Monday, December 13, 2010

THE WALL

Like something out of a novel from George R. R. Martin, my life, I have decided, is like that of Jon Snow.  I'm not a bastard child, but I am fighting "the Others"....a race of beings that cannot be killed except by fire.  Our property, from my point of view, is like Castle Winterfell, and the only thing separating it from the evil "Others" is the WALL.  In the FIRE AND ICE book series, the WALL is made up of pure thick ice.  It is the watchtower manned by people that keep a look out for giants, wildlings, and the frostfangs. 

While my unit is not on "that side" of the property near "the WALL", I am still in charge of cleaning up around that area.  The other day I was out blowing acorns and other things off the grounds, when my PortoRican, RESPECT!, neighbor called out to me and asked me to keep the meth zombies(aka "the Others") off his property.  I started laughing and asked him what was going on and he began to tell me of dark stories on how homeless people were sleeping in his grove of the Mesquite Forest on the other side of the wall.  Irving, RESPECT!, invited me over and like the evil meth zombie druggies, I hopped the WALL.....and scratched myself up pretty good.  Irving showed me the land opposite of the Presidio Garden and let me tell you all...it was not pretty.
The North Side and the end corner

Male prostitutes were using the area 2 nights ago, homeless people, drunks, druggies, and apparently, Oscar the Grouch because there was trash all over the place.  We had a nice talk about how to prevent the evil from entering our worlds....both of us agreed that shards of glass would be wonderful to put on top of the wall if it weren't illegal....but we brainstormed and dreamt of all the evil ways we could make the bad people's lives even worse.  I wouldn't be so negative, but they have stolen things from our property, even with the gates locked, by hopping our fences.  I am still employing my cacti army, but it is not finished yet and there are gaps in the defense.  It was terrible to see what Irving had to put up with.....especially after seeing all the trash on the other side of the wall. He is worried about his wife and home as he is in the middle of scum city.  You can read my blog on THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY and you'll have a better idea of the situation that surrounds the Presidio Gardens.
Do you want this on your property? 
This is a terrible picture to post and especially on a sacred garden blog.....but this is what surrounds one side of the Presidio gardens......these people stick out like a sour thumb as they walk around looking for things to steal.  Notice how they look and eventually act like zombies due to meth.  For those of you who have never seen this,perhaps,now,  you will recognize it around your cities or neighborhoods.  I hate drugs but I especially hate meth because it affects EVERYONE!  Crime rates shoot sky high.  Be aware. It's a very sad situation.
I have decided that I will take bouganvillea branches and line that portion of the wall with many of those branches.....if the thorns don't work, then we will go with tar.  There is a city light that has had a burnt out light bulb for 7 years in that dark area.  Beginning tomorrow, I will call in the Tucson police to have that light inspected because it is dangerous....and it is increasing.  I don't like the situation, but I am glad the WALL is there because the other side of it is not so pretty.  Sometimes I wish fantasy wasn't so real.

10 comments:

  1. Good luck! Would playing classical music in the area keep them from hanging out there? I've heard of cities that do that in subways.

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  2. It is a sad situation. Having a light on at night would make me feel better. And I think deterrents like thorns could help also. Good luck!

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  3. It's a national problem. When I worked in a rural area, south of Dallas and Ft Worth, we couldn't even get away from it... it seems that many small family "farms" primary cash crop is meth out there. Part of me feels pity for these people, but I'm afraid my compassion doesn't extend to being victimized. Thorny branches might work. But I've seen them use the welcome mats from the front doors to throw over the branches and give them a slide over...

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  4. Thanks Claude....I hadn't even thought of the welcome mats. Called the police last night so they are aware of the traffic problem. It's a difficult situation because I don't want any of the residents that live at Presidio getting hurt....I have to figure out a way to deter them from the property. This is most definitely a national crisis...

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  5. motion activated lights might work... but make sure they're out of reach. Otherwise, they'll just unscrew the bulbs. Signs that proclaim video cameras in use might work too, whether there's a camera or not... It's the nature of that addiction to be paranoid.

    You can usually get a camera at a pawn shop... the older ones are being replaced with more modern stuff, so they're cheap.

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  6. wow, what a scary and sad situation. You're right about meth - particularly horrible. Lights would be great. As would a small yippy dog.

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  7. Wow, what a sad situation.
    And as you point out, a crisis that isn't just in 'our back yard'.
    I bet every creative idea has a way to beat it (welcome mats to cover the thorns? who would have thought?).
    Keep us posted. It is a big considerable mess!

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  8. Is there any place for planting thorny bushes? I can't tell from the pictures; but the polyanthus
    Cecile Brunner climbing rose is a fast growing, beautiful, yet nasty plant as far as thorns are concerned. I would venture to say that the thorns are much, much meaner than the bougainvillea! The thorns are thick, curved like a hook, and sharp as all get out! I am visiting your lovely area--after having lived here and visited for decades--and I know I have seen this rose growing. It becomes enormous quickly--two completely encircled my home when I lived in San Diego (another place where it's a priority to keep safe!) My two plants took a little time, but if one is in a hurry, several can be planted with the canes positioned upright and then bent as desired. Beautiful, but very mean and certainly noticed!!
    Cuttings--placed carefully--might be found on Craigslist. Also, what about making "the landing zone" (on the other side of the fence) a very uncomfortable place to "land." Thorny plants, sharp stones, and yes, glass or barbed wire are pretty unpleasant surprises and while glass may be illegal on walls, a few "un-welcome mats" on the owner's side of the fence might do...? Geez, how tragic. I noticed--and was feeling threatened by--some weird business at the Farmer's Market last night. The home situation must be very, very stressful and frightening.

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  9. Oh the climbing rose is one of my favorites:) That is definitely one that will take over an area and grow quite large if left to spread out:) So far the cacti have done a great job blocking the issues and the other side isn't possible because they are the neighbors but we have spoken about the issues together and they have put in plants as well to block them from jumping. It's been about 2 years now and things have settled down thankfully. They are still there though and it is stressful when you see a whole squad of police cars lining the roads. Hope you enjoy your time here. It really is a great place but security lately has been something we've all be talking about lately around these parts. All my best!

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  10. Oh my gosh Chris! What fun to read what concerned you all these years ago! I was in Andover, Mass when this was going on in your life! It seems we both had demons to fight!

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