Pick Axel Rose


“Welcome to the jungle baby”


“Oh My Squirrel Gods, he has got his pick axe out of the shed, tell me he isn’t looking for buried treasure again”

I continued hacking my way on top of my compacted lunar surface today. I thought I would take full advantage of the slight reprieve in temperature we are currently having. I was also finding all manner of buried treasure, bottles, glass shards, springs? and what appears to be an old 50’s chevy truck, I wasn’t stopping. I felt I was on the brink of a major archaeological discovery when my pick axe shuddered to a rib braking stop. This was it! perhaps some loot from an old western bank heist? perhaps a buried Wells Fargo safe?, it did sound and feel metallic after all.


As soon as my body stopped reverberating
from the impact, I investigated further…


I went down on my knees and with my newly
purchased archaeological brushes from Breed & Co,
I began my excavation of the artifact.


14 Hours of meticulous brushing later, and I had it, my adrenalin was flowing. The top 1/3rd of it looked like some form of ancient bronze tool. I peered in even closer, I could smell the dirt of the ancients, (mmm, perhaps I should rephrase that one). With gentle leverage, my find emerged into the daylight…it was, it was…….well, it was an old, rusty car jack – presumably the one used on the buried Chevy.



Still, it was a treasure of sorts to me and will
take pride of place somewhere in my yard.
Look at this thing!


One of the previous owners of my house I found out, had “fallen off the utilities map” and subsequently began burying all her trash around the property. I have trash soil! I really do, (and don’t say it fits with my Ratatouille chewed inflatable pool!)
I contemplated if lavender had ever been grown on landfill. I guess I will soon find out.



Staying on the subject ot trash – My dead agave is a) taking on an interesting rotting aesthetic of it’s own and b) now incredibly annoying as I still need to straddle it to cross one of my main pathways (at least there are no spikes on it as yet) yup, that would be really dangerous considering it’s current height. Look at this mangled scene, it reminds me of:



The plants around the agave are also looking really bad, I can’t decide if it is the drought or if the decaying beanstalk is effecting them in some underground way. I still have a rather unhealthy obsession to plant another fifty pups…it is the least I can do for a dying old friend, no matter how irritating.


“George, do you think he is ever going to chop the Agave down … George!



“Calm down Mildred, I am more concerned by the fact that we are being followed by a lily!



Staying next to the pond for a second, this lily is also starting a new family, in the middle of one of the pads. I would imagine this breaks away from the pad at some point to root? I have witnessed little “groupings” floating around, and may explain why my pond is choked with lillies. I thin them out every other week.


Another lily dweller I caught, I assume it is a dragonfly nymph?



This rock has been in its current location for ever, I noticed it glowing after the rains today. It has been a day of finding treasure.
It looked amazing and reminded me of:



The Nazca lines in Peru.
The Nazca lines are series of geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert


“psst! we didn’t create those lines by the way. Now this we did create, but those, definately not.”


Moving on to the front of the property – this bed has been such a trouper over the last three months. I have watered it perhaps 3-4 times and it still looks healthy. You just can’t beat rosemary, succulents, and palms for staying power.



Potato vine going berserk in my golden
bamboo container, I really need to paint my house.
What am I talking about, this was a planned distressed
look to contrast the vibrant vine…not!



Foreground, Mexican Bush Sage, then weeping
bamboo, then golden bamboo, all hanging in there well
considering this years harsh conditions.


Front deck covered in red passion vine.



Mexican Petunia, not only does it endure high
heat and humidity, but it is also a performer in
drought-like conditions.
Pride of barbados above it
and purple heart to the lower right.


Stay Tuned for:
“Fish & Chips”

All material © 2008 for east_side_patch. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

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Meet the Author

A Central Texas Garden Blog. Zone: 8b. Welcome to the East Side Patch. This site tracks the inhabitants of a house and garden on the east side of Austin. All material © 2021 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant) 14th century planet Earth techniques.

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