esrosedotblog

SLOW MOTION

No movie today.

I was slowed by the need to meet with Paul the Gardener this morning.

It is time to prune.

This is a big year for the north side. A lot of dead stuff to weed out.

The olive tree is already blooming. It has been a wet winter, so we will have to prune it a lot and spray, to kill the remaining blossoms.This is to prevent ripe olives strewing our patio this fall. Ineradicable oil spots.

This year we are going to cut the banana trees down. The big ones. They are so tall that they are browning. Hard to get the water up there in the dry air.

And all the rest of the usual trims.

Stuff grows very fast here. It is an annual affair.

I have been trying to get this project on the road for several weeks. I take this process slowly. I know that my man overcommits and is always behind. Overpromising.

I called yesterday with a more stern demeanor. He called later to say he would be here at 8 this morning with his crew.

Well, he was here at 9 this morning and no crew. He will start tomorrow.

We did our walk-around to decide on the work to be done.

Here is how it goes.

I have a list. I start to walk through it as we stroll through the yard.

At the second or third tree, he takes the list from me and starts to tell me what he will do. We go through the entire property and he has it all figured out. No help from me. Well, an occasional mutter or wheeze.

This is why he is my man.

He knows his stuff and he has utter confidence in his proposals. Cutting into shrubs and cactus and trees is not a trivial manner. They need to be shaped. There are consequences. Cactus limbs, for example, support each other. Take one out and others fold.

The ten minute walk is a seminar in desert horticulture.

Suddenly, there is no hurry. It will get done and done right.

He said he would start today but he didn't come back. I called and he said that he had to go file papers and it took too long. He was too late to get (good) helpers from the labor pool. He will be here.

Tomorrow. 8 AM.

I will be here.

The work will get done.

Three days or so to do it. It is a huge job. Piles of branches. It takes one pruner and two helpers.

Paul says that he will do it himself.

That is worth waiting for.

Did I mention that in June it will be time to prune the palm trees? Not so hard. He farms that work out. It takes and hour.

Labels: desert, horticulture, life