dead tree walking...

When Nipper Knapp and I first saw our house, it was like stumbling upon an oasis in the desert. Seriously we were parched. We had looked at every nasty little saltine box from West Hollywood to Eagle Rock. One place we looked at had a enormous yard. This thing was like a football field. It had two giant oak trees at the back that provided shade for the huge expanse, of what had clearly been, a latrine. The previous owner had either had horses, or cattle, or two of the largest dogs ever, because the lawn was COVERED in poop. I'm not a realtor, but I don't think "sea of poop" is one of those buzz words that helps sell a house. We passed. 

We were so disheartened by what we had seen in our price range, when our realtor called us about this place, and we told her we didn't even want to see it. But she persisted, and as soon as we walked in the door, we knew. The yard was unfinished and there was this dead tree in it, but we saw it had a lot of potential. Plus the house was wall to wall windows. Most of the other houses we had looked at, were like submarines. Just little portholes for peering out at the dangerous neighborhoods they were located in.  

Well it turned out that dead tree in the yard was a jacaranda, and it wasn't dead at all. (If  you grew up south of Texas, you pronounce jacaranda: Hock-a rhonda, and if you grew up north of it, you call it a Jack-a-randa). It is one of the greatest things about our home. It was in this state, because the people next door had insisted, that the old man who owned the house cut it back hard every year, so that it's blossoms wouldn't dirty up their driveway. Imagine that! The lady with plastic flowers PLANTED in her garden was opposed to delicate purple petals raining down on her property. Oh I don't know, only one of the most beautiful things witnessed by man, in the universe!!!! Needless to say, we have let it grow, along with the carpet of lavender petals it leaves on our lawn. So, uhm, I guess what I'm trying to say is "Look at my pretty tree, and SUCK IT, crazy neighbor!!!!"