"ignore the story. see the soul. remember to love. you will never regret it" --- Seane Corn

"ignore the story. see the soul. remember to love. you will never regret it" --- Seane Corn
it's a jungle out there

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

au natural

A few weeks ago, I was sitting on my completely overgrown patio, looking out on my completely overgrown back yard, watching the hummingbirds and butterflies and orioles enjoy the completely overgrown morning glories and cosmos. Now when I say overgrown, I mean overgrown. Like, you can't see the flagstone beneath the patio chairs which you can't see either because the sunflowers have taken over and the outdoor furniture looks like big mounds of green and yellow and brown. 

Which isn't the worst thing in the world because it attracts hummingbirds

So how can that be bad, right?


overgrown patio
flagstone? what flagstone?


So there I was, sitting, surrounded by rampant flowers and weeds, and my friend J comes by. 
Now J's yard is well kept without being anal. And she has a great eye. And she gently and without judgment offers advice only solicited to help me reign in my wild quarter acre. So I know when she sits down and looks at my backyard she's thinking holy shit, but she doesn't say it. She just laughs when I tell her the reason I'm not mowing and weeding and wacking is because the hummingbirds and butterflies and orioles prefer it this way. That they'd be scared off and leave if I manicured my space. I'm building a natural habitat, I say. To attract wildlife. I'm thinking maybe I'll plant some fruit and nut trees. Maybe a water feature.

Yeah, right.

overgrown perennial bed
and more overgrown flagstone

The truth is, it's overgrown cause I just can't be bothered. I do like the natural look though. If I walk through the grass with my head down, I can pretend my land stretches for acres. That the tall grass and wildflowers cover rolling hills. I can ignore the ugly fences 10 paces to the left and 10 paces to the right. This is my land. My domain. It's wild and carefree. Nature doing it's thing.

Whatever.

Reality check. I'm lazy. I don't care all that much. It does look better when it's trimmed, though. Kinda like body hair. Which I've also ignored this summer.


overgrown wheelbarrow full of dirt
and overgrown weeds
if you squint, it looks like my right armpit

I broke down, and mowed. Kind of. Looks more like a hatchet job. There's crazy stuff growing all along the periphery that I can't possibly mow down. But at least it hides the ugly fence. Well, that's what happens when you ignore the yard for almost an entire summer. And let me tell you, the same thing happens when you ignore your body hair. That's the next place to mow. At least there's no wildlife there... yet... I don't think


oh look... flagstone
but still a little overgrowth
just to keep that wild feeling



And by the way, the wisteria my neighbor cut down earlier this summer... 
It's growing back like gang busters.

You can't keep a good wisteria down.


11 comments:

  1. It looks like a fairy kingdom. My mom would have a field day weeding that shit up.

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  2. I love it!! That wheelbarrow is fantastic. You need to plant some lilies or something in it and make it a fixture. :)

    My MIL would go to town. Seriously. She's constantly trying to remake our backyard...which is kinda scary too.

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  3. I like the contrast of mowed and crazy-wild. When Mr. Moon had a chain link fence put up in the back yard for the dogs, I thought I would die- it was so ugly. I now have jasmine growing all down one side of it and am trying to do the same with another side. He HATES it. He hates vines in general because they pull over fences and get into woodwork and tear it apart.
    "I know, dear," I say. "I'll trim it back." And I do. But- not enough. And by golly, jasmine IS pulling over a piece of wooden fencing we have and he is going to never let me forget it.
    Ah yah.
    Michelle- I miss you. Are you okay?

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  4. sorry to say, trumpet vines do not grow back like wysteria.

    damn neighbors.

    i like the wheelbarrow and armpit hair. i even like the stink beneath armpit hair.

    damn radicals.

    i miss you too, but

    damn eggshells.

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  5. Hi. You are hilarious.
    I use the same excuses for my kids, but now our mower is broken and I'm too lazy/poor to get it fixed.
    Last year the same thing happened and the neighbors called the anal police on us and we got a notice from the city that we had to mow our lawn. I guess when it started impeding the neighbors view of the stree it's time to mow.

    Hey, great yard though. Glad you kept some growth for the wildlife.

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  6. You're very funny. I always feel a slight sense of panic when I look at my backyard. Because this is California and we have gardeners who mow and blow, it doesn't look that bad. But it does, actually. And I just don't feel like doing anything about it. And the hair on my legs, well, I'm so lazy about that...

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  7. you just inspired me to shave....

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  8. I'm sweltering in jeans a long-sleeve t-shirt to avoid shaving again in 2009. What's with this sudden warm spell?

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  9. I love the idea of leaving it as is for the wildlife (? are birds wildlife?) but I also like the trim job. Of the lawn, not your armpits. Just sayin.' Glad glad glad to see a post from you; we worry about you.

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  10. lol! just like body hair - so true. you inspired me to wax.

    i too like the natural look. um, not in body hair (for ME at least) but in a yard. i avoid the overly manicured look. but, ya know, keeping it looking 'natural' can take a heck of a lot of work too.

    "you cant keep a good wisteria down" - i love that last line. so full of many meanings :)

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so... wadaya think?

Your fairy is called Columbine Icedancer
She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.
She lives in mushroom fields and quiet meadows.
She is only seen when the bees swarm and the crickets chirrup.
She wears lilac and purple like columbine flowers. She has icy blue butterfly wings.