We have lived in our home in the desert now for 33 years, going on 34. It was our first home together and we raised our grown children in it. We have many fond memories of this home and over the years we've planted many trees here. I always wanted a cottonwood tree and in 1979, my husband surprised me and brought a young tree home. He bought it at a nursery up in the high desert. Cottonwoods actually do grow well down in our lower desert, as long as they get water. There are many of them up in the mountains. We planted it away from the house, but where we can see it. We actually have 42 trees in our yard, which is about 1/3 acre! Many of them are acacias or palo verdes, both of which "naturalize". That means if the seeds fall on the ground and get enough water, they sprout and grow on their own! HA, HA! I don't have to buy any more of them! Over the years, this tree has been home to a family of orioles and various owls who come and sit in it at night and hoot and catch "critters" in our yard and neighboring ones. It is HUGE and our neighbors hate it because its leaves blow into their yard, but I love to sit and listen to the wind blow through its leaves. They actually offered to pay for half of its trimming a few years ago, so we took them up on the offer, and to my horror, the tree trimmers trimmed the branch with the oriole nest! I'm hoping that they will come back, but I didn't see them this spring in the tree, so maybe they've found and made a new nest? Anyway, I took this photo one morning early this week. This is "my world", at least....my backyard!
