Most people have heard the phrase that begins, “The grass is always greener…..” It’s usually coupled with an “I wish X would change” type reflection.
We along Cottonwood Creek in Richardson have said that a lot in the past year or so. The creekbed was overgrown, and the water had stopped flowing along the many bends in the creek. “Clean it up,” we asked the City. And so they developed a plan. And they asked our opinions, making sure we were in agreement with the erosion planning that was proposed. We didn’t object. “How great is this? We don’t have to pay for the clean up!”
Careful what you wish for.
This area behind our house used to be filled with brush and large, old trees. Many large, old trees. Sure, I got nervous during thunderstorms – each time lightening would strike, I’d wonder when we would hear a crash on the roof of the house. [Sidenote: that really happened to my sister in law last month. I’ll have to ask her how loud the sound was.]
Some of you know how nice it has been to hang out by the back fence, kind of like we were in the ‘real’ woods. We’ve enjoyed watching mallard ducks, coyotes, bobcats, bobcats eating mallard ducks, owls, blue herons (or something like that), and who knows what else. Each spring when the weather warmed up, we hear the woodpeckers in the morning, sounding their hammer to remind us they were home. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Our own little Sheldon Cooper.
And now, I have to wonder….did we (once again) think only of ourselves when we asked for a creek cleanup plan? And where will my wildlife friends go now? If this makes me a treehugger, so be it. But they were our trees, and I will miss them. Along with the wildlife that called the creek ‘home.’