A pot of posole bubbles on the stove as the garden soaks up last night’s downpour. I’ve moved on from coffee to green tea to quiet a scratchy throat. The spicy posole will be therapeutic as well. Then maybe a bath and a nap after a late night. And there’s lots of end-of-year reading on the political events of 2025 to peruse on a quiet New Year’s Day. New Year’s Eve was a raucous one, with booming firework explosions harassing the neighborhood dogs including our Billie.
For gallons of inexpensive, ground-covering succulents, in Los Angeles you can’t do better than Ricardo’s Nursery for prices and selection, on Atlantic Boulevard where Long Beach borders Compton. (When did we last pay $8 for a gallon?) I’ve been infilling with these GCs around the agaves and aloes. It’s one of those nurseries that requires an adventurous attitude because not much is labeled. The shambolic approach appeals to me, and if. you’re interested in obscure tropical fruit trees these guys are really on their game.
We lost family members in 2025 from sudden, unexpected illnesses. Twenty years old is indisputably, tragically too young, and yet my brother’s passing at 69 was a shock as well. My brother was a big Saul Bellow fan, so this year I’m going to read (reread?) one of his favorites The Adventures of Augie March. I wonder how many friends and family members know this source of his dog’s name Augie. I think I’m most struck by how losing a sibling also means the abrupt disappearance of that shared ecosystem of references, jokes and stories, whether personal, political, musical, literary, that is unique to every familial bond, as richly complex and ephemeral as a flower. Take care, find comfort where you can, more soon! AGO
I’m so sorry about your brother. Mine is just 13 months older, and yes there is something unique to sharing the same rootstock.
I’d love to walk around Ricardo’s, I enjoy the fancy places – but there’s nothing like looking for treasures.
Cheers “clink” to 2026, *I haven’t read that book. It’s a perfect time to do so.
@Cheers, Tracy! The very best to you and your family and more 2026 garden adventures!
I am very sorry to hear about your brother. Now that both of my parents have passed, I feel that day approaching for my siblings and me as well. It’s a strange feeling. I do hope you are taking care and finding comfort where you can. I think I am about to head up for a winter’s nap – that helps too.
I wasn’t entirely clear about the trip to Alabama you’d mentioned on the fly in an earlier comment. I’m sorry you lost your brother so suddenly. That isn’t easy under any circumstance but losses are all the more difficult when you don’t have an opportunity to say goodbye in person.
Despite your extended absence from the Long Beach house, your garden is back in shape and looking great. Take care of that throat! The so-called subclade K version of Influenza A that wasn’t included in this year’s flue vaccine is marching across the country. I picked it up a few days before Christmas, initially thinking it was an allergy, only to pass it on to my husband. The throat was nasty for a couple of days but regular gargling with warm saltwater did the trick for me. I still have the remains of a hacking cough, however. I took a decongestant Wednesday night and slept right through whatever fireworks went off to celebrate the new year for the first time I can remember!
I am so sorry to learn you’ve lost your brother and a young family member. We unexpectedly lost Andrew’s mom on Christmas Eve. As he so succinctly put it “I feel like she left the party without saying goodbye.” Re the fireworks… good lord. It was a war zone here. I just don’t understand why…
@Jerry, very kind words, thank you.
@Kris, the sore throat is diminished but the head cold is full on. My mom was a big proponent of warm saltwater gargles, thanks for the reminder!
@Loree, please pass my condolences to Andrew. The fireworks for once were mainly clustered around midnight, possibly a benefit of the rain!
Each bowl of pozole feels carefully built, with every ingredient contributing something meaningful to the overall flavor.
@zidane, we had broth and fresh homemade chili sauce leftover from tamales, so posole was a no-brainer. Bought hominy plus limes, cabbage and onions for garnish. I think this is what is helping to kick my winter cold to the curb!