Tuesday is ground maintenance day for the "Desert Princess" - the gated community in which we're living in Palm Springs.
First thing in the morning, the equipment arrives in golf carts, the motors rev up and men appear from everywhere. A lot of them are wearing the equipment in harnesses on their backs. They speak Mexican, and yell at each other, clap their hands, and generally scurry about. No dilly-dallying. Even the "pool guy" is here this morning moving some sort of tall pipe back and forth, back and forth. The biggest grass cutting machine has a good looking driver - and he can make that tractor do a tango! Goes so fast and weaves itself in and out of corners and rock decorations, never misses a beat. Then the men on foot follow him with little grass cutting mowers on their backs. You don't want to be coming out of the shower and brushing your hair in the bedroom at that time. Then the third level guys do the raking and clipping. When they clear out, we're left with the manicured scene you see in the picture above. I just snapped it.
It's astonishing that the desert is so compliant. We're told that as long as the plants have water - you can stand back and watch it grow. The constancy of the moisture is more important than the amount of moisture. I can't comment on added fertilizers, but we are left with the feeling that a desert can become a lush green space surprisingly easily, and inexpensively. Go figure.
All of the workers are Mexican, happy, good-natured and intent on getting the job done well.
Their neighborhoods are not fancy. Their houses humble. The gated golf course communities support them I would think.
On a road trip the other day, we drove through the real desert. Quite beautiful in multicolored pale golds, slightly reddish, and very nubby. The closer the highway takes you to human beings and their communities, the dirtier the desert gets. Debris everywhere. The desert is too delicate for debris. Sad statement about us.
Hey look! Hummingbirds in the shrubs outside my patio door! Beautiful!