Sol's Random Stories

Succulents, very popular plants, but why do we love them so much? Is it the famous Fibonacci curve evidenced in most of these symmetrical plants?  In mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence is an integer- in this case, it's the sum of the two preceding numbers. This universal pattern appears so often with these remarkably represented plants, the same sequence is seen in structures of galaxies. You could call it the eternal design algorithm of the Creator.  With at least sixty major types of succulents, do we love them for their robust variety, with literally thousands of subtypes? My kindred succulent is the dramatic begonia, an explosion of color and grand entrance, a bloom of joy. Do we appreciate how these plants are never demanding or too needy? We should all have bosses like that! Typically watered only once or twice a month, cactus and other succulents never stress us out about our casual parenting. The water-saving ability of these plants is magical, and very clever.  ...

Suddenly, but only  for a moment between  panes of glass and an  accidental moon,  I slipped sideways  out of myself and into an unfinished rail station  in Needles, California;  it was fine, when the train  came we both got on, one ticket.

Sometimes, lessons come in pairs, unannounced. This is about a boy who essentially died, but keep reading, it gets better, after it gets worse. New January snow hangs onto the Oregon dawn, temperature very low. Only the full stillness of the morning prevails with a strict and crisp chill. The high ridge of old pines across from the family home, stark white, stare back at Tomasio on his porch.  With backpack and pole, he sets out to  his favorite creek, two miles north and midway up Gresham Mountain. The night had seen very steady snow, not heavy but persistent, there's more everywhere than usual which makes the journey precarious at a few points.  But Tomasio plows on, head down, determined to reach his spot before much of the earliest morning is lost. Tomasio has had his best luck around dawn; he often wondered the reason. Trudging forward, a mile away from home now, the ascent elevated, Tomasio was breathing harder, but keeping an easy stride, he focused on his boots, l...

It was a tortured call, then a few texts,  you can feel a certain screaming  inside now, but muted somewhere in  the body, echoes to an inner chamber,  only your limbs ache for no reason,  hugs vanished into ghosts of memory,  life changes in a single moment,  the sting is shocking and pointed,  awareness swift and embarrassed,  certainly everyone knew except you,  the plot was preplanned well,  there was no good time to warn,  the harshest lessons learned,  when your love goes unreturned.

I wasn't trying to lie, it was a mistake. But, I couldn't prove it. Mr. Griffin looked very disappointed in me. Only I knew I was telling the truth. That time. It all started the evening before, I'm walking home after baseball practice, and looking down by some trash cans I see stray firecrackers- seven total. Of course I took them to school the next day. Of course I showed them to some friends at recess, pulling out one I had in my jacket pocket, the other six tucked away in my folded wallet.  Of course I ended up giving them all to a kid at lunch who had some matches. He set one off just before everyone went back to their rooms. I was at the other end of the playground, so it was really just a pop; but I jumped like it was a foot away, and started worrying.  Within the hour, I was in the dreaded principal's office, sitting, waiting. But, resolute to my fate and wasting no time, I confessed to having them, apologizing sincerely sorry, blah, blah. As bad as the moment w...

Many predictable slang names for nature's wonder plant, cannabis sativa. Names like "weed", and "grass", they're amusingly self-describing. However, where did the old, colloquial term "pot" originally come from?  Some folks believe it stems from the longer Spanish word "potiguaya". Linguists suggest that the word "pot" may have been borrowed from this Mexican-Spanish term, referring to a drink made from marijuana leaves. Or, when leaves of the drink's plant are a topper garnish.  The term pot became popular in the 20th century, including among jazz musicians and other artists, various counterculture movements, and social recreational trends that became over time more favorable to cannabis use.  Potiguaya can also  mean when a wine or brandy has had the plant's flowers steeped in it. The word means literally “the drink of grief”, a bit odd, considering cannabis and alcohol can produce euphoria or just relaxation. Although...