雞冠花/莊峻華
去年夏天，一鄰局贈我幾株雞冠花苗，我將花苗分塞前院兩處，過了嚴冬，兩株微弱掛冠，仍舊支撐，這位鄰居，教我散落花子，然後施肥，我不以為意，我相信樹蔭擋住陽光，我無法改變環境。一日另一女鄰居曰，已贈我四盒花苗，在家門口，是雞冠花苗，她自己培育，因見我那兩幼株在前院，並且告知英文花名，就是雄雞梳，過去我解釋為雞冠，或是羅馬兵盔，非常接近，今年兩鄰居前院，雞冠花怒放，非常美麗，我的較為袖珍，因長在小盆中，或是老樹坑中，但已讓愛美驚喜不已。
此花赤紅色，長在高莖上，花成團狀若雞冠，需要足夠雨水和陽光，雞冠花在台灣非常普遍，我仍舊憶得，而且也不甚昂貴，就是一通俗普遍之草本花朵，小學時候，級任老師喜歡蒔花節草，我們幫他整理，也認識許多種花草，因此，稍有園藝概念，也幫助參觀世界級花園。我們社區有幾位女鄰居，非常重視家庭園藝，前院像是祕密花園，這祕密花園是一鋼琴名曲。
我不能砍掉巨樹，她們兩家，均無巨樹，花園有足夠之陽光，庭院也不是很大，而且大部分為草皮所佔，花園只不過沿著屋簷下，或是另闢花圃，如果需要大面積種花，可盼需搬到甚遠郊外。
Ending my summer swimming/Carlos
Pueblo
Houston summer is gone and I have
to end my summer swimming. It is the first time that I feel the heat way is
shorter in Texas because of the water temperature in the pool. Now, I must find
another exercise to fill up my morning.
I begin to do some yard works by
trimming bushes. It is like to get my yard a haircut. I am getting better and
better in the handy job at home. I can also do some cooking by watching some
lessons on the You Tube.
I am back to my Spanish textbook
now and I like to extend my Spanish conversation with my neighbor senora every
day more than the typical greeting. I want to surprise her with some sentences.
I also like to get back to my self-study Japanese and enjoy Japanese songs. An
old classmate sent us a song, the moon over a ruined castle, and brought back
my good memory of my learning Japanese language.
It is much comfortable to walk
late in the morning due to less of the heat way. We still maintain five tennis
meets in a week. The old man tennis is like playing the shadow boxing, not that
hard yet plenty of sweating. I am still monitoring the cruise opportunity to
get on board of the ship.
We are going to the early vote on
the 13th of October to get it done early in the morning at 7:00 am
sharp.
停止游泳/莊峻華
今年夏日炙熱，剛好在九月底結束，天氣轉涼，我就停止游泳，一週五次之網球局，也開始遇到困難，球伴手背受傷，無法如此頻繁使用手背，畢竟我們都是上年紀之老人，於是我又準備長期抗戰，清晨恢復五哩散步路。
我將圈游泳池，當做坐禪，因為蛙式游泳，全部是吞吐動作，而且也眼觀鼻，鼻觀心，游畢一節，比我坐禪一次，時間要久，而且無打嗑睡之慮，遺憾者為天熱夏日，僅存四個月，今年夏天，首次覺得短暫。
老人網球，像是太極拳，無需使勁，只需選擇性之勤跑，已經是滿頭大汗，只要避免跌倒受傷，對心臟跳動有益。過去我甚計較球伴之球藝，輸贏球之認真否，現在始體會，老人網球，重點是經常運動，讓身體四肢有活動之機會。
停止游泳後，我就自動之修葺庭院灌木草叢，趁花落期，將樹叢理髮，剪短樹枝，與草皮對稱整齊，我們庭院開始美觀，春天若埋水管草皮破壞處，未為恢復，我擇需另舖新草皮，維持整齊美觀。
The old cap and gown
pictures/Carlos Pueblo
After I join the Line of my
college time class mates group, I soon receive several old cap and gown
pictures from a classmate. It is very touching that I haven’t seen the pictures
for half a century. I was in a hurry to leave Taiwan back to 1975 for a
graduate study in the United States. All what I packed in my luggage were
cloths and some old text books. I didn’t know that was so difficult to return
to Taiwan until 1989. My dad was passed away and my mom had been moved to a different
company’s complex. My personal stuff was lost. That return visit was very shot
and never mentioned anything about my belonging, of course there were not much
as a matter of fact.
At that time, back to the summer
of 1971, I was not quite sure that I had enough credit hours to complete my
degree. At least, I had to take a summer class to pass one more requirement.
However, I did attend the commencement and the picture taking ceremony. After I
completed the summer class, I was too late to pass the dead line to be assigned
as a teacher for a secondary school teacher; therefore, I applied to be drafted
as a regular army to serve up my two year obligation in order to apply for
studying abroad. After I came back from the frontier, I continued to serve two
years school teaching obligation. It was very stressful back then.
Finally, I left Taiwan in the
summer of 1975. Auburn gave me a financial assistant for my graduate study. The
stipend was enough to cover my tuition, fee, room and board. I could
concentrate to my study. After two years, I left Alabama to Texas to join my
elder brother. He has been a very good brother to guide me in every way. My
life is better and better every day.
