Flower Funeral :: Death to Oleanders

Flowers don't really exist much in Vegas.  In the few weeks of Spring that we cherish before the blistering begins we get to see beautiful cherry blossoms, oleanders, and a few other bushes sprout some color before they seek reprieve from the summer heat.  Our backyard, during these few weeks, is a small sanctuary from the concrete and desert landscaping.  Was a sanctuary.  

While at a friends' graduation party the other night I found out some terrible news.  Oleanders are incredibly poisonous!!  Of course, anything researched on the internet leads to death, but this path actually seems legit.  Chock it up there with rattlesnake bites and killer bees.  The kicker is that they can only cause such damage to small children, and then only to those small children who will eat the leaves.  What small child won't eat the leaves is my question??!!  In fact, dumb cats also eat the leaves.  A few years ago, right after the oleanders were planted by my father in law, our dumb fat cat ate one of the leaves (as if he needed more to eat).  He came inside foaming at the mouth, slinging spit from one wall to the other.  We thought that he had eaten some weird bug, or maybe was having an allergic reaction to the Twinkie and Snickers bar he ate the hour before   kidding  but we now know that he had eaten an Oleander leaf!!

So.  Our oleanders have to go.  Or, Hudson has to go.... riiiiight.  So, I took a quick picture of the white and light pink oleanders watching as their cousin, the dark pink oleander, got chopped down.  Knowing that their turn is next.  Death row for oleanders.

Next week we are having new bushes planted along with a new tree, or two.  We're also getting the flagstone ripped up, and having that fake grass stuff laid down.  That's right, we're going kid friendly all the way down to the new play set for Hudson, and an old school style picnic table.  I'm very excited for the change, and looking forward to summer nights outside listening to one of the best sounds on earth, my Hudson's adorable little chuckle.

R.I.P. oleanders. R.I.P.