An Inconvenient Truth—Its Time to Make Our Yards look Nice

Spring time in California is really the best season.  You have those beautiful days where everyone can’t wait to go outside, and stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot become crowded with do-it yourselfers who want to try and make their yards prettier.  Now I would never claim to be much of a gardener.  In fact my last attempt at growing something can be referred to at the great tomato massacre of 06’.  But I try to be helpful and supportive of my husband, and his efforts to beautify our yard.

Our home, maybe unfortunately, has a hill next to it that faces the street.  This hill is our responsibility to make nice looking.  I think that it’s safe to say the hill has become the bane of my husband’s existence.  For reasons unknown to us, nothing really grows on the hill-except weeds.  We are not creative landscape people, so the hill is this canvas that we aren’t sure how to paint.  But I’ll give credit where credit is due; my husband will most likely spend the better part of a weekend attempting to make the hill look nice for the next few months until one hot day when everything he has so carefully planted dies in about one hour. 

The other thing spring always makes me think of is Earth Day.  Earth Day in New Mexico and Colorado are big deals.  College towns have parades, live bands, and booths featuring things like potato chips made out of some composted material.  When I lived those states I always suspected Earth Day celebrations were more about playing hacky sack and listening to the Grateful Dead then actually about saving the melting glaciers.
Now I live in California, where it seems like people want to be environmental, but we all really like our SUV’s.  And we would bring our own canvas bags to the store, but we know that teen-agers would laugh at us.  I haven’t met anyone in California, who has actually seen the movie, An Inconvenient Truth.  I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, but I know my ADD would kick in after about 20 minutes.  Someone just needs to tell me what I have to do to stop global warming.  Plant more trees on our hill, okay we can do that.  Turn out lights when were not in a room. check that one off too.  Build a windmill in our backyard; I don’t think that is going to happen.   I think that the best way to save the environment is to stop wrapping toys in ten tons of plastic.  Anyone with a child under 10 knows what I am talking about.  It’s ridiculous that you have spend 10 minutes cutting a Barbie out of the box, when its hair will be ruined in less than five.  Toys should be sold in reusable Tupperware, or old school style, with no box at all.
 In the meantime, I am doing what I can, and that means making my small children walk to school, even when it’s cold outside.  I am doing my part by not driving 2 blocks to drop them off.  Besides, they need the exercise, and so does my dog for that matter.  Plus, it’s good for them to get a little Southern California fresh air.  Doing my part for the environment also means recycling the beer bottles after a long weekend of do-it yourself hillside landscaping.  Every little bit helps.  Happy Spring!