Micah-san

In the early part of my children’s lives we lived at the dead end of a dirt road 10 miles outside of Tuscaloosa, AL. Between our parcel and the surrounding neighbors, the kids had about 500 acres for a backyard. It included woods, fields, a small stream and lots of reasons to roam. Micah’s first word was not mama, dada, baba, none of the usual baby’s first word. It was moon. As if he knew in his being what would ultimately set the cycles of his life. The boy has found his home here in Kamiyama, blossoming into more of his True Self than ever before.

One of my great-grandmothers on my mom’s side and Micah’s great-great-grandmother, Fleta McMahon Morton, had a green thumb like nobody’s business. She had plants in every nook and cranny of her home inside and out, as well as a long backyard where all kinds of flower beds overflowed with a variety of perennials. Like she could not help herself, Earth and Moon seemed to guide her hand all the way. Micah has inherited that green thumb gene; everywhere I look inside and outside of their home, just like at Mamaw Morton’s, green life springs forth and proliferates, multiplying if it can.

 


Just a small plant that seems to accumulate shells and stones almost like an alter.





Looking in from the small front porch.






It is too irresistible to open a pineapple and not put it in dirt to grow another.






Even in the dead of summer, working at getting cilantro started.



Draining Japanese maple after monsoon rains - discovered pot did not have a hole in the bottom.






Arm of the jade plant that broke off perched above the stove next to homemade spice blends and the Cincy art print. Note the Las Vegas magnetic "church key" - ever essential their lifestyle.


Far end of the balcony where we hang laundry every sunny day.


Micah has moved through several lucrative career opportunities, gathering skills and expertise proficiently. As he has done for years, he earns income via freelance writing. But his true passion (besides Ayu and Aza) is for Minamiyama, the terraced mountainside farm they have recently purchased. Even the family who owned it for generations does not know how long ago it was established. At least 200 years they think. Reclaiming it as a family farm is a daunting task, but hey, if anyone is up to the job it’s Micah Wright! (More about the Minamiyama coming soon!)


Next Post: Grandmother Kiyo-san's 88th Birthday

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