Desertification

Desertification: a process started in my yard by my overzealous husband. My front garden was known for its seasonal wildflowers and herbs – always full of colors and scents and textures. The village folk appreciated my efforts and were always surprised at the display. Well, surprised was my reaction when I saw what a wasteland it had become. Apparently, an alien weed began to encroach upon the yard so my husband, pressed for time, used extraordinarily powerful chemicals to kill it - and everything else in the soil- then set fire to it! The flames licked up and singed most of my trees and shrubs so the yard looks like the aftermath of a forest fire. My three wire deer sculptures (intended for xmas lights and eventual topiaries) look like the skeletal remains of the last forms of life on earth after the meteor hit. What he didn’t burn he chopped down. There are but stumps where the holly bush thrived and the half dozen other trees that he apparently didn’t like, had brought shade and color to our yard. There is a huge crater where once stood the only evergreen broadleaf tree we owned – a prolific bay tree – that dear husband no longer wanted to prune. Now there’s a solution, if you don’t want to prune it, destroy it!