mikevan

Cough. Well... I didn't show you where the bar was going, did I? After some negotiations, we came to an agreement, the wife and I. She gets the half of the property up where the house is. I get the rest - and get carte blanche with what I do on it. When we buy the property next door to build our new house, I get this entire property. Heh - think it's a jungle now? And, because she refuses to live away from our kid's grandparents, where I'd prefer Hawaii or Guam or maybe even Florida (I'd get to play with gators!), she's given me some leeway with my tropical plant obsession.

I think when I am done, her preconceptions will be proven wrong and she'll like what it is. She's not complaining now tho. I could be hanging out in bars, and collecting beer cans and junk cars and whatnot - instead I go play in my sand-box and play with my plants. It would be a nice doghouse tho - perhaps I should carve out a little bunk area and a loo?

The purpose isn't just to make a nice area to winter over my tropicals, but to create in there a permanent home for them - a little rainforest of my favorite tropical plants. I'll likely get some critters down there - we have an abundance of geckos, believe it or not, and perhaps some anoles and treefrogs, a snake or five and whatnot. I'm still pondering what to plant below the coconut palm trees - perhaps SDC nanners, ferns and vanilla orchids. Up topside I'm going to try to get a few dicksonia antarctica treeferns growing - it's a bit hot here for them but in the shade of bamboo and bananas I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Be well,
Mike