Attacking the Peppers

Attacking the Peppers

I had trouble opening the bottle of bourbon this morning. Yes, the bourbon. In front of Elisabeth I poured a healthy dollop of booze into my coffee. Wild Turkey 100 mixed with my rich, creamy, extremely strong, coffee does wonders for me in the weather-which is cool, dark and rainy. I use the work that I did yesterday and the resultant stiffness and pain as an excuse for my bad judgment and chemical abuse. Ask me if I give a shit? Naw!! Not a bit. I don’t even need an excuse.

The partial remains of three, huge Brazilian Pepper trees lie in a pile by the roadside in front of the house. What is not in that pile is in a couple of piles along the property line in back of the house and that includes maybe an 1/8^th of a cord of wood and a quantity of branches and leaves. The pile in front is at least six feet high and ten feet long and I am praying that the garbage men will not refuse to pick it up. I don’t know the “regs” as regards yard waste but I have a feeling I might be over the limit. We’ll see.

What remains of the hedge at the property line is a still substantial row of rich, green foliage. It is of the variety that is acceptable to the state of Florida and not considered “invasive”. It is not clear to me what that means. The list of “invasive” plants includes Australian Pines and Chiflera and Malaluka, and, of course, my “Pepper” trees but not the remaining ornamental plants that adorn the property line. How the offending plants were chosen is not at all clear to me. I have enjoyed the shade of Australian Pines for fifty years. I climbed a Brazilian Pepper and played in its branches when I was five years old. Who/how/when did they become the enemies of the Florida environment? Regardless, I am taking out the Peppers as I find them difficult to maintain. Last year I had them cut back to eight feet high thinking I would keep them at that level. When we returned this year they had grown a full six feet more and I saw that such “maintenance” would be an unsustainable chore. Yesterday I began a program of cutting them down to the ground and killing them. As of yesterday-three down/three + to go.

I am blessed with understanding neighbors. Steve, with whom I share that southerly border, came over for a visit and was not phased in the least with my efforts. He will, at least temporarily, lose his privacy. I can look out of my Florida Room window from my seat at the computer and see all the way through to his pool now, but that will change quickly. If nature abhors a vacuum, Florida abhors a void in landscaping. With the overpowering “peppers” gone the remaining plants in the hedge will thicken and fill in the empty spots. If I prune and “train” them they will grow thick and Steve’s pool will once again disappear behind the screen of Florida foliage. Mike, my neighbor to the rear, has a fence which blocks my view of his place. The tall, wild growth of trees along my side of the fence adds additional privacy to that border and, also, provides Mike with dense shade. Shade is valuable in Florida. Mike loves my trees. Me…not so much. Mike gets the shade and I get to keep the burgeoning forest clean and tame. Not easy when Sea Grape leaves and other wild growth blanket the ground. But he is a good neighbor and we each appreciate the other. Eventually I will have to cut down some of the trees and he will not be happy. Hopefully he will react like Steve and be patient with the process.

Tim-a neighbor from down the street-is a landscaping expert. He took a few moments yesterday morning to review my work. He surmised that I needed to poison the “Peppers” and brought me some vile looking liquid which he swore would do the deed. He saw my little electric chain saw. While it was doing the job it was slow and cumbersome. Tim brought a gas powered chainsaw which he said I could use for a while. It was a blessing. Today I am paying the price for my aggressive work yesterday.

So…this morning I ache. It is cool and rainy for the first time in a month. Every living thing rising up from the sandy soil here in Hobe Sound is stretching and drinking in the fresh water. I stretch and drink up my enhanced coffee along side my grits and eggs (bless you Elisabeth! A cool morning breakfast is so welcome!). The rain gives me a perfectly good excuse not to do more work on the “peppers” but my hands are stiff and my back sore. I will recover. Just as the hedge will recover. Life is Good.