May 24th, 2018

About a year ago this side of the driveway was all sand. Just sand. Like a beach.   That is what passes for dirt here, sand.  The plumbers had to dig up part of the driveway, the courtyard and this entire side of the yard to do their  very important job of completely replumbing the house.  It was a monumental and task with a price tag commensurate with it's enormity.  It took them a little more than a  week of working all day every day rain or shine.  Naturally we had no water for the duration. 

This was the event that had plumbers tearing up both bathroom floors as well.  In the end we had to have both bathroom floors re-tiled, replaced two toilets and vanities in addition to the actual plumbing job itself.    This was no insignificant dealio.

 Inn time,  I managed to put the courtyard pavers jigsaw puzzle back together with minimal cuts and scraps and more than a few curse words, the plumbers put the gravel back in the driveway bless them, but the sand in the side yard remained sand.  Just sand.

We were financially gobsmacked by the unexpected necessity of spending THAT much money all at one time and reluctant to spend anymore.  We did look at the cost of sod or seed and soil (sand) amendment and fertilizer and all the necessary tools involved. We even looked at artificial turf choices.  And once we recovered from seeing those numbers we rationalized that, well since the sprinkler system doesn't work right now anyway, and therefore we have no way to guaranteeing that new grass will survive, we will save up a bit first and then revisit the idea.

So basically we just didn't pay any attention to that side of the driveway or that side of the house.  Just ignored it like it wasn't there.  Can't do anything about it right now so there is no point in thinking about it.  Oh it bothered me at first.  When things are just plain wrong, it's like there is a neon sign above it blinking and pointing "problem right here, get your problem here" but eventually even I adapted.

I noticed this morning when I was bringing the garbage cans back from the curb that, oh my goodness, we have green!  It's not perfect, and it's not all actually grass, but it's green By God, and that will do for now.

I've never seen better examples of how nature reclaims her own as I do here.  Cut down a tree and it grows back.  Hardtrim back a shrub (like my hibiscus) and in a matter of weeks, it's growing and blooming again.  After the big hurricane Irma last year, nearly every leaf from every shrub, tree and flower had been stripped from the branches.  The garden looked as if it belonged at a haunted house.   Just bare sticks.  Morticia Adam's favourite flowers.  Within a week of the hurricane, there were buds again.  We had new growth before we got our power back on!

Slowly I am learning here in Florida to not fight nature too much.  If she wants a tree somewhere, there is going to be a tree there regardless of how I feel about it.  Contrarywise, if I plant something somewhere nature doesn't want it, it's ain't growin' for love nor money.   

I get it now. I concede.  I am not in charge here. Mother Nature is.  Fortunately, apparently she and I agree that we would like a nice yard with lots of green stuff in it.  Since I'm not all that picky about what constitutes the green, we are going to get along just fine.  It's good to know.