Learning the Land

I actually like working in my yard. In perhaps still too many ways, it remains largely a wilderness, but it and I are now affixed in my heart; it has become my own little kingdom. At the moment I prefer laboring on the land of the “kingdom” to completing the tasks remaining within the “castle,” particularly the “denial room.” The awaiting drudgery of boxes and stacks in that room depresses me--yet also inspires me...to go right outside!

My land is a wilderness of volcanic rock and intrepid vegetation with a house in its center.. Methinks that volcanic rock ultimately erodes and corrodes into a rich soil over time, though, because stuff grows and grows in profusion. And then there are orchids, which seem to acquire a portion of their needs via the atmosphere. Wild orchids appear in the jungle on the boundaries of my yard, and the ones I won as a door prize and subsequently potted to the specifications prescribed on the Internet in combination with my own best guesses continue to thrive even now, two months later!

 The wild orchids.

"Tame" orchids?

When I first took up residence in my kingdom, it looked like this:

 Front.

Back, including catchment tank.

By September, we (because a couple neighbors helped with pulling and poisoning) eradicated the matured amassing of weeds and accomplished this look:

Both of these are backyard views. I collected the rocks (easy-peasy endeavor in my kingdom) so I could place pots of herbs above the ground surface.

Six months in, my learning of the land, mostly with a backyard focus, has led to this:

Every single rock that has become part of my wall once rested under the surface of that rust-colored, pebbly surface--usually just an inch or two below it. I first realized how shallow the top layer of the land really is when I attempted to dig holes for some hibiscus plants I'd purchased: rocks and rocks and rocks! There are also stretches of the black pahoehoe lava rock on the south and west boundaries that escaped the breaking process used on the surface terrain before the foundation of a structure is laid. The gravelly topper in my yard was spread across everything, from boundary edge to boundary edge--landscaping, I guess--before the home was placed on the market. Once I figured that out, I began excavating!

This is the southern boundary of my land, and jungle/bush occupies the adjoining plot--no home, as of yet:

I planted day lilies at the edge of this expanse of black pahoehoe lava rock, unearthing more rocks in the process, some of which have yet to be carted to places on the wall.

Pretty much all of the rocks in the walls at the edges of my kingdom originated from a buried position nearby, so I haven't had to haul many of them over a distance. Bigger ones I rolled into position, but I carried enough of them that I reacquainted myself with lower back pain. Hence, I've tried to become smarter. My sister Diane suggested a wheel barrow, which I also had considered, but I would still have to pick up the rocks to put them inside. She then proposed dragging them on a blanket. Here is my eventual solution to suspected-weighty-enough rocks requiring transportation over a distance:

Vehicle floor mat and bungee cord.

For all of my neighborhood's suburban affectation, the actual land is quite rugged. Ready now to break in my fourth pair of gardening footwear and donning probably my eleventh pair of work gloves, I have grown to respect the harsher realities of this environment that undergird its ultimate beauty. When I work in the yard, I wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, socks, shoes, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, and sometimes insect repellent. Thus I can avoid too much sun exposure, bug bites, and skin-contact with things like worms, slugs, spiders, and various insects. And can I tell you how often I feel extreme gratitude that Hawaii does not have snakes?! Pretty much every time I labor in my vineyard! Although...I have learned that there is something called a "blind snake" in Hawaii; in fact, I have even uncovered a few. They are smaller than the earthworms, but they don't look quite like worms; they certainly don't move like worms! And then dirt and rocks and shoveling and raking---yeah, gloves are good. 

On my latest run to Costco, I found a package of four pairs of work gloves in my preferred style costing three dollars more than what I had been paying for just one pair of gloves purchased singly. Well, my hands have protection in place for another couple of months at least!

The gravelly terrain and sometimes muddy conditions (it rains on my side of the island) have already destroyed two pairs of retired running shoes and one pair of high-topped leather shoe/boots that I once wore with pants in colder climes when teaching school. The gravel actually ripped through the soles of the leather shoe/boots and took off a portion of the heel on one. Since running shoes are not inexpensive in and of themselves and I have currently run out of any ready for retirement, I invested in some work boots to become my next gardening footwear: 

Now maybe I can embark on planting a wee garden, more than pots of herbs on a rock platform. And the front yard? Sigh--and--Oh my! Perchance I will have a post with photos in a few more months!

Calla Lilies--not sure I have them in the right position for sun/shade preference. Something more I'll learn!