Mow, Blow and Go...Away

OK - let's start with the crank rant right off the bat. After all, this isn't the Cranky Little Old Lady blog for nothing. 

This morning, as most mornings start, I head out with my gorgeous Akita mix, whose floppy ear simply keeps him from being too handsome, to go for our usual walk. Only THIS morning is mow, blow and go day in the neighborhood. Dust, smoke and belching, stinking fumes from blowers and mowers. Nary a rake in sight. Since many of the lawns (though there are still some lawn holdouts),  have either been converted to native gardens or scraggly patches of dirt, the blowers do nothing more than create a miasma of polluted air. While I understand the economics of this dreadful gardening practice, I am all too cognizant of the greater repercussions to respiratory health and damage to the climate. Two-stroke engines, great in an emergency when no electricity is available, are an environmental nightmare. As I stood and chatted with a neighbor over the whine of motors, we spoke of potentials for ordinances to outlaw blowers and realized we were falling into the "there oughta be a law" trap and no-win proposition. So we do what we do every week - slam shut windows and doors (in this heat!) and wait for it all to blow over....

But now on to the best part of the day. I have been using my favorite hand tool to take out what's left of my front lawn and the horrible thatch from dead St. Augustine grass.

 It's painstaking work and one could reasonably wonder why I don't just hire a couple of burly guys with pick axes or a rototiller. There is something so satisfying about working every inch and feeling the quality of the soil. It's also gentler on the tree roots of the grand Deodar Cedars which line our street. While I've made good progress (I assure myself), there is still the entire other half of the front yard to go. Pure thatch and no green. The hand tool is sort of a hybrid of a pick axe and rake. It's perfectly balanced and useful in multiple ways. They make great gifts by the way. (No, no kickbacks here). Every neighbor who's received one is very protective of them. I've had this one for 15 years. 

The goal is to install an architectural piece in the yard in the next 2 weeks - which will be truly a miracle if it happens. All I'll say at this moment is that the installation involves brick, a part of a Rose Parade float, and lots of wine and beer bottles. In answer to your unspoken question - the bottles are from neighbors. No, truly. 

I still haven't a clue what to do with the part I'm currently digging up. I keep hoping to have an Eureka! moment, but so far, just a sore neck and dirty fingernails. All I know is, I don't want a native garden that looks - well - native. While I appreciate the artistry of the natural-grow-in-a-jumble look, I prefer a cleaner, more architectural setting. More Japanese if you will. But how that will be achieved under trees that shed needles all year round and have no respect for fine gardening, is the question.