Just a backyard...

“The desert brings no expectation. It’s barrenness

belies its vibrancy and life…”

– Anonymous

Sometimes you have to give up the things you enjoy to fill a higher calling.

There have been many days in the last couple of weeks where the temperatures exceeded 103 degrees (39C). For example, as I write this at eight o'clock in the evening it is still 92 degrees (33C). Although I have heard people often say, “Well, it’s hot, but it’s a dry heat,” as if there were a difference. That is mostly said by people who DO NOT live in the desert. Trust me on this. One hundred and three degrees IS HOT, dry or not!

The morning tomorrow will be a different story. The gods of the universe turn the thermostat down from some darkened place on Mount Olympus, and by daybreak, before the morning rays top the Eastern mountain peaks, it will be a lovely 66 degrees (19C).

The darkened sky passing through grayish dawn is the best part of the summer’s days here. Sipping Coffee and reading, clear my mind to face the first event of the morning – usually exercise at the gym or brisk walks the neighborhoods. That has been the routine until recently.

Living in the desert brings stark contrasts to living in…well, the not desert. The first thing one notices is that the vast majority of homes do not have grass. Front and back yards are filled with small earth-tone stones and an array of cacti, bushes, trees, and succulents – plants that have evolved to live in harsh, practically waterless desert environments.

This brings me to the changes in my early morning routine. A couple of weeks ago, we did a landscape facelift to our little back yard. We added two Desert Willow trees, several hummingbird-attracting Chuparosa plants, a Creosote bush, two Desert Lavender bushes and a smattering of Blackfoot Daisies. These were added to the already blooming tall-stalked Desert Spoon, Golden Barrel Cactus, Dwarf Grapefruit tree and a Texas Ranger. Unlike the stalwarts already in place, the babies need to be watered morning and evening for two weeks after planting (Click on photo to left). 

While I have taken this task on, in all fairness I do not do it alone. Leah, my faithful early morning outdoor companion, lounges in a comfortably padded patio chair, supervising the work.

Looking at the yard, thinking about the heat, and what appears to be nothing but hot, dry sand, makes it seem practically impossible for anything to grow in this hostile environment. Everything changes, however, when you look below the surface of the soil and understand that it is teeming with microscopic life, built for desert survival.

It is chock full of rich organic matter and nutrients. The desert carpet, while fragile, is alive and well. Just beneath the surface is an interconnected world full of arthropods (from insects and spiders to those so small they can only be seen with a microscope), nematodes (think translucent micro worms), mites and bacteria. The soil is a vibrant minuscule ecosystem teeming predators and prey, made hearty in an ‘only the strong survive’ environment.

While the plants and trees we put in the backyard are well suited for desert survival, priming the pump with dawn and dusk showers helps them overcome the trauma of being transplanted from the nursery to our backyard. It takes about an hour to make sure all sixteen of new inhabitants get their necessary liquid refreshment. My task is to ensure this little botanical garden receives the water it needs. 

It’s a question of the long run, isn't it? Plant seeds now, reap benefits later. It is the only way any of us can move forward with our backyards or our lives. Watering and eventually pruning. That’s the ticket.

I'm not sure a renewed and more environment-friendly back yard is actually a higher calling, but it will bring more life to our little world, and that may simply be enough.

- ted