Every time I visit the island, I drive by my other grandparent’s house but don’t dare to ask if I could go in to look around, even if just the grounds, although I very much want to. The property doesn’t look the same — smaller and bare. My grandfather gardened tons for our family and, as I found out later in life, for the people in the neighborhood.

i wondered aloud a few years ago

about never being in what I thought as a child were deep woods and was told that’s because your grandfather allowed the people in the neighborhood to gather whatever they needed from the back of the land. It made sense then that my grandfather told us to always stay on the meandering concrete paths (he worked in construction) and never beyond. It was a boundary.

leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow

DEUTERONOMY 24:20

For some time, they had rabbits in a large cage. We would go out there and marvel at them, pick tomatoes and whatever else my grandmother wanted, walk like we were in some sort of jungle. My grandfather even had a pith helmet (capacete in Spanish).

i mentioned this to my sister

Joemille and, for my 40th birthday, she gave it to me! I had no idea she had it, and it didn’t mean anything to her. Or maybe it did, but she still gave it to me? I never considered that! She did say that she didn’t remember him wearing it. Anyway,

he also had a huge lemon tree

that still lives in the eyes of my memory, above everything else — like banana plants, cherry and orange trees, gardenias, palm trees, a huge water fountain. Sigh, I don’t even know what else because I was too young when he left that house; and shortly after, we moved here.

digressed a tad

It was my mother’s photograph that caught my attention as I searched for images earlier today. She looks sad, yet I don’t remember her as being sad that day. But what do I know about what was (is 🤓) in her heart? She had no idea I was photographing her, and may not even know this photo exists. I should send it to her, think she would like that.

pondered this morning whether to stop blogging and came upon this half-written post from last year and finished it.

me hanging out in their front yard. i am almost embarrassed at wearing slippers in public. and with socks 😱

Seriously considering not blogging. 👋 Chao.
Have a doctor’s appointment and a list of things to do.