Dumb Fantasies

[Wahoo Redux]

We are in the midst of buying the house we have been renting since the landlord died.  And I spent part of the afternoon hacking down these beautiful broad-leafed thistles mainly so they do not encroach on the neighbor's lawn.  And it just killed me.  The plants were so damn vibrant and beautiful and now they are just lying there hacked up on the lawn.  The Romantic poet in me just died.

I am seriously thinking about fencing off part of the backyard and turning it into an Audubon space in which everything simply grows wild for the birds and the bugs.  Maybe I could even find a beeologist (I know, I know, an apiologist) who could help us establish a bee colony?  Maybe plant some plants for monarch butterflies?  And then we could plant a bunch of trees in the front yard and the part of the backyard that is not fenced off.

And then maybe big woolen cardigan sweaters could come back in fashion?

Does anyone else have a funny little fantasy you want to share?  Remember, the Fora is a safe space.

[mamselle]

I mourn the thistles with you.

I lived at a couple places where I was allowed to garden, until someone wanted to do something else with the space, and went in and just killed all my stuff without even giving me a chance to get it out.

People who can't hear the plants screaming don't understand.

M.

[apl68]

We have a number of vacant lots in the older parts of town where the city has had to demolish abandoned houses.  Now the lots are turning into overgrown eyesores that the city can't afford to keep clear.  I would love to find funding and interest to turn some of those lots into Miyawaki forests:


https://bio4climate.org/miyawaki-forest/


I also have a fantasy of owning a motorcycle again.  But it doesn't seem likely.

[ohnoes]

...  Maybe I could even find a beeologist (I know, I know, an apiologist) who could help us establish a bee colony?... 

The person you seek holds a, um, BeeHd.

[poiuy]

High-five to you ohnoes! 

Go for your fenced fantasy Wahoo Redux. Several people in the oldish neighborhood where we live have done that - made beautiful wildernesses of native plants, pollinator and bird friendly.  Some fenced, some not.

There are local native plant societies that might help you plan, or your state Agricultural Extension, or similar groups.

[mamselle]

You can also get help with Pollinator Gardens, mostly designed to help butterflies have a safe space to rest in while migrating.

Monarchs like milkweed, and others have other specific preferences, and they can tell you how to encourage the ones that overfly your area.

M.

[Istiblennius]

I think you have a thoughtful plan and not a dumb fantasy!

We keep one of our garden boxes for pollinator plants only, and our family enjoys observing the different bees, butterflies and hummingbirds that visit throughout the growing season. In a slightly stupider move, we also keep another garden box weeded and full of dirt for our dog to just dig in (its not fenced off) and it makes her happy.

You are doing what makes you happy and its good for the planet. We should all have such fantasies!

[ergative]

I want to be this guy. Not the fight with the partner part, but the secret room part.

[mamselle]

Here's the US Fish/Wildlife Pollinator Garden site:

   https://www.fws.gov/story/how-build-pollinator-garden

I was wondering if any of the plants you had to remove still had their roots?

You might be able to transplant them.

Or they might be mischievous enough to grow back next year, after you've got your hidden garden going, and you could transplant some then...

M.

[apl68]

When I lived in the big city, I once knew a family who had a secret room in their house.  Essentially it was a concealed office.  They let their house be written up in the local paper's lifestyle section.  They did not want the secret room exposed, but the article published photos of it anyway.  So now the entire city knew about the "secret" room!  When I visited their house sometime later, the formerly secret room was merely standing open for all to see.

For another kind of "secret" room--the door isn't necessarily concealed, but the room is a real surprise--see Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties, by D.C Beard.  This was a 1914 book on building cabins and temporary shelters.  It includes an idea for a "rustic" log-paneled room inside an ordinary modern house.  On one side the door to the room looks modern and mundane.  Step through, and you're in a log-paneled "cabin" with appropriate furniture. 

[Wahoo Redux]

These are great suggestions!!!!  And thanks for the encouragement!!!!!