Island Life and its Everchanging Environment

Life would be so much easier if everything just stayed put and didn't change. I'm sure there are plenty of people that constantly wish we would stay put. But life is always changing and so is the environment around us. There is no weed free yard, there is no maintenance free landscape, and there is no plant which will do exactly what it is supposed to. We are in a living, breathing world full of infinite variables, and things are always changing. As a designer, I try to account for the majority of variables, the little items most people don't think of. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. Most days the North Beach is full of the ordinary rocks, clam shells, seaweed, and birds. But every once in a while, a special surprise will wash ashore. The maintained landscape is much the same. Maybe that special surprise is a flower that blooms longer than it should. Maybe that special surprise is not so fun, and much like stepping in the remains of an otter's dinner, you get a nest of Yellow Jackets living in your rock wall. All we can do is work with the changing environment, manage our expectations, and adapt to stay safe and healthy while still trying to be good stewards of these beautiful environments that we live in.