Economics, Flora, and Fauna

As a neighborhood goes more upscale, so do its flora and fauna.

We live in Burbank, and the neighborhood has been changing: a mansion here, a mansion there, a modest house razed except for a single stud, around which a new home is built. We have mansionization--we also have Home Depotization--especially when it comes to the exterior decor, we are seeing more of the standardized columns that must be from Home Depot. You can find them in the lumber department, piled together waiting to support a faux-colonial facade.

But as this trend becomes more noticeable, other things bloom: Mercedes-Benzes, Jaguars, and BMW's are seeming to drop from the trees and clutter the streets. They line parkways and driveways in clusters and bouquets; there is always a hum and a buzz in the air as bees seek them, or is that the rather large custom stereos some of them have been equipped with? The more modest and weedy Fords and Chevrolets seem to have migrated out into the North Hollywood area, and spikier older cars line the streets of Pacoima and Panorama City. You only see the occasional mundane tulip gray van here and there--even families prefer the more exotic, hothouse blossoms that need the loving care of the detailer. A shiny black Porsche sits regularly on the street up on Sunset Canyon. It sits there day after day and never gets dusty. The owner drives it to the car wash nursery the way pet lovers take their dogs to the groomer.

For a long time our black Camry sat in front of the house (where it still sits when someone isn't driving it) keeping the pepper tree droppings off the street. Now the whole car has a crusty appearance that no amount of washing will smooth away. You would have to use a grinder. In our walks around the neighborhood, I make sure to stop and smell the flowers along the way.