Mood regulators

Whenever I find myself in a bad mood, I go for a walk in our backyard. Today was one of those days.

We've been working on a project in the front yard and have run into a few complications that will take some time to resolve. Water has been running into the street from the sprinklers in our small grass lawn, probably because of a combination of slope, clay soil, and type of grass. We're trying to resolve the problem by tiering the area, rather than having the grass slope all the way down to the sidewalk. We haven't got it right yet, and this morning I was again greeted with the unwelcome sight of wasted water and less than verdantly green grass.

First of all, I don't enjoy working in the front yard nearly as much as in the back yard. The front yard is our public, HOA-mandated persona. In the back yard I am free to express myself and experiment, which adds to my enjoyment. In the front yard I am constrained to do pretty much what everyone else in the neighborhood does. It's rather like wearing uncomfortable but socially correct business attire to go to work, and changing into something comfortable when you get home.

Secondly, I don't enjoy working with grass. I am not an anti-grass crusader like some people I know. I think there is a strong case to be made for its use, especially as a play areas for children and pets. I think it probably has a little bit of an evaporative cooling effect due to transpiration, making outdoor activities more enjoyable (tolerable?) I think it mitigates the urban heat island effect, as well as removing some carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air. But since our children are grown, and our cats stay indoors, it isn't particularly important to me. All in all, I'd rather be surrounded by fruits, vegetables, and flowers than grass. However, that's not really an option for our front yard.

Anyway, I was in a bad mood, so I went for a walk in the backyard, knowing I will never fail to find something to make me smile. I found these yummy yellow pear tomatoes, the first of the season, hiding at the base of a tomato plant, and then I enjoyed strolling by these bottlebrushes which are loaded with blooms. Not only are they beautiful to see, they are softly pleasurable to touch, and literally singing with bees and other insects.

For me at least, bad moods and backyard gardens don't mix. Front yards are another story.