I still hate the desert

Been in the desert for about six years now and I still hate it.

My biggest goal with my garden is transforming my own little patch of desert into something much more. I get frustrated with lack of success at times. Makes it worse when I see some other yards with flowers blooming or farms covered with green. Walking through the botanical gardens the other day was, in a sense, depressing.

Then I think about it some more and realize a few things. In some cases, I know thousands or even millions of pounds of chemicals have been used to achieve those effects. In other cases, the areas with growth and blooms are far more limited than what I hope to achieve. The majority of the same property is all rocks, sand and clay. And nobody is usually walking or sitting outside to enjoy the tiny patches of green, appreciate the beauty of the flowers. Even less rarely are the owners harvesting anything to eat. Those little patches are a sign of ownership. They are not part of their environment and their environment is not part of them. Also, in many if not most cases, the areas have been tended by people with years or decades of schooling and experience which I do not have. In some cases, the land itself has been worked for decades, generations. (Sometimes that's good and other times not so good.)

However, I still have the same goal. If it were easy, much more of the desert would already be converted by others and there would be no challenge. Maybe I would enjoy it less and learn less along the way. While it frustrates me for improvement to take so long, each little advance is a victory. By the time my yard and garden reach the point I want them to be, I'll appreciate it much more for all the time and work invested.

I just have to remind myself of this sometimes.