Saturday, July 18, 2015

Rain on Dead Grass

As Denise says, "People take lots of photos of the rain in Los Angeles."


I left the sunny, warm Pacific Northwest and arrived home to the rainy, humid shitty. That's a photo of our back yard. We've let the grass die and plan on replacing it with drought-tolerant stuff. I'll make a couple dozen cupcakes for you if you design something for me because my creativity just doesn't extend to landscape design. I'm thinking a fire pit, some seating, maybe a meditation garden/labyrinth and a lap pool. Just kidding on the lap pool. The rain is nice, though, and today when I went to Trader Joe's, that's all anyone was talking about. As they stacked the avocados, two guys talked about the awesome thunder we all heard this morning, and pretty much everyone commented on how exciting it is to see water fall from the sky.

I'm finished unpacking and re-entrying. It's going well. I've only raised my voice once and badgered The Brothers over and over when they flew the small drone I had purchased for them outside before they'd gotten skilled at it, like I told them to, and it got stuck up in a tree. They connected about four long poles, broomsticks, lacrosse sticks and flagpoles together with duct tape, along with a citrus picker and managed to get the drone down, but the protective cage is still up in the sycamore. After raising my voice and badgering them, over and over, they informed me that it'll come down, Mom, in the fall.
My three weeks in the Hedgebrook wilderness have evidently changed me, though, because that response was adequate, I shrugged my shoulders and went back inside to read some more.

You know how when I got there it felt like I was hallucinating? After three weeks of solitude, intense writing, dreaming, walking, conversing with amazing women and having nearly every need met by the staff, I might be permanently stoned.

14 comments:

  1. I love it when wonderful things are NOT too good to be true, and happen to good people (like you). May the effects of your trip linger and become a part of you, woven into the lovely strands of your being.

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  2. Once spent six weeks on a beach camping- with no more than a sarong for clothing. I remember having exactly that feeling when I got home- that I was stoned. It goes away. Unfortunately.

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  3. stoned... so your backyard needs a rockery, with succulents, and a wide path around it, plus a nice bench. Google on rockery, stunning pictures to be found.
    Let me know if you need my address for the cupcakes ;-)
    Welcome home!

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  4. What "Elsewhere" said so send half of the cupcakes to me!! So glad you had such a good respite and came home feeling stoned. May that feeling last at least as long as it takes the cage to dislodge from the sycamore.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  5. Or maybe just relaxed and well rested. It makes a huge difference.

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  6. have you crash landed back into your life?

    i have a feeling you won't have to replace the lawn if the predicted El Nino materializes. That lawn's gonna spring right back into action!

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    1. We were recently approved for a rebate to do turf removal, Tara, and will begin in early fall to replace all that with California native and drought-resistant plants. I'm excited -- and even if El Nino does materialize, I think it's the way of the future. This is desert land, and we have no business watering grass just because it's pretty!

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    2. okay... so YOU win the cupcakes... ;-(

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  7. The turf removal sounds like a good idea. I was going to suggest gravel for that whole area -- or maybe a central garden of native xeriscaping plants surrounded by a gravel path? Your back yard is pretty big!

    I'm glad the aftereffects of your time away are sticking with you, at least for the time being. :)

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  8. Transitions! I think I'd be crying AND excited to be home. Yelling at your sons--that sounds reasonable. Snuggle-bug--that's one of my favorite ways of connecting. Snuggle-bug to you!

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  9. grass browns and dies in the heat, it's what is supposed to do - I just have to look out my window now to see it like that! I'm glad you let it go, and I'm so glad you got some rain!

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  10. (Those cupcakes are still on my mind):

    https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/590908741050637/?pnref=story

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