RELATIONSHIPS
Laughing Up to the Sky
Butterflies are known to represent the departed
I have an uncommonly ugly backyard, which isn’t entirely the fault of my boyfriend Andy, and me. The previous owners of our house removed whatever trees, grass, and flowers were there and put in a lot of concrete, as well as a rickety gazebo that fell down years ago.
There’s a circle of grass in the middle of the yard, an out-of-control lemon tree next to the house, and an overgrown and rowdy bougainvillea next to the concrete fence.
I mean it when I say rowdy — being drought-resistant has made it bold and aggressive with its growth. We don’t cut it, and it gives us trumpet-shaped purple flowers in return.
Our neighbor’s avocado tree hangs over into our yard, dropping large leaves and the occasional green avocado the wildlife enjoys snacking on. Avocado leaf tea is known for having many health benefits, but I’ve yet to collect them off the ground to brew them.
We feed a couple of stray cats who call our yard, the roofs of our house, and our garage home. Other residents and visitors include birds, two squirrels, sad-faced possums, clever lizards, and raccoon traveling families. Unfortunately, starving coyotes will jump the fences into and out of the yard.
