Little Blue, enjoy regular sex.”

Patricia gasped, coughed, sputtered, and a wad of lasagna flew across the table and landed in the center of the table. The waiter suddenly appeared behind her, prepared for Heimlich heroics.

With tears trickling down her pink cheeks, Patricia said, “Goodness me. It has been so long, I don’t even know if it would be possible for me, and of course it would have to be with the right man.”

“Sorry to surprise you so, but I believe in being honest.”

“Well, being honest, you have a blob of sour cream on your goatee,” Patricia said.

“Oops.” Howard laughed while dabbing his chin with the linen napkin.

“What about riding? I still keep a small spread in west Texas and enjoy my horses and the fresh air. They’re very well trained, by the way.”

“You’d need a forklift to get me up on one of the beasts and a fireman’s net when I get off,” Patricia joked.

At the proper time, the waiter presented the check, received payment with a generous tip, thanked them for their patronage, and requested they come again.

At the exit, Howard bent over and lightly buzzed my cheek.

“Same time next week, darlin’?” Howard asked. “Yes, Howie, that will be fine.”

Sue Schools

Verdant View

By Francisco Nava

JULY

“Answer July— Where is the Bee— Where is the Blush— Where is the Hay?

Ah, said July— Where is the Seed— Where is the Bud— Where is the May— Answer Thee—Me—” ~ Emily Dickinson

For most of us in the northern hemisphere July means summer. Chickens are a-laying, sparrows are fledging, our gardens are lush with ripe fruits and vegetables and all sorts of flowers.

July is also the seventh month of our calendar . . . and the number seven is the number for security and restfulness. There are seven days in the week, the rainbow has seven colors (Happy Pride Month), and there are seven notes in the diatonic scale. Seven is a lucky number for those born under the signs of Pisces and Cancer. I was born on July 5th .

Because we gardeners in Zone 10 have such a long period of warm months we can practice successive sowing and can get at least two full cycles of our summer crops. After your first harvest you can have another round of seeds germinating. When your first round of summer crops mature and come to harvest, you can start pulling them out as soon as production drops off and before pests or diseases start to take hold. Swap the spent plants out with your fresh batch of transplants and enjoy another full harvest of vibrant, healthy summer crops.

What to plant in July

Warm-weather veggies like beans, corn, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and watermelons can all be sown directly into the ground. Root vegetables (beets, carrots) do not transplant well, so start seeds directly in the soil outside. Peas are also best seeded into the ground; do not transplant. Cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage could be direct seeded, but because of the heat of mid- and late summer, it’s better to start them indoors and then transplant them into the garden.

Do your transplanting in the late afternoon or evening so plants have the whole night to begin to recover before they’re hit with a full day of sun and heat. Water the transplants well and provide shade from the intense midday sun. Water enough to keep soil around transplants moist for at least a month until they’re well-established. Mulch transplants to lessen evaporation so your irrigation water lasts longer. Keep the soil moist and shaded until they’re up, and then gradually allow them more direct sun over a week’s time.

It’s wet and rainy, in fact too wet for some things to grow happily. Let your geraniums dry out between waterings, and herbs, too. At the viveros, you will find dahlias, gazanias, larkspur, lobelia and monarda. You may have to protect some things from too much water, particularly new seedlings in flower and vegetable gardens. And it’s still quite hot. Keep up with the garden pests and beware of diseases like powdery mildew. Flower seeds to think about planting are asters, balloon flower, cone flower, lobelia and freesia. You can still plant Swiss chard, peppers, eggplant, leeks and okra.

Container gardening gives you an opportunity to add more interest to your patios and terraces and also to move things out of heavy rains and hot sun. With the heavy rains, fertilizers leach out of the soil very quickly. Compost helps.

Keep high-nitrogen fertilizers away from beans, beets, carrots, parsnips, sweet and white potatoes, and tomatoes, or there’ll be more foliage than fruit.

As veggie gardeners, we’re pulling a lot of nutrition out of our soil every time we harvest, so make sure you’re amending with high-quality compost and organic matter.

Francisco Nava