新朋友圈/莊峻華

 

新朋友圈/莊峻華

清晨散步，原是健康運動，因為我喜愛愛犬，先是建立一以愛犬家人為中心之朋友圈，再來是因為散步在社區，因此認識許多鄰居同好，再圍一新朋友圈，昨晨，走在小溪上街，有一位女士趨近曰，你能稱呼我名，但我不知如何稱呼你？於是我連忙告訴她，我一時憶不起其為何人？但無妨我們交談。於是我們談到旅行，她曾經和先生，駐紮在日本青森附近三年，我青森去過三次，也答對一風景湖，於是我們談到世界旅行，最後我問她住那條街？她說是管石街，門口有兩株紅石榴，我連忙說是凱若，原來我曾要求採其石榴。

這是愛犬依莉和她主人黛安娜，我常陪她們散步，經過管石街，先是發現一株檸檬，果實無人採食，遛愛犬女鄰居鼓勵我敲門，獲取許可採食，結果是柳丁，非常甜美，今年看到紅石榴，像是春天耶誕節掛物在小株上，我說石榴營養，於是黛安娜鼓勵我，再申請許可，這紅石榴家主人，就是凱若，柳丁株家緊鄰，對面就是我採無花果之一株，都是黛安娜鼓勵，她對果株甚為好奇興趣，有一別墅在聖寶娜河畔，鄰居空地有一椪柑，我請她關注。這黛安娜小我一歲，仍在上班，凱若年輕我兩歲多，都是非常健談有趣。

有很多愛犬，甚有感情，而且能認人，經過其門前，均能吠叫，提醒我注意，無論是天黑或天亮，有很多愛犬，可以回應我之口哨，主人也鼓勵愛犬等候，有的愛犬甚至堅持我的到來，我是少數人與愛犬為友，結果也認識他們之主人，能陪愛犬散步者，都是好家庭。

我在二十年前失業，是一大人生打擊，當時束手無策，失業在社會上，是無顏面者，於是我就離群索居，自我放逐，天天想出外旅行，我曾描述過，我在郵輪上認了四百位義女，這也是新朋友圈，若我再上船，真像返鄉探親一般親切。我發現結識鄰居，有助於我之英語表達能力，而且也無老年寂寞。

The cooks comb flower/Carlos Pueblo

 

The cooks comb flower/Carlos Pueblo

Our neighbor Kim has noticed that I have some cooks comb flower plants in the front yard. They are from another neighbor the senora. Kim gave me two boxes of the flower plants to grow. I manage to place them on three spots on the front and back yards. At the end of this summer, I see some of them are blooming even though my plants are much smaller than both of theirs. It is because that I don’t have 14 hours a day sunshine and lack of the fertilizer applied. At least we do see the red crown type of the flower. It is like a rooster’s crown or a Roman Empire Army’s helmet.

The flower is very popular in the rural area of Taiwan. When I was a school child, I used to help my teacher to grow flowers in front of our classroom yard. The cooks comb is one of them. It is very easy to grow in a warmer climate like Taiwan or in Houston. I know that I can’t do anything about our tall trees on the yard; however, I do have plenty of opportunity to enjoy our neighbors’ gardens while I take my morning walk. It is such a joy to view many pretty gardens in the neighborhood.

Our subdivision has a deed of restriction applied to our front yard. We must maintain a regular mowed lawn including edging. Some neighbors even manage to have a nice garden with honor’s pride that I am very impressed. I have had my good lesson from them and I pay more attention to my yards than ever before. It is too late for me to consider having a larger lot without trees; therefore, I can grow something like to have a nice garden. I hate to move and I don’t have time long enough to have that dream filled.

雞冠花/莊峻華

 

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

 

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 13^th of October to get it done early in the morning at 7:00 am sharp.

 

停止游泳/莊峻華

 

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

 

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

 

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。