Cacti

Darren and I have been discussing, as of late, the possibility of eliminating his cactus garden. It's something that, in many ways, we'd really hate to do, as quite a few of these plants are ones which made the move with us to this house from our first apartment. But when we think of the exciting potential that entire half of our backyard holds for our children, the decision seems simple. We've had so many fun ideas, including a new swing set, perhaps an enclosed trampoline, a treeless tree house (I really, really want that!), a big new sandbox...so much could be gained by reclaiming the huge expanse of space that is currently occupied by our native garden. And yet, there are significant losses to be considered, too, including the desert wildlife we've grown accustomed to seeing out there: roadrunners, quail, even the beautiful gray fox who has been a frequent visitor to our yard this year. And these...the plants themselves, bare for most of the year but blooming beautifully for a single day each spring. It's too bad, really, that our visions for "cactus garden" and "children's play area" are, by necessity, mutually exclusive! I might really, really miss this: