Figs

This isn't exactly a flower but our fig tree is flourishing and I think it's a beautiful, if unruly, tree and covered with hundreds of figs. It's a race to beat the birds to the ripe ones....they seem to have an unerring ability to know the exact moment when they are perfectly ripe. When I find one that's half eaten, I just leave it on the tree for the birds to finish off. There are plenty to go around. 

We planted this tree in our fire garden and it is now taller than I am and seems quite happy where it is. It's right outside the bedroom door where I can keep an eye on it and pick the figs as they ripen. I have a theory that fig trees behave more like a vine than a tree. The branches are lying on the ground and tend to be quite unruly. There are many kinds of ficus, among them a crawling vine with small leaves, the giant fiddleleaf variety and quite a few varieties in between.

This is the only one, however, that gets delicious fruit on it.

We were the first to arrive at Cafe Frida this morning followed by a group of eight older men who were talking loudly and rather irreverently about the death of Dianne Feinstein, the senior senator from California. She was 90 years old and visibly diminished after returning to the senate in a wheelchair following a case of shingles with complications. She had already announced that she was not going to run for re-election but seemed determined to finish out her term despite extreme pressure to step down.

The was a tough lady and a moderate Democrat. She came to prominence when she assumed office following the shooting of then Mayor Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk by a fellow supervisor, Dan White in November, 1978. It was a shocking development. As president of the city's Board of Supervisors it fell to her to announce to the world the assassination of a popular and progressive mayor and the first openly gay elected official in California. It was life changing for Feinstein and in many ways, for the entire state.

The subsequent trial of Dan White ended with a finding of not guilty on two counts of murder due to 'diminished capacity', (the infamous 'Twinkie Defense') but guilty on two counts of voluntary manslaughter. Following the verdict, protests erupted in San Francisco's Castro district. He served five years in prison and was paroled in 1984. A year later he committed suicide by carbon monoxide in the garage of his home. 

It was a trial by fire for Feinstein, but the death of Harvey Milk catapulted Feinstein to prominence.

Dianne's announcement was one of those events when everybody in the Bay Area can remember exactly what they were doing when they got the news. It was the stuff of a Hollywood movie, and there was one called 'Milk' starring Sean Penn. It was a turning point for the gay rights movement and for Feinstein's career.

It's sad that Feinstein ended a trailblazing career as first woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco and first woman elected to the US senate from California in such a diminished state. Like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, she gambled on holding office until her successor could be elected by the people she served. Sadly they both lost that gamble.

It was also sad that a group of old guys chose to joke about her loudly enough for everyone to hear. What has happened to respect and civility in this country? 

Rest in peace, Dianne. You gave your all for the people you served.