Welcome to the Jungle

When we returned from our cross-country trek many things around the house were in various states of disarray. Our water had been shut off, the fluorescent light in the kitchen decided to mysteriously turn on and remain on during the majority of our absence, old tofu was culturing in the fridge, the internet was long gone as a result of non-payment, and a lack of circulating air gave the house a stale, sharp aroma similar to that of old antiques at your local farmers’ market. Completely exhausted after our 20+ hour ride, we put off remedying these inconveniences until morning. After a couple of calls, a trash bag or two, and opening the windows we were almost back to normal, or so I thought…

While we were visiting and enjoying the Santa season, it was pouring out in So Cal. A monsoon-like turn of events took place all over California turning it into a veritable mud pit and/or abominable snowman den. Some may consider it fortunate that our area was on the receiving end of the creation of acres and acres of lush vegetation, but those are most likely the kind of people that have grass cutting devices.

The weed whacker and lawnmower were our earliest victims of Craigslist downsizing, something we never thought would be a problem given the amount of dirt that is normally present in our backyard. Our foresight could not have been more wrong in this particular instance, and after a month-long trip we came home to an abundance of grass and clover about 1-2 feet high. The dogs were completely flabbergasted at the appearance of their once dirt-covered playing arena and approached the wild grasses with the utmost caution during their first encounter. After they realized there were no Venus Flytraps hiding in their potty space they started enjoying the change of scenery and now they run (although it looks more like swimming because of the sheer size of the plants) happily through the field.

We too have embraced the wild frontier we used to call our backyard. I can only imagine the types of animal life that are now able to call our wetlands their home. I also feel like we are doing our little part to help out with greenhouse gas emissions by allowing so many plants to thrive in the yard and soak up that delicious CO2 we are so intent on producing. If I ever need to hide for any reason I can now rest assured that I can run out back and lay down flat, never to be seen again. So to all of you planning to come and visit before we head to our next location, just remember the following lines from one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Axl Rose:

” Welcome to the jungle
We take it day by day”