Pave Paradise . . . .

Spring is sprung, the grass is ris . . . . I wonder where the birdies is?

Well, it was Spring a couple of weeks ago, anyway. I guess we've just skipped summer and fall and gone straight back into winter again.

I haven't yet taken the plastic off of the screens on my back porch yet -- partly because I don't trust Spring, and partly because of the condo construction going on across the bay behind my house.

As to the first part (I don't trust Spring), I grew up in Colorado -- 'nuf said.

As to the second part (the cursed condos), it is extremely miffable to me because when I bought this house, it was peaceful and quiet. Good neighbors, huge oak trees and gorgeous flowers and landscaping. Now, due to the greed of the previous owners of the beautiful stone house across the bay, their land (a strip of land extending into the bay -- man made, but that's another story) has been sold to developers. Said developers have torn down the beautiful stone home, stripped the lot of all trees -- large and small --and gorgeous landscaping, flattened the land, surrounded it by "boardwalk" and are now erecting two story behemoths (4 of them!!) designed to attract the up and crusty. "Pave paradise and put up a parking lot."

Having given this matter some consideration over the winter, I have decided to let my backyard lawn become a weed patch this year. Being a resident of the county outside the city limits, I do not have to hold to the higher standards of yard upkeep imposed on the city folk. I can think of several advantages to this action (or series of non-actions), besides the obvious one of hopefully deterring sales of the cursed condos. Think of the gas I will save! The spare time I will have! The wildlife I can attract! Yes, this can only be a good thing. I may even turn my lawnmower into a birdhouse.