Baki is going to day camp for a week and a half, so we have an early morning walk to the bus. It is a nice time to be out, because it is quiet in the East Village in the wee hours of the morning, and the air is still relatively cool. I have always loved being out in the city before things really get moving.

Yesterday, I happened to look over as we were waiting to cross the street and I saw this healthy, happy cucurbit, growing at the foot of a tree. It was such a lovely surprise. Who planted the seed and tended it so well, I wondered.

Coming to the city from the garden, it is easy to think that I would miss being surrounded by plants, but the truth is, I still am. On another short walk with my mom, we saw loads of beautiful plants, not to mention the stately trees that line the city blocks.

This is perhaps the opposite of the plucky cucurbit, but seriously, hats off to the person who tends these guys.

And these clematis growing by the garbage reminded me of the Chinese imagery of the lotus as a symbol of purity because although it grows in the mud it rises above the water and its flowers open. (My lotus back home is probably flowering right now.)

And that was in just  15 minutes of walking. Although I miss my garden, I meet lots of great urban plants every day I am here.