The family that works together...

.... gets the roof patched together. J & Uncle

What Autumn brings

Whan Autumn arrives, most people think of the leaves changing colors, or grass that turns green again. Pumpkins and holidays are on everyone's minds. Everyone except me. While I do enjoy the change in the leaves and the colors of the grass, I keep thinking, "What is this thing in my yard?"

It seems that the wind has increased, thereby laying down the old, dry grass. And with the recent rains, it's washed away a lot of dirt and dust. And the combination of these two events leave me with findings such as this, embedded in my yard.

Really, where did this hammer come from? I've spent the last year mowing and weedwhacking this area down to he nubbins and yet, this had not surfaced until now. I've also found half buried hoses, buried rocks, and long forgotten pieces of rebar/miscellaneous trash. It never ceases to amazes me at the amounts of garbage people drop and leave just because they have enough land to do so.

You like this tree?

A few days ago, J and I were looking out the glass door while we ate dinner, enjoying the view of the backyard. The Coyote bush is in bloom and has grown exponentially this year, despite the severe pruning I gave it in the Spring. Discussion turned to the bush, now a good foot and a half or two taller than the fence. "Coyote bush is pretty big this year," I say. "Yup, he says, "pretty good sized." Coyote bushes are native to the area, and the ones near my work aren't nearly this big or voluminous. Then again, those Coyote bushes don't live on the fenceline opposite a neighbor who over waters and over fertilizes. We speculate this is the reason the bush is so happy this year.

Today, I'm home sick, working remote, minding my own business. I let Howl out for some air and exercise, and I hear her barking within minutes. Not the "you're a squirrel and I'm going to catch you!" bark, but a serious, "you don't belong here and my hackles are raised to prove it" bark. I went outside and she's staring at the fence, not at all aware that I'm at the door to back her up. However, I can't see what she's barking at because of the Coyote bush, which, as previously mentioned, is in full bloom and huge.

I walk down the sidewalk and see a guy I presume is my 'behind me' neighbor peering over the fence. I hush Howl long enough to hear him barely squeak out the words, "Uh, yeah, hi. You like this tree?" He's pointing at the Coyote bush.

"This tree?" I reply. "Yup, we sure do."

"Really? This tree? Cuz, um, it's blowing stuff everywhere."

"Yeah, I know. But, we prune it 2x a year, so.. yeah, we like it." I left him with a smile and my back, then directed Howl to the door.

This is how CB looks, first totally pruned, and how CB looks today. I think either way, CB's beautiful, shapely and showy.