舊學士照/莊峻華
昆明兄在老同學連線上，送出幾張舊學士照，應該是半世紀前之回憶，我很快就找到我的相片，一張合照中之我，心中多少感處，愛美也收到曰，相片中人，均甚清瘦，其實四年後，離開台灣時，我的體重，約僅一百磅，就是少於五十公斤。
相片中之我，並非興奮，而是惶恐萬分，我的學分仍未修完，尚有一科需要在暑假補修，而且當時，學期課業滿擋，過關與否，尚在未定之天，我先需要籌劃有機分析之暑假班，再來是提前入伍服兵役。儀器分析，有機化學，和高等微積分等科，先生們都網開一面，讓我過關，王澄霞系主任也同意開課，亞平姊當助教，我們五人家教班，順利完成，教務處職員曰，可以結業矣，然後給我一張結業證書，也通知兵役課，開始徵兵服役，虎尾鎮兵役課開始發海軍艦艇兵召集令，刻日入伍。
於是我上書救國團宋時選祕書長幫忙，提前入伍，因為海軍是三年兵役，我希望加入兩年大專兵役，宋指派邊靜平上校安排，我到木柵一國防部辦公室，見到一位主管軍官，很快拿到一紙隨台北市大專兵梯次入伍，台灣省梯次，早半月已入新兵訓練中心，此徵集令優先於虎尾鎮兵役課艦艇兵召集令，於是我省下一年青春。
我的兩年陸軍步兵師兵役，多半在烈嶼后頭，一直到退伍，虎尾之義母裴大夫，幫我介紹到虎尾高中教書，剛好接下屆林崇仁兄兵役缺，我在虎中指導學生，科學展覽，獲得全國首獎，當然要感謝王澄霞教授在嘉義之初選，還有程祥榮教授之台北複選，那年虎中贈我績優教師獎。
第二年，吳國民教授，推薦任教新店文山國中，準備來美國讀書，雖然也是困難重重，但也終於成行，我在家兄峻嚴，步步呵護下，順利在美國生活下來，如今已愈四十五載。
Doing the yard work/Carlos Pueblo
The summer is gone and welcome to
the fall weather in Houston. I decide to do some yard work other than the lawn
mowing every other Wednesday. I need to trim some bushes to make our yard
better looking. First, I recharge two batteries for a chain saw. The white
flower bush by the fence on the west border fence is getting tough to slow down
the chain saw and I change to a pair of scissors to make the cut and repeat
some cut from the saw. I also use a stand to cut the top portion like a haircut
to the bush. Finally, I do see a rectangular shape of the bush.
I leave the debris on the driveway
for later pick up and go to the front yard to cut a pair of bushes. Eight years
ago, the sellers left an even pair of bushes for us. Now, they are not even due
to the lack of regular care or they are growing unevenly. The battery chain saw
is working better than the previous one. I am still cut some bigger branches manually
and after that, I would apply with the saw. Amy is so happy that I do the yard
work voluntarily. I explain that I hear Henry Wei is doing his yard work and I
like to copy such good exercises. She tells me that she also trims the bushes
regularly yet can reach to a certain height. I use the stand and step up to
reach more.
I explain to her that I shall do
some more with crape myrtle trees tomorrow. I have stuffed the trees in the
front of our yard along with the street. Now, they are growing wild with
branches like willows. I shall cut the top off to leave the lower stems to grow
back next year. This is a common practice for growing such flowing trees. It is
not good looking for such arrangement to plant flower trees in the front yet I
hate to through them away and we don’t have any space left for those plants.
I sweep the leaves on the ground
and feel very well of myself. Neighbors are walking by with dogs and I must put
off my work to greet those honeys and what a day of the autumn this year.
庭院工作/莊峻華
傳統美國家庭生活中，是有庭院工作，有些是可以自理，有些需要請人幫忙，平常我兩週自己割草，愛美則是一週兩次，庭院工作，整理大樹枝幹，和填木㞕沃土，兩年一次，需請專人處理，砍樹等則是家庭意外支出。幾天前和北郊之宏義兄談話，聞知他除散步外，尚忙修理房屋，我猜是家庭園藝，於是我下定決心，停止游泳，開始做些庭院工作，我先選擇與西鄰邊界之一叢灌木排，和前院一雙並木，兩處先行箸手，剛搬來此屋，前屋主留下美麗庭院，現在已經變了形狀。
我先充電，使用一修葺電池剪，灌木叢枝老軔，剪斷不易，隨時需要繼續充電，於是改用手剪，剪完一次，再使用電剪，就像理髮一般，高處需要立梯協助，灌木叢已經佈滿其他雜草，這樹叢春天開美麗之白花，和叢旁一株灌木紅花相對映，這是前女屋主之設計，紅白花仍在，只是稍嫌雜亂，我先兩刀手剪多次，效果立現。
前院並木叢，原甚均勻對稱，現已分岐，我站在立梯上，設法理平，但只能理到屋頂狀，就是有起伏，並木間有一空隙，清晨拾報紙，可以通過，我設法理平整齊四周，愛美在屋內觀看到我的發願，出來感謝，我說明日將繼續整枝，縐桃金孃樹枝，這是我從舊屋庭院移植來，已經越來越高，不可收拾。愛美曰平時她也手剪樹枝，但僅止於身高處，這次我將踩上立梯，甚至上屋頂。
