Over The Hedge

Having a wee bit of spare time this wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, I spent a little of it observing the goings on in the back yard. Debbie's been doing a bit of landscaping since we've moved back here, and the place is starting to shape up.

She's in the midst of planting a number of rose bushes in the front, to replace the hideous tropical plants, whose names not only do I not know, but don't want to know, that we removed within the first days after we got our furniture in place. They'd been planted, without our knowledge, by our most recent tenant. There was also a humungous cancerous-type ivy that was taking over the wrought-iron fence on one side. I wore out three machetes fighting my way through to the back yard. The property manager, who was supposed to see that this sort of thing didn't happen, was apparently out to lunch much of the time that tenant lived here.

It's been quite a bit of work, hampered by the fact that the LA City trash people give you this little bitty green box-on-wheels into which you have to put your grass cuttings and other landscaping-type refuse for pickup each Wednesday.

We were told, when the city decided to take over trash collection, that it'd be better than the uneven service various neighborhoods were getting from the dozen or so seperate trash collection companies operating about the city. A uniform city-operated trash collection would make trash service equal for everybody. So now we all get bad trash removal service. To make matters worse, we now have to suffer under every politically and environmentally correct whim the socialists can talk the idiot city council drones to accept.

For example, the pretty blue "recycling" can is much bigger than the general trash can.

But, I digress.

When we first bought the house, it became apparent that, since it was kind of an old neighborhood, and there were numerous mature trees in the area, these trees contained a lot of urban wildlife. Lots of tree squirrels and birds. It wasn't long before Debbie began buying peanuts and leaving them out for the critters.

Now that we're back, Debbie had perfected the routine. She puts out peanuts and sunflower seeds, and some wild bird seed for the birds. The critters come around in the afternoon and wait for the vittles.

They're a lot of fun to watch, as they take peanuts and either eat 'em on the spot or run off and hid 'em. There are also numerous jays that try to swoop down and steal the occasional nut, and a number of doves that drop in for the birdseed that Debbie sets out for them.

I don't often have time to just sit and watch the fun, but this weekend I did. Kind of cool!

The environment depends on your surroundings.

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California