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Next let me tell you a little about the Evolution of the gardens. Thad isn't the brightest cracker in the barrel, and the gardens were never laid out with much of a plan. The need for irrigation required that the vegetation be installed surrounding the spigots. These "vegetation islands" were kept weed free and fertilized heavily. Many of the plants continued to thicken, creating dark shady spots which required moving some of the sun lovers to the extreme edges of the islands.

A circular path around the house for navigational purposes was kept free of plants. There were several trails that led to various areas of the yards where everyone liked to sit and enjoy the tropical view. A bridge was built over the irrigation canal and now we all enjoy flooding the canal and sitting on the bridge above it. Possums, hide under the bridge and Alice thinks they are trolls. The irrigation lines were soon extended allowing new islands for palms and flowers. At this time, the favorite relaxation areas turned into patios with brick floors or benches, and other features began to evolve.

Constructing a palapa in our rear yard was a wonderful experience for Alice and Thad. The palapa was a great hit. This was built in an area where there were few plants but the area is now one of the most luxuriant in the yard. Pedro, the crazy parrot was the first to sit under the palapa with them. Thad figured that Pedro might be lonely and he purchased an additional parrot, Oscar, which was the same species as Pedro. But in Pedro's crazy world, paradise was lost. Pedro had no time for a new friend, he was jealous of Oscar, and they began to fight. Oscar is also a real loser. He has absolutely no character. He sits and squawks and never thinks about anything. It was necessary to separate the two birds. You could say that this place was going to the birds.

Then Alice wanted more birds. New and separate pens and cages were needed. Doves and pigeons were purchased and placed in a large pen at the rear of the garden. This pen was too small so Thad soon expanded it and made a much larger pen. This is where Tangerine and I were brought home and came into the picture. We moved out to the gardens and things really started to improve. This thicket now had the exotic sounds of the jungle.

Chachalacas, a large native bird which resides in the woodlands of Mexico and the Rio Grande valley, moved into the gardens and began begging for food. Alice and Thad are always suckers and started feeding the Chachalacas. These birds appreciated the handout and were soon raising children of their own within the gardens. They now have the run of the garden, and we have accepted that fact. They never get real friendly like Tangerine and I do, and they know that I'm the boss. The menagerie had taken hold.

Peacocks were then invited and hung around for several years, but according to Thad, they took to wandering and no longer grace the yard with their presence. Secretly, Tangerine and I tricked them and sent them off to wander forever looking for the ultimate tropical fruit which exists somewhere in the far off mountains of Venezuela. I told Thad about the same fruit and he is constantly on the vigil for this unknown exquisite delicacy. Every time he comes upon any exotic fruit, he has to try them in the yard. Some meet with failure, but those that do survive quickly become awesome in size and demeanor. He always lets me try the fruit and I love them all.

This fruit also attracts wild birds and other animals. Chachalacas and kiskidees chorus during the day. Screech owls and geckos sound out their dominance at night. Latin music drifting from the house makes enchanting evenings although sometimes it is difficult to hear. The cacophony, provided by the wild birds and lizards, blends with the squawks of the inferior parrots. They each lend a mysteriousness and remoteness to the exciting panorama of plants which somehow just don't seem right in Texas. Thad and Alice's dream is finally realized. Thad likes the yard the best when meticulously cleaned and raked, but the thick dark jungle side of it comes alive when the yard has been neglected with its large leaves and vines scattered throughout the floor of Mango's Jungle.

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