Raking Gumballs & The Fish In Our Fig Tree

Wednesday I raked gumballs, pruned bushes and replaced the fish in our fig tree.

Thirteen tall sweetgum trees surround our back yard. They provide cooling shade for us and a haven for nesting birds. They make our back yard seem more secluded than it really is.

But they drop seed pods — Thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands of hard, sharp, spiky husks which I call gumballs. We dare not walk barefoot in the grass and even if anyone wears shoes, the gumballs turn underfoot and twist unwary ankles.

Here’s what a gumball looks like:

They need to be raked up.

So, yesterday I raked.

This trashcan contains three plastic bags of nothing but gumballs I raked up!

Raking gumballs puts me a step closer to finishing the outside work on our house which I began back on January 17^th. Here is a photo of the rear deck. Notice the new rain gutters which my friend Rex is installing. Notice the fresh walls and crisp trim which I painted. Notice fountain I refurbished. Notice the deck I pressure washed. Notice the brick walk which I leveled (mostly):

Then I spent ages and anguish tearing down the old rusted metal storage shed to make this quiet nook for conversations. Yes, this is where the old shed used to be. Notice the faux white wishing well; it’s really just a pile of bricks salvaged from a 1901 building; they hide an electric junction box:

And here is a photo of the new shed I erected in a different corner of the yard where the salvia is just beginning to bloom:

Not many of our flowers have opened yet. Here, around the pool deck clusters of salvia, pregnant plant, firecracker aloe and flamingo plant just begin to flower, while on the deck red and yellow hibiscus open to the sun:

And, here at the entrance to our jungle path ruins of the Parthenon welcome visitors amid Wandering Jew Vine with tiny white flowers while the requisite Florida pink flamingo peeks from behind a flamingo plant:

One flower that has opened in full force is the aromatic white jasmine surrounding the wooden swing in a grotto inviting visitors to be still and rest:

I still don’t know what God wants me to do with my life from here on — “Be still and know that I am God”, I suspect — but meanwhile, I keep myself amused in our garden. For instance:

Our fig tree is beginning to put on.

This attracts birds.

They steal my figs.

I foil the marauders with this fish in our fig tree:

The fish is a gag gift from one of our children (sorry, I forgot which one). The fish contains a motion sensor. When a bird lands on a branch, the fish flaps his tail, snaps his jaws, and sings Down By The Riverside.

Terrifies the birds.

What a laugh to see them squawk!

That’ll teach ‘em to steal my figs!