To Spring
I adore old cartoons and every spring I remember and watch the beautiful homage "To Spring." I particulary love this because it was directed by the great Bill Hanna of Hanna and Barbera, creators of such cartoons as The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Jetsons, Skooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear. Hanna is an inspiration to me because the man with the amazing fertile imagination and lush artistic talent was born in Melrose, New Mexico, one of the most desolate places in the state and very nearby--about nineteen miles from here.
Last year the elves were left high and dry in eastern New Mexico. The post I wrote at the end of last summer, "The Drought in My Backyard" showed the devastating effects of the two year long drought on my property. My yard went from looking like this:
To this in only one year:
Here is an update.
I watered all winter because we had less than one inch of precipitation. Spring came early this year and I have been watering almost daily since February. Here is how the large lot on the side of my property looked last year:
I remember my pitiful lone pumpkin and the empty promise of rain. Below is the view today. Some of the lawn is back and also the weeds. They were welcome this year.
The little vineyard almost made me cry last year. I thought it was dead. Now there are tiny concord grapes sprouting.
The fireberry bush looked like this last summer in the following shot. Its bare yet thorny presence made the house look like the Addams family live here.
My friend Jim pruned it way back even thought the undead branches bloomed. We won't have any berries this year but fingers are crossed for next.
The leaves fell off of the poplar tree last year in August. It looks more august this year in the photo below.
Most of my exotic roses died but this one is trying hard to look pretty. You can still see how the lawn is very patchy despite my efforts.
The two once magnificent forsythia on each side of my front porch that were half dead were trimmed down to the nub but they are looking full and healthy this year. There were about ten tiny yellow blooms but the hot dry wind blew them away.
My water bill was $125.00 this month and that hurts but I figure it is more economical than replacing established trees and shrubs. We still have had no rain and if you look carefully at the neighboring houses, mine is the only one with a green lawn. I intend to continue watering liberally until the mandatory water restrictions kick in. I don't believe in the supernatural but believe me when I say I am ready to don my native garb and do a rain dance to this great song by Eric Clapton.
Let it Rain
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Comments
"my pitiful lone pumpkin and the empty promise of rain"
That could well be a line from a love song by an indie band, or the name of a mumblecore movie or something. You're such a hipster, Miguela!
:)
And lovely tune by the way. One can never have too much Clapton. Or rain dancing.
I myself have come in after staring at big, black thunderheads coming over the mountain right now. I cannot remember what rain is like. These thunderheads may be empty promises. If so, they are not the first empty promises that I have encountered. It would not be my first rodeo in that department. But I am waiting still.
It makes me thirsty just to read!!