推廣老人網球局/莊峻華
最近有四位老人，加入我們在西村之網球局，原先我們僅是兩次一週，現在是一週五次球局，我的理想是每日有一球局，網球雙打非常有趣，兩局下來，渾身是汗，炙熱夏天已過，再來幾個月，天氣溫和，就是冬天稍冷也無妨，可以穿著暖和一些。
我們六月開始使用西村球場後，我開始安排舊日隊長和一隊友，前來網球局，他們都年長於我，於是我請殷偉修兄陪伴，他球技甚佳，可以耐心輸球，像是教練一般，兩位老人甚為感激，提議再増加一次球局，於是我們再安排一次週二晨會，殷與我當晚尚有一例會，有一鄰居也可以參加，所以我們可以解決遲到早退困難，因為有一位會遲到，一位只能打一局。
週二夜，有一年輕太太，在女嬰入睡後，可以加入球局，她家就在球場正對面，另外有三位鄰居均表示興趣，我希望再安排幾局，讓他們可以恢復網球運動，如此甚具意義，老人有固定之戶外活動，幫助心跳，幫助睡眠，多種健身運動，我在茶花女街舊居，有幾位老者網球局，每週一次，球局後就在俱樂部私人涼亭，喝啤酒聊天，有九十歲者。回虎尾高中，球友每日網球局，蔚為風氣，有上班做生意者，皆善用清晨活動，是甚佳習慣。
The orange south of the Huai
River/Carlos Pueblo
The other day, I went to pick a
pomelo from my neighbor’s yard. Amy came along with me because that she felt
curious. I used a broken metal head of a trimmer to make a hook to pull down
the fruit. After testing the fruit, I was very disappointment because that it
was dry yet not sour. My neighbor told me that was not ripe otherwise it should
be sweet. It reminds me an ancient story in China about the orange south of the
Huai River.
It was happened about the time of
Confucius more than 2,000 years ago in the same territory of current day Shan
Tung Province, China. One day, Premier Yen of Kingdom Chi was visiting a
neighbor Kingdom Chu down to the south current day Wuhan, the outbreak of the
corona virus. Both Chi and Chu were much stronger and larger kingdoms than Confucius’
Lu Kingdom. Both two were two of the big five out of a thousand small local
noble in the Chou Dynasty. The Chu’s King brought in a theft from Chi and
questioned Yen what happened of the Chi citizen were all criminals. This is one
of the intelligent answers recorded on the Yen’s History which is taught at the
college freshman Chinese language art class. He says that the same orange tree
grows orange south of the Huai River, the border of these this two Kingdoms
while grows to Tse north of the Huai River. Tse is a smaller in size and bitter
fruit can only serve as a herb medicine. It implies the difference environment
between the two kingdoms. The theft can be a good citizen at his home.
I think it over and quit my
thought of growing two young plants which the owner provides me to grow on my
back yard. I am too old to wait for the tree to bear fruits. Amy sees the
leaves and recognizes the one which has been on our yard for years. We do have
one pomelo tree. I wonder how come the other citric fruit trees are doing very
well in Houston area of the Texas weather. It must be some other reasons for my
disappointment.
淮南之橘/莊峻華
昨日攜長桿赴鄰居家採文旦，我到是中秋節，文旦是熟，但牽落一顆，剖皮而食，果實乾澀不酸，屋主告知，需等年底，我心納悶，是否為江南之橘，淮北為枳？但幾乎橘科在休市附近，生長均佳，我看到有株橘科，在荷西公園步徑道旁，結實累累，未有人採取，試嚐之，則其味甚酸，我道是書中之枳也，此文旦皮硬厚食小，徒有型也，屋主曰子來自星加坡，我想怕是氣候與環境使然耳。
淮南為橘，淮北為枳，語自宴子春秋，我溫習一下這耳熟目染之中國古典智慧，氣候和環境，是可扮演成長角色，所以近代國家重視學校教育，也有家長不敢送子女到一些學校，台灣過去，需要通過考試，取得入學校之許可，家長不希望子女為枳。
於是我就死掉採文旦之心，屋主見我如此踟心，早就準備兩株文旦幼苗，供我種植，愛美見到枝葉形狀曰，我家後院是有一株，為淑琴姊所贈，是道地麻豆文旦，已有八年歷史，我懷疑尚有機會採到果實，況且後院該角落，陽光也不足。
Preparing to dig the bamboo
shoot/Carlos Pueblo
The other morning I was
accompanying my neighbor Kathy to check on several yards in the subdivision.
She is on the selection of the yard of the month committee of the homeowner
association board. She wants to look at a street on the out skirt of the neighborhood.
We turned south at a corner on another busy street at another border and I
found bamboo trees hanging up inside the tall fence. I decide to find the home
owner to get the permission to dig the bamboo shoot. Picking something has
become my hobbit now to spend too much of my time and refresh my childhood
dream. I like bamboo shoot and its taste on the home cooking. I do locate the
house with those bamboo trees.
I was born at a mountain township
in the central of Taiwan with plenty of bamboos. It was a common dish on our
table daily. My mother used to cook a pot of bamboo shoot with pig bones. After
my ten years old, we moved to another township on the plain in the southwest of
Taiwan. The bamboo shoot dishes became scarce due to the cost I assumed. Japanese
eat bamboo shoot salad with the mayonnaise which is very impressing to me. Each
time I run into a bamboo grove, I always think of digging the bamboo shoot. As
a matter of fact, I do watch some programs about the bamboo trees management on
the You tube.
