My landscape guy is coming today.

A year ago I had a swamp forest in part of my backyard.

Seven hours later, I didn't. So far I have lost 60 trees. SIXTY. One was partly through my workshop, one huge pine clipped the corner of my house and six more put "small" holes in my roof. Now the workshop is fixed, the corner just needs painting, the roof is repaired but there is no more forest in the backyard.

All those trees had to be hauled out of the swamp. This is not something insurance covers.

I started replanting new baby trees several months ago. Now that it is raining every day and there is SO MUCH SUN in the yard I have new and different plants growing around what I have planted and I can't tell what should be left to grow and what I should pull out.

So, my landscape guy is coming today to help me sort things out.

Maybe New Orleans just needs my landscape guy. A guy who comes and says "No, that weed needs to go but that one will grow into a new and wonderful tree or flower."

Oh right, New Orleans had that guy (and many others) come and say "That neighborhood/house needs to go, but those over there can be nutured into something that will grow and flower."

The difference is that I listen to my landscape guy.