Agaves

The positive thing that can be said for agaves is that they are quite varied and sculptural, and they don't change with the seasons. They thrive on our hot hill  and require no special care.The one closest to the camera is a blue agave, the species from which tequila is made. We had a huge one in front that had to be removed when it bloomed. It takes a long time, but once they bloom, they die. On the negative side is the fact that they multiply like mad, grow fast and are extremely difficult to remove as they have toothy edges, sharp points and extensive root systems.  I tried cutting off the sharp bits of one of these  so I could work underneath it but it left a very unsightly scar on the plant In addition to the ones up and down my arms. One has to take an agave on its own terms....

Yesterday as I was working at my desk I kept hearing metallic scratching noises. I assumed it was OilMan tinkering with something outside, but when I looked out the window I saw OilMan and Ozzie at the bottom of the driveway. Fearing a rat or a bird, I pinpointed the sounds to the fireplace. Opening the screen I peered through the glass doors...it is a gas fireplace; wood burning ones are illegal here...but saw nothing. Whatever it was was behind the firebox. Fortunately OilMan remembered how to open the trap door at the bottom and out flew a little bird which, panicked, began flying all over the house, banging into the walls. Fortunately we have a lot of doors to the outside and we opened them all. Almost immediately it found its way outside. We didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief before it flew straight into a window and fell to the ground. When I went out to investigate it flew off. Who says only cats have nine lives? Or, more to the point, who came up with the phrase 'birdbrain'? 

There's never a dull moment in the country. OilMan is currently outside investigating the extent of the tunnel under the air conditioning unit, based on the pile of sunflower seeds at its entrance. When he finishes that he will want to move on to trying to find out how the bird got into our supposedly 'ember proof' chimney, but I will have to put my foot down if that investigation involves a ladder....