I shall ask the owner when she
passes by my house for walk. They may like to see what I am doing to dig the
bamboo shoot. After she says OK, I shall prepare a flat stiff scraper as my
tool. Amy likes me to get some bamboo sticks for her yard design next year.
準備採竹筍/莊峻華
大雨後，陪鄰居凱西逛社區幾條街，她是那位有近七百英畝農莊者，被辛蒂拉去當社區美麗庭院評審員，我藉機遊說幾家，我們都是清晨散步者，我們走過北端大街後，右轉南下，沿著邊界高籬，找到香蕉株，香蕉已為人砍下，我發現一叢綠竹林，竹桿有手腕粗，甚是難見，於是立刻想起採竹筍，我先需要找到屋主，取得許可，然後準備採竹筍，伊莉女主人戴安娜聞訊曰，她也想旁觀，我正想何不移植一株，到她聖百娜河口別墅？她聞言更喜，這些都市女士，聞採果採竹等，均甚喜悅，都想觀看，今日我將採文旦，愛美要跟，克莉斯也要幫忙扶梯，她是幫忙介紹屋主者。
我出生台灣埔里，是座盆地山鎮，就像網誌上之中國四川，小時後吃甚多竹筍，即使搬到虎尾，虎尾也產竹筍甚多，採竹筍則未有經驗，僅觀網誌介紹耳。社區有近五百戶人家，巨樹都種，何況果株？剛好我在享受有限人生歲月，還老還童，憑幼年記憶，分享美國鄰居老太太。
戴安娜曰，吃過竹筍沙拉，非常喜歡，我想到超市偶見，沙拉用真空包裝竹筍，要價甚高，我想到日本人之白醬竹筍，確是可口，或是白醬蘆筍，均甚箸名，我最喜歡竹筍肉骨湯，我們台灣人吃飯喝湯，中國人善長竹筍炒肉絲，牛肉絲或豬肉絲均美。
愛美要我想辦法，帶回一兩根長竹為後院絲瓜長豆架，我以為她良心發現，利用竹桿曬衣，就像我們幼年，我從小就需洗服曬衣服，竹桿也可以採樹梢絲瓜白柚和芒果等。
Pick the pomelo/Carlos Pueblo
My neighbor Majid, an Iranian
American, has a pomelo tree with many fruits hanging on the top. I ask his next
door neighbor Chris to introduce me to pick the pomelo. I explain to Chris that
it is one of the festive items for the festival. I am welcome to call him for
the harvest. This pomelo brings back my good memory in my childhood.
I was born at Puli, a mountain
township in the central Taiwan. There was a pink pomelo tree in our front yard
with plenty of fruits each year. During the spring, their flowers have
attracted so many beautiful butterflies which we gave them names related to the
tree. The pomelo is one of the citric fruits closed to the grape fruit in the
U.S. yet not as juice as it. When it is ripe, the fruit has a unique fragrant.
We cut off the head part and carefully slice down the knife and peel off the
layer to make a hat on our heat to play. The rest is like to eat the tangerine.
After 10 years old, we moved to
another part of Taiwan on the southwest. There were two white pomelo trees also
with plenty of fruits. I found my way to harvest them with a long bamboo stick.
I was in charge of fruits trees on our yard until I left town for my high
school study in the capital city. The pomelo which I mention about is special
for the Moon festival. It is smaller with an egg shape. Several years ago when
I visited my sister at my hometown, I noticed a paper box of pomelos. I
instantly cut the fruit and made a hat for myself. They were a gift given to my
brother-in-law from his old college friend who grew the fruit.
In order to pick the pomelo, I introduce
the Moon festival to several of our American neighbors. Some of them have heard
of the Moon cake and most of them have never heard of the pomelo. He planted it
from a seed long time ago.
採文旦/莊峻華
鄰居一棵文旦樹，結實多年，我僅注意到另株葡萄柚，因果實無人採收，掛在樹上過年，春天花開，年前果實仍在，甚為可惜，待我認出文旦後，我就開始尋找鄰居關係，影響屋主人，讓我採文旦，我解釋給這些美國太太，文旦和中秋節，這屋主是位伊朗裔美國人，很快我就間接取得許可，因為他也多半贈人，葡萄柚都任凋落。
我與柚樹有深緣，小時候埔里宿舍前院有粉紅柚株，每年結實累累，家裏就我喜歡採柚，而且是在十歲前之人生，粉紅柚花，引來許多美麗之蝴蝶，柚仔蝶公與柚仔蝶母，我都可分辨，文旦則是過中秋節之禮品，基本上我並非特別喜食柚科水果，有印像則是剝皮為帽當玩具。搬到虎尾後，前後院各有白柚一株，果實甜美，一直持續到出外讀高中後。
幾年前回虎尾探親，萬里大姊家，有一大紙箱柚，為姊夫同學農場產品，我情不自禁，剝開一粒，此柚有濃郁柚香，而且非常可口，剛好遇到知音，平常過年廣東人商店，桌前擺上文旦，以示吉祥。中秋節快到，我就介紹女鄰居，到香港超市，購買月餅，就像耶誕節胡瓜派餅一般，說不定今年此文旦，可撐到那時，至少旁株葡萄柚，年底必成熟。
