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is the longest I've lived anywhere in my whole adult life. That means, I've left or lost 10 gardens since 1985. I didn't realize how difficult that was until this last move when they all came flooding back. I remember just about everything that went into each one.
I'm staying with my mom up on her land in the foothills right now. When I left here 8 years ago, I had a rose garden down in the hollow by my place, a few grapes growing on the hillside next to it and a miniature veggie garden that was in scale with the rest of my digs. There was another rose garden -- everything in it was either a real rose or had "rose" in its name -- that I planted outside Mom's office window so she'd have something to look at. And there was the vegetable garden out behind her kitchen. All of it got bulldozed when the county decided Mom's permits weren't right. I couldn't even think about it for years.
The county changed its mind after a few months but by that time, all the gardens were toast. :(
The trees are still here, though. When I lived here all that time ago, it was in a reclaimed little silver Airstream. Since the trailer was so tiny, I bought those tiny potted Monterrey pines they sell at Safeway at Christmas time. After the holiday, those went into the ground and damned if all three of those little guys lived through everything and are 12, 8 and 6 feet tall now. There's also a big curly willow out behind the kitchen that made it and the three flowering trees, two on the hill by Mom's place and one down by my old spot, are still going strong. No idea what their name is. They are droop like willows but have pretty pink flowers, too. That the trees made it is especially cool because when we first came to this land, it was completely denuded but for the chaparral that managed to straggle up somehow.
I walk two dogs twice a day here and on our walks, I found a huge rosemary bush that slipped by the bulldozer and what looks like an offspring of one of the rose bushes. That was nice.
Not sure how long I'll be here so I'd steadily refused the seduction of all this free space because I will not go through the leaving again. But, lol, the front door to my studio is on the main drag through the ranch and I feel sort of naked without a fence or a sign that says, "STOP! I may not want to talk to you at this VERY MINUTE!" So, last week, I went looking for some young scrub brushes and dug up three to replant in front of the door, to train into a privacy hedge. It seemed like a more friendly solution than buying a revolver. And the price was right.
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