Nature Taking Over

One of the things we really loved when we first bought our house was the mini "nature trail" that was right behind our back fence. It became pretty clear after the first year, however, that the people who owned the property before either did a lot of upkeep or just did a bunch of clearing right before selling the house.

Here's what it looked like in January 2017, the month after we moved in.

That "rail" is the remnant of a platform and step down into the grotto. I can't tell whether it started coming apart from age or if the Lower Colorado River Authority, which owns the property ours kind of surrounds, told them to take it down and they half-assed it.

Anyway... want to see it now?

BEHOLD! The triumph of NATURE!

While I'd like to be able to access the back part of that lot without having to be super wary of snakes, I also like the wildness coming right up to our fence. Here's one of the gates three and a half years ago.

Here's what that area looks like now.

Is there still even a trail? We have no way of knowing.

It would cost a lot, either in time or money, to un-wild that portion of the lot. I'm not willing to do it. I love how, in a few years, we won't be able to see the fences at all.

Especially as our neighborhood grows, in terms of new homes, the better "hedge" we can have from having to stare at development, the happier I'll be.

Grow on, wild plants. Grow on.