Lush growth on the bank between the driveway and the lower level is simply exploding. I’ve lost count of the species and varieties, both native and invasive, volunteering to put down roots and hold the soil. It’s quite remarkable.
Yes, for practical reasons, our plan this year is to let that area go completely wild. We’ve committed to not messing with it ’til fall, or until plants go to seed. The result — and keep in mind that it’s only the middle of May — is a Charlie Foxtrot of vegetation.
In one way, that goes totally against my nature. My inherent tidiness balks at it, even though I know what the objective is. I suppose that’s a ding to my Country Boy Score.
Then I think back on how many times over the years I said that my dream was to live in the woods. I remind myself that I’ve always loathed manicured, weed-free lawns, and that I’ve vowed to never again own a mower. I look around at the appealing natural disorder beyond the edges of the patch of land we’ve cleared.
And I conclude that the wild, untended mess of weeds and vines on that rocky bank is absolutely perfect. In fact, it’s what I’ve always wanted.
Volunteer of the Day: Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans). Invasive, but (for now) welcome.
Deb takes her lunch break right around noon each day. Weather permitting (unless it’s bitterly cold or oppressively hot, that is), she hops in Mercy and drives to one of two parks in our small town.
On this bright and breezy Tuesday, she messaged me photos of dramatic Ozarkansas skies from a high point on the west side of Yellville.
The first of those images looks west toward The Mountain, which is nestled in front of the ridge at the horizon. In fact, from our front door we can see the antenna on the near peak at the center of the photo.
I can’t say for sure that this is the same squirrel that once tormented Smudge and raided the bird feeder that we had stuck to a window of the camper — I mean, it’s not like there’s only one squirrel on The Mountain — but for the last couple of days it’s been gorging on sunflower seeds cast off from a feeder Deb hung in a nearby red cedar.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB