Tumbleweeds in a Storm in Southern California!

I must admit, I am drawn to tumbleweeds. I see one on the side of the road, and I want to take a photo of it. I see the green plants that will in future months become tumbleweeds, and I take photos or videos of them. I call these collections of plants, tumbleweed farms.

I am sharing, in this article, some videos, photos, discoveries, thoughts and feelings about tumbleweeds.

Tumbleweeds I have Known

Maya Angelou said “You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”

Me too. Maybe I am or aspire to be a human tumbleweed.

Wardlow Street

I was driving down Wardlow in Long Beach in August, and saw this fully grown tumbleweed, sitting and gelling out on a sign - a yellow diamond. The yellow diamond sign means "slow down, prepare to stop, a special hazard lies ahead". I waited and watched it as it moved gently in the wind. I suppose if it was freed of its sign, it would become a special hazard.

Future Tumbleweed Farm on Pacific Coast Highway

Later that day, exhilarated by my earlier Tumbleweed discovery that day, I took this video of what I thought would be a future tumbleweed farm.

I observed the "future tumbleweed farm" for many months, but the farm was cut down in November or December. I think it was a safety move.

Three Tumbleweeds

In November, while driving in Huntington Beach, after some particularly windy weather, I found these 3 Tumbleweeds. Two larger ones and a baby.

Tumbleweeds in a Storm in Southern California

It's sunny outside at this very minute, but we've been having a very severe storm here in the Los Angeles area. There is expected to be 5-7 feet of snow in the mountains, the wind has been whistling and the rain pouring. As I drove in the rain, I passed a particularly nice batch of tumbleweeds that had been freed, and went back later that day to take this video.

How to Buy Tumbleweeds

If you don't live in an area where tumbleweeds grow, and you want to get a tumbleweed of your own, you can buy them on EBay! If the heritage of the tumbleweed is important to you, you can buy tumbleweeds sourced in Colorado, Texas and California!

Why People Buy Tumbleweeds

Given the knowledge that you can buy tumbleweeds, it might immediately occur to you to ask "Why do people buy tumbleweeds?" You may be envisioning them having tumbleweed pets, animated by fans strategically placed around the garden. Perhaps they want to start their own tumbleweed farms, and are having trouble doing so. It did occur to me back in August, when I took that video of the tumbleweed on Wardlow Road, that some prop manager working on a set of some movie based in the old west of the USA, might like that tumbleweed.

A New Use for An Unwanted Object

Tumbleweeds have found favor with artists working with natural and found objects. They have been put to use to create light fixtures and natural decorations both in private and commercial settings.

I encourage you to look them up and when you do look at the images of the light fixtures, you may find that you want to make your very own tumbleweed light. I do.

So every time I pass a tumbleweed, I visualize it as the light fixture I will make with it. But I have a problem to solve before I can get there. You see, I live in a small house with a garden. This makes me also wonder if tumbleweeds come with tumbleweed seeds, and that bringing home that tumbleweed might just turn my garden into a tumbleweed farm.

I have a habit of and reputation for bringing home items with the idea that I might make something out of them. Sometimes the vision is realized, but I'll admit that much of the time, the vision stops at the point where the item has been brought home.

I have been banned from bringing home any tumbleweeds, large or small. I don't disagree that that tumbleweed might sit unused until someone in my family eventually throws it out. But it might not. I might actually make that tumbleweed light fixture, and it could be so beautiful, and I would take such pride in it!

Do you want to make a Tumbleweed Lamp too?

If you have a place where I can work on making my first (and probably only) tumbleweed lamp, please let me know! Maybe we can find two tumbleweeds and make two lamps, so we can each be inspired by this weed turned delight!

Trish Tsoiasue is a Maker and works to support Makers through Makersville and Makersville Services in Long Beach, CA.