Under the Mango Tree

 

      Under the Mango Tree

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I am happy to report that I’m back in my proper domicile, which is no longer a sieve, newly windowed, and I revel in the changes.

The five weeks it took to achieve the changes left me discombobulated. When my house is out of order, I am out of order.

My home with wraparound windows, with hardly any walls between them, has always made me feel like I live outdoors, beneath the trees. Without the iron curlicues dividing up the window spaces, my views are even more unobstructed. I like that opening a window does not take up indoor geography. I like that when windows are closed, wind, noise, dust and rain stay outside.

 During the weeks my life was a mess, my new favorite place has become in the back yard, under the mango tree. I planted the mango my first year here and now my tree reaches to shade a sitting area no matter the sun’s place in the sky.

November is heading toward December at lickity-splickity pace. The Fresno trees, like the Cottonwoods up north, are either dressed in golden yellow or naked. The Fresnos stand tall and straight, unlike the tortured-looking Cottonwoods.

The Jacarandas are beginning to drop their seed pods, which resemble clam shells on the beach. The African Tulip Trees are in full orange bloom, as is my Magnolia.

What rather stuns me is my Fuerte Avocado tree, which now sports a full head of blossoms, completely out of season. This year there was no fruit during the normal time for fruit. Now it is near winter and the poor confused thing has flowers?

Another change, that bothers me greatly, is that there are hardly any yellowhead blackbirds, whose flocks in the thousands always darkened the ground with shadow for minutes at a time. We seem to be right in the path of the flyover and watching their movements, morning and evening, was pure joy. It is painful to see a hundred or so, some days maybe two hundred, some days none. What happened? Where are they? It’s a mystery.

My Lime trees are filled with fruits in various sizes, true to their season. My new Fig tree, still baby small, has baby fruits, maybe ready to eat in a month. My Lavender Tree, otherwise known as a Grapefruit, has sixteen marble-sized fruits!

Bees, birds, butterflies and me, under the Mango tree, watching fruit and flowers grow. Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Sondra Ashton, HWC: Looking out my back door, November 20, 2025

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