Member-only story
A Joyous Morning Jaunt
Ambling along Villa Flores
I remember once telling my youngest brother that it is a lot more work gardening in Puerto Rico than it was in Pennsylvania when we were boys. “Yeah, but now you have a gardener,” he said, with not a little irony in his voice.
“Well, yes, I had part-time help for the heavy work, but five acres is a lot of grass to cut, weeds to pull, things to plant, and jungle to beat back.” Words to that effect must have been my reply.
With help and a lot of sweat and tears (see: I am Not a Fall Guy), my wife and I and a changing roster of helpers eventually civilized our volcanic hilltop with ornamental tropical plants, palm trees, fruit, and flowering trees. A few hurricanes came along to thin things out (one uprooted 50 newly planted orange tree saplings). We got older, and help became harder to find, but — as you will see — we have still managed to maintain an acre or so and enjoy (albeit weedier) our pocket of paradise.
The lower roadway is disappearing under vividly-colored moss-like plants. We have tried over the years to get it repaved but have not succeeded — and I don’t care. I like the rustic, natural look!
